Has anyone else had this experience? Any ideas what might cause it? Excessive heat?
DT
Full Version: Pro Reflector Tarnish
Has anyone had the reflective film on the inside of their pro reflectors rub off? I just pulled my pro reflector from my projector (with nearly a year of use) and noticed spot tarnishing on the concave side. I grabbed a soft cotton cloth and started rubbing with water, but the finish came right off, and I was left with a pretty clear glass
Has anyone else had this experience? Any ideas what might cause it? Excessive heat?
DT
Has anyone else had this experience? Any ideas what might cause it? Excessive heat?
DT
Seems to happen with some. I think it's maybe a QC issue. Anyway, it's best to never touch that surface in any case. It is a cheap replacement part but that's not always consolation for everyone. Excessive heat prolly exacerbates the problem but it IS right next to a lamp so . . .
QUOTE (Durachko @ Oct 26 2007, 02:28 PM) 
Seems to happen with some. I think it's maybe a QC issue. Anyway, it's best to never touch that surface in any case. It is a cheap replacement part but that's not always consolation for everyone. Excessive heat prolly exacerbates the problem but it IS right next to a lamp so . . .
Would the radius mirrors from anchor optics be less susceptible to such problems?
The radius mirrors would be great... But they're (I think) regular glass, and won't stand up to the heat. The LL Pro reflectors are pyrex, so that they can take the heat.
The reflective coating is extremely delicate, and will come off if you clean it. This has happened a number of times. I always recommend that you simply don't touch the reflectors. They're reasonably cheap, probably the best bet is to consider replacing them if/when you replace the lamp.
The reflective coating is extremely delicate, and will come off if you clean it. This has happened a number of times. I always recommend that you simply don't touch the reflectors. They're reasonably cheap, probably the best bet is to consider replacing them if/when you replace the lamp.
QUOTE (SupraGuy @ Oct 26 2007, 04:49 PM)
The radius mirrors would be great... But they're (I think) regular glass, and won't stand up to the heat. The LL Pro reflectors are pyrex, so that they can take the heat.
The reflective coating is extremely delicate, and will come off if you clean it. This has happened a number of times. I always recommend that you simply don't touch the reflectors. They're reasonably cheap, probably the best bet is to consider replacing them if/when you replace the lamp.
The reflective coating is extremely delicate, and will come off if you clean it. This has happened a number of times. I always recommend that you simply don't touch the reflectors. They're reasonably cheap, probably the best bet is to consider replacing them if/when you replace the lamp.
I don't mean to hijack this topic, but it seems relevant enough. Is the heat from the lower wattage bulbs like th 150W's enough to crack the radius mirrors? Does anyone have experience with that?
QUOTE (psynautic @ Oct 26 2007, 04:52 PM)
I don't mean to hijack this topic, but it seems relevant enough. Is the heat from the lower wattage bulbs like th 150W's enough to crack the radius mirrors? Does anyone have experience with that?
The radius mirror I bought from Anchor was metal (not sure if it was aluminum or sterling silver). Stock # V42842. Unless their stock has changed, the problem with those was that A. they didn't come in very large sizes (at least not those will pertinent focal lengths) and B. they are not dichroic, and so they reflect IR back at the lamp.
With that said, I used one just fine for a while with a 150w lamp. I ended up going with the LL Pro because it was larger and because it let the IR pass through.
QUOTE (sensibull @ Oct 26 2007, 05:04 PM)
The radius mirror I bought from Anchor was metal (not sure if it was aluminum or sterling silver). Stock # V42842. Unless their stock has changed, the problem with those was that A. they didn't come in very large sizes (at least not those will pertinent focal lengths) and B. they are not dichroic, and so they reflect IR back at the lamp.
With that said, I used one just fine for a while with a 150w lamp. I ended up going with the LL Pro because it was larger and because it let the IR pass through.
With that said, I used one just fine for a while with a 150w lamp. I ended up going with the LL Pro because it was larger and because it let the IR pass through.
Yea they have that one metal one, but they have a big assortment of metal coated glass ones:
QUOTE
Radius Mirrors have curved spherical surfaces that have a metallic coating. If concave, the mirror has a positive focal length and will focus light. If convex, the mirror has a negative focal length and will disperse light.
AX27213 56 dia 18 fl
AX43384 55 dia 35 fl
When you switched to the LL reflector was there a noticeable change? The IR reflection is a pretty big deal, and being that the prices are pretty similar I might as well go for the LL. I'm just worried about the claims that they are tarnishing and yellowing, since there is no way to clean them.
QUOTE (psynautic @ Oct 26 2007, 05:27 PM)
When you switched to the LL reflector was there a noticeable change? The IR reflection is a pretty big deal, and being that the prices are pretty similar I might as well go for the LL. I'm just worried about the claims that they are tarnishing and yellowing, since there is no way to clean them.
Yes, I seem to remember a noticeable boost in brightness. Seems to me the vast majority of those complaining of tarnished reflectors are using 400w lamps. The 150w lamp you're talking about using is WAY cooler and should, at least in theory, tarnish the reflector over a much longer timeframe.
QUOTE (sensibull @ Oct 26 2007, 06:30 PM)
Yes, I seem to remember a noticeable boost in brightness. Seems to me the vast majority of those complaining of tarnished reflectors are using 400w lamps. The 150w lamp you're talking about using is WAY cooler and should, at least in theory, tarnish the reflector over a much longer timeframe.
Thanks for the help!
QUOTE (SupraGuy @ Oct 26 2007, 01:49 PM)
The radius mirrors would be great... But they're (I think) regular glass, and won't stand up to the heat. The LL Pro reflectors are pyrex, so that they can take the heat.
The reflective coating is extremely delicate, and will come off if you clean it. This has happened a number of times. I always recommend that you simply don't touch the reflectors. They're reasonably cheap, probably the best bet is to consider replacing them if/when you replace the lamp.
The reflective coating is extremely delicate, and will come off if you clean it. This has happened a number of times. I always recommend that you simply don't touch the reflectors. They're reasonably cheap, probably the best bet is to consider replacing them if/when you replace the lamp.
Thanks all for the responses. Sound advice SupraGuy. I'll be more careful going forward, and I'm planning on filtering my air intake on the next build. After a solid year of use, I was amazed to find so much dust accumulating on my fresnels and reflector in particular.
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