Bare metal foil tips for the beginer

[dryvr12]

1. MAKE SURE YOU BURNISH WELL(this is important)

2. if you are substituting tin foil for bmf, thin it out (buy flattening it against a hard surface)

3. If you are substituting tin foil for bmf, i found i got better results if i sprayed the part which i was going to foil with the adhesive rather than the back of the foil itself.

4. ALWAYS have a sharp #11 blade

if anyone has any other comments or tips, feel free to add them.

Edited February 1, 2009 by dryvr12

[MrObsessive]

If the trim you're doing has faint edges (chrome trim on tailfins for instance) I strongly suggest lightly scribing these out before doing any painting.

Unless you've got a real steady hand, I wouldn't try to freehand BMF lest you have a mishap!

Another tip is to make sure your paint job underneath is squeaky clean and smooth! Nothing ruins an otherwise nice build than to see BMF which is wrinkly/crinkly around the window trim/vent windows.

BMF will NOT hide bad paint underneath.........it only magnifies it!

Yes, it's more work to rub out the paint on the trim------but the end results can't be beat.

[ismaelg]

- Don't be frugal. Be generous! If you try to save 1/32 of an inch cutting it too short you will end up throwing away 4 square inches....

- Get the enlarged combo of patience. Work slow.

[MrObsessive]

- Get the enlarged combo of patience. Work slow.

YES!

That tip alone saves much grief! The '58 Impala in my sig I remember took several days working an hour or two at a time to get the BMF done. '50's cars especially are no rush job!

[Gregg]

I agree with Bill 254.3%

Prep and polish the trim underneath the BMF to the point of it being like glass.

Tape the body/finished area surrounding the trim if you have to, and spend time perfecting it.

One good tool to use is from Mirco Mesh, their polishing swabs:

http://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?p...V&storeid=1

These are fantastic for prepping the trim areas, especially around the windshield area.

My two cents....

[93Z34]

I can say foiling is by far my most hated task when it comes to modeling. I know it's a necessary evil, but I hate it just the same. One thing I have learned is that I have better luck if I just paint the whole model and then foil the necessary areas. Trying to mask the trim areas before paint is a nightmare. I'm slowly getting batter at it though, but I find myself removing and replacing foil to try to achieve a better finish. This can get expensive quickly, that's for sure.

[James W]

Something I have always done is to mark back side of the #11 blade with a black felt pen.

It really helps to define where the tip of the blade is because the black contrasts the foil reflecting back at you.

The back of a bare blade just looks like foil.

[DR Dubois]

Something I have always done is to mark back side of the #11 blade with a black felt pen.

It really helps to define where the tip of the blade is because the black contrasts the foil reflecting back at you.

The back of a bare blade just looks like foil.

Awesome tip James!! Especially with my diminishing eye site!!!!

Edited February 2, 2009 by DR Dubois

[Olle F]

If the trim you're doing has faint edges (chrome trim on tailfins for instance) I strongly suggest lightly scribing these out before doing any painting.

Unless you've got a real steady hand, I wouldn't try to freehand BMF lest you have a mishap!

That's something I have learned the hard way, there's nothing more aggravating than cutting a long, straight piece of trim without having a good, crisp line to go by! There are other ways to make it easier as well. For long straight lines, you can use Dymo tape as a guide. If you stick it to your clothes first to make it less tacky, you'll have a nice, adhesive backed straightedge to guide the cut. Another thing I cooked up in desperation is to tape an Xacto blade to a toothpick, and adjust the width between the tip of the blade and the tip of the toothpick to be the same as the width of the trim. This works great for window trim, you just use the toothpick as a guide to get a perfectly even cut around the perimeter. It works so well that I'm thinking about getting one of these, and replace one of the blades with a piece of thin brass rod to convert it into a designated window trim tool.

[LoneWolf15]

Old Man's Two cents.....

I use surgical blades that are put out by Squadron Tools instead of the ordinary # 11 blades. They fit into the #11 knife body , all you have to do is clip the end with a pair of side cutters. Be very careful with these scapel blades , they make regular #11 blades look like butter knives when it comes to sharpness !

The blades are thinner and much sharper , giving you a clean and crisp , ultra thin edge , that requires a mere whisper touch as you draw it along the bare metal foil. As for burnishing the foil down , I use cotten swabs. The cheaper the better ! The more expensive Q - Tips work , but leave tiny strands behind that can be a pain to remove . I also tip my blades with black marker , us old guys need to see a bit better.

As Bill indicated , the cars from the ' 50 's & 60 's require quite a bit more foil , and patience , as always , is required . My approach to any of these , especially the Tri - 5 Chevys is to do the foil work in pieces , as are the chrome pieces on the 1 : 1 cars . Trying to work an entire side of a '56 Nomad with one piece of foil will have you looking for a quarter in the corner of a round padded room in no time flat ! Refrence pictures are a big help in these situations . 4 or 5 pieces of small foil are much easier to work with , it brings the frustration level down to an acceptable level.

Bare metal foiling should be practiced in steps , a novice should not be starting out with ' 59 Impala. Better to start with something simple, say a ' 69 Camaro , and work your way up . Practice will make perfect ! Above and beyond all else , patience , patience , and even more patience !

The Old Man

Lone Wolf Custom Painting