Custom Motorcycle Mirrors

All posts tagged Custom Motorcycle Mirrors

Merlin’s Custom Motorcycle Mirrors

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on September 28, 2015
Posted in: Custom Motorcycle Mirrors, Motorcycle mirrors. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

In the year 2000,
I was approached by a gentleman to make a mirror for his ’87 Softail.
Up to that point I had created jewelry and sculpture,
however I had not yet created anything for a motorcycle before.
The idea was a simple one:
a skeletal hand holding a mirror about 3” tall.
I cast it in Bronze and later chromed.
The Mirror was created in time for the 2001 Bike Show in Richmond Virginia where he took second Place!
He was approached by Biker Magazine where an article about the bike and mirror was featured in the March 2001 issue.

First Mirror

The First mirror:
2 5/8″ glass with a bronze skeletal hand
The bike it was mounted on took second place
in the National competition in Richmond, VA
then featured in Biker Magazine

Since then I have created several mirrors,
each one of a kind sculpture,
usually opposing pieces to mount on the handle bars of their rides.
I have created Eagles, Dragons and skeletal hands holding disks,
ovals and even a pair of coffins with the Grim Reaper embossed on them.

Grim Reaper Mirrors

Grim Reaper Mirrors
Custom, one-of-a-kind set of mirrors
with specially cut class
sculpted by hand and cast in aluminum
then chromed
The design was inspired by the bike’s paint job

I have also chanced my approach to create the sculptures to be cast in aluminum:
they are lighter and may be polished rather than chromed,
depending on the client.
I have also made mirrors for sports cars as well as bikes.

When I begin the design,
I examine as many images of the bike or car as are provided by the client
and work up a variety of designs for them to choose from.
Once a design is agreed upon,
I begin carving the original sculptures in wax.
They are then cast in aluminum, ground, tooled for mounting and polished.
If they are to be chromed, then the added step is taken.

Because of the various steps in design and the amount of detail I usually put into the work,
I have yet not created any “stock” mirrors.
Each is a one of a kind creation designed for the specific vehicle it is made for.
Commissioning a mirror (or other motorcycle accessory) takes time:
each piece is a complete sculpture.
The result: you will have a mirror that is like no other,
designed just for you.
If you wanted one “like” the coffin Mirrors (for example)
the pair you commission will only be similar, not a copy:
I never take molds because of the intense detail is excessively difficult to duplicate.
The result is True Art for you Ride.

When deciding on a pair of mirrors, please have a series of good pictures of your Ride
focusing on the paint, other accessories and the over all lines of the vehicle’s design.
Keep in mind that I carve everything by hand and that takes time.
Chroming often takes an additional six week waiting period,
so please provide yourself at least three months for your mirrors (or other accessory) to be completed.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Other mirrors may be seen at the
Mirror Page
created and developed
by Kirk McLaren
of Amulets by Merlin

Motorcycle Mirrors by Merlin

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on August 12, 2014
Posted in: Custom Motorcycle Mirrors. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

In the year 2000,
I was approached by a gentleman to make a mirror for his ’87 Softail.
Up to that point I had created jewelry and sculpture,
however I had not yet created anything for a motorcycle before.
The idea was a simple one:
a skeletal hand holding a mirror about 3” tall.
I cast it in Bronze and later chromed.
The Mirror was created in time for the 2001 Bike Show in Richmond Virginia where he took second Place!
He was approached by Biker Magazine where an article about the bike and mirror was featured in the March 2001 issue.

First Mirror

The First mirror:
2 5/8″ glass with a bronze skeletal hand
The bike it was mounted on took second place
in the National competition in Richmond, VA
then featured in Biker Magazine

 

Since then I have created several mirrors,
each one of a kind sculptures,
usually opposing pieces to mount on the handle bars of their rides.
I have created Eagles, Dragons and skeletal hands holding disks,
ovals and even a pair of coffins with the Grim Reaper embossed on them.

Grim Reaper Mirrors

Grim Reaper Mirrors
Custom, one-of-a-kind set of mirrors
with specially cut class
sculpted by hand and cast in aluminum
then chromed
The design was inspired by the bike’s paint job

I have also chanced my approach to create the sculptures to be cast in aluminum:
they are lighter and may be polished rather than chromed,
depending on the client.
I have also made mirrors for sports cars as well as bikes.

When I begin the design,
I examine as many images of the bike or car as are provided by the client
and work up a variety of designs for them to choose from.
Once a design is agreed upon,
I begin carving the original sculptures in wax.
They are then cast in aluminum, ground, tooled for mounting and polished.
If they are to be chromed, then the added step is taken.

Because of the various steps in design and the amount of detail I usually put into the work,
I have yet not created any “stock” mirrors.
Each is a one of a kind creation designed for the specific vehicle it is made for.
Commissioning a mirror (or other motorcycle accessory) takes time:
each piece is a complete sculpture.
The result: you will have a mirror that is like no other,
designed just for you.
If you wanted one “like” the coffin Mirrors (for example)
the pair you commission will only be similar, not a copy:
I never take molds because of the intense detail is excessively difficult to duplicate.
The result is True Art for you Ride.

When deciding on a pair of mirrors, please have a series of good pictures of your Ride
focusing on the paint, other accessories and the over all lines of the vehicle’s design.
Keep in mind that I carve everything by hand and that takes time.
Chroming often takes an additional six week waiting period,
so please provide yourself at least three months for your mirrors (or other accessory) to be completed.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Other mirrors may be seen at the
Mirror Page
created and developed
by Kirk McLaren
of Amulets by Merlin

Eagle Mirrors by Merlin

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on January 20, 2010
Posted in: Motorcycle mirrors. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Eagles have been viewed as creatures of freedom,
one of the symbols of our nation.
The bird has been used in flags,
paintings sculpture, paintings jewelry and more.
The Eagle was also very important to one of my clients
who wanted a pair of mirrors for their bike.
These sculptures were designed to mount on the bike as “normal” mirrors do,
with the silhouette of the noble birds cut in glass.

Eagle Mirrors by Merlin

Eagle Mirrors by Merlin

All of the mirrors I create are one of a kind sculptures
with no molds taken.
Each pair is designed for the Biker,
personalized and unique.
In the past I have created several skeletal hands holding the glass for rear viewing,
but each one is sculpted independently with protective wards for the bike and its rider.
Because they are works of art they take time to create,
often as much as ten weeks to carve and cast.

To have such a pair created for you,
I need images of the bike and a solid description of what is desired.
Knowing the over all design of the bike allows me to add parts of the bike’s design into the sculpture,
creating a design link between the ride and the mirrors.
This way they are not just custom, but personalized:
as unique as the Biker him/herself.

I create renderings for review.
Once approved I then create the sculptures one at a time.
They are in turn cast in aluminum and polished.
Often times a biker would want the polished aluminum which gives it both a high polish and a sense of antique:
the inset portions of the design hold a darker patina,
highlighting the polished areas.

Chroming tends to take time,
depending on their back log I have seen it take as long as
an additional eight weeks to do the final finish.

Although this kind of work takes time,
it is well worth it.
A bike with one of the Merlin Mirrors is distinct,
unique and stands out from other bikes like no other accessory.
Perfect for the show bike: the first mirror I created
placed the ride in second place of the grand nationals in Richmond and featured in Biker Magazine.

To begin creating your mirrors,
please visit the how to order page
in the Amulets by Merlin website.

Mirrors by Merlin

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on June 22, 2009
Posted in: Custom Motorcycle Mirrors. Tagged: , , , . 4 Comments

In the year 2000,
I was approached by Jeff Luffman to make a mirror for his ’87 Softail.
Up to that point I had created jewelry and sculpture,
however I had not yet created anything for a motorcycle before.
The idea was a simple one:
a skeletal hand holding a mirror about 3” tall.
I cast it in Bronze and later chromed.
The Mirror was created in time for the 2001 Bike Show in Richmond Virginia where he took second Place!
He was approached by Biker Magazine where an article about the bike and mirror was featured in the March 2001 issue.

First Mirror

The First mirror: 2 5/8″ glass with a bronze skeletal hand
The bike it was mounted on took second place
in the National competition in Richmond, VA
then featured in Biker Magazine

Since then I have created several mirrors,
each one of a kind sculptures,
usually opposing pieces to mount on the handle bars of their rides.
I have created Eagles, Dragons and skeletal hands holding disks,
ovals and even a pair of coffins with the Grim Reaper embossed on them.

Grim Reaper Mirrors

Grim Reaper Mirrors
Custom, one-of-a-kind set of mirrors
with specially cut class
sculpted by hand and cast in aluminum
then chromed
The design was inspired by the bike’s paint job

I have also chanced my approach to create the sculptures to be cast in aluminum:
they are lighter and may be polished rather than chromed,
depending on the client.
I have also made mirrors for sports cars as well as bikes.

When I begin the design,
I examine as many images of the bike or car as are provided by the client
and work up a variety of designs for them to choose from.
Once a design is agreed upon,
I begin carving the original sculptures in wax.
They are then cast in aluminum, ground, tooled for mounting and polished.
If they are to be chromed, then the added step is taken.

Because of the various steps in design and the amount of detail I usually put into the work,
I have yet not created any “stock” mirrors.
Each is a one of a kind creation designed for the specific vehicle it is made for.
Commissioning a mirror (or other Motorcycle accessory) takes time:
each piece is a complete sculpture.
The result: you will have a mirror that is like no other,
designed just for you.
If you wanted one “like” the coffin Mirrors (for example)
the pair you commission will only be similar, not a copy:
I never take molds because of the intense detail is excessively difficult to duplicate.
The result is True Art for you Ride.

When deciding on a pair of mirrors, please have a series of good pictures of your Ride
focusing on the paint, other accessories and the over all lines of the vehicle’s design.
Keep in mind that I carve everything by hand and that takes time.
Chroming often takes an additional six week waiting period,
so please provide yourself at least three months for your mirrors (or other accessory) to be completed.

I look forward to hearing from you!