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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

FS mirrors? where?

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Feb 2, 2008
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I'm looking to make a spirograph with 3 mirrors but i'm having a hard time buying the mirrors.. where do you recommend i get the mirrors from? also, do any places sell attachments for motors to mount a mirror on it? i was trying to think of how to get a mirror mounted on the motor straightly, but can't seem to think of anything.

btw, is it possible to mount a mirror on a cooling fan?
 





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r34p3rex said:
I'm looking to make a spirograph with 3 mirrors but i'm having a hard time buying the mirrors.. where do you recommend i get the mirrors from? also, do any places sell attachments for motors to mount a mirror on it? i was trying to think of how to get a mirror mounted on the motor straightly, but can't seem to think of anything.

btw, is it possible to mount a mirror on a cooling fan?
I used hot glue to mount mirrors to motor pegs and it worked great. Put a dab on the shaft of the motor and a dab on the mirror, let them both slightly dry so they are tackyish then stick the two dabs together. presto! and if by cooling fan you are talking about something like a pc cooling fan then absolutely. anything that you can glue to and spins should work?
 

diachi

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r34p3rex said:
I'm looking to make a spirograph with 3 mirrors but i'm having a hard time buying the mirrors.. where do you recommend i get the mirrors from? also, do any places sell attachments for motors to mount a mirror on it? i was trying to think of how to get[highlight] a mirror mounted on the motor straightly[/highlight], but can't seem to think of anything.

btw, is it possible to mount a mirror on a cooling fan?

You don't want it on straight, otherwise you won't get any effects. You NEED the mirror to be at a slight angle.

-Adam
 

FokoF

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Front surface mirror..... Lasershowparts.com, but they not cheap... CD cut up works well... harddrive palettes work, just use a dremel to cut and shape...
PC fans work the best, nice big flat area to stick a mirror to... slight angle, just use a piece of paper or card on the one side and some CA glue....

Sorted! :D
 
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Mar 15, 2010
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check in the back of a projection tv theres a huge piece of fs mirror i used some to build a spirograph lately just gotta know how to cut the glass :horse:
 
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The optical mirrors on Dragonlasers.com ...but the price is steep and the shipping is a killer... Ugh. :|
 
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FS mirrors are easy to find-most flat bed scanners have three ==but kinda thick so not so easy to cut and a tad heavy--

no need to worry to much about getting it too flat-- hard to do if you were trying IMO--the cheapie poliroid one-step p;astic cameras have a nice thin FS mirror that is light and easy to cut--I never pay more that a dolllar for them at thrift shops-- they rarely can sell them as the film is not easy to find these days.

one way to make a mirror mount is to drill a tiny hole in the center of a penny- press fit it to your motor shaft and add a dab of exopy of JB Weld and give it overnight to harden. then glue on your mirror. Another way is to use a plastic gear from inside any motor driven toy or an old motor drive cheap 35mm camera. Really nice dc motors in there too.

and as said above old RPTVs have a huge FS mirror inside them just found one by a dumpster and got some optics as well. if you can't do this PM me and I will send you three FS mirrors for a buck and a sase.---HZ
 
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i cannnnn do that i gots the smarts i cut and and balance mirrors and i think i did pretty good for my first laser spirograph that i made recently. hopefully soon ill be getting a few more rptv's then ill have a shit load of nice optics and fs mirror.
 
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o wow nice idea with the penny i just got it thats a good idea but i like using pc case fans they look nice although since there brushless pwm is kinda weird.
 
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You can use just about any mirror, as long as there is nothing glued to the back. Get some stripper and wipe off the back coating, then take some acetone to wipe the stripper off. BAM! FS mirrors on the cheap. Here is a tutorial for acrylic mirrors, but it works with glass too.

 
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recycling is always best i built half of my spiro with parts from the trash including my fs mirror
 
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o wow nice idea with the penny i just got it thats a good idea but i like using pc case fans they look nice although since there brushless pwm is kinda weird.
OK-- cons with fans is that they are not reversable where a dc motor usually is--(more efx if reversable)
2nd ==kinda big if you are wanting to get several mounted real close together (but can be good for the 3rd motor/mirror)

3rd =unless you cut the blades of the fan off the air movement disperses the fog/smoke and that negates the whispy effect--- but they are great for liq. sky and tunnel effect w/o blades- just not so good for spiro--

ps... the thick FS mirrors that are inside scanners work great for Liq sky when you mount ONE one its side-- do not try to mount 2,-3, or 4--as you will not get one line more like 2, 3, or 4-- nearly impossible to align them and not at all necessary.. also blacken the edges and the back of the mirror with a sharpie-- this keeps unwanted reflections down.

if you run across a cheap deal(thrift shop) on a corded(or wireless) RC toy car you may find two dc motors inside already wired and reversable and speed controlable-:)-Q&D-2 motor spiro... just add FSMs and mount on a board-- easy to add a 3rd mirror&motor too. with 2 car/motors you can make a 4 mirror spiro!!

when building a spiro remember that the 1st mirror can be very small but as you go to mirrors 2 and/or 3 it will be much easier to use progressively bigger mirrors in order to keep the beam all on the mirrors--FYI-:D any questions?? allright --GET TO WORK!!!--we are waiting for you all to post your photos and videos:na:---------HZ-<(*U*)>-
 
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im gunna take pics of my fans running tonight cuz i feel that your a fan hater :na: i also do not like that you cant flip flop polarity cuz most pc fans are brushless and theres a circuit in there controlling it. and i love the fact that pc fans are easily mounted CUZ THERE SQAURE and its easy to line up your 45 angles when you bring you laser into the spiro. also smooth running and can get high rpm im looking to find some that are up in the 10000 rpm range anyone got any experience with reg dc motors? like any good ones you use id like to hear about em:yh:
 




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