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Mirror Finish

I am fabricating a museum exhibit that will have a large wine bottle, approx. 36" tall with a 10" dia. The bottle will be clear Borosilicate (Pyrex) glass. The interior of the bottle needs to be mirrored to look like mercury glass. I have no idea how to do the mirrored finish.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks,

Thane Williams
- Napa, California
2001

Hi Thane. This would be the same process as used on mirrors, the Brashear process and its alternatives. Silver nitrate ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] and a reducing agent are sprayed simultaneously, and the silver nitrate is reduced to silver metal. Silver tarnishes quickly though, so you'll probably want to fill the bottle with nitrogen or helium and seal it. If that doesn't fit the aesthetic, then you'll need to spray a backing material on the silver, similar to the black coating on the back of mirror. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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February 20, 2013

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