DIY metal reflector

I picked up some 24" T5 HO lights, but they had no reflectors. So I decided to make my own. I went to Lowes and bought 12"X24" 28 gauge sheet metal. I Measured in 5 1/4" inches form the edge and used an old 2X4 and edge of table to bend it to approx. a 30-45 degree angle. I used some spray glue and used some left over mylar. After some trimming all was done. Hope this helps.

Heh, I've been cooking up a very similar plan. I have two reptiglo cfls in a diy fixture. Now it needs a reflector which I planned to make out of galv flashing just like you. I had planned to put some support ribs behind it but looking at yours, the sheet metal seems to hold its shape fine. I like your improvised sheet metal brake . I think I will be lazy and not bother with the foil, just use the shiny side of the galv flashing.

Kudos

PS Be sure to rub down those sharp edges. Freshly cut sheet metal is wicked!

zvuv said:

Kudos

PS Be sure to rub down those sharp edges. Freshly cut sheet metal is wicked!

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ok np there I made sure they were sanded down no sharp edges there! My blood does the plants no good...lol

good job i like it

welldiced said:

good job i like it

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Thanks. Ultimately the cost was still a little less than order with a reflector from the factory, but it did save a few bucks. I paid $21.00 plus $6 for the sheet metal, so $27.00 total. If I ordered with reflector the cost is $32.00. I guess every bit helps.

damn... thats pretty cool

Hydrogrowe said:

damn... thats pretty cool

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Thx...seems to be working ok.

Does rust paint stick to galv. steel? Or maybe the high heat paint they use on headers? Give it a splash of white. I think I read about the reflectivity of mylar crashing when badly crinkled? Or if you want to go hard-core budget, cut the side off a fridge and bend that up.

ROCKER333 said:

Does rust paint stick to galv. steel? Or maybe the high heat paint they use on headers? Give it a splash of white. I think I read about the reflectivity of mylar crashing when badly crinkled?

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I believe if you buffed up the steel with some steel wool and use a primer the paint would work. As far as the mylar goes I have found the exact opposite true...being that crinkled mylar gives more angles for the light to bounce off of.

Right on.
When I hang my mylar I use long pieces of door trim to keep it in place, and the fans keep it waving, absolutely no hotspots. It's been rolled and unrolled a few times still looks almost new.
Is mylar flammable? and the glue, heat might even soften or even melt it. The side of a stove would be even better tin to work with could even, a little flimsy.If you had enough stoves, you could make any size parabolic reflector you wanted. Those are a quick 40$ to buy.

Mylar can delaminate under high heat. A flat white high heat enamel paint should give you good reflectivity.

These things are $20 at my local hydro shop after I had the guy order me one to check them out for an 8 lamp cfl reflector I made.

They are Sun System "Value Wing" and are 95% reflective alum.
Comes with a free mogul socket; but no cord. I have to drill the rivets out to pull mogul off to make my thing.
I think they are 15" long. About 5" tall and a foot or so wide.

They have them marked wrong in the Hydro-World catalog and it looks like you get a box of 8 for 20 bucks.
I prepaid my hydro shop guy and told him I sure hoped for 8 but wasn't holding breath.
So only 1 was shipped first order, and I had him order me more because it's the real stuff they put in the air-cooled hoods.

You can cut this stuff with heavy scissors or light sheet metal snips and rivet it together with aluminum rivets and get all pyscho and stuff.

It would be so cool if Lowes or Home Depot carried this metal in sheets. Grow catalog wants $150 for 4 x 8 sheet cut into 2 foot strips.

great writeup. +rep

zvuv said:

Heh, I've been cooking up a very similar plan. I have two reptiglo cfls in a diy fixture. Now it needs a reflector which I planned to make out of galv flashing just like you.

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You beat me to the same basic idea, but mine would cost a little less. Someone could use regular aluminum flashing, polish it the best they can, give it a spray of a clear lacquer so it doesn't tarnish and remains more reflective.

After having been accused of badmouthing CFLs without having tried them I did something slightly similar. I used a light bar that is 26 1/2 inches long. I had two old 19" bat-wing reflectors so I overlapped them so they were 30 inches long and attached them at the bottom of each side with a tiny sheet metal screw.

But I wanted more reflection and from lower than the bat-wing light hoods would give. I used regular flashing, I used a drill with a buffing wheel and some polish and got what shine I could, and as even as I could, shaped them so when each matching piece was attached to the bat-wing hoods, with the lights lowered as low as they could go on a seedling the added on pieces were outside of the pots and almost to the floor.

I put four 'Y' connecters in the four sockets in the light bar and in them put eight 26W, 6500K CFLs. I was only testing it on four plants so I could space the plants so each plant had on pair of bulbs in a 'Y' shape directly above them.

I didn't veg to a tall height, and I was only trying the CFLs for vegging, and almost until their final vegging height most of the plants had the home made reflector side additions close to them. I figured it would reflect more than my flat white painted walls would that were over a foot away in any direction, given that CFL light rays are so limited in intensity/distance/depth etc, would.

After having done that I thought for someone who is really low on bucks but would want to do something along those lines, or even make their own reflector, if they could get some of the sheet metal from a discarded water heater they could do the same thing for free, plus having the option of picking the white painted side of the sheet metal to use to reflect or polish and lacquer the other side and use it.

Either a makeshift reflector or any home made reflector won't compare to a high quality professionally made one, but if one of those is someone's best or only option so they can grow and do as well as they can lighting-wise, then I guess they do it.