Baugher Garage Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I'll preface this by saying I've never done BMF before this weekend, so I'm speaking from VERY limited experience. I've admired all the finished builds I've seen where the builder finishes the car off with bare metal foil over the stainless trim moulded into the body and interior. The finished look is amazing and is much cleaner than trying to paint those areas. But being a total cheapskate, I struggle with spending $8-$10 for a 6"x11" sheet of the stuff. I try to keep this hobby as low-budget as I can... Well, at Lowe's yesterday, I saw a roll of 3M metal foil tape and thought, for $7 I'd give it a shot. If it's not the right stuff, I can return it, right? Well, it DOES work great! It's actual metal, very thin, self-adhesive and easy to work with. While I'm sure there are benefits to the official foil produced specifically for our hobby, the 3M tape seems to me to be a viable (and CHEAP) alternative. At $7 for the roll, it should last a lifetime. I just hope the adhesive lasts over time... that's the only potential downside I could think of. Has anyone else tried this? I'd be interested in your experience. Oh, and to get it pressed into the tight areas of detail and smoothed out, I used an artist' paper blending stump available at most art supply stores. Since it's soft, it's less likely to tear the foil when pressing and rubbing it into crevices and details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I'd like to see how well the 3M product has worked for you. I have some I have used for its intended use, and it worked great. But I think this tape will be 1. To thick, 2. Lots of luck removing the part you cut away from the model without damaging the paint. Thank you for the tip on the artist blending tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baugher Garage Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 I'll get some pics up soon. I didn't find it to be too thick at all. I'm using it on a weathered rustbucket, so wasn't overly concerned with the paint. I DID notice one small spot where the trimmed off tape lifted the paint. Good point for using this stuff on a project with a high quality paint finish. Might be too much "sticky" for that application unless the paint is cured and cleared sufficiently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrGlueblob Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I've used the 3M and 'Trailer Repair Tape" for years, mostly as backing for signs cut out of a Safety Sign Catalog.. They scale right close for my projects. I have used it for trim, but prefer BMF if I can get it. BMF is much easier to cut with a new #11 blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randytheroadrunner Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It's all I've ever used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillyb1 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It has its uses, I think, but it is not a replacement for BMF. I've been using a different brand (Intertape Polymer Group) but it doesn't appear to be vastly different from the 3M product you've pictured. The tape has a duller finish than BMF and it won't polish to much of a shine; so, if you want that sort of finish, then this tape is great for that. The tape is significantly thicker than BMF, which can have its applications (like the rear window and windshield wipers on the Riviera pictured below or the rocker panels on lots of cars) but it will look out of scale in a lot of places on a model car. The thickness will also inhibit your trimming of the tape; it is actually kind of hard work to trim this stuff and it will eat into your hobby knife blade budget. This tape also will dent (if that's the term I'm looking for) and will hold that dent; that is, if you accidentally run a burnishing tool across it or otherwise cause an indentation, you won't be able to burnish it out or ameliorate the damage. You have to remove the tape and then reapply it. I haven't found the adhesive to be too strong or to cause damage to paint, but you'd have to be very conscious of that possibility. And speaking of adhesive...it does add to the overall thickness of the tape, which can make the tape appear out of scale depending on the location. A couple of pictures: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooOld Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It doesn't look too bad on that rear window but it's definitely too thick for the windshield frame . And it doesn't have much of a shine to it and I doubt it would conform to irregular shapes like the BMF in the photo below ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baugher Garage Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 Good info guys! Here's how it turned out on the trim of my current project. It's a rust bucket, so keep in mind that I wasn't going for perfection (far from it in the area of body damage shown). I will eventually pick up BMF to try out on more detailed parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q tip Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 that tape is great, i've been useing it for a long time. works great with trucks, even better for building semi trailers that get stainless steel doors,sides ect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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