Makery

Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me who is the most LED of them all

To infinity and beyond with a LEDs mirror. © Nicolas Barrial

Published 9 January 2018 by

Build this LEDs mirror in five steps and admire yourself endlessly thanks to the tunnel effect. This ultra simple tutorial also works for a futuristic coffee table.

When you present a mirror to another mirror and you find the images repeating themselves endlessly, it feels as if you’ve opened a portal to a new dimension. We will use this optical illusion to make a LEDs mirror that seems to stretch towards infinity.

Two mirrors, one of which is a two-way mirror, a strip of LEDs in the middle and voila! © Nicolas Barrial

Equipment

– A mirror with a deep wooden frame. Ours measured 30x30x5cm. approx. €8.

Depending on the size, you will need to adjust the size of the following elements:

– A piece of glass cut to the size of the mirror, approx. €2;

– 100x75cm adhesive roll of two-way mirror film, €10;

– 1.5m adhesive LED strip, €10, power socket included;

– Glue, a spatula, a cutter, four screws and scotch tape.

Fabrication

Step 1: Turn the piece of glass into a two-way mirror

Humidify the piece of glass with a cloth, place the adhesive roll and smooth out with the spatula. © Nicolas Barrial
Turn the piece of glass over and cut the surplus off with the cutter. © Nicolas Barrial

Step 2: Preparation of the frame

Take off the original mirror from its frame and keep it for later. © Nicolas Barrial

Step 3: Placing the LED strip

Glue the LED strip all around the frame on the inside and leave the power cord outside the frame. © Nicolas Barrial

Step 4: Placing the two-way mirror

Place the two-way mirror under the LED strip (in place of the original mirror). © Nicolas Barrial

Step 5: Placing the original mirror

Place a screw above the LED strip on each side of the frame. Clean the mirror. © Nicolas Barrial
Place the original mirror on the screws and fix with scotch tape. © Nicolas Barrial

Step 6: Switch the lights off

Turn the frame around, switch it on and admire the tunnel effect. © Nicolas Barrial
It also works with the lights on. © Nicolas Barrial

Our LEDs are not very powerful. For more effect, opt for the superior model, even for those—more expensive—where you can vary the colors. If the tunnel effect is curved (which can be a desired effect), it means both mirrors are not perfectly parallel.

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