Mirror Questions

[Jim Huston]

OK - Newby question on glass mirrors. I have both clear and black glass mirrors I want to engrave for photos for a mailing. Do I engrave the front or the back?? Do I handle both the same way?? Any tips?
Thanks!
Jim Huston
M 360 60 Watt

[Frank Corker]

Clear mirrors, engrave the back and then paint with black acrylic paint. Black mirrors engrave from the front and use silver rub'n'buff to finish.

The black mirrors have to be negatives and not flipped. The clear are positives but flipped horizontal as you are engraving from the back.

Tips - practice on a piece of plain glass to view the result (it doesn't matter if it's negative or positive but it will show you a clear view of your coverage. Engraving the black mirrors, you need to use the washing up liquid and the soaked piece of paper, I would avoid using the extractor fan (not too much smoke as it is soaked) to help getting a smooth finish. You don't need anything on the clear, just engrave through the paint at the back, dependent on the thickness of the mirror coating you may have to reduce a little on the speed settings to allow the beam to have longer contact with the glass.

Apart from Good luck, I have nothing else to say to you,
"Good Luck"

Post your results, would love to see them.