Whats the best light reflective paint

[BudgetGrower]

I have been trying to make light reflector for my led bulbs, foil tape working great but with so many creases and it's far from smooth.

I want to paint or spray the reflector, so I have bought some paint but the results are not good vs the foil tape. for example Hammerite metal paint silver, it looks OK but it's far from reflective

So have tried white paint, again not great.

Njl uv reflective aluminium solar roof coat paint but it cost £40

If it works, I will be very happy but if not that's another £40 wasted

Any advice would be great

 

[imgrowing]

i assume your reflector is made from aluminum, if so polish it up to a mirror finish. not hard to do

 

[BudgetGrower]

i assume your reflector is made from aluminum, if so polish it up to a mirror finish. not hard to do

I have taken the light diffuse of the led(bulb) cut off the parts i don't need and put it back on the led covered in foil tape(most budget way of doing it)
A reflector is made from aluminum could cost £10 each.
I have a cutting jig set up, each diffuse takes a few minutes to cut to size.

Just picked up some chrome spray(£4.00 a can), if this works, each reflector would take about 15 minutes to make.
and the bulb, reflector and bulb holder would cost me less than £3 each

 

[Ponky]

Use killex white.

 

[BudgetGrower]

Use killex white.

I was looking at white reflective paint but I need paint that can handle high temps (90c) so if the reflector hits 70c, the paint will not crack or peel over time, most water based paint seems to be ok if the temperature is between 10c and 50c and can turn yellow over time, something to do with uv light(nature of oxidation), you need the right amount to balance the paint(sound weird but theirs lots of youtube videos) you can buy white paint that is less likely to yellow over time.

Oil based, metal white paint can handle very high temps but often turns yellow.
Water based paint is less likely to turn yellow but can't handle high temps, so it would peel and crack.

Chrome paint maybe less effective vs ultra white paint but its very reflective, does not yellow and can handle very high temps.
so overall it seems to be the best choice.

Still looking online for something more effective but seem to be out of luck.

 

[Ponky]

Use the killex. And staple on the mylar. But realistically with LEDs you'll have more than enough light. You could also use the shiny side of the durafoam insulation. It's pretty cheap.

 

[indogrow420]

I like the polishing idea ^^

 

[BudgetGrower]

Use the killex. And staple on the mylar. But realistically with LEDs you'll have more than enough light. You could also use the shiny side of the durafoam insulation. It's pretty cheap.

That's sounds but, I have sprayed one reflector, just basic cheap chrome paint the results are OK.

So I have brought high quality primer and high quality chrome spray and some 220 grade sanding pads, this should improve m results, will start on it tomorrow morning.

 

[imgrowing]

ok, i see where your going now.
i assume that those bulbs have a sort of tower with the LEDs in them.
i,ve seen both that and the ones with the LEDs on a flat plate.
nobody ever went wrong trying to save money, especially in todays world.
as a person who uses 220 grit everyday, give it a lite sand and another coat, then sand some wood or metal with the 220 to grind it down before you sand it again.
if you have the extra cash buy 400 grit or better for a real nice finish

 

[BudgetGrower]

ok, i see where your going now.
i assume that those bulbs have a sort of tower with the LEDs in them.
i,ve seen both that and the ones with the LEDs on a flat plate.
nobody ever went wrong trying to save money, especially in todays world.
as a person who uses 220 grit everyday, give it a lite sand and another coat, then sand some wood or metal with the 220 to grind it down before you sand it again.
if you have the extra cash buy 400 grit or better for a real nice finish

The results with the chrome(can spray, more like a silk finish not a high gloss)didn't work out, only gained 40% vs no reflector(10,000 vs 14,000), so I used a fiber cloth for glass and used foil tape, removing most creases and making sure it's stuck down(cloth didn't damage the foil), I can make the reflectors upto 80% more effective
Most hit somewhere between 16,000 and 18,000 lux at 12", with no reflector is 10,000 lux.
somewhere between 60% and 80% more effective.

I could send them off to be sprayed and I would probably hit 19,000lux but guessing it could cost over £300(would be great to find out) to get 80 reflectors sprayed( real chrome)
guessing it takes a lot of time and the spray need to be ok with temps hitting 90c( safe side), good finish so wipe them down every 6 months.

 

[Madbud]

Reminds me of old, home movie projector screens, embedded with ground glass to reflect more illumination.