Bare metal foil body

[jaxenro]

I am sure this has been done but has anyone used BMF to cover the entire body to look like unpainted aluminum? If so any tips? I was looking for one here but no luck so far finding it

Edited September 29, 2020 by jaxenro

[Bugatti Fan]

Don't bother with BMF.  After priming spray the entire body with a craft chrome aerosol spray and leave it to dry thoroughly. This will be a hell of a lot easier than trying to get BMF to go around any compound curves. When dry buff it up gently with C1 Polishing Powder until the desired finish is obtained.

Have a look in 'Can I see some scratch built things' in the WIP Model cars column and have a look at the pictures of my Napier Railton that was finished by this method, If this is the sort of finish you are looking for it worked OK for me. Hope this helps.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Bugatti Fan

[Fat Brian]

It can be done, some aircraft guys do it for bare aluminum finishes. The biggest issue will likely be going over curves and corners. It might help to look at a bare car and see where panel lines are, particularly in the roof to C pillar area since that transition is pretty radical. You might end up having to cut along sharp edges like the top of the fenders and try to work two pieces together. 

[Bugatti Fan]

The aircraft guys have panel lines to work to generally so BMF is probably a good option for them.

But a car body with seamless compound curves over swathes of bodywork could prove very difficult to achieve with foil.

[cdgamble]

I use Alclad II Laquer, It is already thinned for airbrushes,  and dries very quick. And there are a variety of metal colours, 

[jaxenro]

Makes sense I was thinking of aircraft but they have panel lines. Am doing a 289 cobra

[gman]

3 hours ago, jaxenro said:

Makes sense I was thinking of aircraft but they have panel lines. Am doing a 289 cobra

There are a few schools of thought on a bare aluminum Cobra body-

1) finish with your favourite chrome paint

2) finish with your favourite aluminum paint

3) send the body out to be plated

Options 1& 2 can be brushed with fine sandpaper to represent a brushed metal finish, hit with a semi-gloss clear appropriate to the base coat metal finish to simulate a polished but oxidizing finish. Option 3 would best represent a highly polished bare aluminum finish. I wouldn't go the Bare Metal Foil route for the whole body, as the wrinkles and joints would be an issue affecting realism. Vacuum metalizing isn't actually chrome, but vacuum deposited aluminum.

Edited September 29, 2020 by gman

[stitchdup]

I can second the c1 powder, it gives a different finish depending on the base colour used so if you use it you may have to experiment to get the metal colour you want but its good stuff and not toxic like the other one (cant remember its name but i think it sounded japanese)

[SCRWDRVR]

I'm just spit balling here but could you paint it with a chrome paint then top coat it with some Dullcote?

[Theo]

Here is another option of a polishing powder.  I have had good luck with this but not used it on an entire body, mostly things like valve covers.  The final appearance is very dependent on the base coat color.  Works best over darker colors.  I have used over black, dark blue, and burgundy all successfully with distinct appearance for each.  It did not look good over white or yellow. The sheen also comes from the base coat.  I have not used over a flat, but there is definitely a different final sheen over semi-gloss than high gloss.

https://www.uschivdr.com/products-in-detail/polishing-powders-metallic-pigments/

[jaxenro]

34 minutes ago, gman said:

There are a few schools of thought on a bare aluminum Cobra body-

 

Isn’t that a thing of beauty. The bare aluminum finish really highlights the clean lines of the early 289 cobras

 

so if I am relying on rattle cans what’s the best aluminum paint?

Edited September 29, 2020 by jaxenro

[peteski]

As a bit of history, BMF was originally made for aircraft modelers for modeling bare-metal airplanes.  Only later automotive modelers started using it for simulating chrome trim.

 

Here is a quote from https://www.bare-metal.com/bare-metal-foil-company.html

Bare-Metal Foil was invented in 1970 by Eldred Mason because of his desire to have a more natural finish on his model aircraft. Since that time the Bare-Metal Foil Co. has been providing both amateur and expert hobbyists with outstanding hobby products. Bare-Metal Foil is the original detailing foil used to duplicate the chrome on model cars and natural metal on model aircraft. Bare-Metal is so thin that a modeler can cover rocker panels, keyholes, door handles, and nameplates on model cars and 100% of the detail will still show right through. On model aircraft Bare-Metal Foil can be used to cover the entire model, revealing every rivet and panel line. No other product can produce a more realistic appearance.

As far as using it to replicate aluminum car body, I think I would use aluminum paint instead, for the reasons others already mentioned.  Another reason is that the Chrome foil is actually no aluminum, but some sort of metal alloy that has a warm hue, while the real aluminum has a cool bluish look it it.   Nowadays we have a wide range of metallic aluminum paints which have a smooth homogeneous surface that looks like solid metal (no sparkly metallic particles). Alclad II paints are good example of that.

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by peteski

[gman]

6 hours ago, jaxenro said:

Isn’t that a thing of beauty. The bare aluminum finish really highlights the clean lines of the early 289 cobras

 

so if I am relying on rattle cans what’s the best aluminum paint?

If you could stretch to include airbrush options, Alclad II has several different aluminum finishes. I would go with their polished aluminum, and either give it a brushed finish or seal it.

[CabDriver]

Photobunket ruined the photos but this is a good one...

 

[CabDriver]

8 hours ago, jaxenro said:

so if I am relying on rattle cans what’s the best aluminum paint?

Edited 8 hours ago by jaxenro

I like this stuff:

Does a very acceptable polished aluminum kind of shade to my eyes - bright and chrome-y looking with no flake-y look to it:

 

[Snake45]

8 hours ago, CabDriver said:

I like this stuff:

Does a very acceptable polished aluminum kind of shade to my eyes - bright and chrome-y looking with no flake-y look to it:

Very interesting! That's one of the few "silver" paints I haven't tried. I'll pick up a can at Walmart tomorrow! Thanks! 

[stitchdup]

Humbrol do a couple of aluminum shades in their metalcote range, the matt finish is pretty close to what the pics shows

[gman]

4 hours ago, stitchdup said:

Humbrol do a couple of aluminum shades in their metalcote range, the matt finish is pretty close to what the pics shows

Don't know what the availability looks like in the US. I got the Metalcote in Canada many years ago- I painted up a fender in steel, then worked it with sandpaper. It did a pretty good job of representing sanding and grinding marks on a bare steel fender. It has been a lot of years since I saw that Metalcote on local hobby shop shelves.

[stitchdup]

4 minutes ago, gman said:

Don't know what the availability looks like in the US. I got the Metalcote in Canada many years ago- I painted up a fender in steel, then worked it with sandpaper. It did a pretty good job of representing sanding and grinding marks on a bare steel fender. It has been a lot of years since I saw that Metalcote on local hobby shop shelves.

if you cant find it I can easily get some to send to you, it does seem to be pretty hard to find them even in the uk though, but my local record shop is happy to order it in for me so I get them 6 at a time

[gman]

I am good, thanks. I have a couple of tins should the need arise- one good thing about Humbrol paints, is that if they are closed up with a good seal on the cap, they seem to mix up beautifully and last a long time. The Metalcote version may need to have some thinner added, as they seem to flash off quicker than the standard enamels, so you can see some evaporative losses quicker than you might expect with them.

[stitchdup]

8 minutes ago, gman said:

I am good, thanks. I have a couple of tins should the need arise- one good thing about Humbrol paints, is that if they are closed up with a good seal on the cap, they seem to mix up beautifully and last a long time. The Metalcote version may need to have some thinner added, as they seem to flash off quicker than the standard enamels, so you can see some evaporative losses quicker than you might expect with them.

I play it safe and put a masking tape seal over those when they've been opened

[Plowboy]

Chris Drysdale (AKA Spex84) did one of the best examples of a bare metal finish on a Model A I've ever seen. I can't recall his method. But, it looked perfectly in scale. Hopefully, he sees this thread and drops in.

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Tamiya Silver Leaf TS-30 works well for me... -RRR

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi!

For what it is worth, the bugcatcher scoop on this coupe was "plated" with Chrome spray paint from Michael's. Not as chrome as Alclad chrome, more like polished aluminium. 

CT

 

[gman]

That is an impressive, reflective finish on your scoop. I like it.

Link to the paint you used?