# Reflective metal or materials



## Amiga276 (Sep 18, 2005)

I have a light with a poor reflector in it. Does anyone know where to get reflective metal or material suitable for lights? Or sheets of the reflective aluminum like the ones they sell with the kits at AH supply, so I can fabricate a custom reflector plate?


----------



## nokturnalkid (Feb 27, 2007)

I got some mylar but I'm trying to find some tubes for shipping it.


----------



## Amiga276 (Sep 18, 2005)

How heat resistant is Mylar?


----------



## wolfen42 (Feb 5, 2008)

The cheap mylar I used on one of my hoods ended up breaking down and becoming a lot less reflective in the presence of 4 T12 40 watts bulbs over the course of about 1 year of usage. I've had much better luck with the reflectors from ahsupply.

Though http://www.aquatictech.com/aquarium_lighting.html will apparently provide relective aluminum. I'm not sure if it's the same MIRO brand as ahsupply but it might be useful?

From their website:


> Spectral Aluminum
> Standard Sizes
> 12"x24" $14.00
> 12"x36" $21.00
> ...


----------



## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

I've been investigating about shipping mylar too.
I wouldn't use tubes since there is an extra sur-charge by USPS (not machine processed).
A better way is a triangular tube box. Long and with flat sides. Could make your own.
Somebody recommended shipping it in a large envelope. As long as the quantity is small and it is slightly rigid shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as the person doesn't mind bends from folding.


nokturnalkid said:


> I got some mylar but I'm trying to find some tubes for shipping it.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Use envelopes, but put a sheet of corrugated cardboard on either side of the mylar to resist bending. I had some mailed to me that way, and mailed some to others that way, and it worked fine. The catch is that the size of sheet you can mail like that is limited to the size of the envelope.


----------



## nokturnalkid (Feb 27, 2007)

newbie314 said:


> I've been investigating about shipping mylar too.
> I wouldn't use tubes since there is an extra sur-charge by USPS (not machine processed).
> A better way is a triangular tube box. Long and with flat sides. Could make your own.
> Somebody recommended shipping it in a large envelope. As long as the quantity is small and it is slightly rigid shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as the person doesn't mind bends from folding.


I went to a couple p.o. and they didn't have those triangular boxes. I ordered some online but that takes a while to get here. I've shipped in an envelope and it arrived okay.



> How heat resistant is Mylar?


As long as you don't get the cheap stuff you should be good. Most of the mylar people use are actually made for hydroponics. So, it should hold up to a good amount of heat.


----------



## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

Shipped how much in an envelope, and what size
I've got some 5mil mylar with one side shiny and the back side white (suppose to be good reflection) (white reflects the light that gets through to the mylar) and trying to figure out how to ship it.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

If you use an 8 1/2 by 11 envelope you can mail 8 1/2 by 11 sheets of mylar. If you use a bigger envelope you can mail bigger pieces. The best aluminized mylar has aluminum coating on both sides. White gives diffuse reflection which does little good in an aquarium light fixture. A perfect "mirror" is the goal. All telescope mirrors are aluminized on the front surface for near perfect reflectance. None are ever painted white.


----------



## treefish (Oct 10, 2007)

I too have some mylar I need to ship. How big can you get envelopes?


----------



## Amiga276 (Sep 18, 2005)

Thanks for all the feedback folks!


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

treefish said:


> I too have some mylar I need to ship. How big can you get envelopes?


I have seen 11 by 14 inch envelopes, and I am pretty sure I have seen even bigger ones. A store like OfficeMax would have them, or even the post office.


----------



## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

hoppycalif said:


> The best aluminized mylar has aluminum coating on both sides. White gives diffuse reflection which does little good in an aquarium light fixture. A perfect "mirror" is the goal. All telescope mirrors are aluminized on the front surface for near perfect reflectance. None are ever painted white.


Guess I'm a little confused now.
The 2mil double sided al. mylar, I could actually see through it slightly. Where as the white plastic I couldn't. I thought the white was adding some reflective quality although diffused.
Either way, I was able to buy by the foot and didn't have to get a whole role of it.

Anybody want to trade samples. I could mail some of my white backed mylar in a business envelope (double folded maybe) and somebody mail me a sample of the mylar about the same amount.
I figure it would only cost me a stamp.


----------



## claws (Oct 14, 2007)

Another option is to use real mirrors. This can be a PITA to do and it is potentially dangerous since you are dealing with cutting glass and the resulting small glass shards and sharp edges. I got some 12"x12" mirrored tiles from Lowes and a glass cutter. I installed the tiles in the top of my DIY wood reflector/light hood over my 10 gal. tank. It works well. Some words of caution, however. Don't cut and break the tiles in the house. The tiny glass slivers that result are really difficult to pick up. Don't try to "hang" the tiles from the top of the canopy with the double sided tape they sell for installing these tiles. I used some round headed screws to support them.
All in all Mylar is probably a much better solution. I just couldn't find any locally and decided to try something else.


----------



## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

Looks like myself and other people in this discussion have some.
How much do you want?


----------



## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

I'm going to try out some Al. flashing (like you use on a roof) + dremel/buffing wheel + rubbing compound... I need to replace the reflector in my minibow w/ a longer one as my 20W Colormax is ~2" longer than the stock reflector. I suspect I also need to drill a few sm. holes in the hood as I discovered the light is running the temp from ~79°F to ~82.5°F  In the mean time, I'm leaving the feeding door open.


----------



## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

Cheapest aluminum reflector ever:

Fire Starter

:mrgreen:


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

schaadrak said:


> Cheapest aluminum reflector ever:
> 
> Fire Starter
> 
> :mrgreen:


Fascinating! If I ever need to start a fire in the wilderness, I can always find a Coke can some dweeb tossed away and use my toothpaste to polish it. (Good dental hygiene means carrying a tube of Colgates at all times!)


----------



## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

I used an old diaper and some rubbing compound to polish my shingle flashing ($0.13/sheet) - it is not yet to a mirror finish, but it's better than the "before" pic of the can bottom.

I thought my upgrade to a 20W Coralife was cooking my tank, turns out the numbers on my Stealth are off a few degrees (I took the temp this AM before light came on, was 82.7°F, light was adding only ~0.5°F over the course of the day). After adjusting heater down some, leaving lights on, I'm at 80.7°F with only 1/2hour left in the photoperiod. If it's >80°F tomorrow AM, I'll adjust the heater again.


----------



## Loach Shark (Feb 14, 2008)

www.anomet.com

They sell it by the 2'x4' sheet. You can get mirror or granulated finish in 98% reflectivity. Shipping is only $98 to the states, overnight via FedEx. That is for up to 5 sheets. No cheaper shipping options. Anyone wanna go in on an order?

That said, Hobby Lobby has mirrors cut down into all sorts of small squares and rectangles. I got some 4"x5" I'm using for side angle reflectors and 3" squares to put on the ends. Talk about doing it the hard way. You do lose like 15% with a mirror, but it can be cleaned and brought back to its original brilliance.


----------



## greenisgood (Dec 19, 2004)

I use 10 mil aluminized mylar - it does a fantastic job of making parabolic reflectors. Line it with very thin 1 or 2 mil clear mylar to keep splashes from hitting the aluminized surface of the 10 mil stuff, though, or the mirror finish will pit over time due to the salts in the tank water (if you fertilize or adjust KH). The thinner aluminized mylar I found too difficult and cumbersome to work with, as it didn't hold shape well enough to make parabolic reflectors. 

I also use mirror polished aluminum reflectors for standard t8 fluorescent fixtures that a guy close to me manufactures. I get them for about $5 each. They aren't parabolic, but do a pretty darn good job for the money.


----------



## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

I've got 5mil, silver one side, white on the other
10mil? is it silvered on both sides?


----------

