Billy_Mizzen
Member
Does anyone here have a clever and proven method/trick for stopping mirrors de-silvering, all mirrors seem to suffer this problem eventually, there must be a solution?
Mirror de-silvering???
- Thread starter Billy_Mizzen
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AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
Use steel mirrors. Any "silvered" mirror is going to be susceptible to the the effects of damp.
Vara
Active member
Don't put Steradent in the locker behind the mirror.
A two week cruise with a denture wearer buggered my mirror.
A two week cruise with a denture wearer buggered my mirror.
electrosys
New member
I bought a cheap sextant some 10 years ago - one reason it was so cheap was that it's mirrors had turned to patchy glass !
I duly cut some new mirrors from the girl-friend's cosmetic case, and painted their backs and edges with Hammerite - paying extra care along the edges which I reckoned were more vulnerable to salt air.
They've stood the test of time (so far) - which is more than can be said for my relationship with that girl-friend. Perhaps I should have asked before nicking the mirror ?
I duly cut some new mirrors from the girl-friend's cosmetic case, and painted their backs and edges with Hammerite - paying extra care along the edges which I reckoned were more vulnerable to salt air.
They've stood the test of time (so far) - which is more than can be said for my relationship with that girl-friend. Perhaps I should have asked before nicking the mirror ?
pvb
Well-known member
Mirrors are cheap. Replace them if they look iffy.
Searush
New member
Hammeriting the backs & sides of new mirrors sounds a good idea. Most mirrors will be cut from larger ones & the edges will be very susceptible to corrosion.
doug748
Well-known member
Mine was/is starting to go. I varnished the back with traditional yacht stiff about ten years ago. It has got no worse since.
Billy_Mizzen
Member
All good suggestions, I was thinking maybe a couple of coats of West epoxy on the back of a new mirror would do the trick!
vikinglish
New member
I'm pretty sure that epoxy will work better than hammerite... Going to try it myself as have the same problem
electrosys
New member
I probably would have used epoxy myself in preference to Hammerite on those sextant mirrors - but at that time Hammerite I had, and epoxy I had not ...
Rigger Mortice
N/A
Just make sure that the solvents in the Epoxy or Hammerite don't damge the existing paint. Personally, I would just use yacht varnish.
The other thing to do is to make sure that, when mounted, there is a small air gap behind the mirror so that a degree of ventilation exists.
The other thing to do is to make sure that, when mounted, there is a small air gap behind the mirror so that a degree of ventilation exists.
nigel1
Active member
Its too late for the mirrors on my 10yr old bene.
Anyone know how easy/difficult it is to remove the mirrors from the cabinet doors, any idea on what bene used as an adhesive??
Anyone know how easy/difficult it is to remove the mirrors from the cabinet doors, any idea on what bene used as an adhesive??
MontyMariner
Well-known member
What! No Araldite knocking around the house.
alahol2
Well-known member
For those who already have an affected mirror, it is very easy and effective to just paint a 'frame' onto the front of the mirror. I've now done this on a couple of boats as the mirrors were in screwed and glued frames which would have caused damage to the bulkheads when trying to remove.
nigelmercier
RIP
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Are sextant mirrors not surface silvered?
Clyde_Wanderer
New member
Clyde_Wanderer
New member
Ok so long as they are better than the ones in Tarbert harbour shower rooms
I came out like a butchers table after shaving in them
S/S polishing mops for drills and the various grades of soaps can be bought very cheaply from good tool stores.
Catering equipment s/s sheet will be easily polished up and easily available from such companies.
C_W
electrosys
New member
You have the advantage of me ... I don't know what 'surface silvered' means.
The two small mirrors looked like ordinary glass mirrors to me - with patches of blackened mildewy silver flaking off their backs. One was square: roughly the size of a small postage-stamp, the other - rather than being 'half-silver, half-glass' - was simply half-sized (which made replacement straightforward).
So - I simply cut two new mirrors from a donor of approximately the same thickness glass - applied the paint, then re-calibrated the sextant. That's easy to do out here in The Fens - no need for artificial horizons - we've got the real thing all around !
Just done a Google:
found a bloke who's written a webpage about mirror replacement - the buqqer's copied my technique of using float glass mirrors - and even uses Hammerite ... http://sextantbook.com/category/new-sextant-mirrors-for-old/
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