Reclaim Mirror Glass

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cemoore
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Greer, SC

Reclaim Mirror Glass

Post by cemoore »

Hi All,
I'm renovating a bathroom and have a large piece of 1/4" thick mirror glass (6' x 4') I'd like to reuse. I have a pass-thru sandblasting setup and could with some careful effort, remove the mirror coating. My goal would be to have some larger 1/4" float on which I can apply vitreous enamels and fire. I'm fairly certain I could get all the mirror off as I've sandblasted designs to cut through mirror coating before and it came off rather easily. Is there any reason I shouldn't do this? I know it will add a fair amount of mirror coating to my abrasive, but I could also do it towards the end of the abrasive life-cycle.
Thanks,
Cathy
jolly
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:44 pm
Location: Port Townsend, WA

Re: Reclaim Mirror Glass

Post by jolly »

Seems like a lot of work when you could just pick up some old windows and use those for float glass. I use old windows all the time. I give mirrors to gardeners to make fun reflective illusions to make little paths look like they go on and on.
There is more to life than increasing its speed.-Mahatma Gandhi
cemoore
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 10:19 am
Location: Greer, SC

Re: Reclaim Mirror Glass

Post by cemoore »

I don't mind the work as I apparently don't have as much luck as you finding old windows for float glass. Thanks!
Bob Gent
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 1:56 pm

Re: Reclaim Mirror Glass

Post by Bob Gent »

I'll bet you can scrape most of the mirror coating off with a razor blade pretty easily. You can get razor sharp scrapers that are 4" across.
It'd be a whole lot quieter that way
Buttercup
Posts: 626
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:22 pm
Location: S.E. Queensland Australia

Re: Reclaim Mirror Glass

Post by Buttercup »

Sandblasting would be the easiest method if you're determined to use this piece of glass. The sandblasted finish should go relatively clear at firing temperature in the kiln.

Scraping would be the last resort. I tried it once a long time ago when I needed to remove a tiny bit and didn't want to get into all my gear to go into the sandblasting booth. Total failure. That is, not good enough to use.
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