Originally Posted by
Peter57
Peter,
mirrors are backed with an anti corrosive coating that is full of lead (about 6%). Make sure you be careful and treat it with caution. The paints are actually cured with heat (about 120C) for a short time.
It's really important to ensure that you replace it with an alkyd (oil based) paint. Don't use water based or any other paint as they can shrink and rip the silver off the glass.
I used to make the paint and chemicals for mirror making - that's how I know about it.
cheers,
Peter