This is a project that’s been done for a while but as D mentioned we have been rather lax in our documentation duties. The project: fix and refinish a free-standing mirror.
Deanna’s family has had this mirror for the last 30 years or so and, as will happen with mirrors when children are about, it’s been broken a few times. The precise details are lost to history but we do know that at one point D’s brother Andy was practicing his sweet moves in the mirror and made contact. That’s why there’s a piece missing in the upper left. More recently the plastic tabs that hold in the glass gave way and the mirror slipped out. The cross piece on the bottom of the stand had also been snapped in twain and to hide some of the scratches and dings it was painted black.
The cross piece was the easiest problem to fix. The break was clean but with enough splinters to provide good glue surface area. Elmers, clamps, and 24 hours took care of that.
Next was the refinishing. Step one: Sanding. Step two: Sanding. Step three… jeebus there was lots of sanding. The flat surfaces weren’t a huge deal thanks to a quality $11 orbital sander from Harbor Freight. (Actually it seized up in about 20 minutes but after a trip to the store and a free replacement I was back in business. It was $11. Sometimes you get a dud.)
You’ll notice my woodshop is the backyard and my workbench is a crate, as is my stool. This is a Bornn-Gilman tradition.
Sanding the nooks and crannies were another matter. The sander simply couldn’t get in there. Luckily I had recently picked up a dremel for $8 at the Rose Bowl swap meet. I burned through about a dozen sanding bands from the Deeps over several days but eventually I got all the black off. I probably shaved off a pound of wood in the process (which then coated my lungs) but oh well.
Before and after.
Next is the staining. I hung up the big pieces in the kitchen with some ropes for easy access to all surfaces. Deanna thought I was being ridiculous. I didn't disagree but nor did I see a problem.
Color test. Looks good.
Fridge hinges make excellent anchors.
The paper towel rolls are spacers.
Painting the curvy bits. Grover looks on.
Quick note about staining. You should always read the directions. I did not. Stains should be applied, left on for up to 15 minutes, wiped clean, and let dry for a day. Instead I applied and let dry for day after day. It took about 5 days for it to get fully dry – and for me to read the instructions and realize the mistake. I sanded the worst accumulations of stain, re-stained correctly, and all was well.
Finally it was time to seal. I read the directions this time, put on three coats of urethane over three days, lightly sanding inbetween and all was done. Well the wood was done. Now I needed a mirror.
Deanna’s parents had recently renovated a bathroom and had the majority of an old wall mirror (3’x6’x1/4”) waiting to be put to use. I read up on how to cut glass, bought a glass cutter from the Deeps, and successfullishly made a couple small cuts. When I tried to make the 4’ cut I failed miserably though. I scored it the same way I had the small cuts but even putting my entire weight on the mirror I was unable to crack it. Luckily the small cuts had cut it down to transportable size so I could take it to an expert.
I called up a couple of glass places in Pasadena to see about making the needed cuts, as I clearly was not up to the task. One place said they’d call me back with a quote but they never did. The other said they could do it but it would take two days and $80. Screw that. So I called up Starlite Screen & Glass on York in Eagle Rock, who I had previously gotten a window pane from, and they said $10 and 15 minutes. Bid accepted.
I took the mirror in and watched the 20 year old kid in the glass shop make short work of the glass. His scores were a thing of beauty. I thought I had been heeding the internet’s advice in not pushing on the scoring tool too hard but clearly I had not. He even made arced cuts on the four corners to accommodate the oval frame.
Finally it was time to put it together. In standard B-G construction style I overdid it. For the frame I followed my father’s axiom: screws are just there to hold the wood in place while the glue dries. This tenet leads to excessive gluing and the inability to ever take anything apart but also makes pieces indestructible. For mounting the mirror I doubled the number of tabs holding the glass in place and employed a corollary of the above axiom: Goop it.
And here is the end result.
Deanna waves from beyond the looking glass.
The back. 8 anchors instead of the original 4.
This is the cross piece that had been previously snapped in two.
