BMF shelf life...how long ?

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've had various colors of BMF in stock for probably over 5 years. I'm just about to get around to experimenting / learning how to use it, and I've seen references to its performance degrading if it's old. What's the real deal?

Please base answers on your ACTUAL experience and not what you've heard.

[Matt Bacon]

Biggest problem I've found is wrinkling in the packet, after a while. Once you've got wrinkles, it'll crack where it was wrinkled. It's not useless, but you have to cut your pieces between the wrinkles. And it seems to vary -- my latest pack of Super Chrome is very different from my three year old one. The new BMF is much "springier" and hard to handle. It tends to roll up as you peel it off the backing and stick to itself. If you've got 5 year old stock, and it's not too badly wrinkled, you're probably in luck!

bestest,

M.

[TooOld]

Bill , I have two sheets of "Chrome" BMF that I've had just over one year , one came with a few wrinkles in it and the other didn't have any . I've kept them laying flat in the envelope and in the refrigerator since day one and there are no additional winkles appearing . I just used some on a body yesterday and it worked just like the first time , nice and smooth and the adhesive was just fine . I've heard that the "Ultra Bright" Chrome is a bit different but I've never tried it . I always polish the "Chrome" before cutting it from the sheet to give it a bright finish ! Also I've experimented with some of the wrinkled stuff and was able to smooth them out while applying the foil with no cracking . When I was finished it was impossible to tell it had ever been wrinkled !

Maybe I've been lucky but this is my experience with BMF . I'm interested in how you make out with five year old sheets , please let us know .

[Chuck Most]

Keeping it in a temperature controlled area and out of direct sunlight are good ideas- and probably should be no-brainers anyway. I've had a few sheets I've left in my upstairs storage room which is subject to extreme temperature changes, and that will kill the adhesive in pretty short order. I keep mine in a shallow compartment in a desk drawer where it is not likely to become kinked or bent.

With the obvious stuff out of the way, I've used properly stored sheets of BMF which were three years old or more without any problems.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Thanks guys. Just what I was hoping to hear. Mine has been stored flat, in an envelope, at between 55 and 80 degrees F. Mayhaps I'll get some out this PM if everything else goes well. Will be starting to practice on a naked '57 Ford shell that's going to have it's chrome removed to be a gasser, so if I bugger it, no great loss.

[TooOld]

I might be wrong about this but I'm not sure it will stick to bare plastic . I remember trying this with another brand before I bought some BMF and it didn't work . Of course it was garbage anyway , that's why I bought the "real" stuff !

[Guest G Holding]

Kept in my A/C office drawer, smooth and flat....3 years and still good...bought 5 packages and just used the last of it...no issues at all. I used to get mine from Dennis at model express

[Foxer]

I have BMF I got in the nineties ... pushing 20 years .. and It's what I still use. I know it's because I build so slow.

[Lunajammer]

I have a sheet that's got to be 20-years old and plenty of cracks. While I my new stuff is better, the glue still seems decent enough to serve as an excellent masking material and I wouldn't be afraid to use it covering a broad area. Just not so sure about fine details. I don't think I've ever had trouble with 5-year old stuff the way you've stored it.

[hooterville75]

I've kept them laying flat in the envelope and in the refrigerator since day one and there are no additional winkles appearing .

Is it mandatory that its stored in the fridge or is that just a recommendation ? I bought my first sheet of Chrome BMF a month or so ago and havent touched it since. While I dont have it in the fridge, I have it stored in the folder it came in laying flat in the basement my work area is in. Its always colder down there this time of year so it hasnt seen temps in access of 70 degrees or higher until the start of this week. Perhaps I should bring it upstairs to put in the fridge until I know Ill be using it for the first time. Let me know and thanks for your help.

[TooOld]

Is it mandatory that its stored in the fridge or is that just a recommendation ? I bought my first sheet of Chrome BMF a month or so ago and havent touched it since. While I dont have it in the fridge, I have it stored in the folder it came in laying flat in the basement my work area is in. Its always colder down there this time of year so it hasnt seen temps in access of 70 degrees or higher until the start of this week. Perhaps I should bring it upstairs to put in the fridge until I know Ill be using it for the first time. Let me know and thanks for your help.

No , I'm not recommending anything , what you are doing is probably just fine . Where I live we don't have much cold weather ( it's 89 degrees outside right now ) so the fridge just seemed like a good idea . The AC doesn't kick on 'till about 78 and by then it can be a bit sticky in here !