What causes mirrors to discolor?
When mirrors are exposed to excess moisture, water can get between the layer of silver and the backing. This causes the bond to break and the silvering to chip off behind the glass. This leaves your mirror with unsightly dark spots or black edges where the silver has fallen away.
How do you restore a faded mirror?
Remove the Frame
- Remove the Frame.
- Begin mirror restoration repair by removing the mirror from the frame by carefully prying the glass loose with a screwdriver or similar flat-blade tool, instructs Angel Gilding.
- Apply a Paint Stripper.
- Remove backing paint with the paint stripper.
- Apply Chemical Silver Remover.
Why are there spots on my old mirror?
Paint a frame to conceal trouble spots: A lot of times old mirrors will have the most spots around the very edge of the mirror because that’s where water got splashed or steam from a bathroom would creep behind the mirror over the years.
How to re-silver an old Mirror-Angel gilding?
1 To re-silver an old mirror you must remove it from its frame, strip it down to plain glass and clean the old glass very thoroughly. 2 Use Multi-Strip and a plastic scraper to remove the backing paint. Use Mirror Remover and cotton balls to dissolve the silver and copper. 3 Use one of our silvering kits re-silver the glass. …
How can you tell the age of an antique mirror?
Check the Mirror Glass The reflective silver mercury backing of an antique mirror breaks down and oxidizes over time, appearing as random cloudy spots around the edges and across the mirror surface. If the mottled patches on your mirror look too uniform, it may be a reproduction mirror plate. Glass color is another indicator of age.
Where does oxidation occur on an antique mirror?
If you’ve ever looked at an antique mirror you know to be antique, you may have recognized this effect when seeing your reflection. On a true antique mirror in a frame, the oxidation is probably greatest near the bottom, as moisture from cleaning the mirror seeps down behind the frame and may soak the mirror backing at times.
Paint a frame to conceal trouble spots: A lot of times old mirrors will have the most spots around the very edge of the mirror because that’s where water got splashed or steam from a bathroom would creep behind the mirror over the years.
1 To re-silver an old mirror you must remove it from its frame, strip it down to plain glass and clean the old glass very thoroughly. 2 Use Multi-Strip and a plastic scraper to remove the backing paint. Use Mirror Remover and cotton balls to dissolve the silver and copper. 3 Use one of our silvering kits re-silver the glass.
Check the Mirror Glass The reflective silver mercury backing of an antique mirror breaks down and oxidizes over time, appearing as random cloudy spots around the edges and across the mirror surface. If the mottled patches on your mirror look too uniform, it may be a reproduction mirror plate. Glass color is another indicator of age.
Is there a correlation between the age of a mirror and its value?
You’ve owned the mirror for years, yet know nothing of its past or value. In most cases, a direct correlation exists between the age of a mirror and its value. Mass-produced examples from the early 20 th century do not command the same price as handcrafted antique mirrors from the 1800s and earlier.
