Mirror Coating

Hi Rainbows,

Do you remember the question Si Ting posed in class today? She said that the mirror was a little attracted to the table's metal rod? This is what I found out:

Research from here:

Glass mirrors are most often coated with non-toxic silver or aluminium, implemented by a series of coatings:

1) tin
2) silver
3) chemical activator
4) copper
5) paint

The tin is applied because silver will not bond with the glass. The activator causes the tin/silver to harden. Copper is added for long-term durability. The paint protects the coating on the back of the mirror from scratches and other accidental damage.


The mirrors we had in class had perhaps some magnetic material mixed in it. Therefore, our mirrors were attracted to the metal rods!