About Galena Mirrors
 |
Galena mirrors are dark - the color of tarnished pewter, polished hematite or the "lead" in a lead pencil. Looking at a Galena mirror is like wearing sunglasses. On smooth glass, the color is quiet and sophisticated. It is more dramatic on textured glass. The mosaic table-top at the left illustrates the difference. |
What is galena?
Galena is an ancient name for lead sulfide - the chemical that forms on the glass when you create a galena mirror.
Lead and lead sulfide are poisonous only if you take them into your body. They do not emit odors or fumes. Use common sense, wear rubber gloves and store your chemicals out of the reach of children, pets and other curious visitors. Also, there is very little lead in a lead sulfide mirror but we do not recommend that you spray the lead mirror solutions to make your mirror.
Galena changes colors
Galena chemicals change color as they deposit - from brown to purple to blue to gray to black. You can capture this change if you watch carefully and pour the chemicals off the glass at just the right time. The effect is more noticeable on textured glass.
Galena tarnishes silver
The sulfide in the galena chemicals will tarnish your silver chemicals. Keep your mixing containers separate and rinse your equipment well after using galena. On the other hand, you can create some great antiquing effects by depositing a layer of galena over a layer of thin silver.
| Galena mirrors: | |
|
|
