Harry P. Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Yes I agree they have excellent customer service, I will definitely let them know that im satisfied. Their customer service has really improved! Years ago, I complained to them about the fact that their "Ultra-brite" chrome foil didn't stick. They told me it was my fault because I wasn't doing it right. After that dose of "customer service" from them, I actually did do something right: I never again wasted a dime of my money on that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philo426 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 I have models over 20 years old with BMF and they have never peeled or dulled in the least.I have the Ultra bright BMF and it seems just fine to me!You probably got a bad batch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 I have the Ultra bright BMF and it seems just fine to me!You probably got a bad batch! I know that at some point they supposedly fixed the non-sticking problem, but since my experience with it I've never tried the brite stuff again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 What do you think of masking then paint the molded in chrome details with Alclad Chrome? It would be a lot of work but wouldn't it appear more realistic then BMF? just a thought. That would be a whole lotta work. What I can say is that I've thought about doing larger areas like convertible windshield frames in the situations where the entire frame unit gets chrome. I use Alclad chrome in a spray can. One thing I will tell you is that I've sprayed a little in a paper cup and I've used it for tiny things like convertible boot latches, key holes and dry brushing scripts. It works dandy. I don't know how the air brush product would work since it may be a different viscosity than the spray can I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Many experienced people on this and other forums suggest putting a piece of BMF over the desired chrome details, such as scripts, badging, etc., followed by paint, then by wiping the paint off the BMF area as desired. This can be done but the key is that when you put the BMF over the script, you need to trim the BMF off the entire outline of the script. The concept is that the paint will fill in the holes in the letters and between the letters. In the end it will look just like you dry brushed it with paint, only shinier. I've seen guys who think they can plop down a big piece of BMF and that the paint would cover the edges... nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Tom... in your opinion does Alclad from the spray can look as good as when it's airbrushed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderbread Kustomz Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Their customer service has really improved! Years ago, I complained to them about the fact that their "Ultra-brite" chrome foil didn't stick. They told me it was my fault because I wasn't doing it right. After that dose of "customer service" from them, I actually did do something right: I never again wasted a dime of my money on that stuff. WOW!! I can't believe they would put the blame on you... Talk about a lack of customer service.... Did you tell them exactly where they could stick their customer service or lack of? Thanks to Custom Mike for turning me to bare metal adhesive and cheap Wally World foil.... I've never looked back since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 WOW!! I can't believe they would put the blame on you... Talk about a lack of customer service.... Did you tell them exactly where they could stick their customer service or lack of? This was back when the Ultra-brite stuff was a new product from them. I told them that I had been using their "regular" chrome foil for many years and never had a problem... and that I didn't suddenly forget how to use foil! They still insisted that the problem was that I wasn't doing it right. They never offered a refund or to replace the sheet I bought. So I just never bought another sheet of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderbread Kustomz Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 This was back when the Ultra-brite stuff was a new product from them. I told them that I had been using their "regular" chrome foil for many years and never had a problem... and that I didn't suddenly forget how to use foil! They still insisted that the problem was that I wasn't doing it right. They never offered a refund or to replace the sheet I bought. So I just never bought another sheet of it. Man, that's messed up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Yeah, even today I still have a negative opinion of them. It's funny that I remember that incident so well after all these years. I mean, I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but that bad experience with their "customer service" has stuck with me all this time. Weird how you remember some things... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown03SVT Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Harry it seems as though your call might have been one of many which caused them to go back and review the product. They now seem to have rogered up there is still some inventory out there that has the crappy glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Tom... in your opinion does Alclad from the spray can look as good as when it's airbrushed? I haven't put it side by side so I can't say absolutely. My results from the spray can have been good enough that I wouldn't send chrome out again. If I was using Alclad with an air brush, I wouldn't go to the spray can, but I offer it up as advise to guys who want to use it but don't airbrush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongRoofNut Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Their customer service has really improved! Years ago, I complained to them about the fact that their "Ultra-brite" chrome foil didn't stick. They told me it was my fault because I wasn't doing it right. After that dose of "customer service" from them, I actually did do something right: I never again wasted a dime of my money on that stuff. I had the same issue in college, around 2006. I got the same response as you did Harry. A month or so ago I tried again and got the same response as Jason did. Yes their customer support has done a 180 deg turn around, they even sent me an extra sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps2u Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 (edited) Cheap foil & glue, What a hoot! I'd never thought of that ! And this I will try at least once Makes one ponder if that's where the BMF idea originally started . I use Alclad Polished aluminum for the simulated aluminum parts and air brush it over a gloss black base. The results are satisfactory!. With those results Alclad chrome is on my purchase order . Edited June 15, 2013 by Gramps2u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philo426 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Heck,I even covered the fuselage of a Devastator and it is still bright after 15 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongRoofNut Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 The whole point is NOT to use brand-name foil... use the cheap stuff, either generic or from the dollar store. Brand-name foil is too thick, the cheap stuff is thinner and works much easier for this technique. I think I will be running to the Dollar General tomorrow and pick up some foil. There are a few car bodies I can experiment on. What kind of glue would you recommend Harry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle potts Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 I haven't put it side by side so I can't say absolutely. My results from the spray can have been good enough that I wouldn't send chrome out again. If I was using Alclad with an air brush, I wouldn't go to the spray can, but I offer it up as advise to guys who want to use it but don't airbrush. Where did you get the spray can? I want to try this stuff, but I'm not set up for a air brush. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Where did you get the spray can? I want to try this stuff, but I'm not set up for a air brush. Thanks. I got mine at a model show but your hobby shop should be able to order it for you if they don't stock it. Stevens International, the wholesaler that a lot of shops get their supplies from does stock it. Retail is $15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 I dunno guys, I can't see worrying about going cheap on an $8 product that you get at least two cars out of. That's $4 a model for BMF. It's easy to use and I enjoy doing it. Mess up a strip of it and you can just peel it off and put down a new one. Probably the best thing in modeling! So now we have our dollar roll of cheap aluminum foil. You then need to spend $4 on a tiny bottle of MicroScale Foil Adhesive. And I can't see this as being enjoyable. How careful do you need to be with this glue? Does it clean up if you get it on the body? If you mess up and pull the foil off, do you then have to clean the body? Or are you just screwed? I've never tried it, so I don't know. But, I can surely invest $8 in my hobby to get perfect results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenrat Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 (edited) This can be done but the key is that when you put the BMF over the script, you need to trim the BMF off the entire outline of the script. The concept is that the paint will fill in the holes in the letters and between the letters. In the end it will look just like you dry brushed it with paint, only shinier. I've seen guys who think they can plop down a big piece of BMF and that the paint would cover the edges... nope. Yep. BMF is thin enough to hide the edges IF you put enough paint on, but it is always better to trim back to the edges of the script. And I polish the paint off the top of the script. I don't fancy taking a thinner soaked cotton bud to fresh shiny paint. I have seen a body masked and the trim alcladded and it looks superb. Heck of a lot of work though. And while it is possible to make your own BMF using cheap foil (or foil from chocolate bars) and spray glue life is just too short to bother. Edited June 15, 2013 by zenrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperStockAndy Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 In my experience the ultra bright is terrible compared to the normal stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Can anyone set me straight on the differences between these? I have some OLD BMF Chrome, which is brilliant, though it's now wrinkling and cracking. But the material is soft and stretchy and comes easily off he backing and the excess peels off the model no trouble. I also have some new BMF "Ultra Bright Chrome" which is noticeably springier, curling up when you peel it off the backing, and it leaves traces of adhesive residue when you peel it off the model (and it often falls apart when you're removing the excess -- to the point where I have to "chisel" it off with a sharpened matchstick). It's not notably brighter than the old stuff either, once they've both been burnished down. I've also noticed some sellers offering "new, improved Chrome". Is it still possible to buy fresh "Original Chrome"? If it's still made, and is as flexible and well-behaved as the old stuff I had, then that's what I want. But I don't want to buy old stock that's been around a while, because it'll probably have wrinkles that will then crack. Anyone know a) what the differences are, and whether I can still buy the good stuff!? bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Matt, there were some issues a few years ago with the "New, Improved" BMF, mainly it wasn't as good as the older stuff, but I think that's been rectified for a while. I would stick with the Regular Chrome instead of the Ultra Bright. It always looked 'right' to my eyes, so that's what I've always used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Thanks, Casey -- I'll do that. Now, why didn't this thread show up when I searched for "BMF", "Bare Metal Foil" and even "Foil"? That's odd, isn't it? bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 So the standard chrome is the way to go? In my opinion (and I've been using BMF since it first came out circa 1970), Chrome (now called "Improved Chrome") is the only way to go. Bare Metal Foil Company's "Ultra Bright Chrome", while certainly bright and very shiny, is way too thick, and way too stiff to be able to conform to the generally tight, minutely detailed chrome trim on a 1/25 scale model car body. It should go without saying that following the very simple, but explicit instructions given by Bare Metal Foil on their packaging is important. I cannot emphasize enough the necessity of using fresh, never-before-used #11 blades each time you work with the stuff, as it's thin and delicate enough that even the slightest dullness, or a minute bit of the tip broken off the blade can, and almost always will, cause the foil to not only curl up along a cut edge, but will cause "3-cornered" tears in the foil. Additionally, a fresh #11 blade, with the knife held at a fairly shallow angle, can be made to follow the edge of a chrome spear very easily. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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