I would love everyones opinion on original mirrors on Victorian furniture. How important is it to have the original mirror glass? Obviously if the glass is beveled you wouldn't want to replace it, but is it acceptable to replace a mirror whose silver has gotten so bad as to take away from the attractiveness of the piece?
My situation is i have an armoire that I keep my stereo equipment in, see pic:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/zekenstein/IMG_1540.jpg
The door is powerful heavy, the armoire is over 9 feet tall and the mirror is very thick and heavy. The mirror is in good condition, besides some scratches, but the door rubs and I worry that constantly opening and closing the door will compromise the integrity of the piece, it is about 120 or so years old. It creaks a bit when I open the door and I use it a lot. The mirror is about 3/8 - 1/2 inch thick! The armoire seems to even lean forward the slightest bit when the door is open or is that my imagination?
My question is, should i replace the mirror with a new one that is light in weight for practicalities sake?
I hate to, the old glass is lovely but the door would open easier. Any opinions would be most welcome.
Zeke
Original Mirrors
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Victorian Furniture thread on victorianforum.com · started January 2, 2009 by zeke · 3 posts · discussion in 2009.
I would love everyones opinion on original mirrors on Victorian furniture. How important is it to have the original mirror glass? Obviously if the glass is beveled you wouldn't want to replace it, but is it acceptable to replace a mirror whose silver has gotten so bad as to…
Nice Armoire zeke. Is the mirror beveled? Hard to tell from the picture. Beveled mirrors/ glass are a nice touch and add value. (Note: A trick to save an old beveled mirror that the silver is in bad shape without the cost of re silvering it is to remove the silver off the back using muriatic acid it will come off quickly & easily (available @ any hardware store - use a mask & gloves). You will then have a clear piece of beveled glass, put a new mirror behind it - you won't be able to tell it's 2 pcs. and will retain the beveled glass appearance) If it's not beveled, and it is a big concern - I'd remove and save it for when you sell it or pass it on down the road (somewhere safe - sandwiched between plywood, cardboard, or blanket wrapped under a bed maybe?) and replace it w/ a piece of 1/8" mirror (could get it tempered if you're concerned about breakage) and back it up with a piece of 1/4" material (plywood - hardwood ply to match your Armoire would be my first choice or a tempered Masonite would work - could be stained to match walnut closely). If you really want to cut down on the weight - they make a plexiglass mirror, it looks like glass mirror - but is about 1/2 the weight.
Are the joints in the door loose/ coming unglued? You can tell by lifting on the door edge away from the hinges and seeing if there is movement at the joints - if so - have the joints re glued - make sure the door shape is corrected to take the sag out/ fit the cabinet properly before gluing. (can even edge bore the doors and glue in dowels - I've epoxied in steel threaded or smooth rod to reinforce sagging/ heavy doors - then plug the holes with matching wood plugs finished to match.) If the joints seem fine and not needing gluing, can trim the bottom of the door where it rubs, or possibly put one or more stiff cardboard shim(s) (like the kind off the backs of writing tablets) behind the bottom hinge to lift up the corner that rubs if you have a little side clearance. Could also try lifting on the door slightly when opening to compensate for the rubbing. woodwright
Are the joints in the door loose/ coming unglued? You can tell by lifting on the door edge away from the hinges and seeing if there is movement at the joints - if so - have the joints re glued - make sure the door shape is corrected to take the sag out/ fit the cabinet properly before gluing. (can even edge bore the doors and glue in dowels - I've epoxied in steel threaded or smooth rod to reinforce sagging/ heavy doors - then plug the holes with matching wood plugs finished to match.) If the joints seem fine and not needing gluing, can trim the bottom of the door where it rubs, or possibly put one or more stiff cardboard shim(s) (like the kind off the backs of writing tablets) behind the bottom hinge to lift up the corner that rubs if you have a little side clearance. Could also try lifting on the door slightly when opening to compensate for the rubbing. woodwright
Woodwright!
Thank you so much for replying, I very much respect your opinions and advice. The mirror on the armoire is not beveled so changing it would not alter the look drastically. In the back of the mirror inside the door is a large wood panel held on with about 20 screws. I am sure if I remove the panel and put a thinner mirror in the door I could use some kind of spacer material to fill in the gap.
Honestly, the armoire seems pretty solid and sturdy. The hinges are not loose, indeed, the hinges are these heavy duty eastlake brass ones that have 8 screws on each side so 32 screws hold the door to the armoire and all are tight.
I’m just paranoid I guess or perhaps just overly cautious. I like to leave the door open when I play records, tapes or CDs and a lighter door would just make me feel safer. I could blanket wrap the old mirror and put it in my garage. I so appreciate your response on this.
Zeke
Thank you so much for replying, I very much respect your opinions and advice. The mirror on the armoire is not beveled so changing it would not alter the look drastically. In the back of the mirror inside the door is a large wood panel held on with about 20 screws. I am sure if I remove the panel and put a thinner mirror in the door I could use some kind of spacer material to fill in the gap.
Honestly, the armoire seems pretty solid and sturdy. The hinges are not loose, indeed, the hinges are these heavy duty eastlake brass ones that have 8 screws on each side so 32 screws hold the door to the armoire and all are tight.
I’m just paranoid I guess or perhaps just overly cautious. I like to leave the door open when I play records, tapes or CDs and a lighter door would just make me feel safer. I could blanket wrap the old mirror and put it in my garage. I so appreciate your response on this.
Zeke