Read the statement by Michael Teeuw here.
Two way mirror suppliers - Australia!
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Hi Guys! I’m absolutely sold on this idea and can’t wait to get into it. Is anyone on this site from Australia and if so, where do you source your glass/acrylic? I for the life of me haven’t been able to find anything that isn’t reflective film that you can buy from bunnings but is hardly up for this task :/
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@slickric said in Two-way mirror suppliers - Australia!:
Hi Guys! I’m absolutely sold on this idea and can’t wait to get into it. Is anyone on this site from Australia and if so, where do you source your glass/acrylic? I for the life of me haven’t been able to find anything that isn’t reflective film that you can buy from bunnings but is hardly up for this task :/
I’m from Australia. But I haven’t been looking for suppliers for a mirror stuff.
As masters going belly up as of late.. I haven’t at looked what they have. -
I’ll share what I’ve found, but I too am still looking for a local provider in Brisbane so I don’t have to pay ridiculous postage. I also want a custom size for my mirror which seems harder than it should be.
- http://www.allplastics.com.au/architectural-building-plastics/acrylic-mirror/acrylic-two-way-mirror
- http://www.acrylicsonline.com.au/shop-product/acrylic-mirror-sheet/acrylic-2-way-mirrored-sheet
- http://www.mulfordplastics.com/ - I was told to look these guys up, haven’t had a chance and nothing obvious on their site
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hi @jc21 ,did you get any further in finding a good supplier in Australia. Live in Sydney myself and just started looking into where to buy a 2-way mirror today. Called all plastic but they charge AU$600+GST for it as you need to buy the entire sheet. Way over what I had in mind.
Planning to reach out to the other ones later this week too, but curious if you have any advise?
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No I haven’t looked since. Moving house this month and I’ll get back into it after that.
I wonder how big the sheet is and if they would cut it for you, perhaps you could split the cost with others.
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it’s quite big… Size (mm): 2440 x 1220 and Thickness (mm): 3mm. Hence way more than I need (planning a 50x75cm piece only)
I’ll let you know if I figure anything out from the other suppliers.
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Also based in Brisbane. In the throes of a bathroom reno and was planning on using a bog standard Ikea mirror (already purchased) which is 1000 x 960. My plan now is to build a Magic Mirror to this size but sourcing the glass is definitely a challenge. Old monitor - check! RPI, setup and largely configured - good to go.
I don’t believe acrylic or plain glass with a reflective film is going to pass muster with she who must be obeyed…
I have a quote for a S108 glass (replaced SS08) at $500/m2. This looks like my best bet so far. However I have not had any success in getting any product detail form the supplier or Dr Google. Hoping for at least a sample before committing to such a significant purchase.
Viridian glass also have details about their Observa product - http://www.viridianglass.com/products/security/observa. When I say product detail I mean marketing level bumps heavy on pictures and light on detail. Not sure as yet on a supplier for this. Given the target market looks to be primarily government institutions my guess is pricing could be the problem…
The other avenue of enquiry has been the folks making TV Mirrors. Similar concept. While the idiot box is off you have a framed mirror to complement your swanky interior design. When the TV is switched on you can see the display. Mostly those guys aren’t interested in supplying just the glass they use or any information on what it is and where they source it.
My next lead is Jubilee Framers who may be able to supply TV Mirror glass by the look soft their website.
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@Sar6e A friend of mine lived in Australia, he imported a lot of stuff from Asia for cheap prices and resaled them in Australia, maybe it’s worth it to look for a supplier on alibaba or somewhere else and import a mirror from there.
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looks like we are a few who are in the same position… Screen ready, RPI configured, bunnings is nearby… just nead the 2-way mirror.
Found this place earlier today as well - does anyone have any experience with their product?
http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cut_to_size_plastic/two_way_mirrored_acrylic/558
They DO shipment to Australia.
Sample being a 20" x 28" (equivalent to 50cm x 71cm) cost US$93 + US$ 82 for shipping. Hence TOTAL cost = US$175.Curious if anyone has expereince with them?
You can also order a sample for US2.00 but the shipment of that is US$53, so not really worth it… -
The TapPlastics stuff looks to be the same as the Acrylics Online stuff, but at least you can get it to size. The Acrylics Online sheet is just a tad bit small for most monitors. I attempted to contact them ages ago about getting a custom size, but suprise suprise they didn’t respond.
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When I sourced my glass (see https://forum.magicmirror.builders/topic/724/mat-s-mirror-completed) I asked about two-way mirror option. They quoted me $200+ (can’t remember the exact figure) for a 312mm x 534mm mirrored glass (23’’ widescreen monitor). Alternatively that size in regular glass cost me $23 and a 10m roll of 97% mirror film was $45 from Bunnings.
As mentioned in my post link above, my mirror is not perfect, but given the relative price of film, if I had the time, I could redo my effort to get a better mirror, but as it is, the tiny air bubbles (less than 1mm) are hardly noticeable unless you get really close up.
Mirror film is quite a reasonable option if cash is tight and/or you have the time to follow the install instructions to the letter and/or you can find a glassy to be mates with who might do it for you…
Anyway that’s my two cents…
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@zydecat74 Thanks for this, I’ve seriously been considering this option over the last week given the supply issues.
A few questions for you:
- Is this the stuff you used? I can’t seem to find any other product on bunnings site
- I guess you applied the film onto the front of the glass, is it just as effective if it were applied to the back instead?
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@zydecat74 thinking I might give this a go too given the cost is relatively cheap.
@nic said in Two way mirror suppliers - Australia!:
Called all plastic but they charge AU$600+GST for it as you need to buy the entire sheet
Hey Nic, I got the same from them which is way over the top. That plus being in Adelaide I would need to figure out how to get it here. I didn’t think to ask, but do you know if they would cut it if whole sheet was bought? Could possibly get a few people to share cost if that were possible.
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@jc21 I’ll have to get back to you about the brand of the film I used (at work at the moment). Film should be applied to the rear of the glass, works so much better. That way, when you clean the mirror it doesn’t damage the film and it looks way better…
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@jc21 Yes that is the stuff I used. For some reason I thought it was a 10m roll, but yes 2.4m x 1.2m Pillar brand. Still plenty of film for multiple mirrors if you need to redo and/or people are impressed enough to ask you to make another for them…
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@slickric yes I did ask them that and they can cut it to specifications for you. I didn’t ask for a price of that though as I was put off by the $600.
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@zydecat74 any chance you could post us a picture to see how the film looks in reality? Considering going down the same path.
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I’m looking at making one of these too, but have hit the same wall. I’m waiting for a few quotes. I’m at this point getting a quote for the whole sheet and asking for it to be cut in to as many pieces as possible of my rough monitor size (have a few old monitors at work that will be suitable, but I’m just going for a ballpark size at this point). Was going to flog off the rest of the pieces on ebay/gumtree/reddit/now-that-ive-found-you-here-too to try to break even.
I’ll report back once I get a quote. If anyone wants to get in on a group buy I’d happily sell the piece at cost for pre-orders, otherwise I’ll probably try and make some money back if I have to wear the risk and sell it on ebay.
Lobby
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Thanks @zydecat74 - I’ve tried with the film you suggested ($45 from Bunnings) + a normal piece of glass ($22 from a local glass shop). It works like a beauty.
You will also need an application tool (yellow thing in the photo), a very sharp knife, a ruler (ideally longer than the one I used) and baby shampoo to mix with water and spray on the glass/film to apply it.
Photos of stuff and the result. All that is left for me now is to make the frame - but it is starting to look achievable now.
The film
![0_1475966543600_Energy saving film copy.jpg]
![0_1475966558698_Energy saving film 2 copy.jpg]Tools
![0_1475966573010_Other tools copy.jpg]Results (the film is inside)
![0_1475966586655_Result with film inside copy.jpg] -
@tgriffo I can’t see the photos?
Can anyone else see them?
The film sounds like a good idea.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard was it to apply? Would it work just as easy on a piece of acrylic? My only concern using glass is the extra weight and consequences of some part of my dodgy handiwork giving way.
Lobby
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