How to Fix a Broken Glass Hand-Held Mirror
Broken mirrors don't need to mean bad luck. A hand-held mirror can be repaired with simple household items, providing it has not shattered into a thousand pieces. The fewer the broken pieces, the easier it is to repair. Keep in mind that it will take a little bit of time and precision, so if you are a slap-it-together type of person, you may just want to replace the mirror. However, if you don't mind a little work, and especially if the mirror is special to you, then repairing it should not be much of a challenge.
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Things You'll Need
- Gloves
- Masking tape
- Super glue
- Goo gone
- Razor blade
- Glass cleaner
- Re-silvering kit
Instructions
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Put on protective gloves. Assemble all the pieces of broken glass and piece them together so that they fit perfectly and tightly.
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2
Tape the broken pieces together with masking tape. Put the tape over the mirror side of the glass. The tape not only ensure the pieces remain close together and in the spots they need to be, but it also keeps glue from getting on the mirror itself.
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3
Turn the taped pieces over so the mirrored side is facing down. Slightly separate the pieces by bending them at the taped seam. Liberally apply super glue to the entire length of the seam. Push the pieces together tightly and let sit overnight. The longer that super glue sits, the stronger it will be. If you have multiple broken pieces, glue two pieces together at a time, and wait for the glue to dry completely before gluing them all together. This may mean gluing two pieces, waiting overnight, gluing more pieces, and waiting overnight again. While requiring some patience, it will ultimately make the mirror much stronger.
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Apply super glue liberally to the hand-held mirror backing, where the glass pieces had fragmented. Put the super glue in the corners and the edges.
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Place the glued broken mirror pieces into the backing, and secure the mirror with masking tape if necessary. Allow it to dry overnight.
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Remove the masking tape. You may find that the masking tape has left a residue on the glass. Use Goo Gone to gently remove the residue. Despite your efforts to contain the super glue with the masking tape, you may also find that some super glue has gotten onto the mirror surface. Remove this gently with a razor blade. Be careful not to scratch the mirror.
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7
Clean the mirror with glass cleaner. The cracks of the mirror will always be there, but the picture will have been restored.
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Tips & Warnings
For antique mirrors, use a re-silvering kit to restore the mirror after you have superglued the fragmented pieces back together. If the antique mirror has monetary or sentimental value to you, the best way to repair it is to take it to a professional.
