BMF on a beater?

[Austin T]

How you make BMF look pitted,is it the same thing you do to pit chrome kit parts?

[ARTEMIS1759]

I tell you how I would do it is take a scrap piece since I don't have any BMF, paint the piece a rust color then put on the BMF and then try to maybe scuff it with rough sand paper or something similar.

[Jantrix]

How about distressing the plastic a bit before you foil. Say with a low grit sand paper. Then foil, hit it with a little dull coat and a wash to bring out the imperfections?

[Austin T]

Those two ideas sound interesting,I will have to try those on my test car.

[Art Anderson]

From the late 1930's onward, there were 4 basic types of automotive brightwork: Chromium plated steel (most commonly bumpers, some hubcaps, even side spears on luxury cars such as Cadillac and Packard--these through the start of hostilities in Korea and the beginning of the Cold War); diecast "Zamak" (the same stuff that Hot Wheels are cast from!), rolled stainless steel, and rolled aluminum (used primarily for side trim, windshield and back window moldings) rolled aluminum being used on some cars (58 Impala and 1959-60 Chevrolet side spears come to mind here).

These all weather completely differently though!

Stainless Steel (Ford advertised this as "Rustless Steel" with their introduction of the material for radiator shells and door handles on the 1930 Model A's) carrying it forward into side trim for 1937-later, retaining chromium plating on bumpers and diecast trim (starting with the 1937 grilles and of course 1932-later door handles). Ford hubcaps from 1930 onward were stainless steel. Chrome-plated Ford bumpers would pit and rust as minute gaps in the plating (even though they used "triple plating" which was a first plating of copper, followed by a plating of nickel, followed by chromium). This plating rusted in small spots, which if left uncared for, gradually peeled the plating away into larger and larger rusty areas. The stainless steel trim simply dulled, and took on a very slight "brownish" shade, due to the nickel content of the alloy

With the start of the war in Korea in June 1950, and the subsequent realization that the US was in a "Cold War" with the former Soviet Union, military buildups placed limits on all metals, most notably chromium, which was in great demand for turbojet engine turbine blades, and as an imported metal ore (none exists in the continental US in mining quantities) became a strategic metal (was also used for plating the bores of military small arms, even machine guns!). Copper also became a strategic metal, so its use was severely rationed on the civilian market just as with chromium. This left nickel as the only base plating for bumpers and diecast, but nickel does not adhere anywhere nearly as firmly as did copper, so peeling and flaking of the chrome trim on bumpers was greatly accelerated. The same was more true with diecast parts, particularly grillework, with peeling of the plating happening often within 3-4 years, leaving large areas of grillework as exposed Zamak, which discolored quickly to a very slight brownish-yellow in color, and dull-looking. High wear parts, such as door handles were still allowed to be triple plated, and as such, exhibited none of this (also for safety, as a peeling layer of chromium is as sharp as the finest surgical scalpels. But, no rust in those parts, due to their being Zamak, not iron or steel.

With the coming of fine-mesh grilles, such as 1955-56 Chevies, 1955-56 Fords and Chryslers, stainless steel made up the grille mesh, rolled, stamped and put together in tab & slot methods, with diecast chrome-plated surrounds, but copper became more plentiful, so those parts didn't pit or peel nearly as badly as had their 1952-53 counterparts.

The stainless steel side trims as applied back then did not rust, but they dulled out, due to abrasion by careless washing and the use of rather abrasive chome polishes then in use, and dulled out considerably over time, while taking on the brownish hue associated with old stainless steel.

Beginning about 1957, anodized aluminum entered the automotive trim forays, first as grille mesh (it could be stamped and the holes punched out, eliminating the assembly of such grilles from individual bars. In 1958, Chevrolet introduced rolled aluminum side spears, again anodized. Now, aluminum can be highly polished, but needs constant attention if exposed to the elements, which on a car means road dirt, and salt. So anodizing was used to protect against that. Anodizing aluminum protects the surface from corrosion, but also dulls the metal, which when new meant that the sheen was much softer, less reflective, but still bright in silver color. Over time however, the anodized surface dulled to more whitish in character, and absorbed stains from the surrounding surfaces, notably rust (for which 50's cars were notorious!), so such staining and oxidation should be considered in weathering.

Hubcaps were all over the place: Where Ford standardized on stainless steel for hubcaps from 1930 onward, GM, Chrysler and the others retained chrome plated hubcaps though at least 1949 or so, changing to stainless steel at the onset of the Cold War and its subsequent military buildup (which rivaled, BTW, the crisis buildup of defenses which began in 1941 lasting through the middle of 1945).

So, now what about weathering? Chrome bumpers did rust, of course, and that's easily replicated. Stainless steel trim, while not rust-prone, dulled, and in the case of body side trim, got dinged and dented, so one might consider that as an option. Incidently, Bare Metal Foil, as it ages, tends to take on the hue commonly associated with stainless trim, in my experience.

Aluminum side trim, even grilles, dented and bent very easily, and was readily crushed flat if one scraped a fender into the side of the garage door opening--and that happened a lot back in the day of smaller garages built for the narrower cars of the 20's though the 40's; turned dull and whitish, taking on readily rust stains from the spring steel trim clips which held the spears on the body.

But, the heavily plated diecast door handles retained their finish for years, even decades. Of course, aftermarket side mirrors and spotlights, even aftermarket radio antenna bases pitted badly over time, their pitting resulting in small raised blisters, which are grey in color.

Art

[Austin T]

Wow Art thanks for all the info,so would I just apply the BMF and dull coat the car?