Mirroring Plastics
 Click to enlarge photo |
Sean Smith at
United Automotive in Imlay City, Michigan, used our products to spray chrome the objects on the left. Mike King of Angel Gilding silvered the leaves on the right to show that you can silver anything except bare metal. Sean Smith and John Gibson at Preformance Metal Phinishes are happy to answer your questions about spray chrome. |
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Mirroring Non-Glass Substrates
You can deposit mirroring chemicals on any non-metallic surface. Whether you get a reflective coating – a true mirror – depends on how glossy (shiny) the substrate is. Mirroring chemicals will not make a rough surface look shiny. Flat glass is one of the shiniest, glossiest surfaces available so it is ideal for making mirrors.
Plastic can be as glossy as glass but, unlike glass, it is hydrophobic – it repels water. If water does not flow smoothly over the surface, the mirroring chemicals will not deposit evenly. There are two ways to overcome this problem:
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You can flood the surface with so much water (or
mirroring chemicals) that the beads merge into a smooth
sheet. This technique works best using our mirror bath technique where the object
to be mirrored is submerged in the chemicals. It is only
practical for small objects.
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You can use a wetting agent (a type of surfactant) to
break the surface tension on the plastic before you apply
the mirroring chemicals. There are many types of plastic
and each type has its own chemistry and surface
characteristics.
We have tested our Wetting Agent on some types of acrylic, polycarbonate and polyurethane. We have not tested it on all types of plastic. You should test it on a sample of your substrate to confirm that it works. See Cleaning and Polishing for more information on wetting agents.
Mirroring Over Metal
Because mirroring chemicals are metallic, you can NOT mirror directly onto a metal surface. To mirror or "spray chrome" a metal part you must first cover it with a high gloss base coat. We do not currently sell base coating materials.
Protecting The Mirror
Mirror coatings are very thin; they also tarnish easily when exposed to the air. To preserve your mirrored surface, you must cover it with a top coat that is compatible with the mirroring chemicals and your substrate. Many clear top coats and lacquers look yellow when they are applied to the silver. You can counteract this effect by tinting the lacquer with a blue or purple dye. We do not currently sell tinted top coats.
Effect of Wetting Agent on Plexiglas®
 Before The water beads up. |
 After The water "sheets" over the surface. The large drops are underneath the piece. |
