How to make a mirror with LED lighting in the bathroom? How and what is a mirror made from? How to make a mirror from glass and film

Making a mirror at home is an interesting process. To some it will seem illogical, because such a thing can be purchased at any furniture store. But this activity in itself seems exciting and useful thing, and the skill will be useful to you in the future, when the need arises to repair optical instruments. Let's find out how to make a mirror at home.

What will you need?

A little caustic potassium, silver nitrate, sodium hydroxide, alcohol, wax, glass, nitric acid, glucose and distilled water.

Let's get started

The glass should be washed thoroughly first. In any case, there are fatty particles on it, so the first thing to do is get rid of them. Now clarify whether you want to make a mirror from a blank or prefer to shape the glass yourself.

First, dry the glass and make a 2-centimeter wax edge around the perimeter. Do not touch the glass with your hands, otherwise you will leave it again greasy spots. Try to act carefully. If you want to protect the glass from dust, water it with distilled water before the work process.
Now you need to prepare working solutions. All of them will be based on distilled water. The first of these includes 10 g of silver nitrate and 200 ml of water. The second contains the same amount of liquid and 7 grams of sodium hydroxide. Preparation of the third involves using the same glass of water and 10 ml of glucose. Important: each solution must be prepared immediately before processing the mirror; you should not leave them for a long time. Use only proven chemicals.

Take a clean vessel and pour in the solution you made first. Add alcohol little by little, shaking the liquid, which will first become cloudy and then lighten. Add until the sediment becomes almost invisible. If you overdo it, dilute slightly with silver nitrate. The result will be a cloudy yellow liquid.
Now take the second solution and pour it into the mixture obtained in the previous step. Shake to dissolve the sediment, adding alcohol to do this. The result should be filtered.
Wipe the water off the glass, take the glucose solution and pour it onto the workpiece. Move it gently to distribute the liquid evenly and remove any air bubbles.

Now pour the glass with the solution you made in the first stages. The silvering process begins. In 10 minutes everything will be ready. Remove the solution from the glass and wash the mirror with water, then dry it. If you have any solution left, it must be disposed of as it is not safe to store. Don't forget to remove the sides from the product. Be extremely careful during all procedures.

Now you know how on our own make a new mirror.

Specialized books for craftsmen, publications from the middle of the last century, paid a lot of attention to the production of glass and objects made from it. I will not describe the entire production cycle of glass making, although it is very interesting information, but I’ll tell you in more detail about how to make a mirror.

After the owners of glass factories learned to make clear and green glass, which was obtained as a result of using unrefined raw materials, the most efficient businessmen realized that their products would sell much better if they offered the public products made from colored glass and glass with a reflective surface, i.e. .e. mirrors

Mercury mirror

At first, the simplest method of making mirrors was widely used in production. It required making a transparent glass sheet good quality- without air bubbles, grains of sand, rainbow sagging, etc., which indicates a violation of the manufacturing technology, and polish the surface of this sheet to incredible smoothness.

Then a sheet of so-called tin grade was placed under the polished transparent glass. The grade was a very thin sheet of tin of the highest grade, carefully rubbed with pure mercury without any impurities. This work of preparing the mirror material was quite simple, although it required some skill:

the worker carefully wiped the sheet of glass, removing dust particles, various stains, fingerprints, etc. The side of the sheet on which the tin will be applied must be perfectly clean and dry;
the tin sheet was thoroughly rubbed with mercury and this rubbed side was applied to the glass;
then the tin rubbed with mercury was carefully smoothed out, getting rid of folds and wrinkles, carefully pressed against the corners of the glass, trying not to damage it, and wiped with a dry cloth - the sorting “sticked” to the glass, forming a mirror surface.

A little later on mirror production complaints began to be received that mirrors with a tin-mercury base had low operational properties: the mirror surface is easily scratched even during the first attempts to hang the mirror on the wall; in bathrooms from high humidity the reflective layer is stained; in hotly heated rooms, tin and mercury flake off, etc.

Well, in addition, the manufacturers noticed that workers who often deal with these ingredients (mercury and tin) too often show signs of serious poisoning and general malaise. For these reasons, it was decided to abandon the use of mercury in favor of silver.

Silver mirror

Before making a mirror, the operation of which will be harmless to health and will not cause trouble when used for various temperature conditions, manufacturers spent a long time looking for materials suitable for these purposes. As a result, it was decided to settle on silver, which was used according to Draynon’s method (unfortunately, it was never possible to find out who he was).

Sheet clear glass they are just as thoroughly cleaned of dirt and grease stains as in the first case, then using putty they make small edges along the edges of the future mirror and pour into this enclosed space special liquid, the composition of which is translated into modern units:

70 ml silver nitrate;
140 ml water;
17 ml of liquid ammonia;
115 ml of wine alcohol;
20-30 drops of cassia oil.

The mixture is prepared in this way: first dissolve silver nitrate in water and ammonia, mix the mixture and filter through several layers of gauze, after which alcohol and oil are added to it.

After ready mix will be poured onto a glass sheet, in several places 6-12 drops of a reducing mixture consisting of 1 part clove oil and 3 parts wine alcohol are dripped onto it: silver is deposited under the influence of clove oil, forming a silver reflective layer.

Platinum mirror

Foreign specialists of the century before last used platinum along with silver - this coating was durable, wear-resistant and was safe for the health of workers and consumers.

The possibility of producing a platinum coating was discovered during an experiment when dry platinum chloride was dissolved in lavender oil, then this solution was evaporated and during the evaporation process an even and thin layer of metallic platinum settled on the walls of a laboratory flask.

Before making a platinum mirror, a sheet of glass is the same as in the previous cases. thoroughly polished on one side, then with a brush it is coated with a solution, for the preparation of which 110 g of thin sheet platinum is dissolved in 1.6 liters of aqua regia (400 parts of nitric acid are taken per 1000 parts of hydrochloric acid). This solution is then evaporated to form platinum chloride.

The resulting platinum is ground in a mortar, a little lavender oil is added to it, bringing the amount to 1.6 liters, the solution is poured into a porcelain vessel and infused for up to 8 days. Then the mixture is filtered and allowed to brew for another 6 days. After this, the so-called “flux” is prepared: 25.5 g of lead oxide, 25.5 g of lead borate, ground with 10 g of lavender oil, are mixed with an infused platinum solution, after which the glass is coated with this composition. The glass is then carefully placed in a muffle furnace and fired. Ready mirror with reverse side cover with a layer oil paint, which protects the reflective layer from mechanical damage.

DIY mirror nowadays

Currently, you can make a mirror with your own hands, guided by the silvering technology described above. But if earlier this process required natural oils cassia and cloves, then now you can get by with fairly simple chemical reagents.

To begin with, the glass intended to be covered with a mirror film is thoroughly washed and degreased: there should be no stains or fingerprints on the surface, otherwise the mirror film will not adhere to the glass. And, by the way, it is absolutely not necessary to use glass as the base surface - it can be a smooth, well-polished metal plate, earthenware, wood, covered with a thin even layer paraffin and even clay.

Degreasing glass is usually done using a solution of potassium hydroxide (care must be taken when preparing the solution - this substance gets very hot when reacting with water), then the glass is washed with distilled water and dried.

Just like with ancient technologies, we make a lip to hold the solution around the perimeter of the glass - nowadays you can use ordinary plasticine or heated wax. Then a solution for silvering is prepared: silver nitrate (silver nitrate) is dissolved in distilled water, and with vigorous stirring, a few drops of 25% ammonia are added to the mixture.

To calculate the amount of ingredients, you first need to decide on the desired thickness of the silver film layer. So, for example, to cover a square measuring 200 x 200 mm with silver film, you will need about 1 liter of solution. To obtain such a solution, take about 5 ml of silver nitrate and 300 ml of distilled water. The amount of ammonia is determined by the reaction: adding it dropwise to a solution of silver and water, monitoring the moment when the precipitate disappears. as soon as the sediment has disappeared, there is no need to add any more ammonia. Add 4 more drops of silver nitrate to the clear solution - the composition should acquire a slight yellowish tint.

Add a solution of sodium hydroxide to the resulting mixture: 8 g of the substance is dissolved in 210 g of distilled water. When both solutions are combined (continuously shake the vessel!) a precipitate appears, which is again dissolved with a few drops of ammonia. The composition is filtered and set aside for a while to dissolve 11 g of pure glucose in a separate vessel in 210 ml of distilled water.

Dissolved glucose is poured onto glass, then a mixture with silver nitrate is carefully added there and the workpiece is left for 10-15 minutes for the necessary chemical reactions. Then the liquid is drained, the mirror surface is washed with distilled water and left to dry in vertical position. To protect a handmade mirror from mechanical damage, the silver surface is coated with varnish or paint.

In the same way, you can make not mirrors, but interior design elements, covering them with a silver layer various products made of glass, metal or clay. And, by the way, glass production in the old days was not limited to the production of household items alone, but also produced elements for creating jewelry: beads, solid or blown beads made of colored glass, or imitation pearls.

In order to make a pearlescent film on glass products, they used whitefish scales (as well as other fish with silvery scales) - the peeled white, shiny scales are filled with water and kept for several days to separate mucus and impurities. Then the scales are placed in a mortar, a little water is added and thoroughly ground until a uniform mass is obtained. Then the resulting mass is squeezed out through gauze or canvas, the pearlescent sediment is allowed to settle, to which ammonia and fish glue are added (in a number of recipes it is suggested to replace it with agar-agar). This composition can be coated with beads or any other glass products to obtain a pearl effect.

A dressing room mirror will be an ideal and desired gift for any girl, but it is not so easy to find, and it will not be cheap. But making a dressing room mirror with your own hands is quite simple, but it’s still better to entrust this important task to a man. Although, if you are not a timid person, you can try to make this piece of furniture by yourself using our master class, in which we will tell you in detail how you can make a dressing room mirror with your own hands.

DIY dressing room mirror step by step

Every girl who loves to do makeup and wants to look perfect dreams of her own illuminated makeup mirror, with many bulbs in the Hollywood style. After all, they have always captivated the souls of true fashionistas, who, sitting in front of such a mirror and painting their lips with bright lipstick, felt like a real Hollywood beauty.

In addition to the fact that such a piece of furniture has an aesthetic side, it is also practical, because it was not by chance that the mirror was called a dressing room. This is the item that all famous makeup artists, stylists and make-up artists use to apply makeup. Thanks to the bright white light of the bulbs around the mirror, all shadows are removed from the face, and this allows you to create the perfect makeup.

And so, to create it we need following materials and tools:

A suitable size mirror.
2 wide straight wooden beams that would match the length of our mirror.
Drill.
Sandpaper.
Measuring tapes.
Blue and white copper wire.
Industrial double-sided tape.
Wire cutters.
Paint, color of your choice.
Lamps 25 Watt white matte color, the quantity depends on the size of the mirror.
Light bulb sockets.
Wire plug.
Additional fuses for light bulbs.
2.5cm long bolts to secure the chucks to the frame.
Screwdriver.
Shoes with rubber soles for safety when making your own illuminated makeup mirror

Step-by-step production

Step 1

In order to make a make-up mirror with light bulbs with your own hands, you first need wooden beams cut the frame to the size of the mirror sawing them so that the ends have 45 degree angles
This can be easily done using a ruler and pencil, having made the appropriate notes in advance.
Then they need to be processed well sandpaper so that they are perfectly smooth.

Step 2

In order for our handmade illuminated makeup mirror to turn out perfect, It is necessary to carefully measure and make marks at the same distance for the holes into which light bulb sockets will be inserted. Using a drill, you need to carefully drill the holes.

It is necessary to make marks for the holes into which the light bulb sockets will be inserted.

Step 3

At this stage we need to paint the frame with wood paint in any color that you choose and that will suit your interior, or you can leave wooden frame in its original color and simply coat it with wood varnish.

Let's paint the future frame white

And yet such a mirror looks best with a frame white. The mirror itself can be attached using industrial double-sided tape to the frame to ensure it stays securely in place.

Step 4

First you need to divide part of the blue from the white wire into pieces of 15 centimeters, and bring them out into the holes for the light bulbs. As a result, each hole should have 2 blue and 2 white wires, as shown in the photo.

We route the wiring into the holes for the light bulbs

Each hole in the mirror frame should have 2 blue and 2 white wires.

Step 5

Let's take it cartridges for E27 base, or for E14. But here you need to think in advance which light bulbs will look best, and how many of them will be used. This is necessary in order to calculate the required power and wiring with the switch.
Now need to twist the bare ones copper wires to the corresponding side of the chuck screw. And then attach each cartridge with a screw to the frame.

Now that we have an idea of how to do the wiring and attach the sockets, let's get back to the plug.

Take a long strip of wire, one end will be connected to the first lamp holder in the line.
The other end will be connected to the plug while maintaining the corresponding wire color.

Cartridges for E27 base or E14 base of your choice.

We mount the cartridge into the finished hole and connect the wiring

Finished mirror, but still without light bulbs

Making sure that no other wires are touching any others. If any lamp does not work, you should check the wiring. The wires may need to be swapped.

If all is well with this connection, you can enjoy a sense of accomplishment.

Our stylish Hollywood makeup mirror is ready, you can use it and enjoy the result!

Make a smaller version of the mirror to hang above the cabinet where you can display your cosmetics.
You can use multiple fuses, with their help, the operation of light bulbs can be significantly extended.
It is better not to let small children near such a mirror!
Use led lamps. Less heat, more energy savings, longer lifespan
Better to use fluorescent light bulbs.
Add a diameter, a device for adjusting the brightness of light emitted by incandescent or LED bulbs.

If you use regular incandescent bulbs, they will get very, very hot, so be careful!

Mirrors are an integral part of the interior; they are hung above chests of drawers, dressing tables and sinks in the bathroom. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the right mirror. If you can't find a mirror that you like, you can make it yourself from a glass panel and mirror spray paint. Mirror paint is shinier and more reflective than standard silver spray paint, making it a better choice for a DIY mirror.

Steps

Simple mirror

Remove the glass panel from the frame. Select the appropriate glass panel and remove it from the frame. If there are paper inserts in the frame, remove them before removing the glass. Don't throw away the cardboard back wall though - you'll need it when you reassemble everything.

Clean the glass panel with alcohol. Dampen a soft cloth or paper towel medical alcohol and wipe the glass on both sides. This will remove any grease that may prevent the paint from sticking to the glass.

After this, touch the glass only around the edges to avoid leaving fingerprints on it.

Move the glass panel to a well-ventilated area. It's best to work for fresh air, although a spacious room with open windows is also suitable. Place something under the glass, such as newspaper or cheap plastic oilcloth, to protect your work surface from paint.

Shake the can of mirror spray paint. Buy a can of mirror spray paint. It should indicate that the paint gives a mirror effect. Shake the can as recommended on the label (usually 20 to 30 seconds).
- Do not use regular silver spray paint, even if it reflects light well. This Not the same paint, and it will not give the desired effect.
Apply 5 thin coats of paint (wait until the previous coat dries before applying each coat). At the same time, keep the can 20–25 centimeters from the glass. Apply a thin coat of paint using a side-to-side motion. Wait about 1 minute for the paint to dry, then spray on the next coat. Continue until the glass loses its transparency. Approximately 5 layers of paint will be required.
- Hold your hand under the glass to check its transparency. If you can still see the hand, continue applying paint.
- It is better to spray more thin layers rather than 1-2 relatively thick layers of paint. Although this will take longer, it will give you a smoother coat of paint.
- Spray paint only on one, not both sides of the glass.
Wait until the paint is completely dry. Time required depends on the area in which you live: the lower the temperature, the longer the paint will take to dry. Typically it takes about 10 minutes.

Insert the glass into the frame with the painted side facing you. Place the frame face down on the table and place the glass in it. Make sure that the unpainted side is on the bottom and the painted side is on top. Once you flip the frame over, the paint will begin to shine through the glass. The glass will protect the paint layer from chipping and scratches.

Close the frame and turn it over. Place the back panel you removed earlier into the frame. Replace the hooks to prevent it from falling out and turn the frame over. The mirror is ready!

Find a scary black and white image with a dark background. An old photograph will do for this purpose. You can also print out a picture of a ghost, zombie, or skeleton. It must match the photo inside mirrors, so be careful!
- The image must be smaller than the glass panel.
Print 2 pictures so that one of them is reflected. First print the direct image and then load it into the photo editor. Select the image you want and flip it. Print the resulting image.
- Most computers have free programs image editing, such as Paint in Windows. You can also use programs available on websites.
Glue the mirror image to the glass. Place the printed picture on the glass panel and attach the paper to the edges of the glass using tape. You will only paint part of the panel. The image will appear through the remaining unpainted surface of the mirror. Use tape to attach the mirror image to the glass to keep it in place.
Flip the glass panel over and apply a thin coat of mirror spray paint. Turn the glass over so that the image attached with tape is on the bottom. Apply one coat of mirror spray paint to the entire glass panel. Hold the spray can at a distance of 20-25 centimeters from the glass and smoothly move it from side to side. After this, the image should still appear through the glass.
- This step will give the image a mirror shine. If the picture is very dark, a thin layer of paint can obscure it even more. In this case, skip this step and move on to the next one.
- Mirror paint should be used (this should be noted on the packaging). Don't use regular silver paint, even if it's shiny, or you won't succeed.
Apply a few more thin coats of paint around the picture. Decide which parts of the image you want to make more visible: the whole face or just the mouth open in a scream? How about a frantically reaching hand? Spray paint onto the glass except for the areas you want to highlight. Wait about 1 minute after applying the next coat to allow the paint to dry. Spray about 5 coats of paint in total.
- Spray the glass with enough paint so that it actually looks like a mirror from the front!
- Don't worry about adding paint to any areas you wanted to leave exposed. This will give the mirror an even more natural look.

Technology for making mirrors at home.

1. Place the glass on horizontal table To avoid crushing when wiping, substitute something soft.

2. Pour polishing liquid (you can also use a ready-made one, for example, “Polish” liquid) onto the surface of the glass. Wipe the glass thoroughly soft skin, felt or felt (an old hat will do).

3. Wipe the glass with gauze soaked in a suspension of fine pumice powder (it must be sifted) in distilled water. Rinse thoroughly with distilled water.

4 . Wipe first with a wet sponge, then 2-3 times with a gauze swab moistened with a solution of stannous chloride (concentration - 0.15%). Rinse again and wipe with a swab.

5. After this, immediately pour a freshly prepared mixture of silvering solutions onto the surface of the glass. During silvering, the glass surface should be 8-10 degrees warmer than the solution. The liquid should spread over its surface, and a convex meniscus should be visible at the edges of the glass.

6. The glass will first darken, then quickly begin to lighten - this is silver being deposited. If they remain on the glass dark spots, they need to be removed by wiping these places with a swab soaked in a pumice suspension, then wipe with gauze soaked in a solution of stannous chloride and pour over again with a freshly prepared mixture of solutions.

7. After 5-10 minutes. after silvering begins, carefully remove the liquid from the glass with gauze, or better yet chamois, soaked generously in distilled water and pour the mixture again.

8. After another 15 minutes. Rinse the silver-plated surface with distilled water. To do this, you can lift one edge and pour water on the glass. Check whether the thickness of the silver deposit is sufficient by looking through a mirror at light bulb at 60 W (the outline of the light bulb should be barely visible).

9. For strength, the mirror must be “baked.” For 1-2 hours, the mirror must be kept in a vertical position at a temperature of 100-150 C.

10. First coat the silver film with waterproof mirror varnish using a spray bottle, and when the varnish is dry, apply a thick layer of paint or asphalt varnish

ATTENTION! The mirror can only be painted in one direction.

11. Using a swab moistened with a weak solution of hydrochloric acid, remove streaks of silver on the front side of the mirror. The mirror is ready.

12. To remove silver stains from skin and clothes, they are lubricated warm solution sodium hyposulfite (thiosulfate) and then hot water.

Preparation of basic technological solutions

1. Silver solution. Composition of 1 liter of solution: silver nitrate, silver nitrate AgNO3 - 4 g, 25% ammonia solution ( ammonia, NH4OH) - 10-12ml, Caustic soda (caustic soda, NaOH) - 4 g

Dissolve 4 g of silver nitrate in 300 ml of distilled water. Pour approximately 270 ml of this solution into a glass and add ammonia solution drop by drop, stirring vigorously with a glass rod. When the cloudy brown liquid becomes transparent, add a few more drops of silver nitrate solution to it, the liquid will become cloudy. Add pre-dissolved caustic soda - the color of the solution will change and become light coffee-colored. Again, drop by drop, stirring, add the ammonia solution until the solution brightens again (the liquid appears bluish to the light). Add the remaining ammonia solution and silver nitrate. Mix everything thoroughly and add distilled water to bring the volume of the solution to a liter.

ATTENTION!!! To avoid the occurrence of silver fulminate, the solution must be stored in an airtight container with a sealed stopper!

2. Aldehyde solution. Composition of 1 liter of solution: refined sugar - 100 g, Sulfuric or nitric acid (concentration 10%) - 10 ml

Dissolve sugar in hot distilled water, add acid, boil for 10-15 minutes, add distilled water to the required volume.

ATTENTION! Prepare solutions wearing safety glasses and rubber gloves!

Preparation of the technological mixture:

ATTENTION! The mixture is prepared before direct use in the glass silvering process.

First pour 5 ml of aldehyde solution into a glass, then 500 ml of silver solution. Mix the mixture quickly. At first it will be orange-red, then immediately darken. At this point it is necessary to begin silvering. If there is too much aldehyde solution, metal flakes will fall out; if there is too little, silvering will occur very slowly.

Obtaining metallic silver

Work should be carried out in nylon, glass or plastic containers.

A zinc plate is lowered into the used fixer (after photographic work). Plates from used electroplating tools can be used. Silver begins to precipitate. After 2-3 hours the solution becomes cloudy. During the deposition of silver, the solution must be stirred several times (you can use plates on which deposition takes place or a glass spatula).

The plate is coated with a black layer of silver (so-called “sponge silver”), which is easily separated from the plate. After the silver is separated, the plate is again placed in the solution. And so on until the silver is completely released.

The resulting silver is thoroughly washed with hot water several times, last time distilled. Silver dissolves well in nitric acid and can be used to produce silver nitrate.

To speed up the deposition process, the solution can be heated.