# Newest trial project - nailed it the first time!!!



## FoilEffects (Dec 19, 2007)

Well many times when I try something new, I think something up and in therory I think that it will work. Normally I never go into something assuming failure, but due to the tiny yet extreamly tight details of the scroll I assumed failure. I went at this taking my time on each step so that if it did fail I would at least have given it my best attempt. Each step I video taped my steps so that I could check back on my assumed failure... Much to my surprise my therory that this could be done actually worked and ended out perfect! 

This is a 1/4" thick piece of glass which I layed vinyl on with the cut scroll, mirrored the open area, then backed it and then added the custom artwork. I think by taking my time and being able to go back to the video of my steps before I went to the next step greatly help my sucess. 

Here is why I did it, I wanted to add art to the bottom of my mirrors but I wanted the art embedded into the mirror and not onto the frame like I always do. 

Let me know what you think...


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## JNLP (Dec 13, 2007)

Looks sweet. I could see that working really well in one of your antique mirrors. Maybe a long mirror with round top/bottom, and use something like that on the top & a flipped one on the bottom. :thumbup:


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## boman47k (May 10, 2008)

Intersting. I watched the videos you posted the links to, but I did not know that was you. Very interesting stuff you do. Looks like it might be something I might want to learn and do in the shop at some point. I have been meaning to give it some more thought as to what the market might be around here for it.


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## FoilEffects (Dec 19, 2007)

Well I can tell you that I have no compitition, can write my own ticket as far as price. As a painting and decorative painter for 22 years I got sick of the day to day BS of getting outbid by someone doing painting for $.65 sf. Faux finishing used to be a great business as well but now everybody and there brother is doing it which has just destroyed the market! I dont see many people getting into this fulltime or stopping what they are doing to do this for a living! I have made as much as $100 per sf doing this and the people and designers that I deal with dont even say anything about large bills or add ons (cant say the same about paint!).
Now I have been playing with mirrors since I was 12 as my great grandfather did this for a living and my grandfather taught me when I was a kid. Over the years I had not done much with it til about 8 years ago when I was watching a movie that involved a large antiqued mirror and my wife said man that is cool! I looked at her and said I can do that and the next day started playing again with my grandfathers old formulas... Now I am doing this full time and I work from HOME!!!


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## boman47k (May 10, 2008)

> Now I am doing this full time and I work from HOME!!!


Thats what I'm talking about. I used to enjoy working in the shop when I did a little simple woodwork. 
What market do you concentrate on? Offices? Homes? Commercial?

Much trouble with the chem's gettingt on the front of the glass? I guess it wipes off?


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## FoilEffects (Dec 19, 2007)

I do all markets, mostly selling antique mirror glass and custom design stuff when it is called for. Sure mirroring solutions get on the front but I designed a chemical for removing silvering. The stuff just dissolves the silvering off the mirror.


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## boman47k (May 10, 2008)

Are the letters and or artwork vynle? Can you do like tollhouse painting then do the mirroring?


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## FoilEffects (Dec 19, 2007)

The scrollwork in the above mirror is mirrored onto the glass using spray mask. I have a plotter (like you use for cutting car vinyl) to do my designs. My entire setup was a little better than 15K with all the supplies, computer, plotter, vinyl, printers, custom paper for doing transparicies (as seen above). It really is not something that most could jump right into and I have had one heck of a learning curve over the last 8 years prior to being able to take off on this full time. I do high end custom home shows in order to gain interest in the mirrors and normally I make 3xs the cost of admission straight from those shows. Sometimes it is a very frustrating profession as I just got done paying a glass company to cut me 8" x 8" clear glass 1/4" tiles for a backsplash and I mirrored all of it and then when I went to photo the layout for the homeowner realized that none of them were 8" x 8" and it did not lay out right! That was 2 days worth of work just to have to re-do it!
Below is my 2 most popular antique mirror finishes on glass and I can mirror a tile in about 6 minutes (I do 10 at a time). Cost for these are $45 per sq ft which goes down over 100 sf to $39 per sq. ft. My normal job size is 25-50 sq ft and I do about 400 sf a month, but it has picked up quite a bit here in Illinois -vs- Florida.


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## JNLP (Dec 13, 2007)

I like that second one. Why don't you just cut your own glass? Not that expensive or hard, could save you some $ and time waiting I would think.


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## boman47k (May 10, 2008)

I have been reading these forum for a good while now. Somewhere along the way, I kind of stopped paying attention to who says what except the names that became familiar to me at the start. After reading some of your old posts and seeing your work, I will pay more attention to your posts. 

The mirrors ar every interesting, but I had no idea of the scope of artistry you actually do. The faux is awesome!


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## FoilEffects (Dec 19, 2007)

Thanks for saying that! I have 22 year experience and just love experimenting with each and every idea I come up with. I know from my painting experience and my mirror experience what may work in therory but when I dream it up I wont stop til I figure it out.

Many of the people here on the board have great talent and I am glad to be a member!

By the way I do not cut the glass myself as I am a finisher and that is what I like to do! I have a great person that owns a glass shop and he was on vacation in NY when I hired another guy to cut those tiles! Never will I do that again!!!

Rob


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## timalpha1 (Mar 20, 2012)

beautiful work!


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

timalpha1 said:


> beautiful work!


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

That is a creative find Bill. You have had much practice and have become the necro thread obligatory pic master.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

straight_lines said:


> That is a creative find Bill. You have had much practice and have become the necro thread obligatory pic master.


I don't mind necro threads for a variety of reasons but sometimes thanking a post is just as good as a resurrection.


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