Instead of mercury,why not try a fibre composite material(epoxy resin,ex1515 graphite)make a disc of composite material, and while uncured,use a convex tool(in which to produce a concave replica)
apply heat/pressure. attach concave replica composite mirror to spindle rotating at proper rpm
apply very thin layer of epoxy(premixed with hardener)to center of rotating composite mirror,slowly working out to edge(this will spiral out to the edge and come together to produce a thin layer of consistent thickness from the center to the edge, this will eliminate print through.
this will not produce a perfect parabola,however using such techniques as active figure control,you may be able to obtain satisfactory image quality.
stevec.

• RE: Spin cast composite mirror - bobmay - March 21, 2000 - 18:13 UTC