How Do You Repair Mirror Silvering

How to Resilver a Mirror

Michelle Radcliff

Michele is an interior decorator with experience that includes color theory, article of furniture styles, lighting, and floor planning.

Interior Decorator

Following the steps on how to resilver a mirror is not hard. However, acquiring the chemicals necessary for the process can be hard. Resilvering a mirror is not a very feasible do-it-yourself project for the average person.

The Process on How to Resilver a Mirror

The types of mirrors that most people consider resilvering are normally antiques, a rare or unusual mirror, a askew mirror or a mirror with sentimental value. The reasons vary from discolorations to gray marks, scratches or some type of other flaw.

It is important to first determine if it is worth the trouble to have a mirror resilvered. Resilvering will not ameliorate scratches and fries on the front of the glass. Make certain the glass overall is in expert condition earlier yous attempt to resilver the mirror.

If you are lucky enough to be able to observe a mirror resilvering kit, the process is non complicated. However, extreme care must exist taken with the chemicals involved as they are extremely toxic. Safety glasses, gloves and a breath mask are recommended. The following steps evidence how the process is done:

Pace One - Remove the Backing

The first step is to remove the painted bankroll that protects the silver and copper coatings that give a mirror its reflective surface. To exercise this, y'all will demand a special paint stripper that can be used on glass.

Step 2 - Remove the Sometime Silver

Adjacent, you lot must remove the original silver coating. This is done using nitric acid. Make sure to properly dispose of these chemicals.

Step Three - Clean the Surface

Before reapplying the silvery, information technology's of import that you lot thoroughly clean the surface of the drinking glass. Make sure at that place is no cleaning solution residual left backside or any fibers from the cloth.

Pace Iv - Re-apply the Silver

Apply the mixture of silver nitrate to the drinking glass. It must exist evenly coated and allowed to dry out completely for 24 to 48 hours.

Step Five - Add together the Protective Backing

Once the silver has dried completely, you will need to add the copper pigment that seals the argent. Permit this to dry thoroughly and then stop past applying the final coat of grayness paint.

The Problems With Resilvering Your Own Mirror

Knowing how to resilver a mirror does not arrive an easy practise-it-yourself projection. The biggest problem with doing this yourself is being able to notice the materials. Some websites that provide the instructions on how to resilver a mirror claim that y'all can buy a mirror resilvering kit online. All the same, none of these websites provide any direct links, nor practice they provide the proper noun of any site that supposedly sells these kits. A keyword search online for "mirror resilvering kits" did not yield a supplier of resilvering kits, either.

Assuming that you were able to buy all the materials needed to resilver a mirror, there is all the same the adventure involved of treatment toxic chemicals. There is besides the problem of disposing of all the waste material material from stripping off the erstwhile backing and argent. These chemicals should never exist poured downward the drain or on the ground.

The chemicals needed to resilver a mirror are also extremely expensive. Companies that resilver mirrors professionally do the mirrors in groups, because it is the only cost effective manner to do this procedure. Buying resilvering chemicals to do just 1 mirror wouldn't be worth the cost. This may well exist the reason why a resilvering kit is so hard (if non impossible) to observe.

An Alternative Solution

Although searching for mirror resilvering kits online did not produce whatsoever vendors selling such kits, there are a few companies online that will resilver mirrors professionally for you.

Reflections Again Mirror Resilvering is located in San Jose, California. The company has been in operation for ten years and claims to have re-silvered thousands of mirrors. For items dropped off at their shop, the minimum charge is $25. They also charge depending on the size of the mirror at a rate of $20 per foursquare foot. The minimum charge for an item shipped to them is $40.

Another place that restores and resilvers mirrors is chosen A Moment in Time. This is a family owned business located in Wellington, Kansas. Their specialty is antique and heirloom mirrors.

If you don't want to risk shipping your mirror, the best solution would exist to effort to find a local drinking glass visitor that specializes in resilvering mirrors.