Substitution for Bare-metal foil

Can you substitute aluminum foil for bare-metal foil? No stores in my area carry bare-metal foil so all I have to use is aluminum foil.

How do you put the aluminum foil on the piece without it tearing?

I would also like to know!

and will aluminum foil be good to put behind headlights and taillights?

I wouldnt want to use aluminum foil myself as i dont think you could mold it the same or polish it like BMF.

With BMF it is so thin it doesn't really matter if you do tear it as you can lay another piece over the top and you can hardly notice it at all. Plus being so thin it is hard to *wrinkle*....if you do , its very easy to smooth back out.

My only advice would be to try doing the backs of lights and see what it turns out like with Aluminum foil.
I may be wrong though. Let us know how you get on.

To cut Bare Metal Foil you need a brand new #11 Exacto blade ,just lay the knife on top of the foil and slide to cut it,thats how thin the foil is. There is adhesive on the back of BMF. Aluminum foil is alot thicker and would not conform to curves.

Where can I purchase BMF and "Krystal Clear Glue" on the web? Thanks.

aluminum foil looks ok... heres mine..

Another alternative that would work but not produce the best results is the silver gum wrapper. you can seprate the silver part from the paper backing and the silver foil will be sticky. It can be hard to seperate though and you would need a good, new pack of gum to elimanate wrinkes in the foil. But it is a good way to practice the skills of using BMF.

Originally posted by 64 Chevy
Another alternative that would work but not produce the best results is the silver gum wrapper. you can seprate the silver part from the paper backing and the silver foil will be sticky. It can be hard to seperate though and you would need a good, new pack of gum to elimanate wrinkes in the foil. But it is a good way to practice the skills of using BMF.

I've heard people using Hershey chocolate wrapper too in the same way.

Another alternative I have heard is to purchase cheap Dollar store foil and 3M Sprayable Adhesive. Dollar store foil is generally very thin and 'crappy' for cooking, but thinner than quality aluminum foil. Spray the adhesive on, then use as desired. :)

also aluminum "tape" has a MUCH stronger adhesive and you would risk pulling off some paint when u go to remove the excess.

What about alcad chrome paint, I've heard it's practically like chrome.

Or try those paints at hardware stores trust me the spray cans that have chrom caps are also close to chrome, not as close as alcad but if you can't find anything else go with that. Or you can try duplicolor chrome. :)

Testor Model Master's chrome does a decent job for the bracket. It's not as convincing as BMF, when used for the bumper and exterior trim, but it's acceptable for the lights.

alclad2 chrome works well. looks better if you have a big job to do. but if you want to do headlight recess's its so much easier to use bmf. I hear ppl sayin they cant get it in there arear so why not get it online? http://www.plastic-models.com has it i think.

Originally posted by hirofkd
Testor Model Master's chrome does a decent job for the bracket. It's not as convincing as BMF, when used for the bumper and exterior trim, but it's acceptable for the lights.

I agree, Model Masters Chrome Silver rocks! Never quite 'dries' though, always stays kind of sticky.

Originally posted by irupp33
alclad2 chrome works well. looks better if you have a big job to do. but if you want to do headlight recess's its so much easier to use bmf. I hear ppl sayin they cant get it in there arear so why not get it online? http://www.plastic-models.com has it i think.

Is alcad II brush-on-able...or is it only used in an airbrush?

Originally posted by RyanGiorgio


Is alcad II brush-on-able...or is it only used in an airbrush?

Airbrush only...haven't tried without one, though I think Veyron says if you brush it on thick and heavy and quick, it'll look alright on small parts.

ive always herd that it'll dry on the brush before you even apply it! i guess you could dip parts in it though.