Aluminium Flashing, good for a reflector???

[gobygoby]

I was at Lowes today and noticed aluminium flashing. This stuff seemed to be pretty replective for the price. Anyone have any thing to say about it? good, bad? I am building a canopy here in a few days and I would like some response.

Thanks
Goby

[Kenzy]

With a little polishing using a metal polish like Mothers or Eagle 1 and some elbow grease it'll really shine. Just don't do it on the kitchen table because it's quite messy but well worth it. I did this about a year ago and made up two reflectors for $10-$15 and they still look great.

[texasreefer]

I've used it myself. All I do is get some 600 grit steel wool and polish it.

[gobygoby]

Anyone else??

Where do I get the mothers or Eagle 1 polish at??

Goby

[lllosingit]

At just about any auto parts store

[moneyclip]

if you really want to go all out and give it a mirror finish, go buy a buffing wheel for your drill and some jewlers rouge. hit it with that for 15 minutes and your have a "true" reflector.

[gobygoby]

i have a buffing wheel. tell me more about this jewlers rouge.

thanks
goby

[moneyclip]

Jewlers rouge is available at most hardware stores. It is sold in blocks for prices ranging from 2-$8.00 and looks like a colored bar of soap. It is the same stuff they use to give all metals that shiny reflective appearence. You spin your buffing wheel and rub it against the block of rouge to apply it to the wheel. Then buff the metal with the wheel. You will get a true mirror finish. The faster your bufing wheel spin, the faster the rouge will cut and the quicker you can dothe job. Just remember to always apply the rouge to the wheel and never directly to the metal.

[Playfair]

There may be some good advice here, but I've known several people try to polish the roof flashing stuff, and none very sucessful in getting a "mirror" finish.

Since about 2/3 of the light from an open lamp only indirectly reaches the waters surface,it would make sense to do watever you can to get that potentially wasted energy into the water. There used to be a push for "dimpled" or diffuse MH reflectors, but that contridicts having bright glittery illumination!

IMHO, you should not cut corners here... Go get your self a nice computer designed MH reflector, or at least the specular aluminum to make your own.

[moneyclip]

aluminum is aluminum, it all polishes the same.

I would probably use sheet aluminum and bend it to a shape that is proven to redirect light where I want it to go though. But hey, if you're on a budget and this is what you have access to, a less than optimal reflector is better than no reflector.

[gobygoby]

Ok thanks everyone for the tips.

Playfair,
I agree that you shouldnt cut corners, but I am really on a budget now. I sunk all my funds, into lighting, aquacontroller, skimmer, calcium reactor.....list goes on and on. This tank is going to be top of the line, but I am about out of money. Most of my lighting is coming from HQI's with mini-pendants. I am using VHO's ( actinic 03 and Actinic white, 50/50's) on a solar 1000 for dimming dusk and dawn affects. basically need the reflector for the VHO's because of the way the setup is going to be. I will need 3 strips of reflector that measure 6' x 12". thats a total 18 feet of reflector. i can get nice reflector from my LFS for about $7 a square foot. but 6 x 18 = $126 for the reflector. thats more then I want to spend. I can make one using Aluminium flashing for about $25.00. I wish i could spend and get the nice reflectors but my fish funds are about exhausted.

goby

[Playfair]

Gobygoby,
Your set up sounds nice! Didn't know you had the pendents... The built in reflectors work great with those. As for the VHO's; you would probably be better off painting the inside of whatever is surrounding them stark white then using the dull grey aluminum.

ps- I'd love to see a pic of roof flashing aluminum polished to a mirror finish by hand or with small power tools that are commonly available!

[therman]

if you have a bench grinder fitted with a buffing wheel, you can make darn near anything shiny with the right polishing compound....brass, stainless, aluminum, etc. But be prepared to get yourself and everything in a few foot radius covered in nasty black crud :)

[gobygoby]

have another question about aluminium flashing. what about rusting and oxidization? should i coat it with anything? or after i polish it, is it ready to go?

goby

[moneyclip]

oxidation is inevitable. To avoid this I would suggest buying yourself some cheap clear coat and spraying it over the polished finish. This will eliminate the problem.

[gobygoby]

thanks moneyclip,
thats what i thought about doing. hey i noticed your in jacksonville, my parents live there and usually when i visit i like to go to Atlantis Aquatics. you ever been? any store better or that you like to go to? I got some really nice ricordia from them a while ago, and brought it back to Indiana with me.

goby

[moneyclip]

it's probably the nicest store around here. I live all the way across town and that's where I go.

[Kenzy]

Originally posted by moneyclip
oxidation is inevitable. To avoid this I would suggest buying yourself some cheap clear coat and spraying it over the polished finish. This will eliminate the problem.


While I don't dissagree, each tank is going to be different. I have very little surface splashing and my reflectors show little or no oxidation in over 1 year in use.

The problem with using a clear coat is that many will not hold up to the temperatures and UV radiation of the metal halides produce and will turn a waxy yellow colour in short time. Once the aluminium has been polished once, it'll only need light touch up polishing to maintain it.

[Krusk]

aluminum is aluminum, it all polishes the same

aluminum is aluminum, yes

it all polishes the same, no

there many different grade of polish coates.

tire is tire, they are made by rubber.

Not necessary, there are many different type of tires for different applications, snow, wet, off-road etc.

[gobygoby]

this reflector is going to be above VHO's not halides. because VHO's may not get as hot woulg the polyurathane still be ok?

goby

[moneyclip]

Polyurethane is good up to around 180 degrees which should be more than adequate for VHO.
For halides I would not recommended it unless there was a bit of space between the bulb and reflector.

In Regards to "there many different grade of polish coates"
Yes, there are different grades and strengths of aluminum if you want to get really technical, But I assure you that I can polish all of them with nothing more than my trusty high speed buffer and some various grades of rouge.

Do try to stay away from anodized aluminum though. The coating that is on it will cost you a lot of extra buffing time. Personally, I would recommend visiting your local hobby shop specializing in radio control cars, boats planes etc.. They will generally sell small pieces of sheet aluminum which are already reasonably polished for the same price as your flashing or less. Might be a better priced and easier to work with alternative for you. They would only require a very light buffing to get the reflectiveness you are looking for and the sheeting is thin so it would have a few benefits:
1. Lightweight
2. Easy to bend
3. Better heat dissipation
4. mostly polished already

I look for some online sources for you.

[Reefer2]

If you're using VHO's then check out www.reflect-a-light.com. They have a great 3 bulb fixture for 4 foot bulbs. It's very inexpensive and comes with the bi-pin connectors.

[barristan]

I bought metal flashing from home depot and put mirror tape on it. It was pretty cheap and in the shape that I needed. I found the mirror tape at a band supply shop.
Here is the link. http://www.bandshoppe.com/html/accents.html

By the way, I am doing the overdriven NO fluorescent thing and am very pleased with the performance. It's been running for a few months now with no problems.