If any of you followed my WH2O restoration thread you may have seen this little side project.
I got a hold of some reflective material and tested it out on our CNC at work and "voila!" instant mirror blades!

Okay, so it wasn't that easy, but I made a handfull of my own mirror blades in chrome, black and gold (only Bally Williams sizes for now). I made these for my games, and for a few local collectors, but I have a few left over if anyone is interested.

I'll let the chrome go for $100 and the black or gold for $150. Shipping is extra and since I'm in Canada, it will be a bit more for you guys in the US. I just shipped a set to Florida and it was $40. However, multiple sets can ship for the same price, so the savings are still there.

These are thinner/lighter than the ones currently out there so they have to be handled very carefully, but they also give you a hair more space and are less expensive to produce.
The gold and chrome seem to have the most reflection while the black is more subtle. See pics below.

Right now I only have 4 sets left in black and 3 in gold. I do have 1 set in chrome, but the left blade has a blemish about half-way up. For anyone with a game that has an obstruction on the left side of the playfield (like the return ramp on TAF, catapult wireform on MM or TZ's powerfield) this will likely hide the blemish. I can let that one go for $50 if anyone wants it.

I do not have any Stern at this moment, but I'm taking some measurements off my Tron and might make a small run next month.

Shoot me a PM if you're interested.

MirrorBlades_01.jpg MirrorBlades_03.jpg photo_1.JPG photo_2.JPG photo_3.JPG

I havent made any Stern blades yet, but if people can give me a sense of which color they'd want, that will help me determine how much material to order. I'll make some Stern once these are all gone. Likely sometime in July.

For sure!
If I get one it's gonna have full chrome trim too.

I can do this, but they would not be very reflective... more of an anodized brushed look. Not quite the same, but they would still look hot in games like SM or IM.

Here's a close-up shot of the set with a blemished left side. The part is dusty, but otherwise perfect.
The blemish is a few dimples about halfway up the playfield on the left side. Depending on what game this goes into, it may or may not be an issue.

It's a terrible shot. I tried to use the reflection to show the blemish. In person you can barely tell its there.

photo_1.JPG

Don't worry, you don't sound thick
When I first saw these the whole concept seemed odd.

It's metal... just a thinner gauge than the other ones I've seen. This allows me to cut them in a CNC with a special bit and avoid expensive laser cutting.
The surface of any mirror blade can scratch if you're not careful. I highly recommend picking up some 3/4" adhesive felt strips like the ones sold on pinrestore.com by the roll and applying this to the side edges of your playfield. This is a good practice whether you have mirror blades or not.
You'll also want to be careful of any other structures that are cose to the edge, like a mini playfield for example.
When servicing the game, I like to slide large pieces of paper in between the playfield and the cabinet (tabloid size or larger, like a newspaper) and tape it to the siderails. This will let you swing the PF up and down without having to worry too much about damage. Just keep a few sheets rolled up nearby. It's good insurance and the clean polished look you get is worth it. I especially like the look on certain games like gold blades on IJ, MM, TOM, TOTAN etc... Black is great for Tron, SS, AFM, JM etc... Chrom for just about anything, but I'm partial to TZ and anything with lots of colour like XM.
Hope this helps.

Not a problem for Mauro

Look on the bright side. Us Canadians get hosed on shipping for maybe 95% of our pin-related purchases. At least you guys in the US only have to go outside the country for very few items.
I just quoted a guy $45 to ship to the West coast. Earlier I sent a set to Florida for $40. If you're in the NE it's probably even a bit less.
If you're buying one set of chrome, you're only saving maybe $20 after shipping. However, if you are buying multiples, the savings are worth it. Better yet, if you're buying the black or gold, there is a $100 savings per set on those colors. An extra $20 shipping doesn't sound so bad then.

In any case, I've had two bulk orders and I'm cleaned out for now. No more sets available I'm afraid. I'll reinvest some of the proceeds into some more material and make up some Stern sets and maybe a few more BW. If I can make enough for me and my friends and make a few pinsiders happy, it's all good. But, like most of my little side projects, once they're done, that's it! I'm not getting into the mirror blade business full time.

I'll post an update once more are available.
Thanks!

Not sure? Never tried and I don't know if the cabinets differ.

I've got the Stern all measured up. Just have to order some materials and find some time. It'll be a couple of weeks before I expect to have any parts in hand. The first set is going into my Tron pro as soon as I get the fiber-optic beta wire kit installed

Thanks for the help Swinks!

Thanks Mark. The gold is my favorite.
I can't really afford to quit my day job just yet, but I'll make a few more batches if there is demand... at least until my supply of massive shipping boxes holds up.

Never measured them, but at least half the thickness and way lighter. It makes them more delicate and you have to handle with care, but it also has its benefits. It's probably like 2mm, maybe even 1.5mm?

By the sounds of it, seems like I might be making more Stern than I had planned

Thanks for posting Mark!

Haven't produced Sterns yet.
Sometime this month. Just ordered some more materials.

Sweet! I was considering the black for mine. I'll have to experiment

Just got confirmation of my material order today.
If I don't have any production mishaps or damaged pieces like last time, I should have the following quantities in a week or two:

24 sets of chrome mirror (12 Stern / 12 BW)
16 sets of black mirror (8 Stern / 8 BW)
16 sets of gold mirror (8 Stern / 8 BW)

Fingers crossed.

I would personally go gold as well. Matches the ring and theme.

I know! What a difference a new translite makes.
The green powdercoat seems to fit as well.