Silver flat glass with Pouring Silver

English Transcription of Video:

(00:00):

There are four steps to forming a mirror on glass, cleaning the glass, sensitizing the glass, depositing the mirror, and protecting the mirror. With backing paint, we will show you how to clean, sensitize and silver. One square foot of flat glass. Set out your supplies so you can work in an orderly fashion. Adjust the rack so that the pins do not touch the edge of the glass and break the surface tension. The solutions are held onto the glass by surface tension, the bond that makes liquid molecules stick together and beat up rather than spread out. Notice that you can rock the glass gently without the liquid flowing off the itch. Practice with water to get a feel for the limits of this maneuver. The solutions should sit evenly on the glass. Use the shims to level the tub. The liquid on the glass is a better indicator of a level surface than a carpenter's level. Cleaning the glass is the most important part of mirroring all mirrors. Begin with chemically clean, bare, wet glass. Wear rubber gloves to keep the chemicals off your skin and your fingerprints off the glass. You may want to mark the non mirror side to remind yourself which side is clean. Use hot tap water for cleaning. Sprinkle concentrated cleaner on a wet paper towel, clean the edges to remove cutting oil and fingerprints.

(02:03):

Rinse the glass with tap water in a tub or under a running tap. Place the glass mirror side up on the cleaning mat and pour a little hot water on the glass. Sprinkle on a little more glass cleaner and a little sirium oxide. Wet the felt polishing block and scrub the glass sirium oxide polishes and renews the surface. The slurry should be thin like pink milk. If the mix gets dry, add more hot. Tap water and continue scrubbing. Rinse the glass with clean tap water. Serum oxide sticks to

(02:59):

Glass, so be sure to wipe it off with a sponge. Never use this sponge for any other purpose. Remove the tap water by spraying well with distilled water. The glass is clean when the water sheets off the glass. When you can tip the glass and you do not see it beating anywhere. The non mirrored side does not need to be clean. Wear rubber gloves throughout the mirroring process. Use hot tap water, concentrated cleaner and serum oxide to clean the glass. Clean the edges to remove cutting oil and fingerprints. Remove the serum oxide with a dedicated sponge. Remove the tap water by spraying the glass. With distilled water, you are now ready to tin and silver. The glass. The glass is sensitized with tin dissolved stanus chloride. Use a minimum of two fluid ounces. 60 mil of diluted thinning solution for each square foot.

(04:25):

Tin for silver is diluted by adding two mil of concentrate to two fluid ounces, 60 mil of distilled water. Rinse all the concentrate into the cup and add distilled water to the two ounce mark. Diluted thinning solution has a shelf life of six to eight hours. Remember to use steam distilled or deionized water to mix the tin and rinse the glass. Use at least two fluid ounces, 60 mil of freshly diluted tin for each square foot of glass, tip off all the rinse water and set the wet glass mirror side up on the rack. Pour on the tin and set the timer for 30 seconds. Tilt the tub to get an even coat. Adjust the shims to level the glass. Let the tin sit on the glass for 30 to 40 seconds. Tip the tin into the tub and rinse the glass. With distilled water, the tin layer is invisible. Do not let the glass dry out

(05:56):

Before you pour on the silver. Plan to use at least 45 mil, one and a half fluid ounces of total mirroring solution for each square foot of glass. For 45 mil of Silvering solutions, we will need 15 mil each of silver, silver activator and silver reducer. Our chemical storage bottles let you measure and store each liquid separately to avoid cross-contamination. The cap is marked in milliliters. Milliliters are easier to use than fractions of an ounce. To use the bottle, unscrew the top assembly and pour the liquid into the bottom section. Insert the straw and replace the top section.

(07:09):

Squeeze the bottom until the liquid rises to the milliliter mark on the top. Remove the cap and pour out the measured amount of liquid to store the chemicals. Remove the top and detach the straw. Leave it in the bottle. If you leave the straw attached to the top, natural changes in air pressure will cause the liquid to rise on its own. Remove the caps from the measuring bottles and pour the measured chemicals into a paper cup. Use a new set of cups every time. To avoid contaminating the silver box, the silver two or three times to mix it. Pour it evenly on the glass and rock the tub to distribute the silver level the tub with the shims. Set the timer for five minutes. Using a timer will remind you not to pour off the silver too soon

(08:57):

As the silver begins to deposit, the glass turns brown and then silver rock the tub occasionally to prevent the silver from depositing in ridges. If one area seems thin, adjust the shims. The liquid on the glass lets you know if the tub is level. After five minutes, tip the silver into the tub and look at the glass. Any deposits on the face of the glass will be removed later. A good silver coat is almost opaque looking through the glass. It is a deep, even blue color. If the silver looks thin or uneven, repeat the silvering process to add a second layer. Do not retin the glass when the silver is finished. Rinse the glass thoroughly with distilled water and set it on edge to dry the glass vertically so the water will run off. Dry water spots will show through the silver. A heated fan or hair dryer will speed things up. The silver must be completely dry before you paint it. Trapped moisture will tarnish the silver later. You can paint the mirror with a soft brush or roller or screen print over it. We have several types of backing paint [email protected]. When the paint is dry, clean the face of the mirror. To summarize, begin by cleaning the glass thoroughly. Water must sheet off the glass. Sensitize the glass with at least 60 mil or two fluid ounces of fresh thinning solution For about 30 seconds, use at least 45 mil or one and a half fluid ounces of mixed silver solutions per square foot. Allow time for the mirror to develop. Dry the glass completely before painting.