J Orser Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Hello- I am an artist doing an experimental project and I am wondering if any of you have seen a Xenon light break a mirror or if it is even possible? I know that mirrors are used to direct Xenon lights and that the lights get really hot. What I would really like to do is film a Xenon light breaking a mirror, is it possible? Any suggestions on how to do this? Thanks! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Please don't cross post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Dubrovskiy Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 It is possible. I would suggest to talk to one of the major lighting rental houses. When you order xenons + mirrors, you always mention they will be used together. I saw a mirror (not a xenon-proof one - production did not specify that a xenon lamp will be used) pop once from a xenon lamp. Nothing spectacular. Just a crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Orser Posted December 9, 2010 Author Share Posted December 9, 2010 Thanks for the info. Do you know how bright the Xenon was? I was hoping for something more explosive... J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Keith Walters Posted December 10, 2010 Premium Member Share Posted December 10, 2010 Thanks for the info. Do you know how bright the Xenon was? I was hoping for something more explosive... J Glass doesn't usually explode when you heat it up. It may crack, and it will melt if you get it hot enough. You're possibly thinking of the type of safety glass they use for car side windows and shower screens. That's specially made by rapidly chilling the outsides of the plates while they're still soft from the furnace. This sets up carefully balanced strains and stresses in the glass structure, that are released if the surface of the glass is deformed or even deeply scratched, causing it to shatter into small pieces unstead of long jagged shards. I've never heard of mirrors being made of that stuff, but I suppose it's possible. However, you can't just get a larger piece of "stock" glass and cut it to size to make your mirror, since it would shatter as soon as you tried to cut it. Untreated glass has to be cut to size first, and then put into a tempering furnace to turn it into safety glass, However, it's still unlikely to explode in the manner you're probably thinking of. If you're seen an exploding mirror in a movie or Tv commercial, it's more likely they simply used an explosive charge behind an ordinary mirror, or fired a bullet at it. Is there any reason you particularly want to use a Xenon light? An HMI light is likley to be cheaper, and puts out a lot more light (and heat). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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