“Bare-Metal Foil Application”

(Photo by Bob Doebley)

May 1, 2005
John Goschke

Tools
• #11 Xacto knife with plenty of fresh blades
• Dividers
• Q-tip brand cotton swabs (with paper sticks)
• Straight edge
• Optivisor
• Future clear acrylic
• Appropriate reference material
• Time and a taste for tedium

Foil application is not inherently difficult, it just takes time. The typical 1950’s car takes between eight and 16 hours, assuming you’re foiling all the chrome and stainless trim, including scripts, lettering and nameplates. A detailed and meticulous foil application can go a long way to heightening the realism of your model.

Q-tip swabs can be used to make burnishing tools. Pull most of the cotton off the end to create a soft but firm tool for burnishing long moldings. Break the swab off the other end of the paper Q-tip stick and sharpen to a blunt point for use as a burnisher in tight corners and along sharp edges.

Replace blades frequently — Blade should sharp be enough to cut the foil in one pass without pressure. Let the weight of the knife do the cutting.

Burnish foil onto molding before trimming. Avoid burnishing excess foil onto adjacent body surfaces as much as possible.

Body moldings are easier if they are done in logical sections.Instead of trying to do one long piece from head to taillight, do the fender, then the door, followed by the quarter panel.

Avoid breaking pieces into too many sections — if you’re doing a drip rail and the foil tears, replace the whole piece rather than creating a break where none existed on the real vehicle. Good references give a clue as to how complex forms such as window moldings were handled on the original — replicating those sections and breaks will enhance authenticity and ease application.

When creating breaks between sections on one side of the car create a similar break on the opposite side to preserve symmetry.

Use the smallest practical piece to prevent waste and prevent excessive adhesive residue on body surfaces after trimming. Dividers come in handy when measuring lengths of moldings and areas to be covered.

On script-style emblems burnish an oversize piece of foil firmly on the piece to be foiled with a pointed burnisher. With your lightest touch and tightest control cut out the inside of letters first (i.e. the space inside an “o”) then cut around the outside of the lettering. Pull off the excess foil CAREFULLY, in pieces if necessary, to avoid dislodging the foil from the lettering. CAREFULLY re-burnish if necessary.

Small block lettering is best foiled and burnished as a group, with the excess foil removed in pieces. Larger block letters can be done separately.

Door locks escutcheons should be covered using a small circle of foil cut to size on the sheet, as it is very difficult to trim these pieces out on the car without repeatedly dislodging the foil.

Foil on small items such as lettering, door locks, windshield washer fittings, etc. can be fixed in place with an overcoat of Future applied with a fine brush.

Small, complex items like hood ornaments and vent window frames should be done in pieces to avoid wrinkled and torn foil. On compound curves smooth out wrinkles as they form, working them out in the direction of the wrinkle toward the outside edge of the foil.

When using one piece of foil to cover “A” pillars that consist of a vent window frame and windshield pillar don’t forget to cut in the door gap.

Windshield moldings with prominent molded-on windshield wipers should be foiled separately. Apply foil to the windshield molding in sections, from each “A” pillar to the outside of each wiper, with another section between the wipers. Then cover the wiper arms and blades. In cases where the molded wipers are less prominent the molding and wiper it might be possible to be cover them with one piece of foil without wrinkling, after which the knife can be run around the wiper detail to help it stand out as a separate part.

When wrapping excess foil from a window molding to the interior of the model make relief cuts where necessary to avoid wrinkling. Excess foil can be fixed in place with an overcoat of Future.

Novus plastic polish, baby oil, or even skin oil can be used to remove foil adhesive residue.

To preserve your sanity don’t try to finish foiling your model in one sitting, particularly if it’s got as many moldings and trim pieces as the average 50’s or early 60’s car. Work for an hour or two at a time, admire the result, and take a break. You deserve it!

J. Goschke
5/1/05








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