"Bare Metal Foil...you're not fired anymore!"

[Zoom Zoom]

I just got so annoyed with their "new & improved" chrome foil that I rolled it up in a ball & threw it away :mad:

A once perfect product is no longer of use to me.

They had a problem in recent years with the foil cracking on the sheets before use, and the adhesive losing strength on the sheet over time.

So BMF completely over-reacted; the new foil is thicker & probably less prone to cracking. It's also completely lost that slight flexibility that made it so useful before. The new adhesive is almost too strong, and leaves residue on the model in areas where it's removed. The adhesive is also applied by a roller. You can see the pattern in the foil on the sheet. That pattern looks like orange peel. You will never be able to buff that pattern out of your foil. You can apply this garbage to a smooth surface & it will look like it was applied over paint that was not polished out. Not only that, but the foil itself seems to have a clearcoat or something as it is resistant to buffing out.

The new thick BMF is completely resistant to trimming in thin, precise pieces. I tried three different brands of new #11 blades, they all tear the foil when I'm trying to cut it from the sheet.

I tried. I really did. This stuff just doesn't work anymore. Bare Metal Foil, you are fired! :mad:

While it is not as good as original BMF, the latest batch of Kroger kitchen foil I got is thinner than before, I used Microscale foil adhesive & made a new batch and it's okay...still wants to tear, but only about 10% as bad as the BMF...I guess this is what it has come down to, making my own foil because the stuff that I used for nearly 30 years is no good anymore.

Basically a sad & very frustrating day at the workbench :mad::(

Update 3/17/2010: I got a fresh sheet after being informed they had again revised the formula. The new stuff is what the old stuff should have been.

[Eric Cole]

Interesting. I also have some of the new BMF and although it is thicker and does seem to have some sort of clear on top of it I haven't noticed any of the other problems. No issues with flexibility or strectching a little bit to get around or into convex curves and no issues with buffing it out to a "chromier" reflection.

Having said this I still don't like it as well as the old stuff but for me it's due to the thickness and clear coat (or whatever it is). Still makes a great masking material for me.

[Zoom Zoom]

I got a fresh sheet of Bare Metal Foil from Scale Dreams at the Birmingham show; I had been told that they had revised the formula yet again. The packaging still says "New Improved Chrome" but I could see the foil itself looked different.

I tested it today, and it seems they have indeed made it back into a decent product. It trimmed w/o tearing, it conformed around minor curves, it had no "orange peel" effect from the adhesive, and it buffed out as it should. This is exactly what needed to happen, and as long as it has a good shelf life without cracking, it's again recommended :cool:

[BRE350Z]

Great news, maybe I'll finish the 64 Fairlane - finally.

[BobC]

I got a fresh sheet of Bare Metal Foil from Scale Dreams at the Birmingham show; I had been told that they had revised the formula yet again. The packaging still says "New Improved Chrome" but I could see the foil itself looked different.

I tested it today, and it seems they have indeed made it back into a decent product. It trimmed w/o tearing, it conformed around minor curves, it had no "orange peel" effect from the adhesive, and it buffed out as it should. This is exactly what needed to happen, and as long as it has a good shelf life without cracking, it's again recommended :cool:

How do you tell if you're buying the "really new & improved"? I'm not sure that I could recognize the difference.

[Zoom Zoom]

How do you tell if you're buying the "really new & improved"? I'm not sure that I could recognize the difference.

I have no idea; the packaging is identical. Look through the window; the bad stuff looked more like the old "bright chrome" with an artificial shininess & definitely showed "orange peel"; the new-new stuff is less bright and looks pretty smooth, like the old "good" stuff. I would suggest buying it from a vendor that knows it's fresh, or directly from Bare Metal Foil. Rick/Scale Dreams had just gotten it within the past month, after I had heard about the reformulation, and he had to wait to get it from them, so I was pretty sure it was as fresh as possible. If in doubt, he'll have it if you mail order from him. BMF's shipping charge is insane.

[BRE350Z]

Bob, thanks for insight.

Wayne