Quote:
Originally Posted by bloodhound31
So how does it work? Can you briefly explain how a mirror is made?
Baz.  |
Hi Baz, I'm making the assumption that you're asking for the basics so I apologise in advance if you already know this stuff.
This is basically a waist high bench with some fittings to hold a "tile tool". With the help of abrasive powders and water, you rub a glass disk over the tool to grind a concave surface into the glass. When the surface is ground to the desired curve it is polished and "figured" to a paraboloid, then coated with a reflective material such as silver or aluminum.
The stellafane website has some good info on this. see
http://www.stellafane.com/atm/atm_myths.htm and
http://www.stellafane.com/atm/atm_mi...r_overview.htm for info.
My table is a lightweight alternative to the traditional "44 gallon drum full of sand or water" that is often suggested in the mirror making literature.
Of course if you're handy at building things you could alway build a mirror grinding machine like
http://www.mirror-o-matic.com/ though there are other designs.
Personally I want to try making a couple by hand to get a feel for the process. Then if I haven't lost enthusiasm, I'll look at building a machine.