Conference 7.286::home_work

	About a year ago I checked into resilvering for the same reason.
     I only found one place (don't remember who or where it was and
    don't remember what I looked under in the yellow pages) and if I 
    remember correctly it was EXTREMELY expensive.  If someone else
    knows where it can be done reasonably I'd also like to hear it.

    In the CRC "Handbook of Physics and Chemistry" there is a section
    on formulas and recipes. Among these are a few methods for silvering
    mirrors, one of which my be practical for home use.  Another
    alternative is to ask the question on the LDP::ASTRONOMY note file.
    Anybody who has built his own telescope has had to get the mirror
    blank silvered and may be able to tell you where to go to get it
    done. (I think the node is LDP.)
    
    Dave
    

    Regarding self-resilvering of mirrors: Lindsay Technical Books,
    P.O. Box 12, Bradley, Ill.  60915, sells (or did sell) a reprint
    of an old pamphlet that tells how to resilver mirrors.  Lindsay
    puts out a catalog of all kinds of weird books; worth writing for.

    Hiya Steve, Long time, no see.
    
    I was just looking at the Home Improvements section of a local Newton
    newspaper and voila', an article jumps off the paper "RESILVERING:
    A Lost Art"
    
    The article is about Colman Herman the owner of Benchmark Antiques
    in Newton Highlands who does quite a bit of resilvering.  Prices
    range from $25.00 to $90.00.  They have a lot of oak furniture there,
    which seems to be their specialty.
    
    They are on Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands near the intersection
    of Walnut-Lincoln Streets.
    
    Give me a call if you need more directions.  I'll drop the article
    in the mail to you too.
    
    Jim  
    
    DTN: 232-2250
    

    Telescope mirrors are coated with aluminum these days, very few
    people use silver any more, because of it's tendency to tarnish
    rapidly. I have no idea what's used on regular looking-glass mirrors,
    though - since the reflecting surface isn't exposed to the air (like
    a telescope's mirror), silver may be ok...
    I have a book with telescope mirror silvering methods, if anyone's
    interested. Be prepared to find a source for some uncommon chemicals,
    though.      -Tom R.

    Tom, I would be interested in the name of the book and publisher.
    
    thanx,jerry
    

    Dave

    re: .7
    Ok, the book is "Amateur Astronomer's Handbook" by Sidgwick. I *think*
    it's published by Dover. It's available in quite a few book stores
    under "Science & Nature", or whatever. And when you're finished reading
    it, you'll be able to explain the history and technicalities of
    telescope mirror reflecting materials to your friends... :-)   
    -Tom R.

    
    	The chemicals used for such a procedure are EXPLOSIVE if not
    mixed properly, AND unstable which will also cause detonation if
    not stored properly.  The book referred to in the last reply de-
    scribes such a situation.  Also the technique for astronomical
    mirrors is different than for household mirrors and you may not
    get the results you are looking for.  Please be careful!
    

    One of the 4 or 5 silvering methods described by Sidgwick can produce
    silver fulminate, which I believe is not unlike nitroglycerine or
    other high explosive. I wouldn't touch that method myself.
    These methods leave a thin, dull film of silver on the surface of
    the mirror, which is then polished to a high reflectivity. The silver
    itself does the reflecting. A looking-glass mirror has the silver
    on the back side of the glass, and you look through the glass at
    the bottom of the silver. I'm not sure whether that bottom surface
    will be reflective or dull with these methods...
    If it were me, I'd replace the mirror. Glass shops will cut oddly
    shaped mirrors from stock pieces if you can give them the exact
    shape. I just brought them the old mirror.     -Tom R.

    I just got three new mirrors to replace the ones I had installed
    just about a year ago.....now I have to get the old ones (cememted)
    off the wall.....
    
    My question is this....I was told that probably the paste they used
    never really sets and I should be able to pull them off without
    having to replace the sheetrock....I was wondering if there were
    any chemical I could use to run down the back of the mirror to
    start loosening the cement.
    
    Rick

    I think I know the glop you are talking about.  It is a viscous
    gray stuff.  It holds things in place by ambient air pressure.
    In other words, once you push the mirror into it and force the air
    out of the gap between the mirror and wall the force required
    to remove it is equal 15 lbs/sq in.  That is a lot of force. 
    
    I'd ask the glass place what they do to remove these suckers.  I
    am sure they have a workable technique.  I hate to think of removing
    the mirror without an easy solution.

    I know someone who does this in Hudson N.H.
    I saw a mirror that was done as a demo, half refinished
    and the other half not and it was real nice...
    Jean
    
    Contact Peri Damon for more info
    
    PSGMKG::DAMON
    

    I have an old oval beveled glass mirror that hangs in my bathroom.
    The mirror is roughly 24" long * 18" wide.   BOSTON MIRROR CO. has
    quoted to resilver it for less than $50.  According to the person
    I spoke with they do alot of this type of work.   BOSTON MIRROR
    if located on Old Colony St. in South Boston.
    
    I would advise anyone to steer away from the chemicals used in
    the stripping/plating process used to refinish a mirror.
    

    RE: Benchmark Antiques - Newton Highlands

    I just picked up a mirror from Benchmark that I had him resilver for 
me. I think a couple of observations are in order on the work.

    As a background, the mirrow was a beveled edge mirror, 10 x 18, from a 
Reed organ that I am restoring. I had taken the glass out carefully, and 
scraped off the old silvering, then cleaned the glass and tried the mirror 
behing the glass trick. My wife and I didn't like to resulting look, so I 
tried Benchmark for the resilvering. His price was $.25 per square inch, or 
$45.00 for the mirror. It took 5-6 weeks and I picked the mirrow up and 
brought it home. Then got a good look at it and found a scratch on the 
backside of the mirror in the silver. Took it back to him, and he explained 
that it was a scratch in the glass, and there was no way it could be 
covered correctly to make it unnoticible. I am not happy having spent 
$45.00 on a mirror that has an obvious scrathc in it, and am considering 
not using the mirror now but buying a new one. A darned expensive 
replacement job for an orgen that cost me $100 complete.

    So, my observations to anyone having a mirror resilvered, either by 
Benchmark or someone else are:

    1. check the mirror carefully for damage to the back of the glass and 
consider whether you want to continue with the project if it is damaged.

    2. Discuss the condition of the glass with the person doing the 
resilvering and get it in writing that the glass is ok, or slightly 
scratched, or deeply scratched, and size, locations of scratches. I don't 
believe, having been the one to remove the old silver, that my mirror had 
this big a scratch in it when I took it into Benchmark, but I can't prove it 
either way.

    3. Check the mirror carefully when you pick it up and be sure there is 
no further damage to it than when you brought it in.

    I can't tell either way when/how the scratch got on the mirror, but I 
was not impressed by the work area at Benchmark. I believe a piece of 
glass could, in 5-6 weeks, get scratched while being worked on but I will 
nver know if that is what happened to mine.

    BTW, this in not intended as a "Don't ever use this guy" type note. I 
was happy with the rest of the mirror, the copper paint over the silver 
wasa nice touch, and the guy is friendly and easy to talk to and work with. 
He seemed anxious to please and was convinced the mirror was scratched when 
it came in. He just made no effort to point it out to me at the time or to 
be sure I knew about it before I left the shop when I picked it up the 
first time. If this is a common problem with old mirrors, then he should be 
sure his customers know about it before sinking money into a project.

    Vic H

    	I need to buy a mirror for a bathroom.  The mirror will be placed
    in a wood frame, built by me, before it is hung.  I called different 
    places and got price quotes ranging from $25 to $52.  This range got 
    me to wondering if there is different quality (the quotes were for all
    the same thickness) in mirrors.  Should I look for anything special
    or is one person specializing in prices rather than mirrors?
    
    Thanks,
    
    George

    
    I believe the better quality mirrors are made of Float Glass.
    
    -tm
    

    I've been shopping for mirrors as well, to cover a 6 foot by 8 foot
    wall. The best price I've come up with is $0.056/sq inch for 1/4
    inch mirror. The people I've called swear that there is no difference
    between the quality of various 1/4 inch mirror -- but I wonder.
       
    Anybody have any better prices????
       
    VCS

    
    I recently completed a large addition and covered a large area in
    the bathroom with mirrors. The installer told me that there were
    2 factors to look for in mirrors. The flatness of the glass and
    the material used for the backing. For the first, I'm not sure if
    it's a material quality, or manufacturing process issue, but you
    have to be sure that the glass reflects a true image. A gross example
    would be mirror at amusement parks that contort your figure. Second
    is the backing. I guess the silver material is better than others.
    I don't really remember the other types memtioned, but they can
    affect the clarity of the reflection. He mentioned a real cheapo
    that gave everything a yellowish tint.
    
    Just make sure to see what you are buying before it is installed.
    
    Needless to say, the ones we bought are true and provide a true
    reflection. I'm not sure if he was telling the truth, or selling
    his brand of mirrors, but I've known the guy for several years and
    trust what he said.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    JMB

    Has anyone ever constructed a 'fogless' bathroom mirror? The
    theory is simple- just run the copper pipes carrying the HOT
    water to the shower/bath BEHIND the mirror plate and use something
    to radiate the heat from the pipes to the plate or mirrored glass.
    
    My question: I need some recommendations for the 'convection'
    fins. Should I bend some sheet metal so it fits snuggly around the
    pipes and then lightly brushes the back surface of the mirror.
    Maybe cover it with electronic silicone grease to trasnfer the heat
    even better?
    
    Any suggestions?
    
    Mark

    
    How about using baseboard heat without the baseboard housing, its
    basically 3/4" pipe with fins. Most plumbing supply shops carry
    it. It may also come in smaller pipe sizes.
    

Even smaller are the pipes and fins in our kitchen toe-space heater.  They're
less than 1/2" (1/4? 3/8?).  'Course in our heater each section is a foot long
or so and they loop back on themselves a few times in their 3" height.  Don't
know where to get the pipes and fins, but start with heat/plumbing supply
places.

    In my bathroom one of the previous owners pasted mirror tiles on the
    wall.  They are very ugly.  There is a 4' by 5'  block of these
    mirrors.  I would like to remove them.  What is the best way to attempt
    this project?
    
    Robin	

Lock a 3 year old in with Dad's newly discovered hammer ;^)