A local artist in Las Vegas named Adam reached out to me to see if I could cut mirror acrylic material to create custom pieces of art. Working with mirror acrylic has a lot of challenges, but I was interested in the idea and decided to see what I could do.
MATERIALS USED (May contain affiliate links)
- Sign Tape
- Art Knife
- Scraper
- 1/4" White Acrylic - Purchased Locally
- Mirror Acrylic - Purchased locally
TOOLS USED
- Laser specs: 60-watt Epilog Fusion M2
- Vector Cutting: 7% speed, 100% power, 100% frequency https://www.epiloglaser.com/maker-experiment/
STEP 1: The Design
Adam over at @prettydone on Instagram drew the design for this project using his iPad. Once I had the design, I had to make a few modifications to get it ready for laser cutting.
STEP 2: Applying the Sign Tape
One of the first things that needs to be done before cutting the material is applying the adhesive. For these mirror acrylic designs, I used adhesive sign tape as it was the best option for a clean finish. Using acrylic liquid adhesives led to a poor finish showing through the mirror acrylic.
STEP 3: Laser-cutting the Acrylic
After the adhesive is applied to the backer, I laser cut the white acrylic backer. For the mirror acrylic, I cut the material upside down and reversed to reduce any kind of reflection of the laser beam.
STEP 4: Assembling the Mirror
To assemble the mirror, first I have to remove the paper cover on the backer's adhesive.
After that, I take each piece of mirror acrylic and assemble them to the backer. During this process, I have to make sure that everything lines up properly for the cutouts in the backer to match the cutouts in the mirror acrylic.
STEP 5: Unmasking the Mirror Acrylic
The mirror acrylic comes with a protective film on the surface. Once everything is assembled, I simply peel off this layer to reveal the shiny finish.
STEP 6: Finished Product
After everything is unmasked, enjoy your new art mirror!
