Head mirror replacement project

Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
This is my old mirror (taped to control demo fragments). Yes I’m in for a lot of bad luck. :huh: I had tried cutting it off by sliding piano wire beneath, but the wire was totally ineffective against the adhesive. Destruction was the only option.
You can see that the silvering was degraded at the edges, so it needed replacement.
taped.jpeg

Demolition is underway. This thing was well glued. The adhesive they used was equivalent to liquid nails. It required banging on a sharpened flat bar with a hammer.
demo.jpeg

When all the glass was off, I still had to remove the adhesive, which was about 1/8” thick. I tried a heat gun and hot scraper, but they didn’t work at all. Tried a torch but the wood was less heat resistant than the adhesive. The partially painted strip of molding on the left in the image below was put in place as a guide to position the new mirror exactly parallel to the door.

base.jpeg
The oscillating blade was just the ticket. It cut through the adhesive like butter, and by keeping it at a low angle it didn’t damage the wood any further. (The flat bar already did a lot of damage.)
A1043EAC-9B01-4786-BD46-91578566D9EE.jpeg

I used Liquid Nails mirror adhesive to mount the replacement mirror. The back of the new mirror has been treated with a spray-on coating that’s supposed to prevent silver degradation from the salt air. To hide any underlying marks or discoloration, the new mirror was ordered 2" wider and 2" taller than the original. Very happy with the results.
new.jpeg
 
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Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
stick the new mirror on top of the old one. ;)
I considered that.. The new slightly oversize mirror would have stood off about 3/8" or more from the wall. I had ordered the new mirror slightly oversize to assure complete coverage of the old shadow, and also because I thought of the slim chances of it matching the exact shape and size all-around. Having an unsupported glass edge standing off from the wall didn't seem like a wise idea (e.g. if a crew member fell against it in a rough seaway).
 
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Blitz

.
Jul 10, 2007
672
Seidelmann 34 Atlantic Highlands, NJ
A glass mirror probably shouldn't be on a boat unless pocket sized used to signal for rescue
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
A glass mirror probably shouldn't be on a boat unless pocket sized used to signal for rescue
Disagree. The first mirror lasted more than 16 years before the silvering at the edges failed. I replaced it at 19 years. I was very surprised by how difficult it was to break it with direct hammering. I had to hit it hard. A flat mirror evenly supported by a backing to the edges is not a hazard. The replacement I ordered was laminated on its back for extra safety, and (as mentioned in the OP) I also sprayed the back and edges with a treatment that’s advertised to protect the silvering from degradation.
However, we once chartered a boat that had a mirror in the main salon, and it was a nightmare to look at on open water because the motion on the water combined with the reverse images provoked seasickness. We covered it with towels.
This one on my boat is on the aft-facing head wall, and it’s not in a place we normally look for any length of time.
 
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Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
A glass mirror probably shouldn't be on a boat unless pocket sized used to signal for rescue
Doubt that you would find any production boats manufactured in the last 30 years that would not have a mirror in the head space.
 

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
When we needed to replace a mirror in the passenger bath, we went to a glass & mirror place. The guy said to simply get the measurements and he'd fabricate a new one with the adhesive on the back. As it is framed by a nice varnished piece of wood we did exactly that, over the old mirror, and it has remained in place for 10 years without any problems at all. Inexpensive and simple. And no chance of bad luck.
 
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