How to make a Magic Mirror
Chinese Magic Mirrors originated in China (surprise, surprise) around 800 AD. These mirrors hold hidden images that are invisible to the naked eye, and can only be viewed as a reflection when a bright light is shown into the mirror. After baffling western scientists for centuries, the process and physics that allowed these devices to work were finally re-learned and understood.
These artifacts started as convex pieces of metal, polished to a mirrored shine. These mirrors were then etched with a design, and had a mercury amalgam poured over top to cover the etchings with a thin, mirrored coating.
You can find authentic Chinese Magic Mirrors online, but knowing how they work allows us to make our own version, with our own hidden messages.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN MAGIC MIRROR:
MATERIALS:
Handheld mirror that you’re okay destroying
Etching cream (or laser etcher, if you’ve got access to that)
STEPS:
Before you begin, figure out your message! Remember, when reflected, the message will appear flipped to the viewer. I wanted my message flipped (looks extra spooky that way), so I wrote my message normally.
Take your mirror, and etch your message into it using your glass etching method of choice. If using a laser etcher, start on low power settings. You don’t want deep etches if you can avoid it.
Clean the mirror thoroughly, and rub some cloth over your message, hard. You want your mirror to have small scratches in it, but you don’t want excess material creating ridges on the edges of your scratches. Take the time to smooth things out, your effort will be rewarded.
Wipe a few drops of water across your mirror, enough to make the entire surface wet.
Cut a slightly bigger piece of film than your mirror requires, and remove the plastic backing.
Stick your reflective film onto your mirror. Use a credit card as a squeegee to work out all of the bubbles that you can. Wipe up any excess water that is expelled as you go.
Take your magic mirror into a dark room, and shine a flashlight onto it! See if you can read your message in the reflection. Congrats, you have a hidden message inside a mirror!
TROUBLESHOOTING:
If your message is visible through the film, you need to do more to smooth out those ridges. If you’ve done that and your message is still visible, add a 2nd layer of film. Be warned, extra layers of film will add distortions and imperfections.
If your reflected message isn’t visible, you need to do more to scratch your mirror.
If you’re still having issues, shoot me a message in the comments! You can find me on the Constructed Adventures Subreddit and Discord.
Happy adventure building!