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If you wanted to mask off the canopy for painting, wouldn't normal tamiya masking tape be better?

1. BMF costs more and is generally used to get a metal finish on surfaces - I don't think it was designed for any masking purposes. For outlining canopy frames, sure, of course, and the color would depend on the make of the jet and how you want it to be. You could go with Chrome and buff it down with 0000 grade steel wool, or go with matt aluminum. If you want a black frame you could go with with the black one.

2. removing the BMF from the canopy would be a huuuge pain in the butt. It has a pressure sensitive (acrylic ?) adhesive that will make removing the few however many atoms thick foil a time consuming and near impossible task.

If you really want to use BMF as a mask - I don't think the color would matter too much if you paint over.

HTH

David

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I use bare metal foil occasionally to mask canopies. It's thin and conforms to compound curves. Yes, it is a bit of a fuss to remove, but not that big a deal. It is more expensive than tape, but you only need a small amount so it goes a long way. I use chrome, because I bought it for a car model. before I trim it, I go around the edges with a Sharpy marker. Then I take a Q-tip dampened with alcohol and wipe most of it off. This leaves a thin black line next to the frames to use as a cutting guide. Be sure to use a sharp knife or it will tear. It takes very little pressure. I've also used it for tricky places like the yellow strip on the leading edge of wings.

Don

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Bare Metal Foil can certainly be used as a mask. Any color will do. As stated above, it can be a bit tricky to remove, but it's not a terribly huge or complicated deal. Once removed, the BMF does leave a sticky residue on the clear plastic, which can easily be cleaned up with Novus Plastic Polish #2.

cheers

Old Blind Dog

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Thats certainly a new technique for me - thanks for clarifying! I've always thought the task would be better done by masking tape, but here's an alternative. I haven't been able to find any BMF (besides the thicker aluminum tape) here, and have ordered one sheet, so it would be somewhat of a resource to use carefully for me. Thanks for the tip!

David

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Thats certainly a new technique for me - thanks for clarifying! I've always thought the task would be better done by masking tape, but here's an alternative. I haven't been able to find any BMF (besides the thicker aluminum tape) here, and have ordered one sheet, so it would be somewhat of a resource to use carefully for me. Thanks for the tip!

David

When you get it, store it in a zip-lock bag. If you leave it out, changing humidity causes the backing to swell and shrink resulting in cracks in the fragile foil.

Don

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Still the best thing I've ever used for masking canopies is parafilm M. Still using a roll bought long ago and have to make it last. I understand it's hard to come by now that Testors no longer sells it.

John,

Micromark still sells the Parafilm M. I have a few rolls that I bought a few years ago stashed away. Since their shipping can be a little high, I keep a list that I add to from time to time, and then place an order. Hope this helps.

David

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