KIT for 18th century swing mirror
The gold mirrors are an example of what the kit could look like made up and gilded.
I have to say that this has to be one of the prettiest items that I have ever made and despite its delicate and fiddly appearance it is very easy to assemble and paint.
The mirror frame rests of two hooks either side of the frame at the rear. This allows the mirror to rotate as it would in the "big" world. The litte drawer in the base is fully functional and opens allowing for little treasures and keepsakes. The candles are not real and supplied as one long length that you can cut to size. You can create a "dripped candle" effect by adding super glue/glue to the top and running it down the sides and then use a tiny snippet of black or white cotton to represent the wick. Tweezers are compulsory!
The kit is in the following sections:
- Base made up of bottom, drawer and upper part
- Mirror section made up of main support, oval rear of mirror, mirror frame, section of fine plastic mirror (peel off back and front) to be cut oval.
- Identical candle sconces x 2 with length of 1.75mm plastic to be made into candles. The sconces can easily be bent to the exact angle you prefer.
How to assemble
As with all kits remove the METAL flashing and the casting spurs using snips, files or brushes.
For guidance I have some instructions in the images.
How to paint
I recommend priming the mirror after assembling it with a metal spray primer. This ensures your paint finish will be less likely to scratch off the metal pewter.
The better paint effects are usually achieve with a spray method this could be from a can or an airbrush.
If you wish to gold leaf the mirror then you should first apply a thin layer of red or yellow or even a gold so that when the gold leaf breaks the colour shows through. Next paint a thin layer of "size" - this is basically a glue that never stops being sticky. Apply your lead and then finish by aging with some rotten stone and maybe some oil or acrylic paints thinned down and applied and wiped off to achive an aging effect (I like to use burnt umber for a warm hue or raw umber for a deep brown hue). If all that sounds too complicated then a spray of gold spray paint will look great.
In reality there are endless ways to paint this little mirror.
TOP TIP - do not paint the sides of the drawers.
For a lovely finish you could line the drawers in a fine patterned paper.
If you want the back of the mirror to be aged then try using a metal antiquing solution ..the more concentrate the darker it will age so always worth watering it down a little before applying. You can always apply more of it. If you want to go that extra mile you could also line the rear of the mirror with paper and add a little manufactures logo.