Installing And Maintaining Mirror Polished Spheres

A tube base welded to the bottom of the sphere and set below ground level is the standard for landscape work. This is how the five ∅2.5 metre globes in Singapore were installed.

Metric and unified threaded holes are tapped for hanging projects and for bolting a sphere to a plate.

Base plates and pedestal tubes are fabricated with the sphere rather than sourced separately, so the fit is right.

Fire pit balls are cut with a ∅50mm (2 inch) rain drain. Any sphere that will hold water needs a drain designed in before fabrication, not drilled afterwards.

Mirror polished stainless is all weather. What spoils the look is not corrosion but fingerprints, water spotting and abrasive cleaning.

Where fingerprints are a problem, specify vacuum metalizing or titanium electroplating, both of which are fingerprint free.

Where water spotting is a problem, as on fountain spheres, a brushed finish carries mineral deposits far better than a mirror one.

Satin and sandblasted finishes resist scratches and catch the light evenly, which is why unpainted globes are supplied that way for permanent outdoor placement.

Specify AISI 316 where the sphere sits near salt water, a pool, or de-icing salt. 304 is appropriate for most inland sites.