Smashing the rival's mirror: the Arena do Vidro hammer

Every competition needs a moment nobody forgets. In Arena do Vidro, it's the hammer. The rule is simple: whoever wins the episode gets a prize, and the prize is smashing the rival's mirror. An hour and a half of work, sandblasting, LED, touch button, and it all turns to shards in two seconds.

It might look like pure show. But any glazier knows what it's like to watch a piece of yours break. That's why this moment hit so many people. In this post I go through each smash of the season and what it has to do with the breakage that really happens in a glass shop.

EP1: "I got attached"

Rômulo won the first episode, 7.5 to 6. When I announced I had a prize for him, Janael got it right away. He said that when I showed up with the hammer, he already knew his mirror was going to get smashed. And he said it with no shame at all: he had grown attached to that piece, he was genuinely sad.

On the other side, Rômulo admitted he was nervous too, since he didn't know yet how the next rounds would go. But he enjoyed it: taking out his rival's mirror and keeping his own. Right there it was clear the competition would be personal to the end.

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EP2: the sold mirror got away

In the second episode, both contestants sold their mirrors on the street. Result: no mirror left to smash. Janael won the episode, and someone pointed out Rômulo was lucky he'd sold his. The answer came fast: "I thought it was going to get smashed."

EP3: the mirror that broke on its own

In the third challenge nobody needed the hammer. Rômulo, who had come closest to the template, watched his mirror crack during break-out. He explained it himself: he didn't break the mirror out first, he made side cuts to get it out, and at that moment the break ran inward. From the sidelines came the line every glazier has felt: "that hurts your heart". The judges called it a tie.

Final: "now it's time for your revenge"

In the final, Janael took the season 29.37 to 27.12. As soon as his name was announced, the line came: it was time for revenge. The same glazier who'd been sad watching his own mirror turn to shards in EP1 now had the hammer in his hand.

Why mirrors break in real life

In the Arena, a hammer smash is a game. In a glass shop, breakage is lost money, and the season showed where it comes from:

• Poor break-out. In EP3 the break ran inward and the mirror cracked. Breaking out before the score has fully opened is the fastest way to shards.
• Tapping with the cutter. The cutter's ball chips the silvering, and that chip costs you later at the edger.
• Edging an inside curve. In EP1 the machine chattered and Rômulo thought the mirror would break; he saved it by lowering the speed and tilt.
• A mirror too tight in its frame. In the final, Rômulo's mirror ended up too snug in the metal frame. Someone watching explained that, as it was, it wouldn't fit and risked cracking. The fix was trimming the mirror by about 2 centimeters.

The attachment Janael felt is the same thing that makes a good glazier careful. If you don't care about a broken piece, you learn nothing from it. If it hurts, you go back and change how you break out, how you edge and how you measure.

Why does the winner smash the rival's mirror?

It's the Arena rule: whoever wins the episode earns the right to smash the rival's mirror. It's the winner's prize and one of the tensest moments of each episode.

How many mirrors were smashed in season 1?

In EP1, Rômulo smashed Janael's. In EP2 both mirrors were sold, so there was no smash. In EP3, Rômulo's mirror cracked on its own at break-out and the challenge was a tie. In the final, champion Janael got his revenge.

What makes a mirror crack in its frame?

Being too tight. In the final, a mirror cut with no clearance wouldn't fit the metal frame and risked cracking. The fix was trimming the mirror down.

EP1, with the first smash, is at the top of this post. If you can handle the pressure of watching the hammer come your way, applications for the next season are open here on the site.

Full episode 1 · Episode 4: the final · How to break out a mirror without chipping · How to cut a mirror into shapes

Episode 1