slider51 Posted July 23, 2015 Posted July 23, 2015 Just got my first sheet of BMF!My question is I have three bodies painted and ready for foil.Which car will be easiest for me to learn how to use this stuff?A 69 RS Camaro,69 Charger or 59 Impala?
Foxer Posted July 23, 2015 Posted July 23, 2015 I'll just say, when you finish the '59 Impala consider yourself a BMF expert!
MeatMan Posted July 23, 2015 Posted July 23, 2015 I just got my first sheet today as well, but have been looking at vids, etc. to see how its done. I suggest looking at pics of the cars and picking one that looks the easiest between the Camaro and the Charger since Foxer already gave you the lowdown on the '59! From the pics I just looked at I'd say the Charger is the easiest, depending on how much you plan to foil. The Camaro has chrome rocker panels and wheel well moulding that the Charger doesn't have. I'll be foiling a 56 Belair, which looks daunting as well.
John Clutch Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Try to wrap something other than the models, maybe a plastic bottle threads? This way, you're not worried about scratching the paint. I think knife pressure is the learning curve you need to master. Too much pressure and you'll have a gouge, too light and the foil edge might not cut, then you'll have to try cutting it a second time.
Art Anderson Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 For starters, READ the very simple instructions on the back of the package--they are very informative. Second, ALWAYS use a fresh, brand-new #11 blade in your Xacto (or equivalent) knife--even a slightly used blade can "catch" in the foil, create a 3-cornered tear. And 3rd--equally important--the weight of the knife itself is enough, almost always, to cut the foil, no need to bear down on it!Beyond that, patience, and a willingness to peel off a mistake, and try again work wonders with this stuff--I've been using it since it was introduced about 45 years ago, and have never looked back!Art
John Clutch Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 When I get to the point of my first foil job, I would want to know how long of a cut I can make with a hobby knife blade before it starts pulling instead of cutting.
Art Anderson Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 On 7/24/2015 at 12:17 AM, John Clutch said: When I get to the point of my first foil job, I would want to know how long of a cut I can make with a hobby knife blade before it starts pulling instead of cutting.I've cut strips of BMF the full length of the sheet with nary a snag! Key is, a fresh, BRAND NEW #11 blade (which BTW is exactly what Bare Metal Foil Company has always strongly recommended!)Art
John Clutch Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 On 7/24/2015 at 12:22 AM, Art Anderson said: On 7/24/2015 at 12:17 AM, John Clutch said: When I get to the point of my first foil job, I would want to know how long of a cut I can make with a hobby knife blade before it starts pulling instead of cutting.I've cut strips of BMF the full length of the sheet with nary a snag! Key is, a fresh, BRAND NEW #11 blade (which BTW is exactly what Bare Metal Foil Company has always strongly recommended!)ArtI'm sure of it, but how many strips can you cut? It's always that 1/8" more that you push your tool than what it can handle and BAM! You wish you never pushed it lol
Art Anderson Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 On 7/24/2015 at 12:27 AM, John Clutch said: On 7/24/2015 at 12:22 AM, Art Anderson said: On 7/24/2015 at 12:17 AM, John Clutch said: When I get to the point of my first foil job, I would want to know how long of a cut I can make with a hobby knife blade before it starts pulling instead of cutting.I've cut strips of BMF the full length of the sheet with nary a snag! Key is, a fresh, BRAND NEW #11 blade (which BTW is exactly what Bare Metal Foil Company has always strongly recommended!)ArtI'm sure of it, but how many strips can you cut? It's always that 1/8" more that you push your tool than what it can handle and BAM! You wish you never pushed it lolNo need to "push" the blade whatsoever! I use it at a very shallow angle to the foil, both when cutting on the sheet, and when trimming on the model. Where the freshness of the blade comes in is in cutting--the shallower the angle in relation to the work allows the weight of the knife itself to do the cutting, and virtually eliminates all tearing--several hundred model car projects over the years I've been using the stuff has taught me that!Art
High octane Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Also keep in mind that you may or may not need, more than one new Xacto blade.
Tom Geiger Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 As Art said, don't apply any pressure at all to the blade. Pretend you are tracing a line very lightly with a pencil. And for all you newbies. DON'T try it on your nice freshly painted body. Pull a junker out of your parts box and practice on that first
StevenGuthmiller Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 On 7/24/2015 at 1:29 AM, Tom Geiger said: As Art said, don't apply any pressure at all to the blade. Pretend you are tracing a line very lightly with a pencil. And for all you newbies. DON'T try it on your nice freshly painted body. Pull a junker out of your parts box and practice on that firstDitto.And, one blade should easily do an entire body, or more.As long as you save that blade for foiling only, you may be able to get several bodies with one blade.I build a lot of heavily chrome laden 50s cars, and I've always managed to make it through the whole build before refreshing the blade. Steve
JollySipper Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Something that has helped me do better foil work is to scribe where I will be running the blade before any primer even goes on the body....... That gives you a definate path for the blade to follow! I use a set of tweezers that come to a nice, sharp point...........
slider51 Posted July 24, 2015 Author Posted July 24, 2015 Thank you all!A lot of great info!My next question was going to be how long does the blade last.LOL.I actually have the perfect junk body that has decent paint to practice on!
StevenGuthmiller Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Here's a good tip too. If you don't want to go through the work of scribing along all of your trim, cut a fresh edge on a piece of blue painters tape & lay it along the side of you trim after laying on your foil. That way you can let your blade ride along the edge of the tape to get a nice straight cut. The contrast in color between the blue tape & the foil helps with seeing where your blade is going as well. With a little practice & very thin flexible pieces of tape, you can do some pretty tight curves this way also. Even that daunting wheel well trim will come out looking perfect with this technique. Steve
Twokidsnosleep Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Glad you posted this Thanks for all the tips guys
Art Anderson Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 On 7/24/2015 at 3:39 AM, slider51 said: Thank you all!A lot of great info!My next question was going to be how long does the blade last.LOL.I actually have the perfect junk body that has decent paint to practice on!BMF is almost micro thin, and a pretty soft metal--I've had a knife dedicated to just BMF for years--haven't had to change many blades at all in it!Art
BigTallDad Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) I have a knife dedicated to BMF. I put a pencil eraser on the handle so I know which one it is. I also marked the back of the blade with a red felt-tip marker...the contrast against BMF helps.You might want to browse this tutorial...http://www.italianhorses.net/Tutorials/BareMetalFoil/bmf.htm Edited July 24, 2015 by BigTallDad
John Clutch Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 All great suggestions!!! I was looking at the 1/16 charger body, taking measurements and cleaning up edges. I noticed that the windshield trim is very faint and was concerned about foiling it. Taping and scribing the trim like suggested will be part of my preparation now. Thank you very much!
crazyjim Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 I've been using the same blade for years without any tearing issues. It's used only for BMF.A friend, AD Lassiter, makes a nifty little tool from popsicle sticks to get the edges down nice and tight. People also use angle cut sticks from Hobby Lobby.A must have is makeup applicators from Walgreens. They're like tightly wound Q-Tips but have one end pointed and the other rounded. Great for burnishing. CVS and Wal-Mart carry their brands but they're not as good as the Walgreens brand.
StevenGuthmiller Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 On 7/24/2015 at 1:25 PM, crazyjim said: I've been using the same blade for years without any tearing issues. It's used only for BMF. A friend, AD Lassiter, makes a nifty little tool from popsicle sticks to get the edges down nice and tight. People also use angle cut sticks from Hobby Lobby. A must have is makeup applicators from Walgreens. They're like tightly wound Q-Tips but have one end pointed and the other rounded. Great for burnishing. CVS and Wal-Mart carry their brands but they're not as good as the Walgreens brand. I use the Tamiya ones, as well as tooth picks. Steve
crazyjim Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Those Tamiya things are nice. I believe they come in 2 sizes. Much more expensive than Walgreens though.
fseva Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 I would choose the one that has the clearest, deepest lines, because those are what you'll be following with your knife. Nothing like a line that's so poorly rendered as to be almost non-existent!
Dinky Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Interesting topic, very helpful.Does the bmf go on the clearcoat or under?
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