How is mirror glass manufactured (from scratch)?

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Request for Question Clarification by websearcher-ga on 16 Jan 2003 09:12 PST

Hello 8522:

Thanks for the interesting question. It is not clear from your
question how far you want to take the "from scratch" component...

Do you want to go right back to the making of the base glass from
silicon - or would something like the excellent page at

Mirror Making 
http://www.usglassmag.com/backissues/9807/9807mirror.html

be more in line with what you are looking for? 

Please let me know using the clarification feature and I'll try to
complete this question and post as an answer.

Thanks. 

websearcher-ga

Dear 8522,

Thanks for your question.  First, let me request that if any of the
following is unclear or if you require any further research – please
don’t hesitate to ask me for a clarification.

I have found several sites that can be of assistance –

The first explains how to make a mirror from a sheet of glass by
silvering –

http://www.citycollegiate.com/dblock3.htm

This page links to a movie that will walk you through the process –

http://www.alanmacfarlane.com/glass/birm6.html

Here’s a great tutorial from makestuff.com –

http://www.make-stuff.com/formulas/mirrors.html

Here’s another excellent tutorial –

http://dgmlnx2.sun.ac.za/personal/astro/telemake/silver.htm

Looks like these guys will sell you a kit that makes the whole process
a lot easier –

http://www.cometobuy.com/elitefin/elite_mir_sys.asp?number=38

But if you still want to go absolutely from scratch here’s another
tutorial that may help –

http://bmaxey1.tripod.com/index_fs.htm

The following site also looks pretty thorough, even scientific to some
extent –

http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/mirror.htm

If you are interested in finding additional, similar sites – try the
search strategy below on Google.  There were almost 3,000 hits, so
there may be more useful sites out there.

I hope this response adequately addresses your request.  Please let me
know if you are in need of additional information concerning this
query.

Thanks,
ragingacademic-ga


Search Strategy:

mirror glass silvering

Quality glass for mirrors should have very little color, which would
tint the image slightly. This means the trace impurities in the
ingredients must be controlled carefully. Quartz sand = silicon
dioxide is the principle ingredient with (I think) some calcium oxide
and some sodium oxide. The carbonates can be used instead of the
oxides of calcium and sodium, but some carbon dioxide gas bubbles
might spoil an occasional mirror. Both surfaces of the finished glass
need to be parallel with high precission to obtain a correct image. I
believe this is acomplished by grinding and polishing plate glass.  
Neil