I am planning to build light reflectors to hang over my aquariums. I plan to bend sheet metal into the proper (sort of) parabolic shape and then glue mirrored mylar to the surface. I don't know what kind of adhesive to use.
The requirements should probably include water resistance, because there is a fair bit of humidity above an aquarium (even with a glass top). Of course, it must adhere to metal and to mylar. I also think that low viscosity is important. The mylar should be as wrinkle free as possible for best light reflection and it seems to me that a low viscosity glue will lend itself to smoothing out the mylar better than something that is thicker.
I'm not sure if a long bonding time is important or not. It seems like a long bonding time would be better so I can smooth things out, but a shorter time would work if I develop a method to apply the mylar in one swoop.
So:
water resistant adheres to metal and mylar low viscosity (maybe) longish bonding time
Alternatively, if someone would care to explain how one makes a reflector out of polished aluminum and where one gets polished aluminum or how one polishes aluminum (I really know nothing about polished aluminum except that it is shiny), then I might go that route instead.
Any helpful or humorous suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Jeff