My first WIP

[JayC]

Well, I thought it was about time I post my own WIP thread. I'm currently working on the Polar Lights '65 Dodge Cornet 500 that was given to me about a year ago. This is the first model I have worked on in over 10 years. I have some paint and supplies on order from HobbyLinc. In the meantime I got some other tools and supplies. Part pf those supplies was some cheap aluminum foil and some foil adhesive (Old World Art brand gold leaf adhesive). It was all that could be found. It seems to work ok. While I am waiting for the stuff I ordered from HobbyLinc to arrive I figured I would do some foiling on the Coronet body.

I had planned on painting it a different color but decided I wanted it the red it came in. I am going to build it to look stock since that is how I would want it if I were restoring a muscle car. The paint job, especially the chrome, left a bit to be desired. On one side of the body, the chrome strip wasn't painted all the way.

I did the chrome strip on both sides, the rocker panel, and the wheel wells.

I have come to the conclusion that I really don't like doing wheel wells. I will finish the foiling around the windows later.

I'm not too pleased with how the foiling actually turned out. Some of the edges are a bit rough and the foil didn't seem to want to cooperate too well. I used a razor blade because that was all I had on hand. I didn't have a fresh #11 X-Acto blade nearby (tried doing it with my older blade but that didn't work out too well ), but the razor blade seemed to do ok. Maybe a new #11 will work better, I don't know.

One thing that I didn't like was that there was some glue residue left behind on the body. The instructions on the bottle of my adhesive says to wait until the glue goes from white to clear (about an hour). I don't put a thick coat on the back of the foil, either. Does anyone else have that problem when using aluminum foil and adhesive? I'm not going to pay $6-$8 for a sheet of BMF. That's just too much. I'll post more as I go along. Right now my "workbench" is my computer desk. When I'm done with this build I'm going start something a bit different - Revell's 1/196 USS Constitution.

Edited October 31, 2009 by JayC

[Nick Winter]

Well, I thought it was about time I post my own WIP thread. I'm currently working on the Polar Lights '65 Dodge Cornet 500 that was given to me about a year ago. This is the first model I have worked on in over 10 years. I have some paint and supplies on order from HobbyLinc. In the meantime I got some other tools and supplies. Part pf those supplies was some cheap aluminum foil and some foil adhesive (Old World Art brand gold leaf adhesive). It was all that could be found. It seems to work ok. While I am waiting for the stuff I ordered from HobbyLinc to arrive I figured I would do some foiling on the Coronet body.

I had planned on painting it a different color but decided I wanted it the red it came in. I am going to build it to look stock since that is how I would want it if I were restoring a muscle car. The paint job, especially the chrome, left a bit to be desired. On one side of the body, the chrome strip wasn't painted all the way.

I did the chrome strip on both sides, the rocker panel, and the wheel wells.

I have come to the conclusion that I really don't like doing wheel wells. I will finish the foiling around the windows later.

I'm not too pleased with how the foiling actually turned out. Some of the edges are a bit rough and the foil didn't seem to want to cooperate too well. I used a razor blade because that was all I had on hand. I didn't have a fresh #11 X-Acto blade nearby (tried doing it with my older blade but that didn't work out too well ), but the razor blade seemed to do ok. Maybe a new #11 will work better, I don't know.

One thing that I didn't like was that there was some glue residue left behind on the body. The instructions on the bottle of my adhesive says to wait until the glue goes from white to clear (about an hour). I don't put a thick coat on the back of the foil, either. Does anyone else have that problem when using aluminum foil and adhesive? I'm not going to pay $6-$8 for a sheet of BMF. That's just too much. I'll post more as I go along. Right now my "workbench" is my computer desk. When I'm done with this build I'm going start something a bit different - Revell's 1/196 USS Constitution.

Your off to a good start Jay.

[JayC]

Thanks, Nick.

I got the rest of the car chromed. One thing I have learned is that foil is VERY finicky. I about went mad when it didn't behave (which was a lot). I know it's not as good as others here, but hopefully I'll get better at it. UPS tracking says the stuff I ordered should be here on Tuesday, so I have a few days to plan some more. I used a new X-Acto knife with #11 blade and the foiling process was a bit easier. One thing I learned is that Goo Gone is great at getting rid of the excess glue residue. Just be gentle with it, because I noticed a little red on the paper towel (nothing noticeable on the car, though). I bet Goo Gone could get rid of the paint entirely. That stuff gets rid of just about anything! Here's a couple pics. Don't mind the hair. That's the price to pay for three cats and a kitten.

[BigGary]

Personally I haven't tried foil & glue but BMF is worth the price for less hassle. When I use BMF I wash the body to remove hand prints, etc, lightly towel dry, and wear latex or nitrile gloves when handling the body. When I do this, putting on BMF goes beautifully, always sticks, stays in place, nothing to clean up. If I forget the gloves, frustration no end. BMF doesn't stick to body oils.

Gary

[Modlbldr]

Jay-

That build is looking great. I think your foil work looks fine from the photos. I have yet to see a perfectly smooth BMF job. I just finished the foil on my 68 Firebird last night. I, too, use cheap foil and BMF adhesive. I just started using it last month and I prefer it to the name brand stuff. It is too expensive and I find that after a while it doesn't stick like it used to. I know that some people keep theirs in the freezer, etc.

I have a package of industrial cooking foil (for lack of a better name) that has close to 2000 sheets that are about 11 inches by 15 inches. Each sheet is separated with a sheet of tissue paper (That just gave me an idea that I now have a lifetime supply of tissue paper to mix with white glue to make tarps, convertible boots, etc. with.) that a fellow modeler gave me. I turn the sheet over to the dull side, brush on the BMF adhesive with a wide brush. I brush it on in one direction and then brush it in the other direction until the adhesive is clear of brush strokes. I then let it dry for a few minutes and then lay the backing paper on top and rub it down. Then I turn it over and it is ready to use. I have not had any of the troubles of it not sticking so far and it has made BMFing much easier for me.

I hope this helps. Again, your build is coming along great and I can't wait to see the progress on it.

Later-

[randx0]

It is coming along great the foil looks pretty good all things considered. having a sharp blade is very important,as is using the correct tool for the job . just remember as you build more these things become easier and easier .keep up the good work I look forward to seeing more !

[JayC]

Thanks for the tips, guys! I appreciate them. I never even thought to wear gloves. I think part of my problem was some of my pieces were too big. I used one piece to do the side window trim, for instance. If I used a single, narrow piece for each angle of the chrome trim it probably would have went better. I'm still not quite done with the foiling. I'm probably a bit insane for wanting to try it, but I want to put foil on the interior where it is chrome on the real thing (gotta wait for the paint to arrive first). The interior, though, has smaller bits to burnish and cut around.