The Ever Changing Looking Glass

Volume 36, Issue 2, February 2001

The Ever-Changing Looking Glass

Mirror Companies Shine with New Products
MIRART

by Penny Beverage

Since Alice first read “Through the Looking Glass,” written by her own inventor, Lewis Carroll, mirrors have incited curiosity among all. And fortunately, that curiosity continues as companies develop and advance the mirrors and mirror hardware they create. Read on for a sampling of some of the latest innovations in the world of mirrors available for your customers today.

Convex Mirrors for Inspecting Vehicles and Machinery
Lester L. Brossard Co. of Woodstock, Ill., has available a 12-inch round convex mirror, attached to a lightweight 51-inch handle. According to the company, the assembly can be used hand-held or purchased with tripod ball-bearing caster wheels for easy maneuvering. In addition, the low 3 ½-inch ground clearance makes it easy to inspect beneath vehicles, machines and other equipment, according to the company. It also is equipped with a heavy rubber rim to prevent damage to objects.

Venture Releases Two New Mirror Safety Backings, 960G and 944G
Venture Tape Corp. of Rockland, Mass., has introduced two new mirror safety-backing products, the 960G, Category II mirror safety backing, and 944GL Spandrel Bak™ safety opacifier. Venture’s 960G is a combination of copolymer film laminated to a bi-directional woven copolymer alloy designed to lay flat and provide the mirror with impact resistance from shattering. The company says the product will pass Category II shatter-resistant testing, both on the vision and the tape side of the mirror. Venture recommends utilizing 960G on silver float glass and fully tempered glass mirrors when a 400-foot pound test requirement must be met.

The company’s 944GL Spandrel Bak safety opacifier is a black copolymer film that the company says it designed specifically for opacifying reflective glass. Venture says this backing also lies flat when applied and provides resistance to ultraviolet rays. 944GL is also designed to pass the 100 foot pound impact test requirements and to provide high adhesion and stability even under high temperature and humidity conditions, according to the company.

GLASSource Supplies Mirror Demands
GLASSource of Grand Haven, Mich., and Franklin Park, Ill., is not only the source for glass, but also the source for mirror of any type, according to the company. GLASSource says it has mirror in an unlimited array of sizes, including elliptical, oval and semi-elliptical, along with an endless assortment of colors such as silver, black, peach, blue, green, gray and bronze. In addition, GLASSource has edgework available in pencil polish, flat polish or up to 2-inch beveled edges with inverted corners as small as 2-inches. Likewise, the company says orders can be quoted instantly over the phone and delivered weekly by truck throughout Michigan, Northern Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.

True Colors Shine with Globe Amerada TRU-IMAGE™ Mirrors
Globe Amerada Glass Co. of Elk Grove Village, Ill., has released two new patent-pending safety glazing mirrors, TRU-IMAGE and TRU-IMAGE DUO2. The autoclaved laminate mirrors are equipped with a permanent seal protecting the mirror’s backing and silver layers, according to the company. In addition, Globe Amerada says the mirrors resist scratches, discoloration and deterioration caused by moisture.

Both mirrors are available in size 60- by 120-inches with a thickness of 9/32-inches. Independently tested, the company says, the mirrors meet the 400-foot-pound impact criteria provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 16 CFR 1201, Category II.

‘Dreamwalls’ Surround Gardner Glass
Despite snow storms rumbling through the south the last few months, Gardner Glass Products of North Wilkesboro, N.C., is staying busy. The company has developed a new brochure, a new line of framed mirrors and perfected a mirror-manufacturing process. The new brochure, “Dreamwalls,” showcases the company’s many products, including its numerous lines of mirrors: PolyGGard, Starphire and Echo Closet Doors. In the brochure, the company markets to consumers using the philosophy that your walls reflect your personality, style and how you see the world. It also features the company’s newest line, the Collective Images line of framed mirrors. The line contains a variety of mirror types, from new, trendy framed mirrors to some classic, old-fashioned styles, again encouraging consumers to decorate their walls to fit their personalities.
In addition, Gardner has released its mirror system, PolyGGard, which is also featured in the new brochure. The PolyGGard Mirror System is an organized approach to mirror manufacturing that, according to the company, employs top quality in every step.

CRL Mirrors and Hardware Line Grows
Los Angeles-based C.R. Laurence Co. Inc. (CRL) has expanded its lines of magnifying mirrors and mirror hardware. In its line of magnifying mirrors, the company has added new styles of wall mount, pedestal, suction cup and countertop styles, including a 9-surround light swivel mirror with 5X magnifying power, two fogless mirrors and four different styles of Multi-Mag™ mirrors. CRL says the 6-inch Fogless Mirror changes from 1X to 5X power by rotating the frame, has a built-in double razor holder and attaches with double suction cups. Similarly, the 8-inch Deluxe Model Fogless Mirror uses a special magnifying power adjustment that changes magnification from 1X to 5X and comes with an accessory shelf and dual razor holder. CRL’s Multi-Mag™ Close-Up and Full Image Mirrors feature a patented 2X and 7X dual mirror system for simultaneous viewing.

“Our Magnifying Mirrors are available in lighted and non-lighted styles, each with an optical glass lens that is precision ground for distortion-free images of unparalleled sharpness and power magnification,” said Bill Gyore, product manager. “We’re recommending that glass professionals display a few styles in their showrooms for walk-in customers to view. This line of mirrors could very well add a new profit center to a glazier’s business.”

Also, CRL has expanded its line of aluminum mirror and wall standards and brackets, making the aluminum standards and brackets available in five high-quality finishes, including gold, bright anodized, bright gold, bronze and aluminum. The Series 22 Aluminum Mirror Standard is manufactured specifically to complement mirror installations by overlapping the edges of the mirror. The Series 322 Aluminum Wall Standard is suited for installations where a high-quality finish is desired, but flanges to cover a mirror’s edges are unnecessary.

Mirrors Keep Up with What’s Lurking Around Corners and Doors

Fred Silver & Co. Inc. of Newark, N.J., has available an extensive line of security and safety mirrors, including glass, acrylic convex and acrylic dome mirrors. According to the company, its high-profit safety and security mirrors are necessary to see around blind corners at intersections in warehouses, factories, hospitals, retail stores and even schools to keep an eye on hidden areas and prevent theft. The mirrors range in size from 13- to 48-inches for both circular and rectangular mirrors.