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How to Distinguish between Silver Mirror and Aluminum Mirror

December 07, 2022


Aluminum mirror is also called aluminized mirror, aluminum mirror, glass mirror, mirror glass, mirror plate glass. High reflective aluminum mirror is made of high quality float glass plate as the original piece, in turn after cleaning and polishing, high vacuum metal deposition aluminizing, rapid oxygen reaction, the first corrosion-resistant paint and drying, the second waterproof hardening paint and drying and other processing procedures.


Silver mirror is commonly known as waterproof mirror, mercury mirror, silver-plated mirror on glass surface, glass mirror, mirror glass, etc. Silver mirror is widely used in furniture, handicraft, decoration, bathroom mirror, cosmetic mirror, optical mirror, and car rear view mirror, etc. When storing mirrors, they should not be stacked with alkaline and acidic substances, and avoid storing them in a humid environment. Silver mirror also refers to the reaction between reducing sugar and Torrance's reagent to produce a single silver on the wall of the test tube during the reducing sugar test.


How to distinguish between silver mirror and aluminum mirror?


1. Silver and aluminum mirrors reflect different clarity

Silver mirror surface lacquer and aluminum mirror surface lacquer compared to the silver mirror lacquer to show deeper, on the contrary, the aluminum mirror lacquer is lighter. Silver mirror is much clearer than aluminum mirror, the object light source reflection geometry angle is more standardized. Aluminum mirror reflectivity is low, ordinary aluminum mirror reflective performance of about 70%, the shape and color easily distorted, and short life, poor corrosion resistance, in Europe and the United States has been completely eliminated. However, aluminum mirrors are easy to mass production, raw materials are also relatively low cost.


2. Silver mirror and aluminum mirror back coating is different

Generally silver mirrors are protected by two or more layers of paint. Scrape part of the protective paint on the surface of the mirror, if the bottom layer shows copper color proves that it is a silver mirror, and the one showing silver-white proves that it is an aluminum mirror. Generally the back coating of silver mirror is dark gray, and the back coating of aluminum mirror is light gray.


3. Silver mirror and aluminum mirror front color brightness is different

Silver mirror is dark bright, deep color, and aluminum mirror is white bright, color bleaching. Therefore, the silver mirror is distinguished by its color alone: the color of the back is now gray, and the color of the front is dark and bright. Two pieces put together, bright, white is the aluminum mirror.


4. Silver mirror and aluminum mirror surface paint active different

Silver is a non-active metal, aluminum is an active metal, aluminum will be oxidized over time to lose its original color, turning gray, silver will not, more simple it can be tried with dilute hydrochloric acid, aluminum reaction is very strong, silver is very slow. Silver mirror than aluminum mirror is more waterproof and moisture-proof, shine more clearly and brighter, generally used in the bathroom what is more durable than the aluminum mirror in wet places.

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