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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Mirror recoating
From: Peter Monta
Date: 2019 Mar 27, 11:50 -0400
From: Peter Monta
Date: 2019 Mar 27, 11:50 -0400
4. Place a drop of mercury on the tin foil and rub it into the foil with "your finger" until it starts to form an amalgam and is tacky
Gallium is also said to work as a reflective coating for glass. That might be a somewhat safer method to replicate the manufacture of mirrors in the old style---the material is hobbyist-friendly and wets glass well (though some caution should still probably be used). But if you just want a mirror, a commercial source is quicker and less messy.
Cheers,
Peter
