aluminum foil - may your light carry on

mogie

mogie

Well-Known Member
A little more info on Mylar. This explains about mylar having alumimun in it.

All you need to know about Mylar

Contributed by :Kermitt
Submitted September 16, 2003

Mylar reflects about 94% of the light.
One of the best materials on the market for light proofing.

Mylar is a product that serves many purposes. The insulation industry developed this product to withstand severe temperatures. It acts as a moisture barrier as well as a reflector. The United States Navy uses Mylar aboard all of its Freight ships, Cruisers, and Destroyers.

Mylar comes in several different types:
White

Black

Metalized

Aluminized

Dimpled Metalized is available also.

Threaded Aluminized (reinforced)


What we OGer's are interested in is the obvious, we want to wrap our grow space, large or small, with the best reflective material available. Aluminized or Metalized Mylar.

Mylar is a chemical resistant, polyester film that is mostly tear resistant depending on mil. The reinforced Mylar is almost impossible to tear. It can withstand temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius, Mylar is also electrical resistant and fire retardant.

Unlike foil, mylar lays flat without the crinkles and creases if handled with care. Mylar WILL not create concentrated hot spots.

Material Gauges are as follows. 001", 002", 003", 004", 005", 007", 010", 014".

Most Hydroponic shops only carry 001" and 002" mil. Which is all you need if your using as a grow room reflector. Mylar can be cleaned with Windex, alcohol or any other mild household cleaner. I use an antibacterial hand soap with warm water.
 
entropic

entropic

Well-Known Member
I'm using the wrapping paper mylar too, also the emergency fire blankets work as long as you adhere them to something dark (it's see through normally). You can find mylar wrapping paper at dollar store and dollar general and probably lots of other places.

I'm not saying aluminum foil is the best for reflecting light or growing or anything, but this whole stigma about using it in growing is crap so long as you use it properly.

The different reflectivity values shouldn't be a surprise, different manufacturers of mylar produce sheets with different reflectivity. Sheets with a dull side and a shiny side are two sheets rolled together, and the regular heavy duty foil you'd find at your grocery store is going to be almost the same reflectivity.

Use the mylar wrapping paper but don't believe that aluminum foil only reflects 55% of light.
 
F

fdd2blk

Well-Known Member
i have a light meter, mylar, foil, no white paint though. i could solve this in ten minutes. but then what do i get?
 
F

fdd2blk

Well-Known Member
we all know the answer. yet i would still catch a bunch of bs. maybe i will do i controlled test. make a little stand for the meter and a flat surface to lay different materials. i will take a day or 2 to get it all together but if you keep poking me.........
so we have:
flat foil
crinkled foil
flat white paint
mylar
gift wrap (i'll have to get some)
did i miss any?

oh and about that meter, you cfl guys would hate me.
 
mogie

mogie

Well-Known Member
We bow to your expertise and your light meter. Please let us know what you find out.
 
entropic

entropic

Well-Known Member
That aluminum tape a lot of people use,
heavy duty foil vs regular tin foil
one person I know swears high gloss white is better but from everything I've read it isn't true, I'd like to have it settled though.
Maybe one of those .33 cent 3'x3' white poster boards or foam boards
Cheap ass mylar fire blanket (you'll have to mount it though, normally it's translucent)
Plain white wrapping paper?
Aluminum cans cut in half?

I can't think of anything else right now but this would be an extremely useful test for all growers.

You may want to test reflectivity at different distances to try and gauge the amount of scatter of each material.
 
7xstall

7xstall

Well-Known Member
hey f2b, i have a nice sekonic myself, just used it on a shoot actually. thing is, i don't care! :)

:::
i trust the articles that state aluminum shiny side is 98%, i mean, it's the same material that makes aluminized mylar reflective and mylar get's 90%...so it's common sense that if you take the plastic layer off you get more reflection.

the fact that the grower's article claims white plastic is more reflective than shinny aluminum kind of subtracts from any credibility it might have had otherwise. it's a good article, full of useful info, but there was obviously some sloppy guestimation on the reflection stuff.

:::
there are many articles online which describe the conductivity of aluminized mylar also. it IS conductive so be very careful when you use it, treat it just like any other metal. just because it's got a few microns of plastic over it doesn't mean it will not take an arc; don't fool yourself into thinking it's ok to goof around with it near electricity. common sense again.

:::
hot spots are a wives tale. no reflective material is going to increase the energy of what it is reflecting so even with a physically impossible 100% reflective rate you will only have the same amount of light as what you started with from the source (bulb). i don't care if you believe in them, you can believe that a bunch ships were transported to another world in the Bermuda triangle for all i care but physics are physics. i will state again: visible light photons only travel in a perfectly straight line for a max of 1 cm, google if you want. the various crinkles broadcast light and i consider this an advantage for my little starters, shotgunning light into random places on my leaves that would otherwise be lost.

for big areas or if you just prefer the high-tech look and feel go with mylar, i just want a world where naked aluminum foil is no longer relegated to second class status as a reflector. :)
 
hearmenow

hearmenow

Well-Known Member
mogie said:
Okay checked out both sites. If they are so credible why don't the stats match? Or did you forget to mention that these aren't the type of foils that you find in your average grocery store. That is what most people are using and referring to. And there is still a cheaper alternative with better light reflecting capabilities.
Contributed by: Stickydank

I've discovered the cheapest Mylar around-- only 2 bucks$! You save 18 bucks$ a roll! It?s a Christmas present wrapping Mylar called Polywrap



- Waterproof
- 50 square ft. a roll
- 1 mil (@ .001 inch) thick X 3 1/2 ft. wide X 20ft long.

Note: Only buy the very Bright and shiny Mylar-type wrapping!
Click to expand...
Mog, that's exactly what I am using with good results.
 
7xstall

7xstall

Well-Known Member
OMG! i got my first demerit, or write up, or whatever that is!!


somebody,,,,wonder who....gave me a - rep for this info! "don't pass false info around" said the malicious little comment, which bore no name. seems that i have offended the bearer of the anti-aluminum foil propaganda torch. i have driven a stake into the core of this destroyer of sound reason!

no name was signed so i am left to my imaginings as to who would inflict such a toll on my pristine reputation... who would so cruelly send my hopes of getting some of the RED squares that rollitup has on MY profile!!!! treachery, absolute treachery of the most depraved sort.




lol


still i say give aluminum foil liberty or give me death!


some facts, again:

Aluminium - Attributes and Properties of Aluminium Foil
 
F

fdd2blk

Well-Known Member
7xstall said:
another brave man has been swept aside by the forces of anti-aluminum foil!!!!! damn them!
Click to expand...

you can lead a horse to water..........

i get bored easy. i still have the meter. you never know.

hey, i got a question. what are movie screens made out of? food for thought.
 
FilthyFletch

FilthyFletch

Mr I Can Do That For Half
Aluminum foil is bad...ummm k..Foil is baddddd..mmmkkkkayyy..Direct quote from Mr Mackie from south park
 
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