does bare metal foil spoil?

[Tabbysdaddy]

12 hours ago, Kromolly said:

Interesting read here, including the history.  And I thought my CA 1995 BMF was old!  ?

That's funny. I just pulled mine out and it's labeled 1995. I have an unused "new" sheet labeled 1999 also. 

[Bills72sj]

I have had a number of BMF sheets over the years. I have had one sheet of "regular" Chrome trim wrinkle up on me making it only useful for small areas. The adhesive stayed functional however. I have what I know was a newer sheet of Ultra shiny chrome. The metal seemed a little less flexible. On that sheet the adhesive degraded to the "quick cover it with Future before it falls off." stage.

[TransAmMike]

I just emailed Bare Metal Foil Co. to express our concerns with the newer product.  That was several hours ago, no reply.

[peteski]

Several hours? As with all small manufacturers, I would give them few days to reply. Not everybody is constantly immersed in checking their computers, tablets, and phones and instantly replying to texts or emails.

What were the concerns?  Adhesive's longevity?  Wrinkled foil?  Stiff Ultra Bright Chrome foil?

Edited June 7, 2021 by peteski

[slusher]

why doesn’t discolor on the model.  Acrylic wall cases aren’t 100 percent air tight.  Just stackable acrylic cases are air tight. 

[Rockford]

I've had one sheet tarnish after about 10 years, but have suffered a lot of sheets cracking but I feel that might be due to rough handling in transit and storage, too much flexing etc... I've only ever had one sheet of Ultra Bright Chrome - never again. So brittle you ruin it getting it off the sheet, never mind trying to shape it over something. Standard chrome is my choice and no, I've never had adhesion issues. BMF does spoil, but usually only part of your day!!

[peteski]

If one read through the entire thread, discoloration was mentioned, and also the fact that it can easily be polished back to original color.  The original Chrome foil is *NOT* just aluminum foil. It is some sort of metal alloy that has low melting temperature - it can easily be melted with a soldering iron - can't do that with aluminum.

That "secret" alloy is the reason the foil is so malleable - it conforms easily to bumps and depressions on the model.  Since it is not aluminum, if there are some chemical vapors in the ambient air, the foil could discolor slightly.  Or if it is in contact with some material which is emitting some chemical vapors. But that can easily be polished out.  Even rubbing it with soft cloth or a paper towel should clean up some light discoloration.

[TransAmMike]

On 6/7/2021 at 3:06 PM, TransAmMike said:

I just emailed Bare Metal Foil Co. to express our concerns with the newer product.  That was several hours ago, no reply.

I guess BMF Co doesn't care about customer satisfaction. No reply to my email  yesterday morning about our concerns.

[peteski]

3 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

I guess BMF Co doesn't care about customer satisfaction. No reply to my email  yesterday morning about our concerns.

I wouldn't be so harsh.  Give them few more days, then resend your email (preferable from a different email address if you have one). There could be multiple reasons for lack of response.  Did you check your Spam folder? In today hectic workld we expect immediate gratification, and are totally disappointed if it doesn't happen.  Sometimes things take time.

[Bainford]

12 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

I guess BMF Co doesn't care about customer satisfaction. No reply to my email  yesterday morning about our concerns.

I'm puzzled by this. What concerns are you talking about? I've been following this thread from the beginning and didn't recall any real complaints. A couple comments of the uncommon yellowing issue, which is easily buffed out, and the long known & well publicized cracking problem, which modellers have just learned to live with for the last decade or so (and have brought to the attention of the Bare Metal Foil Company uncountable times over the years). I have been using BMF for over thirty years, and have been exceptionally pleased with the product. I can't think of a single thing to possibly be concerned about. Additionally, for a small cottage industry, I have been pleased with their customer service over the years.

I guess my point is, there seems to be a negative bent to your post, and I don't think it is well founded. I also don't think that an operation like Bare Metal Foil company has the bandwidth to snap to attention every time someone complains. Additionally, your email suggests these 'concerns' are held by the community as a whole, which I am quite certain is not the case. Do you have personal concerns with the product?

Personally, I couldn't be happier with BMF chrome (or new, improved chrome, as it is sometimes called), and it continues to meet or exceed expectations every time I use it. Even old stock, complete with wrinkles. The Ultra Chrome is to be avoided, but that's a non-issue so long as regular chrome is available.

Just my two cents. Cheers.

[TransAmMike]

46 minutes ago, Bainford said:

I'm puzzled by this. What concerns are you talking about? I've been following this thread from the beginning and didn't recall any real complaints. A couple comments of the uncommon yellowing issue, which is easily buffed out, and the long known & well publicized cracking problem, which modellers have just learned to live with for the last decade or so (and have brought to the attention of the Bare Metal Foil Company uncountable times over the years). I have been using BMF for over thirty years, and have been exceptionally pleased with the product. I can't think of a single thing to possibly be concerned about. Additionally, for a small cottage industry, I have been pleased with their customer service over the years.

I guess my point is, there seems to be a negative bent to your post, and I don't think it is well founded. I also don't think that an operation like Bare Metal Foil company has the bandwidth to snap to attention every time someone complains. Additionally, your email suggests these 'concerns' are held by the community as a whole, which I am quite certain is not the case. Do you have personal concerns with the product?

Personally, I couldn't be happier with BMF chrome (or new, improved chrome, as it is sometimes called), and it continues to meet or exceed expectations every time I use it. Even old stock, complete with wrinkles. The Ultra Chrome is to be avoided, but that's a non-issue so long as regular chrome is available.

Just my two cents. Cheers.

There was a thread on the forum with several of us discussing the issue with the adhesive. The last sheet I received barely stuck. The Ultra, even tho I also said it has it's own issues as you also said, actually the adhesive is just fine on it.   Don't know how old the BMF you have is. Just saying, the newest sheet I got sucks.

[Bainford]

Cheers Mike. My current sheet is now two over years old. Perhaps I'm out of the loop. I'll keep an eye out for problems.

[peteski]

As I keep mentioning, Ultra Bright Chrome is  quite different from the standard Chrome and they should not be compared.  BMF came out with it after Detail Master came out with their (crappy) version of "chrome" foil, touting that it was much better looking than the BMF's chrome.  Detail Master version is even crappier than BMF Ultra Bright Chrome.  The pliability of the BMF Chrome foil greatly outweigh its slightly less shiny appearance.  I suspect that BMF doesn't sell much of their Ultra Bright Chrome, and the Detail Master version is probably long discontinued (I  haven't really checked).

[TransAmMike]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

As I keep mentioning, Ultra Bright Chrome is  quite different from the standard Chrome and they should not be compared.  BMF came out with it after Detail Master came out with their (crappy) version of "chrome" foil, touting that it was much better looking than the BMF's chrome.  Detail Master version is even crappier than BMF Ultra Bright Chrome.  The pliability of the BMF Chrome foil greatly outweigh its slightly less shiny appearance.  I suspect that BMF doesn't sell much of their Ultra Bright Chrome, and the Detail Master version is probably long discontinued (I  haven't really checked).

Do you buy your foil directly from BMF Peter??

[peteski]

32 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:

Do you buy your foil directly from BMF Peter??

I have not.  I also have few sheets left from a batch I bought years ago.  At that time it came from BMF directly. Some of those sheets have few wrinkles, but the adhesive seems ok.

I'm still curious about the specific reasons you contacted BMF. You started this thread asking about discoloration, was that it, or did you experience other problems too?

EDIT: Actually you didn't start this thread at all. I better go back and re-read all the posts.

 I re-read all the posts and you only mentioned "concerns about the new product".  Can you elaborate?  What specific problems are you seeing with the foil you have?  Which type of foil do you use?

Edited June 10, 2021 by peteski

[Tom Geiger]

Ya know…. There is no one product I’ve been pleased with more than BMF. I’ve been a user for over 30 years and have yet to have a real issue. 

I can suggest that the product has changed over the years.. I suspect that BMF company buys it in bulk from a manufacturer and cuts / packages it. Thus they have to rock with it. It was much more versatile in the old days.

I’ve never had BMF not stick. If anything as it ages, it adheres more to its backing or your model. I have models 30 years old where none of it has ever come off, so the “clear coat if before it comes off” is bunk.

I’ve found that when it ages, it wrinkles more and it cannot be removed from the carrier sheet without breaking up. That’s when I will toss a sheet.

There’s a lot of user error that people whine about. Mostly people who try to economize by cutting pieces to exactly fit their use, touch the glue and lift and reset multiple times.

Edited June 10, 2021 by Tom Geiger

[TransAmMike]

9 minutes ago, peteski said:

I have not.  I also have few sheets left from a batch I bought years ago.  At that time it came from BMF directly. Some of those sheets have few wrinkles, but the adhesive seems ok.

I'm still curious about the specific reasons you contacted BMF. You started this thread asking about discoloration, was that it, or did you experience other problems too?

EDIT: Actually you didn't start this thread at all. I better go back and re-read all the posts.

 I re-read all the posts and you only mentioned "concerns about the new product".  Can you elaborate?  What specific problems are you seeing with the foil you have?  Which type of foil do you use?

Poor adhesion with my newest sheet of Chrome. And I'm not the only member on here who has said the same. Just saying.

[TransAmMike]

3 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Ya know…. There is no one product I’ve been pleased with more than BMF. I’ve been a user for over 30 years and have yet to have a real issue. 

I can suggest that the product has changed over the years.. I suspect that BMF company buys it in bulk from a manufacturer and cuts / packages it. Thus they have to rock with it. It was much more versatile in the old days.

I’ve never had BMF not stick. If anything as it ages, it adheres more to its backing or your model. I have models 30 years old where none of it has ever come off, so the “clear coat if before it comes off” is bunk.

I’ve found that when it ages, it wrinkles more and it cannot be removed from the carrier sheet without breaking up. That’s when I will toss a sheet.

There’s a lot of user error that’s people whine about. Mostly people who try to economize by cutting pieces to exactly fit their use, touch the glue and lift and reset multiple times.

I am not a newcomer to BMF. Previous sheets I have had I got great results.

[peteski]

57 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:

Poor adhesion with my newest sheet of Chrome. And I'm not the only member on here who has said the same. Just saying.

Hopefully BMF will get back to you, but (if you haven't done it) I would still recommend re-sending  your email - just in case.

[Bugatti Fan]

The wrinkling with age problem mentioned in some posts could be down to expansion of contraction of the backing paper either drying out or absorbing moisture from the atmosphere. Only a theory, as I have never had any problems with mine in the past. I keep it stored in a drawer in a relatively stable environment.

I may have suggested in an earlier post to give smooth aluminium plumbing tape a try. It is thicker than BMF and a bit more forgiving. It is cheap and obtainable at most hardware stores or building suppliers. Add this to your armoury as in many instances of would be better to use than BMF. I use both depending on which I feel would be best suited for any particular task in hand.

[TransAmMike]

I was going to order the BMF directly from BMF (since the recent BMF I purchased from 3rd party seller sucked) but I give up waiting for them to reply to 3 emails I sent them. Has anyone pruchased BMF online recently and the foil was OK??  I'd like to know who you bought it from.