Welcome to The Hand Lettering Forum!
This is an interactive Bulletin Board on the topics of Sign making, design, fabrication, History, old Books and of coarse Letterheads, Keepers of the craft. The Hand Lettering Forum features links to resources, sign art history, techniques, and artists profiles. Learn more about Letterheads at https://theletterheads.com. Below you'll see Mchat has been added as a live communication portal for trial, and the Main forum Links are listed below.

Spray On Copper Mirrors

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

Post Reply
Ismael Alvarado
Posts: 130
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:00 pm

Spray On Copper Mirrors

Post by Ismael Alvarado »

I wonder why hasnt Spray On Copper taken off in the Mirror Industry? I find copper mirrors a thing of Beauty, like made by Gods in Olympian ancient times, Spray On Copper Mirrors should be the logical evolution of pour on copper mirrors..


What say you?
Lee Littlewood
Posts: 228
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 2:36 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon
Contact:

Re: Spray On Copper Mirrors

Post by Lee Littlewood »

I'd like to give it a try - who makes the copper paint spray?

and if it is a spray, maybe one could fog copper then silver and get a blend?
Or mist a color on, then go over with copper to get a bluish or greenish copper mirror?
where am i? Now, when i need me...
Rich Hawthorne
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon USA

Re: Spray On Copper Mirrors

Post by Rich Hawthorne »

I like the idea. What about gilding/painting a design and then spray on over that. If it could be done without effecting the gild, etc.

Rich
Ismael Alvarado
Posts: 130
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:00 pm

Re: Spray On Copper Mirrors

Post by Ismael Alvarado »

Lee Littlewood wrote:I'd like to give it a try - who makes the copper paint spray?

and if it is a spray, maybe one could fog copper then silver and get a blend?
Or mist a color on, then go over with copper to get a bluish or greenish copper mirror?
Lee thanks for you reply, but when I said Spray On Copper I meant Real copper, like how real Silver is sprayed on Spray Silver mirrors, in all of my years doing Spray on Chrome(Spray on Silver) I have learn how to apply copper and other metals, its like the reduction of Silver Complex ions by a reducer, but instead of Silver Nitrate, Copper Nitrate/Sulfate is used instead(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizer%27s_reagent) the difference its the use of Palladium Activator(Palladium Chloride) after the Stannous Chloride sensitizer

here check my video and you will see its possible to create a Spray Copper mirror just like Silver Mirror are done(in my case I use it as front surface mirror) I have tried Silver Nitrate wash instead of Palladium and it works just as good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnZ9hgEfw88

Tin/Copper and Silver/Copper alloys are also possible
pat mackle
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:35 pm

Re: Spray On Copper Mirrors

Post by pat mackle »

Hi Ismael,
I viewed your video and I have a question. Why do you spray this copper solution and such high pressure and volume of solution?
It seems to me that a lot of solution is spent in over spray, never contacting the little face mask. It almost appears that the high spray strength is washing away the chemical metals before they can link together and build up a metallic layer. Have you tried spaying the same volume of solution at a lower air pressure? I like to raise the containers of metal solution very high above the spray gun level so that the solution will squirt from the guns without any air pressure at all. And then add enough air to atomize it fully. Perhaps you feel the need to run the air very high to help the guns syphon the solution from the containers if they are kept at a low position. Raising the containers to allow more gravity to feed the guns will allow you to use far less air, and less loss of solution into the air.
This is just my observation and some questions I thought of after viewing your informative video. Thank you for sharing, I like your posts here.
Ismael Alvarado
Posts: 130
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:00 pm

Re: Spray On Copper Mirrors

Post by Ismael Alvarado »

pat mackle wrote: This is just my observation and some questions I thought of after viewing your informative video. Thank you for sharing, I like your posts here.
Thanks Pat, you are right, the gun set up is way off, I hardly ever use it, I get better results with a hand triggered double cartridge gun, I made the video for a friend that requested me to do it with a Silvering spray gun,

I will make a video using a hand triggered system too, also with Brass and Tin/Zinc
Post Reply