I saw a very interesting photo display recently and I'm trying to figure out the best way to take advantage of the concept...
The photographer use a mirror as a 'mat' for his photos. He removed a rectangular area of the mirror backing so it would be transparent. He mounted his photos behind the mirror and then framed the mirror.. simple enough...
NOT.
I tried removing the mirror backing with razor blades with only minimal success. I couldn't get enough of it off to make it work. I called a local glass distributor where we get our mirrors for the framing shop to ask what to do. He didn't know for sure, but he sent me to AC Moore where he has heard they have some sort of acid that will do just what I'm looking for. I went to AC Moore and the people I asked didn't know about this and had no idea. They sent me to the hardware store to the paint section to ask what I needed. I went to the hardware store paint counter today. They guy there told me I needed to try "Goof Off" which is some sort of heavy duty cleaner. I didn't even bother....
Has anyone here ever done this? If so, could you tell me what I need to strip the backing off a section of mirror?
I have no clue, sorry.
However, I wonder if you could attack this from the other side. Start with plain glass, then make the mirror part around the outside by attaching whatever it is that makes glass into mirrors to the back.
I've not seen anyone take off the silver backing, but I have seen where you can buy silver backing to create mirrors. Maybe he did that, made his own mirror but left the clear space in it for the picture?
I found it when I was looking for front surface mirrors for a project, but I can't remember where it was I saw it. You might try google and do a search on creating mirror or something like that.
I think it very likely, unless you have evidence/information to the contrary, that he made his own mirrors, as others have suggested. Removing the silvering from mirrors is very difficult and time consuming, and it would be hell to so it as precisely as necessary for a project like this.
Goof Off will do a great job of removing sticky glue, paste, ect. from any surface. When working in retail we had to do it all the time on the glass counters where stickers had be stuck for months and even years.
If you are able to get the mirror backing off and you are having a problem with the left behind residue then try "Goof Off". But use painters tap around the edges so it will not get on the mirrored portion.
You might try a stained glass place. One of the products used in stained glass will take away the mirror backing. It is some sort of acid used to clean the glass before applying the flux. The flux I think will also remove the mirror backing.
When I was growing up my father used to do this. he'd take off pieces of the silver to create a picture and then color it from the back to create an image without marring the front surface. it was beautiful and I remember his sitting in his recliner with the mirror and an exacto knife "drawing". I think all he used was the knife but if you dont get a good answer ill ask him tonight(after work) how he did it and let you know.
Here is a link I found that tells how to make a mirror and further down also tells how to remove the backing. There are probably other ways as well, but if you were to mask off the area that you don't want to remove the silver backing and work carefully, this would probably work.
Here is a link I found that tells how to make a mirror and further down also tells how to remove the backing. There are probably other ways as well, but if you were to mask off the area that you don't want to remove the silver backing and work carefully, this would probably work.
The easiest way to remove the backing from a mirror is to use a good paint stripper according to directions. I used to remove mirror backings and then do an india ink drawing & oil paint it years ago. I usually used mirror tiles (available @ flooring places or Home Depot) Hobby stores have a variety of mirror products available.
Good luck, I hope you'll post your results.
woohoo, fun with chemicals. Sodium hydroxide and mercury all in one place. I think the little one line disclaimer is quite mild given the fun you could have with those.
Also, good luck getting it clean enough not to damage the print afterwards - acid free, archival materials be damned!
OMG, parts of that article look to have been written 100+ years ago... "Pour upon a sheet of tin foil three drams of quicksilver to the square foot of foil. Rub smartly with a piece of buckskin..." holy crap batman. Don't try this at home.
Modern mirrors may not respond nearly as well to these techniques as mirrors produced by the old methods. Were I to be selectively stripping the backing off a mirror, I'd mask off the area to remain silvered with a fume protection tape, then solvent strip the backing paint. Once the backing paint is removed, I'd acid etch the metallization away, and finally rinse the surface clear. I did this, once, and it worked well. The trick is getting the area masked tightly and controlling the area of backing paint that is stripped. In any case, you really need to know how to safely handle the chemicals involved.
What was really fun was after finding the above article I got side tracked off (as I often to when searcing for something on the web) into the history of mirrors. It's actually quit an interesting journey through how they use to make mirrors until today. Mostly it's all done in a vacumn today. Hmmm, come to think of it, a lot of people work in a vacumn today.
Anyway, it was interesting to read about it. Nothing I'd ever need in casual conversation and I'm to old to have to worry about impressing the ladies. LOL!
Speaking of Mercury, my dad has a fairly large jar of that stuff that he got from his Air Force days. I don't know what they did with it in his job, but he appropriated some of it to use while gold mining when we were stationed in Alaska. I don't think he ever used very much of it, but one of these days, I'm probably going to have to find a place where I can turn it in to have it recycled safely. It's getting harder and harder to do that anymore.
I think the little one line disclaimer is quite mild given the fun you could have with those.
Considering that mercury can poison you THROUGH the skin and kill if inhaled (not sure what kind of action or fumes come with the concotion), usually over a long period of time, but can pretty quickly in some cases.
.Mercury poisoning
