How a Mirror Polish on Stainless Steel Sculpture Is Actually Achieved
A flawless mirror finish is decided during welding and grinding, long before anyone reaches for a polishing mop.
VFX Ball
VFX Ball Mirror Ball 18% Gray Ball
VFX Ball Mirror Ball 18% Gray Ball is a mirror polished sphere built to order in our Shenzhen workshop.
Product Overview
What This Piece Is
VFX Ball Mirror Ball 18% Gray Ball is a mirror polished sphere built to order in our Shenzhen workshop.
A sphere reads the same from every approach, which makes it the safe choice for a roundabout, a lawn or an atrium where there is no fixed viewpoint.
Every piece is fabricated for the position it is going into rather than picked from a fixed range.
Send the position, the height you have in mind and any drawing you already have, and a quotation follows.
VFX Ball Mirror Ball 18% Gray Ball produced by Xinhengda Sculpture in Shenzhen
Key Benefits
Why Buyers Specify This Piece
- The mirror polished surface picks up sky, planting and passing people, so the piece changes through the day instead of reading as one fixed object.
- A sphere reads the same from every approach, which makes it the safe choice for a roundabout, a lawn or an atrium where there is no fixed viewpoint.
- Anything about this sphere that has to change for the position it is going into is settled on the drawing, where changes still cost nothing.
- Fixing points and the anchor pattern for this sphere are drawn before fabrication, so site work is bolt down rather than improvisation.
Application Scenarios
Where It Is Installed
Placed wherever the drawing puts it, with the base and fixing detail set to suit that position for this sphere.
Who It Is For
The People Who Order This
- Property developers placing a metal sphere in public spaces to anchor an arrival point
- Hotel and hospitality groups adding a sphere to the position it is going into without closing the space for a refurbishment
- Public art planners and municipal teams siting a sphere in public spaces where it will take public contact
- Galleries and trade buyers reselling metal spheres into their own local projects
Problems It Solves
What This Piece Removes From the Project
- A poorly polished mirror surface shows the weld lines and a wavy reflection. Grinding the seams flat before polishing is what removes both.
- A sphere specified late has to fit dimensions that are already fixed. Working from your drawing means the piece adapts instead of the scheme.
- Suppliers who subcontract the finishing cannot answer for the surface. The metal here is cut, welded and mirror polished under one roof.
- Getting a sphere into the position it is going into is usually harder than the design assumed. Access is checked before the piece is built, not on delivery day.
Technical Features
How It Is Constructed
- Seamless sphere construction with the panel joints dressed out so the curve reads continuous
- Mirror polished by hand through successive grits until the reflection is undistorted across the whole surface
- Base plate and anchor pattern for the sphere issued as a drawing before the foundation is poured
- Weld seams placed on the lines of the sphere so they read as edges rather than repairs
Specifications
Recorded Specification
| Finish | Mirror polished |
|---|---|
| Form | Sphere |
| Category | VFX Ball |
| Size | Quoted per project |
| Minimum Order | Quoted per project |
| Placement | Quoted per project |
| Packing | Foam lined plywood crate built to the finished geometry |
| Origin | Shenzhen China |
Dimensions, weight and lead time for this sphere are confirmed with the quotation, because it is built to your drawing rather than to a vfx ball catalogue size.
Materials
What It Is Made From
- Stainless or galvanised fixings sized for this sphere and supplied with it
Manufacturing Process
How It Is Made
1
Drawing approval
2
Cutting
3
Forming
4
Assembly
5
Finishing
6
Packing
Customisation Options
What Can Be Changed
- Finish changed between mirror, brushed and coloured coating on the same sphere
- Base detail changed between a flush plate, a plinth and a direct planting bed fixing
- The sphere split into transportable sections where access to the position it is going into is restricted
Comparison
How It Compares With the Alternatives
Compared with A cast or moulded reproduction
A reproduction repeats a fixed size. This sphere is built to your dimensions, which is the whole reason to commission one.
Compared with Buying through a trading company
A trader passes drawings along and adds a margin. Here the sphere is drawn and built by the same people you are talking to.
Use Guide
Looking After It Once It Is Installed
- Fingerprints show on a mirror surface. A neutral detergent wash and a dry microfibre cloth is all it takes.
Related Reading
Guides That Apply To This Piece
Process Guide
Comparison Guide
Stainless Steel or Fiberglass Resin for a Large Figure
Two completely different routes to a large sculpture, each with a form language it suits and one it fights.
Process Guide
How a Custom Sculpture Is Made From Brief to Crate
Every stage of a commission, what can still change at each point, and what is locked once it passes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the mirror finish show the welds
Not if the seams are ground level before polishing starts. Every weld on a mirror piece is dressed flat first, which is why the reflection stays undistorted across the joint.
How is a sphere this size packed and shipped
A plywood crate is built around the finished geometry with foam on every mirror polished face. Large spheres are split into sections at joints chosen during design, trial assembled in the workshop, then marked so they go back together in the same order on site.
What do you need from me to quote
The position, the height or overall size you want, and any drawing, render or reference photograph you already have. For the position it is going into a photograph of the space is often enough to start.
What is the lead time
Lead time depends on the size of the sphere, the mirror polish and how much design work it needs, so it is confirmed with the quotation rather than promised in advance. Send the brief and the schedule comes back with the price.
Quote This Piece for Your Project
Send the position, the height you want and any drawing you have. The quotation comes back against your figures, not against a catalogue size.