2011 car a 1959 Cadillac

[ciodude]

Very inspiring!

[dirtjoedirt]

ah8tk as I look at the different post on this site I find my self lurking more and more of your (and whodathunkits and no skills) posts Any how, I am really liking the aluminum tape on this car. How easy was it for you to cut the tape into even strips? Not so much for the bumper put for the pinstripe areas. Also, do you think the tape would lend it self to wrapping around a bumper I am going to make for a vw but? since it is not going to be a decal of a bumper I was thinking of wrapping the tape around a bumper that I would basically carve using a dremel tool. Do the different tape seams tend to blend together or would it be too obvious that I just wrapped some tape around the bumper? Thanks in advance

[ah8tk]

I am really liking the aluminum tape on this car. How easy was it for you to cut the tape into even strips? Not so much for the bumper put for the pinstripe areas.

To cut the tape in strips I use an X-acto knife (with a new or newly sharpened blade) and a steel ruler to cut the strips straight, cutting on a salvaged piece of plexiglas:



You will have to experiment I have had some luck cutting the strips from the front and sometimes better luck cutting them from the paper backing side. With a sharp knife and the ruler you can make some very narrow strips. Here is a photo showing an approximately 1/8” strip and a 1/32” strip:



The 1/32” strip tries to roll sideways when it is cut but is easily straightened by running it over the edge of a countertop (caution, this is metal and can be very sharp on the edges when applying). Here is a picture of Flo she has a lot of chrome strips along her body. After applying about an inch of the strips I usually go over them with a Q-tip to get them to lay straight, you can easily pull up small portions of the strips. If they are more than 1/4" to 1/2" wide they will not pull up easily. You can stretch the tape to guide it around corners (if stretched too far it will simply rip:

Also, do you think the tape would lend it self to wrapping around a bumper I am going to make for a vw but? since it is not going to be a decal of a bumper I was thinking of wrapping the tape around a bumper that I would basically carve using a dremel tool. Do the different tape seams tend to blend together or would it be too obvious that I just wrapped some tape around the bumper?

Here are the first and the second car I used aluminum tape for chrome bumpers on:

These first two cars may not have the best chrome bumpers on them, but I learned a lot from them. The ends are not as good as I would have liked them to be. Unless you look at them real close they look good.





Place masking tape anywhere you do not want the tape to stick to the paint.
You may have to stretch around the ends from the back and top of the bumper, I try to not overlap the edges rather I cut the tape and place one end down apply masking tape and lay the other side of the cut down and trim, then remove the masking tape and the waste piece.

Here is The King getting his chrome rear bumper applied:



And another car I built a couple of years back. I tried to stretch the chrome tape along the recess for the license plate (using a Q-tip to press it into the corners). It stretched too far and ripped (I could cut a filler piece and add it, but have not done so at this point). There are a lot of individual pieces to make the chrome front bumper on this one. There is also a fix in the corner to the drivers side of the main grill.



I think you could do a VW Bug bumper (depending on the year) fairly easily, if you wanted an earlier style (with the over-rider) you could make them from some aluminum or polished steel wire.



Just practice on some wood you cut into shape and sand smooth to see if it is something you could complete without much trouble (I would not suggest to do this on an almost complete car, as I did).

You could also try using Bare Metal Foil for the bumpers, it is what the modelers use for adding chrome to their cars. I have tried it but it is very thin and hard for this guy to get it right.

If I build the car I am planning to build it will have similar bumpers to the 68 to 73 bumpers shown above. We will see if that happens or I decide to build something else…

[whodathunkit]

Andy,
You are better at putting the aluminum tapes on bumpers then I'll ever be.
Most of the time I paint the bumpers silver on the cars I end up makeing.

I like to use a Parallel cutter for makeing the narrow strips of tape.
This tool will cut tapes into strips 1/16" to 5/8" wide.

You can also cut circles with it buy useing one blade as a pivot.

Most of the time I end up useing it to make my own narrow strips of masking tape..
It's handy for makeing the narrow tapes that will follow compound curves with out,
buckling like the wider tapes will do.

I do like how you are useing the steel ruler as a straight edge & the X-acto knife
for makeing the narrow tape strips.

I used to do the tapes in this same way intell I found a parallel knife
for makeing the narrow cut tapes.

Bumper on Herbie.. it's all wood & painted silver.

This parallel tool just might make that black pinstriping out of some black electrical tape also.

Best of luck on the 68 to 73 bumpers Andy & dirtjoedirt.
Mark

[dirtjoedirt]

Thanks for all the advice whodathunkit and ah8tk! I think I am going to look for a pair of those parallel cutters at local fabric shop. even though it will be a little harder I think I am going for the 52-67 style bumper. Not sure where I could find some aluminum wire cheap so I think I will play with the dremel over the holidays and see what I can come up with. Yup, I started early this year as I am helping my son with his bumblebee and my friend with his lightning mcqueen along with my own little two tone vee dub, I am sure I will probably have several more questions as I journey on my quest to be...the greatest.. pinewood builder... EVERRRR!!! or at least not drive my wife crazy with this hobby.

[ah8tk]

Not sure where I could find some aluminum wire cheap so I think I will play with the dremel over the holidays and see what I can come up with.

If you look here you can see where I found the aluminum wire. (it is in the part where I built the headers for the car)

Here is the text I was looking for:

I looked at a farm supply store for some aluminum 12 gauge wire and found some, but I needed to buy a quarter mile of it (really didn’t know what I would use the other 1318 feet of wire for). I went to the internet and looked up aluminum 12 gauge wire and found they use aluminum wire in jewelry (not that I ever wanted to know that). I went to a craft store and purchased 3 feet of it for about $3.

[dirtjoedirt]

I went to home depot lowes and joann fabric and none of these had parallel cutters, and michaels wanted 13 bucks for it.
any suggestions?

Andy,
You are better at putting the aluminum tapes on bumpers then I'll ever be.
Most of the time I paint the bumpers silver on the cars I end up makeing.

I like to use a Parallel cutter for makeing the narrow strips of tape.
This tool will cut tapes into strips 1/16" to 5/8" wide.

You can also cut circles with it buy useing one blade as a pivot.

Most of the time I end up useing it to make my own narrow strips of masking tape..
It's handy for makeing the narrow tapes that will follow compound curves with out,
buckling like the wider tapes will do.

I do like how you are useing the steel ruler as a straight edge & the X-acto knife
for makeing the narrow tape strips.

I used to do the tapes in this same way intell I found a parallel knife
for makeing the narrow cut tapes.

Bumper on Herbie.. it's all wood & painted silver.

This parallel tool just might make that black pinstriping out of some black electrical tape also.

Best of luck on the 68 to 73 bumpers Andy & dirtjoedirt.
Mark

[whodathunkit]

Most of the parallel cutters will run around $26.00
13 bucks sounds like a good price to pay for one if you'll be makeing your own narrow tapes alot.

Andy's way of making the narrow tapes useing a straight edge and x-acto knife on plexiglas:
works also.

The only advantage useing the parallel cutter is that you don't have to use the straight edge.
Because one blade can be used to follow the outer edge of the tape or you can just run it down the tape letting the blades cut the narrow tape however.

[dirtjoedirt]

sigh. definitely more than I want to spend. Thanks for the tips!