Hi everyone,

I am hoping to get some more feedback on a project that I’m considering: A solid titanium signaling mirror – and not for the sake of having one more piece of equipment made from titanium, but to combine superior optical performance, compactness, durability and reliability in a way that no other mirror even comes close to.

In short:

– flatness and surface smoothness meet quality optics systems specifications => very powerful at drastically reduced size
– 4 mm thick titanium => will never lose optical performance due to warping or bending
– many times the scratch resistance of plastic coated mirrors
– unbreakable
– UV stable
– 100% corrosion free

If there is interest, I might offer these in custom sizes, or even shapes other than rectangular.

The first key is to get the optical quality of the reflecting surface right in the first place, which leads to much less light being scattered and more light reaching the target observer than with current models, and therefore to much more reach – if comparing to other mirrors of identical surface area. The quality required to achieve that is similar to that in space telescopes and professional laser applications, for example, but the results are worth the effort and make a real difference, especially due to the long distances common in mirror signaling, which amplify any optical imperfections. I would be inclined to apply this the other way round and maintain equal performance to the best mirrors that are available today, but significantly reduce the size for small kits and easy EDC.

The second key is to ensure that this optical quality stays that way. The main shortcomings of current mirrors in that area are warping, bending, scratching, breaking and even UV degeneration and corrosion. A small but 4 mm thick titanium mirror will never warp significantly even in picky optical terms, let alone bend permanently, unless you apply brute force with the actual aim of damaging it maybe. It is magnitudes more scratch resistant than any plastic or plastic coated mirror, about as scratch resistant as a stainless mirror. And it will never ever break, be influenced by UV light, or corrode.

If you’re interested or have some feedback for me, I’d like to ask you to answer in this thread in the manufacturer’s section, to have it all in one place:

http://edcforums.com/index.php?topic=32968.new#new.

Looking forward to hear your thoughts!

Cheers,

Matt