heads up for the new BMF

[LVZ2881]

If your having BMF issues, look for the stuff thats says "New Improved" on the label along with the type of BMF..

it doesnt crack and it sticks real nice!!

[karbuildr]

I'd heard they were working to resolve the problems. One has to wonder why these problems cropped up to begin with, nevertheless, it's good to know these issues have been resolved. I certainly had my share of half useless sheets over the last couple of years. This shows they actually care and listen to the folks using their product. Thanks for the heads up.

[Steven Zimmerman]

HMMMmmmm.....I just had an exchange of lengthy emails with BMF about non sticking foil,and they told me two things (1) non sticking BMF is pretty much the customer's problem and (2) they haven't changed their formula for 'stickum' since the introduction of their original product years ago- and had no plans to change it in the future. This was only two weeks ago..............All they wanted to do was sell me a bottle of stronger glue to help the bmf stick....all in all,I was not too impressed with their customer relations skills;they never even REPLIED to my last email (which was polite but to the point). I will continue to purchase Bare Metal Foil products,but only until I find an equal or better substitute..........Steven Zimmerman aka the'Z'man

[RodBurNeR]

I will look for that new improved stuff. For now, I have a couple of perfect sheets. The only time it's ever ripped or cracked on me , is if there is a crease or wrinkle in it. I have seen other guys sheet's on occasion and they are all wrinkled up....they gripe about how hard it is to use too. I tell them "yep, if it's wrinkled....it's going to rip". It seems like a lot of guys don't realize they have to put it away where it won't get trampled by anyone or anything. I store mine on top of whatever is available and never set anything on it.

I hear some guys put their's in the fridge.

[Harry P.]

HMMMmmmm.....I just had an exchange of lengthy emails with BMF about non sticking foil,and they told me two things (1) non sticking BMF is pretty much the customer's problem and (2) they haven't changed their formula for 'stickum' since the introduction of their original product years ago- and had no plans to change it in the future. This was only two weeks ago..............All they wanted to do was sell me a bottle of stronger glue to help the bmf stick....all in all,I was not too impressed with their customer relations skills;they never even REPLIED to my last email (which was polite but to the point). I will continue to purchase Bare Metal Foil products,but only until I find an equal or better substitute..........Steven Zimmerman aka the'Z'man

Yup, that was the same story I got from them. They basically told me that if the foil isn't sticking, it's my fault somehow. Which, of course, is total BS, because I've used BMF for many years and never had a problem with it sticking until a few years ago, when the product seemed to change. All the sheets were wrinkled and cracked, and the foil wouldn't stick at all.

If they really are coming out with a better product, all I can say is It's about time!!!

[MrObsessive]

Correct!!

I got a new sheet a while ago (it's what's been holding up the '55 Ford among other things) and yes, it's much, much, better than before!

If they didn't change something then why do they stick a "new" label on it as shown??

[mazlak]

Hey All,

I have found that the older the sheet gets, or is when purchased, the less sticky the adhesive is.

Picked up a sheet at a show once that was perfectly flat and looked great, but would not stick a bit.

The guy I goy it from took great care of it, apparently for years. The folks at BMF have also told me

these same things in conversations with them. The older the sheet the less adhesion it will have.

So it's hard to blame the makers when we can't always tell how long a vendor or LHS has the stuff

in their stock.

Rick in Richmond

[Jon Cole]

Yup, that was the same story I got from them. They basically told me that if the foil isn't sticking, it's my fault somehow. Which, of course, is total BS, because I've used BMF for many years and never had a problem with it sticking until a few years ago, when the product seemed to change. All the sheets were wrinkled and cracked, and the foil wouldn't stick at all.

If they really are coming out with a better product, all I can say is It's about time!!!

Yikes! I don't feel like I can put much faith in a product that just has a label that says "NEW!" stuck to it. What's to keep them from planting a sticky label on all the inventory they have, regardless of when it was made?

They should have made an all-new envelope; where it wouldn't be cost effective to swap old product into a new package. And based on the customer service being reported here, that's not a very long stretch.

[LVZ2881]

The sheet I purchased from my LHS on Friday actually has the "New and Improved" printed on the "Chrome" label directly from BMF.

There was someone on the Spotlight board who has been emailing them, and they told him they were aware of the problem and were changing suppliers. Looks like the supplier change worked.

[4BKT VET]

If they have shelf life issues, I think they should put a DOM on the backing to the foil. Kinda like bread.

Oh, Date Of Manufacture.

[Harry P.]

Every time this topic comes up, I've said the same thing: If BMF has a "shelf life", and it doesn't stick after a certain time, then the company should put an expiration date on the package!!!

There's no way the consumer can possibly know how long the stuff has been hanging on the rack at the LHS... for all you know, it could have been there for years! Putting a "use by" date on the package wouldn't cost the company a thing, and would go a long way towards addressing the problem of old BMF that doesn't stick anymore. Why in the world haven't they done this???

[mademan]

Every time this topic comes up, I've said the same thing: If BMF has a "shelf life", and it doesn't stick after a certain time, then the company should put an expiration date on the package!!!

There's no way the consumer can possibly know how long the stuff has been hanging on the rack at the LHS... for all you know, it could have been there for years! Putting a "use by" date on the package wouldn't cost the company a thing, and would go a long way towards addressing the problem of old BMF that doesn't stick anymore. Why in the world haven't they done this???

the hobby shop here, the foil is so wrinkly you cant even salvage 1" sections of it, its terrible, Im pretty sure hes had some of his foil for over 7-8 years I know he has kits from the early 90s still. lol

I get all my foil from scaledreams.com , I get 2 sheets at a time, and store them in the refridgerator.

[lordairgtar]

Somehow recently the foil itself was different in as much as it would curl when pulled off and it would dull a blade with just inches sliced, then it would rip. I find that by getting a cheap store brand foil and a spray can of adhesive like the stuff from craft stores with the Mona Lisa on the can or some other light adhesive spray, you have better foil and it's cheaper and it lasts much longer.

[Aaronw]

Somehow recently the foil itself was different in as much as it would curl when pulled off and it would dull a blade with just inches sliced, then it would rip. I find that by getting a cheap store brand foil and a spray can of adhesive like the stuff from craft stores with the Mona Lisa on the can or some other light adhesive spray, you have better foil and it's cheaper and it lasts much longer.

I recently tried the Mona Lisa and Reynolds wrap. A little harder to use, probably just a matter of adjusting my technique but it turned out well. $6 for 25 ft isn't a bad deal.

[lordairgtar]

I recently tried the Mona Lisa and Reynolds wrap. A little harder to use, probably just a matter of adjusting my technique but it turned out well. $6 for 25 ft isn't a bad deal.

I would select a cheaper thinner brand. It works better and the cheaper stuff in more flexible. Reynolds is very thick.

[philo426]

The Old BMF was pretty good!

[Smart-Resins]

Well, if they state they have not changed the formula and dont plan to, but yet the recent BMF was starting to not stick and now they are selling packages with a small added lable stating new, makes me wonder. You guys say after sitting a while it does not stick as well. Were they selling surplus thats been around for a while and thats why the problems. Now when they make a fresh batch (same formula) they lable it new, so it sticks better, yet not changing thier formula? Just a question. LOL. Jody

[MikeMc]

I think they need to have their E Mail box filled up with 4 or 5 thousand form letters sent by all of us........multiple times!!!!!

If they can't answer I hope they can read!!!!!

[Aaronw]

I would select a cheaper thinner brand. It works better and the cheaper stuff in more flexible. Reynolds is very thick.

I don't have much option locally, it was regular or heavy duty Reynolds wrap, I picked regular. I'm sure a thinner brand would be easier to use, but that will have to wait until the next time I get to a bigger town. It actually worked pretty well, it was more the feel of burnishing it that was off.

[Scott - Elm City Hobbies]

I dunno about the older the sheet the less it sticks....I have a sheet here that I know I have had for 10 if not 15yrs that I use for masking canopies on aircraft, and it sticks just as well now, as when I bought it.

I have heard that the other colors of BMF are worse for not sticking than the Chrome is....but haven't used anything else personally.

[Harry P.]

I dunno about the older the sheet the less it sticks....I have a sheet here that I know I have had for 10 if not 15yrs that I use for masking canopies on aircraft, and it sticks just as well now, as when I bought it.

I have heard that the other colors of BMF are worse for not sticking than the Chrome is....but haven't used anything else personally.

I agree. I've had old sheets of BMF for years, and the foil always stuck. But something happened to the product several years ago, and ever since then, the stuff cracks on the sheet and/or doesn't stick well. And the "Ultra" chrome and black chrome just don't stick at all. Obviously they changed something... the glue formulation, the backing paper, something... because the stuff just didn't work any more!

The strange thing is, at first the BMF people refused to acknowledge that there was any problem. They told me that the foil not sticking was MY fault! (that I was applying it wrong, or whatever. Strange, since I had been using BMF for years prior to that... obviously I KNEW how to use it!)

Now the story I've heard is that they are "aware" of the problem, and are working on a solution. Well, I guess finally admitting that there IS a problem can be seen as progress. But the real question is: Is the stuff that now has the "NEW" sticker on the package actually a new formulation? Or the same old stuff with a sticker on the package? I haven't bought any of this "NEW" BMF yet, so I can't say...

[MrObsessive]

To Echo what Scott said, back in the mid '90's I was using BMF that was left over for sure from the late '80's at least.........and it was still sticking well.

BMF Co. for whatever reason doesn't want to admit that they had bad sheets------or poor quality control.

As far as the other foils such as their aluminum, and black.......forget it, they're junk. I've tried 'em and they weren't worth a darn.

The black "coating" practically peeled right off the chrome it was sprayed on if burnished too much. The aluminum if burnished too much simply turned back into chrome! Might not be so bad for certain applications though...............

[MrObsessive]

But the real question is: Is the stuff that now has the "NEW" sticker on the package actually a new formulation? Or the same old stuff with a sticker on the package? I haven't bought any of this "NEW" BMF yet, so I can't say......

Harry, I bought the "new" sheet a little while back and I'll be using it down the road on the interior of the Cougar II.

Preliminary testing shows that it does stick a lot better than the previous sheet I had. I'll definitely be posting pics of the interior with the new stuff down the road.

Stay tuned..............

[Olle F]

I have had the same experience as Scott and others: BMF doesn't turn bad with age. I'm sure you can handle and/or store it in a way that makes it turns bad (too cold, too hot, too humid or whatever) but I don't believe it will just go bad after a certain time. I bought a big batch (20 sheets or so) of BMF chrome when a store closed and sold out, and about 15 years later I'm still using it without any problems. Granted, I have moved three times since then and some sheets have wrinkles and cracks just by being handled, packed, transported and shuffled around in general, but there's still nothing wrong with the adhesion. However, I have had problems with other, fresh sheets (gold, aluminum and black) and have heard so much about bad BMF that I'm leaning toward the quality control theory. When BMF works, it works very well so if they can produce a good, even quality there shouldn't be any need for improved formulas.

[Zoom Zoom]

I've been using BMF since 1981, it's always had a tendency to lose adhesion (on the sheet, not after application) the older the sheet got. The sheets in the past few years (say, post-2000 or so) had the annoying tendency to not only lose adhesion, but crack. I was given a new sheet w/a few minor cracks, but as it aged the cracks became fissures, and almost invisible cracks would make it almost impossible to peel up w/o tearing. I bought a new sheet about a year ago and kept it in the 'fridge, and opened it recently, still perfect. In a few weeks it's seeming to get the very fine cracking starting.

A couple weeks ago I bought a sheet of the "new, improved" BMF. We'll see how that goes. I'll be using the sheet I just opened until it's no longer any good. So far it's working fine, and peels up okay and sticks okay.