Janael vs. Rômulo: the Hello Kitty mirror in 1h30

The challenge

Reproduce a mirror with LED, sandblasted band and touch switch in 1 hour and 30 minutes. The mirror came cut on the Router Glass; the vinyl had to be cut by hand.

The first challenge of Arena do Vidro put both glaziers at the bench with the same model: a Hello Kitty-shaped mirror with a frosted band, LED and touch switch. Janael broke out the glass first and moved on to edging; Rômulo, not used to the CNC machine, was calmer and steadier. The hand-cut vinyl was where both struggled most. In the end the judges gave Rômulo 7.5 and Janael 6, and the episode winner earned the right to smash his rival's mirror.

Moments

• Janael wets the vinyl; Rômulo prefers to apply it in strips, as he does in his own shop.
• Rômulo improvises a template on the spot for the curved cut of the bow.
• First time for both on the Jateck sandblaster: "back home it's coveralls, mask and dust everywhere".
• Rômulo almost breaks the mirror while edging; Vinícius's tip (lower the speed and the angle) saves the piece.
• Vinícius opens the judging with the question that stung: "Would you buy what you made?".

Lessons from the bench

• Tapping the mirror with the cutter head chips the silvering and makes break-out harder: tap from underneath instead.
• Any adhesive or sealant needs a clean surface: with sandblasting dust around, adhesion drops no matter the rated load.
• Edging an inside curve on a shaped mirror takes real skill: it either breaks or won't finish cleanly.