Copper foil vs lead came: picking a technique

Every pattern on this site can be built with either copper foil or lead came; picking one changes the cutting margin subtracted from each piece and the final look of the leading lines, not the underlying cut geometry.

Copper foil

Copper foil wraps each piece edge in a thin adhesive copper tape, then solders the seams into a rounded bead. The cutting margin is small, 0.03125 in per edge on this site's patterns, so foil suits patterns with narrow pieces or tight curves, and gives thinner, more detailed leading lines. Foil work is typically done flat on a table.

Lead came

Lead came is a grooved metal strip that each piece edge slides into before the joints are soldered. The cutting margin is larger, 0.1875 in per edge here, since the piece has to sit inside the came channel rather than butt against a thin tape edge. Came suits larger panels and simpler, bolder pieces, and gives a heavier, wider leading line.

Which one for your first pattern

If you are following the beginner guide, start with copper foil: the tools are lighter, the technique is easier to learn flat on a table, and it works on every pattern in the collection including the ones with curves, like Crescent Moon.

Every download on this site includes a cutting-margin pattern generated for your chosen technique, so the margin is already built into the piece you cut, not something to calculate by hand.