INFINITY MIRROR PROJECTS

"Infinity Mirrors" are fascinating. Some of them are "one-way mirrors" - it is possible to see through them from one side, but the other has a mirror finish. This is the kind of mirror used in police stations for lineups - but we have a better use for them! There is much that can be done with regular mirrors. Google "infinity mirrors" and you'll find much of interest, but for some basic information, visit this site:INFINITY MIRRORS (http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/look_into_infinity/index.html)

The infinity mirror projects I like to do utilize the one-way mirrors as well as a regular mirror. A project is to build a "box," for example, a 12 inch square box about 3 inches high, made of 1/2 inch wood. Lights are mounted inside the "box" - these can be Christmas tree lights, or, preferably, LED lights, or any other kind of light that will fit —and you can arrange them any way you wish. A regular mirror is placed at the bottom of the box, facing up. One of the infinity mirrors is placed on top, with the mirror side facing down. When one looks into this it is possible to see the lights inside reflected infinitely, appearing to go many feet below the box, which actually is only about three inches deep. The effect is quite amazing. It can be even more spectacular if you use some kind of flashing or blinking lights. It takes time, patience and experimenting to find out how to do this. Below are some samples of "Magic Mirror Boxes" I've made. Keep in mind that you are looking through the one-way mirror on top. Comments are welcome: trebor3636@verizon.net