# DIY reflector w/ 94% reflectivity



## D.S. Drifter (Jan 7, 2010)

seems like lighting & hoods or canopies are a popular topic in the DIY section. for several years i designed lighted sinage for large scale comercial use. while doing so a product was developed to enhance lighting performance. for years now ive expected to see somebody mention it for this application but have yet to. i have used it in canopies for myself with great results.
the product is 3M light enhancement film 3635-100. it is a simple flim with an adhesive back, you roll it out cut it to fit peel the back off and apply to the desired surface. then peel of the protective coating on the outer surface. it can be applied to normal non reflecvtive grade aluminium sheet like that commonly found at most sheet metal shops. with a reflectivity value of 94% this makes for a very inexpensive DIY reflector. its easily cleaned with a damp cloth.


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## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

I might give that a try... will it stick to plastic? How much does it cost? Do I get it online, or is carried at specialty shops?


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## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

I made some calls... got to a sign company here in my city that is going to give me a sample of the smooth silver finish vinyl that supposedly looks like a mirror. 

I don't know if vinyl would be a good application because of the heat, but I'll look at it and see what I think. 

I also learned about another type of product that isn't flexible, that would probably be great as a light reflector - mirrored acrylic.


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## Daniil (Oct 30, 2009)

Bunnie1978 said:


> I also learned about another type of product that isn't flexible, that would probably be great as a light reflector - mirrored acrylic.


I have try mirrored acrylic as a reflector. it did't work for me, it sagged and started to touch light tubes. So I went with glass mirror, it works fine.


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## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

I got the sample. It really looks very mirrored, but I don't think it's exactly the same item number product given above. I just told the guy I was looking for mirrored vinyl. 

Anyways, I'm going to test for heat by blowing it with my bolw dryer. What do you think?


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## D.S. Drifter (Jan 7, 2010)

the product i mentioned is (3M light enahancement film 3635-100) that # is the 3M product code. i wouldnt recomend other vynil products. they normaly wont stand up to heat & even though they have a mirrored finish dosent give them the reflective capacity your looking for. the 3M film has been formulated for the purpose of light reflection & has adhesives designed to handle high temps. as to the question about applying to plastic. the answer is yes, very well. it is actually applied to large sheets & then the whole thing heated & vacume formed. the 2 most common surfaces its applied to are alumanium & plastic, i have also used it directly on the wood interior of oak canopies. 
even when standard reflectors are used inside a hood or canopy some of the light reflects of the surface of the water and is lost inside the canopy. when this film is covering the inside the light is reflected right back. for a point of reference when used inside of a lighted sign 30% less lighting was needed to acheive the same brightness as the same unit without this film.
note: this film dosent have a silver finish as you might expect. it is kind of a pearl white. it will have a blue protective film over the surface that you remove after its installed.


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## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

But wouldn't a silver mirror type film be even better? I have the film that I got from the sign shop. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's really good. Not too difficult to work with and it's just basically a thin film that is mirrored. It's also reflective on the back, but less so. I've seen some aquariums with mirrored backgrounds, and I like the look of that, so I think I'm going to get another sheet long enough to do that for the aquarium I'm setting up now.


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## D.S. Drifter (Jan 7, 2010)

allthough the mirrored finish stuff you have would seem to have more reflective capability thats not the case. the other issues being the quality of the adhesive on the back, uv & heat resistence. the 3M product i mentioned has pigments formulated for its reflective quality, designed to hold up in higher temps & not to degrade under extended UV exposure.


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## taoyeah (Aug 8, 2007)

thanks.DO you have a picture of it?how much it cost?


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Interesting information!

It will be helpful for the extreme thrifty types - lots of them in this hobby.

Question:
How does the 3M film compare to just painting the inside of the canopy or housing with white paint?

--Nikolay


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## Gibby (Aug 5, 2009)

niko said:


> Question:
> How does the 3M film compare to just painting the inside of the canopy or housing with white paint?
> 
> --Nikolay


Or covering the whole canopy with the 3M film?


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Cool idea!

Found some online (didn't look THAT hard). 48"x50yd roll, $1400. Wonder what companies charge for smaller pieces?


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## NonSequitur (Mar 25, 2010)

Digikey Canada has 11"x11" squares of their Vikuiti enhanced specular reflector film for $33.23 (my first post here, so I'm not sure of the rules of this forum, so I won't paste the link). 3m claims it's 98% reflective, but I haven't yet found data on it's heat tolerance (it's designed to be used to increase the efficiency of backlit lcd displays).

I'll post more as I find it, but I'm thinking of ordering some to test it over my reef tank (won't need as much of it there as I would in the fixture for my planted tank).

They also carry the 3M BEF II and BEF III films.


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## Inkidu (Mar 29, 2010)

Hello all first post just getting back into having a planted discus

tank. Has anyone had any experience with Whiteoptics

http://whiteoptics.com/?page_id=12

Cost might be an issue also.

Hope this helps.


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## gwclark (May 10, 2010)

I found the exact film being discussed and it is available by the yard:

http://www.montroy.com/catalog/main/itemdetail.app?item_no=363510048

GW


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