# Carnival Mirrors



## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

OK folks - carnival mirrors - the warped kind. I don't have the cash to buy the ones I saw in a local antique store - I would like to make my own somehow. I have been doing the research but the jury is out so to speak. 

My first thought was Mylar film - I can buy it locally on Ebay - but after doing a bit of a search there seem to be mixed feelings about the success of this. I'm not looking for a perfect reflection, but would like a REASONABLE reflection. Some comments I have read is that the film is difficult to work with and doesn't really reflect well. Others say it worked great. 

Has anyone used this or is there another alternative I could look into. So far this is all I've come up with and I'm reluctant to go ahead and buy without more info.


----------



## Frightmaster-General (Sep 9, 2011)

Could something like this do the trick?


----------



## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

Thanks for the link Frightmaster - I think the shipping will probably make it quite expensive but otherwise it would be perfect. I've emailed them so we'll see whether I need to take out a bank loan.

Frustrating as I can't find anything like that here.


----------



## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Carnival Mirror has an ebay store. My original comment was going to be that I've used Mylar film before, and if you want it to last, you'll also need to buy Lexan or Plexiglass to put over it. The stuff tears very easily. I was using 6 mil film, and spent a lot of time trying to keep it in one piece. It doesn't reflect as good as a mirror, but it is pretty close.


----------



## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

Thanks Bio. That seems to have been the biggest criticism of the film - difficult to use because it is so flimsy. The CM product says it's about the thickness of 2 business cards which would make it much easier to handle. I'll see how I go with the shipping. Thanks for the input!


----------



## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Yeah, it is very thick, but it can get ripped very easily. It also likes to wrinkle and crease. just so you know.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Keep in mind that Mylar film is not opaque, so if you have it in front of a dark space, with nothing to block the view, it will be a fairly dark and soft reflection
You can apply it to Plexiglass or Lexan, but you need to bend the substrate (Plexiglass or Lexan) prior to applying the film if you want a smooth finish, then cover the back side of the substrate with either paper or paint to make the mirror opaque. The down side to this is that those curved mirrors are a pain in the butt to store. If you flatten them out, you will tear or distort the Mylar, and once it's torn or distorted it will not look good or work the same in the future. You could trap the sheet of Mylar between two sheets of the substrate, or even use two pieces of Mylar with a sheet of paper between them sandwiched between too sheets of substrate, that would give you a double sided mirror that would let you use both sides of the mirror, and keep you from having to actually adhere the Mylar to the substrate. That would allow you to let the substrate lay out flat for storage and reuse the Mylar in years to come.
But those substrates aren't cheap, and with the rise in petroleum costs, the cost of those substrates has risen too.


----------

