• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

How do you remove the paint from the back of a mirror?

Pat Whatley

Pat Whatley

New Member
I have no idea what this rock hard, bulletproof stuff is on the back of mirrors but they should sell it by the gallon as sign paint because apparently it will last forever.

I really want to start dabbling in glass work. I know how to etch, I'm going to try glue chipping this weekend, and I may actually get into carving glass in the next week or so.

Right now, though, I'm trying to find a way to remove the paint from the back just leaving the silver/copper layer. I've watched youtube videos where people roll on a stripper then 30 minutes later just wipe up the paint. I've read articles telling me to do essentially the same thing. Well it ain't working. Apparently Alabama mirrors are coated in brimstone and teflon. I'm not using mirrors with vinyl coating on the back.

Here's what I've tried so far:
USING MIRROR FROM LOWES AND AEROSOL KLENE-STRIP HEAVY DUTY STRIPPER
-Spray and wait, spray some more and wait some more, repeat until can is empty....mirror still in great shape.

USING MIRROR FROM LOWES AND KLENE-STRIP HEAVY DUTY STRIPPER
-Rolled on stripper and waited. Rolled on more when that didn't do a thing. Wiped it all off, poured it on about 1/4" thick and waited. I could "kind of" scrape it off with a putty knife but poorly. A razor blade helped but scraped a little of the silver off too ruining the mirror.

-Poured stripper on heavy, wrapped in plastic, left overnight....same results.

USING MIRROR FROM GLASS COMPANY, OLD MIRROR FROM THRIFT STORE AND ZINSSER POWER STRIPPER

-same results as before. I worked on scraping an 18x24 mirror for about half an hour, got the thickest part of the paint off but I'm still left with too much for the silver remover to get through.


Is there some magical secret to getting this stuff off the mirror?
 
Ken Sankey

Ken Sankey

New Member
I would also get in touch with Sara King, she has her website on Angel Gilding and also has products to produce mirror finishes. This would allow you to start fresh, and get the info to do a first rate job. I just picked up a glue pot from her to do some chipping myself. Hope this helps Pat.
 
surf city

surf city

New Member
+1 for the do it from scratch, better results. Angel Gilding is a good site. Mr.Chips is a great guy and I'm sure he would be happy to help you.
 
Pat Whatley

Pat Whatley

New Member
I've looked at that and it's a possibility but it costs about $15 psf to do it. I'll eventually try it, I'm just not at that point with this yet. Plus I've got about 40 pieces of 16" x 20" mirror I bought from a frame shop that was closing that I'd like to do something with.
 
S

Salmoneye

New Member
Hey Pat, call the gilding co at the phone # on the site that ken posted. If they don't know then I don't know what to think.
 
Pat Whatley

Pat Whatley

New Member
ddarlak said:
you seem to have alot of time on your hands with all this dabbling in old arts....
Click to expand...

Yeah...time, that's what I've got. I'm actually just fascinated by the history of signs, especially back when there was an unbelievable level of craftsmanship involved (no, handlettering isn't what I'm talking about)

I spent over an hour looking at an old mirror in a pub in Denmark. It was gilded, carved, etched, had inlays and painting. It was worked on both sides and the thing just SCREAMED with life. It wasn't just a sign it was a work of art.

I'll never advance to that point, I don't have the time or the patience, but I do want to learn enough to be able to understand the process and be capable of deciphering the steps involved.
 
T

Travis Stanley

New Member
Rob Schramm is a member on here, His primary business is antiqueing mirrors. He can probably give some good insite on the matter. I think his member name is Schramm.
 
showcase 66

showcase 66

New Member
When I did it I used a get metal stripper. We would tape off areas and brush on the stripper. let it stay there for a while and squeegee it off. Had to repeat sometimes and then really clean the mirror afterward. Depending on the thickness and quality of the mirror backing will make a difference as well.

We used to make custom picture framed mirrors when I worked for a glass company back in high school. Had a lot of fun messing with it.
 
Border

Border

New Member
Might want to try Aircraft Stipper. It's way stronger than those other ones. We used to used it back in the body shop days to strip the tough stuff.
It absolutely kicks ass compared to those other ones you get at most home stores.

Most auto body supply stores carry it or even some auto parts stores that carry a small line of auto body supply stuff.
 
Mosh

Mosh

New Member
I used to sandblast designs on the backside of mirrors. The blasted area would have an etched look. Then I would put trans vinyl over parts of the etched area for color and put a light behind it. COOL effect, BACK IN THE 80's. Who knows it might be back in style!
 
Pat Whatley

Pat Whatley

New Member
Salmoneye said:
Hey Pat, what pub? I get around a bit in DK and I want to check it out if I find myself near it.
Click to expand...

Ummmm.....let's see. I was staying in Copenhagen but we took the train to get there. We went to tour a castle that was out in the middle of a field and we had to walk about a mile across that field to get there. There was a golf course with sheep on it, and a herd of reindeer. Somebody had painted "BE FREE LIKE DEERS" on a wall there. We left the castle, wandered through the town there about dark, we stopped in a pub that had green double doors on the front, a bad assed mirror, and a gorgeous fuzzy blonde Swedish/Norwegian angel with a thing for fat American guys in it.

Seriously, that's about all I can tell you. I spent most of that trip in a daze. The main thing I remember is that the Carlsberg brewery gives you free beer and sandwiches at the end of the brewery tour and the girl I was staying with lived two blocks from there.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top