MIrror in a can™ FAQ
Q. I have cleaned the glass and it is not pristine.
A. Reapply the glass cleaner to both sides of glass. Make sure glass you hold the glass at the edge so no finger prints are on the glass. The mirror finish will only work on perfectly clear glass with the aerosol one cleaner binder.
Q. Can this product be used in all temperatures?
A. The best results are achieved at a warm room temperature, no damp, only dry conditions. Warming the glass with a hair dryer will solve any issues.
Q. I have sprayed the mirror coat but if I hold up to bright sunlight I can see partially through it.
A. Apply another coat.
Q. I have accidentally scratched the mirror coat before applying backing lacquer.
A. just re-apply mirror coat where it’s scratched and this will give you an invisible repair.
Q. Do I have to wait 24 hours before applying the backing paint?
A. It is best to leave for 24 hours, however, you can leave the coated glass outside on a warm sunny day you can apply the backing paint after just 4 hours. You can also cure with a hair dryer and it can dry in just 20 minutes. Let the glass cool and apply the lacquer coat.
Q. Do I always need to apply the backing lacquer?
A. The Backing paint does not need to be applied to stencils or mirrors which are going to be put in a frame. The backing board on the frame acts as a protection. Backing paint is only needed when the coating is subjected to harsh climate conditions or when the people can directly touch it.
Q. How good should the reflection be?
A. Mirror quality, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference
Q. Has this product been tested?
A. The product has been left outside 24/7 for three years winter and summer on glass and plastic with no backing paint without delamination or lack of reflection. Because the coating is on the back side of plastic and glass it is easily scratched unless a mirror backing paint is applied.
Q. Did the aerosol pass adhesion tests?
A. Yes, with this aerosol kit and the backing paint applied with our instructions, cross hatch adhesion tests have been successfully carried out
Q. What is a cross hatch adhesion test?
A. It is the commercial professional test where a sharp blade is used i.e a scalpel blade is used to scribe through the backing paint mirror paint layers to the glass surface in a vertical and horizontal scribe ten times at 4 mil intervals. Applying an industry standard test tape is then applies to cross hatch area, and then pulled off without removing any coating.
Troubleshooting
1. Reflection is hazy or has slight bloom effect and mirror reflection is not perfect.
Cause: Under cold conditions glass can have damp on surface to be sprayed.
Solution: Wipe glass with clean cloth or warm glass to remove condensation.
2. Reflection has grease marks or streaks.
Solution: Clean coating off with alcohol and then recoat. In future, glass must be cleaned properly. Avoid using a cleaner other than the specially formulated cleaner supplied.
3. The coating has been scratched before mirror backing has been applied.
Solution: Simply re-spray area before applying backing paint.
4. Coating is slightly transparent when held up to a light source.
Solution: BEFORE applying backing paint, re-spray area with another layer of mirror paint.
Solution: When applying backing paint a very thin coat must be applied and left for 10 minutes before final coat is supplied. Backing paint must only be applied once mirror coat has dried. This requires 30-60 minutes.
5. With plastic and resin, very fine scratch marks can be seen.
Solution: Ensure you are using a non-scratching cloth.