Another alternative to bare metal foil

[R. Thorne]

Saw this in last issue of scale auto and decided to give it a try.  Here is my first trials.  Jury is still out, but may work ok on certain applications.  Apologize for picture quality.

[R. Thorne]

Sorry, picture didn’t turn out well, these were supplied by warbirddecals,  part # 007 and 008.  Ron.

[Tom Geiger]

Explain what it is and how you did it?

[R. Thorne]

These are simply chrome decals of varying thicknesses that you cut out and apply like a long thin decal with setting solution.  They don’t like curves, but they overlap similarly to bare metal foil.  Apply decal solution, then decal, then more solution to help move decal into place.  For windshields, it would take 2 long and 2 short pieces that would overlap.  I did learn to cut the decals to the exact length before applying them (much easier than trimming the length after they were applied).  Ron.

[StevenGuthmiller]

They look like they might work okay for long straight pieces of body trim, but how often do you get something that straight.

Otherwise, it seems to me that they would likely be much more hassle than just using foil.

 

Just my observation at this point.

 

 

 

Steve

[R. Thorne]

The overlapping on the windshield is very  similar to foil in that it is difficult to see.  Personally, it was less frustrating for me than foil and the finish is less “wrinkly” and more shiny than foil with no buffing necessary and no removal of adhesive.  Ron.

[Snake45]

Very interesting, thanks for trying it and giving us a report. Much appreciated! 

Looks like it could be VERY useful for some applications, but I doubt it will completely replace BMF, Molotow, or several other established chrome trim techniques. Also looks like a little Molotow touchups in corners and whatnot will really help with these, too. 

[Tom Geiger]

It’s always good to see new products, but nothing comes close to Bare Metal Foil !

[Deuces ll]

These pictures ain't that good..? But years ago I used Kit-Kat foil to do this Dart....

[stitchdup]

you can get rolls of bmf in the nail varnish section on amazon. they come in packs of 20 or more colours and some have a turned gold/silver leaf look to them and being designed for nail varnish they work great with auto acrylics. the last set i got was 30p (50 cents) with free shipping from china. Dont be tempted to get more than one at a time though, the shipping on 2 packs would have been £15!! so I did them all as seperate orders to get the free shipping

[randyc]

16 hours ago, stitchdup said:

you can get rolls of bmf in the nail varnish section on amazon. they come in packs of 20 or more colours and some have a turned gold/silver leaf look to them and being designed for nail varnish they work great with auto acrylics. the last set i got was 30p (50 cents) with free shipping from china. Dont be tempted to get more than one at a time though, the shipping on 2 packs would have been £15!! so I did them all as seperate orders to get the free shipping

What I found in searching was a foil that required a glue base, not self adhesive.   Is there a self adhesive version?  

[Jantrix]

20 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

It’s always good to see new products, but nothing comes close to Bare Metal Foil !

I haven't tried anything else, but I get perfect results from BMF. I wouldn't switch on a bet.

[stitchdup]

3 hours ago, randyc said:

What I found in searching was a foil that required a glue base, not self adhesive.   Is there a self adhesive version?  

yes, the ones i have come on rolls of 30ft each. The first couple of wraps around the roll dont stick too well but once you get about a foot into the roll it works well. I havent managed to get it to go around tight corners too well but for gentle curves it works well and it needs to be burnished down a little more than bmf does. I wouldn't call it an alternative to bmf though, I think it works better for adding detail to a paint job. The same place does fingernail decals that work well for doing seat trim but to do an interior you'd need 4 or 5 packs. I'll see if i can find a link later

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, Jantrix said:

I get perfect results from BMF. I wouldn't switch on a bet.

I concur.

If they stopped making BMF, there's a good chance that I would stop building.

Nothing else compares.

 

 

 

Steve

[Snake45]

6 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

If they stopped making BMF, there's a good chance that I would stop building.

That's exactly how I feel about Silver Sharpies. 

[Bucky]

I have another brand of chrome foil stashed somewhere in the hobby room. I haven't tried it, yet. I'll try to fish it out and post the brand name in this thread.

[peteski]

Detail Master tried to compete with BMF (about 25 years ago) and came out with their own version of adhesive metal foil.  I tried it once and I still have the rest of the sheet stashed somewhere (unused). It was vastly inferior (too stiff) compared to the original chrome BMF.  I'm another BMF (original chrome) addict.

[StevenGuthmiller]

When someone proves to me that there is a "durable" alternative to BMF that is as easy to work with and looks this good, then I'll convert.

In my nearly 50 years of building, there has yet to be anything else that even comes close.

It still baffles me why people continue to search for alternatives for a material that works as well as this tried and true product.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[GeeBee]

5 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

When someone proves to me that there is a "durable" alternative to BMF that is as easy to work with and looks this good, then I'll convert.

In my nearly 50 years of building, there has yet to be anything else that even comes close.

It still baffles me why people continue to search for alternatives for a material that works as well as this tried and true product.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

What he said......

[bbowser]

Another vote for BMF.  It takes some time and a "very" sharp blade but the results are better than anything else I've seen.  Steve's work speaks for itself.