Shattered Batarang Mirror

Making a batarang is something we have wanted to do for a while. We weren't sure what we would do with it though. After some brainstorming, we decided it would be kind of cool if it looked like it had been thrown at something or like it was stuck in something. We came up with mirror idea since it would look like it was shattered and give off the look that it was actually thrown at it. It was a fun process and turned out pretty decent. Hope you enjoy.

Make sure you watch the video, as it shows a bit more of each of the steps.

We picked this mirror up at a local thrift store for $1.50. It was the right size and most importantly the right price.

For this mirror we had to cut off a paper backing, then a cardboard backing, remove some nails and it popped right out.

Because we had planned to break this mirror it was important that we fix it to a solid surface so the glass wouldn't explode everywhere.

We cut a thin piece of plywood down to the same size as the mirror. Then we spread some 5 minute epoxy on the plywood, fixed the mirror in place and added a little weight to it while it dried.

The batarang is made out a scrap piece of 3/4" pine board. You may notice the actual design of this batarang is a little unusual. That is because we decided to tweak it and make it our own design.

A little spray adhesive fixed the pattern to the wood and then we cut it out on the band saw.

We used the belt sander to make the batarang a little thinner and to smooth the surfaces. We also used the belt sander to hone in some of the larger curves.

To get the sharp-looking edges we used a rotary tool with the sanding drum attachments. It took some time, but was quite enjoyable. The goal was to get it to look like a sharp edge that came to a point.

After we had it how we wanted it we smoothed the entire piece with 220 grit paper by hand.

The frame was painted silver and speckled with black.

The batarang received an initial coat of silver, then black, then silver again. It took some trial and error, but eventually we got the look we were going for.

Before we shattered the mirror we had to place it back in the frame. We added some caulk around the edges and then placed the mirror back in the frame. This worked out really well and helped create a nice seal.

To shatter the mirror we just hit it in spot we wanted with a ball peen hammer. It worked out really well and since we glued it to that backer board the explosion of glass was minimal. We did have to glue some of the larger piece back in place, but it wasn't a big deal.

Before we could pour the resin we needed to create an even better seal so the resin wouldn't seep through. We just added a bead of caulk all the way around the inside edge and it worked perfectly.

We used Famowood Glaze Coat (as we usually do) for this project. If you need to know more about Famowood and how to mix it, you can check out our tutorial on that here.

Once we had it mixed, we poured it, spread it around, popped the bubbles with a torch and then waited about 6 hours until it had reached a semi-cured state.

Before attaching it we cut off a small portion of one of the wings. This will allow the batarang to sit flat on the surface of the resin/glass.

We again used the epoxy we had in a previous step to attach it. We held it firmly in place for about five minutes.

Then, once it was dry, we mixed up another batch of resin, poured it, popped the bubbles with a torch and then played the 12 hour waiting game for it to cure.

That's it. Once the final coat of resin has cured it should look just like a mirrored surface and you really shouldn't be able to tell that the resin is even there. The nice thing about this is that you can get the shattered glass look without the danger of shards of glass getting on the floor or anywhere else.

We hope you enjoyed this DIY project and the video that goes along with it. If you have any questions or comments please let us know, we'd be more than happy to help you out. Thanks for checking out this Instructable.