What can be used as a reflector?

Doobie Doober

Doobie Doober

Active Member
Sorry for all the threads, im just trying to gather as much info as possible, and google isnt any help. Los Links lol. Well i know mylar or what ever it is can be used, but what else can be used to reflect the light to get the most out of it?
 
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gobbly

Well-Known Member
I personally like white paint. Reflectors are made of polished aluminum and they are about as reflective as they get... A lot of people use mylar. You have choices, and it's no flat out one is better, look at your situation.
 
Spanishfly

Spanishfly

Well-Known Member
For a cheap and easily available solution, although not the best reflector, aluminium foil is fine. A bit fragile though, better if you glue it or tape it to a firmer surface. (Waits for the Old Wives´Tale to be repeated.)
 
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gobbly

Well-Known Member
aluminum foil is not a very good reflector at all... It may be cheap, but it's only a few dollars to get a few can's of white spray paint, and it will work better. Notice that when you see aluminum used as a reflector it's always polished aluminum, most of the time it's spectral aluminum, meant for reflecting. Aluminum foil is a thin layer of the cheapest stuff they could get on a roll.
 
Caregivin

Caregivin

Well-Known Member
Mylar dude. If you only need a little go to a party supply place and look for the mylar wrapping roll. 3 bucks get you 25 sq ft. Otherwise a hydro shop sells 4foot wide rolls for 30$ And use a gloss white, preferably latex enamel as long as the surface is smooth it will reflect nicely.
 
mlad

mlad

Member
I took two moving boxes, opened them up and stacked them. I taped them together and added two wood pole supports. Then I painted the inside with flat white. It's working out great so far and very cheap :)


DSC_0012 20-02-17-545.jpgDSC_0008.jpg
 
Spanishfly

Spanishfly

Well-Known Member
Iron883Guy said:
Aluminum foil has been said time and time again to be a very poor reflector.
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Yes, BEEN SAID.

Mylar is a good reflector, and it is coated with aluminium. Most astronomical mirrors are the very best reflectors and are coated with aluminium. Aluminium foil actually IS aluminium.

A problem with many contributors here is they only repeat what has BEEN SAID, as you say, repeated TIME AND TIME again, by people who are only repeating what they have read, not their own experience.

I have used aluminium foil for ages as a reflector, mostly with fluorescent tubes, for a whole load of different types of plants. It works a treat and is certainly DEAD cheap and EASILY available. No problems whatever from me and many other seed and house plant growers.

It is just MJ growers who keep repeating this Old Wives´ Tale because some dippy Spanish writer once put it in his stupid book.
 
Spanishfly

Spanishfly

Well-Known Member
superbak3d said:
Your an idiot.
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Please don´t call me names. OK, disagree with what I have to say but please do not hurl abuse.

And your grammar is poor - you meant to say YOU´RE an idiot - being a contraction of you are - the apostrophe representing the missing a.

Your is the second person possessive.
 
B

bobhamm

Active Member
superbak3d said:
Oh noes its the grammar police!

YOU'RE still an idiot. Your posts are filled with terrible advice and misinformation. You don't know a single thing about growing, and should probably stop posting until you've grown something other than a sprout in your 5 dollar alluminum foil setup.

Yes alluminum foil has alluminum in it (thanks captain fucking obvious), but different brands and so on have different percentages of alluminum. You'd need a roll with atleast 60% alluminum in it to reflect effeciently, and those rolls are pretty rare.
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Whre did you get your information that aluminum foil with more than 60% aluminum is rare? every source I've checked says its 90% or more.
 
Nullis

Nullis

Moderator
superbak3d said:
Oh noes its the grammar police!

YOU'RE still an idiot. Your posts are filled with terrible advice and misinformation. You don't know a single thing about growing, and should probably stop posting until you've grown something other than a sprout in your 5 dollar alluminum foil setup.

Yes alluminum foil has alluminum in it (thanks captain fucking obvious), but different brands and so on have different percentages of alluminum. You'd need a roll with atleast 60% alluminum in it to reflect effeciently, and those rolls are pretty rare.
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You should stop posting until you've grown some respect and common sense. You know, it is very easy to verify things using a search engine before you go exposing your ninny self.
Reynolds wrap is far from rare. In fact, I am pretty sure they sell it just about everywhere: from Target/Wal-Mart to grocery stores to the gas station mini-market. It is 92-99% percent aluminum alloy with minute amounts of iron and silicon to make it stronger. One side is typically brighter, the other side is dull due to the way it is manufactured. Reflectivity of the brighter side is 88%.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_foil
 
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