Hi.
I've had difficulties finding lead foil locally. I've looked at craft stores without much luck. Could I find it or something similar at a hardware store? Is there a similar alternative anyone could suggest?
I was interested in using it mainly for straps and slings. Possibly some Archer flags as well.
Thanks for your advice,
Jeff
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Alternative to lead foil
thewrongguy
Joined: October 17, 2002
KitMaker: 448 posts
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:31 AM UTC
Headhunter506
Joined: December 01, 2007
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:38 AM UTC
Try a hardware store or a plumbing supply house.
Dutchy3RTR
Joined: June 28, 2009
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:55 AM UTC
Start drinking more wine - then keep the foil from the top of the bottle. 
majjanelson
Joined: December 14, 2006
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 06:17 AM UTC
Try your local Dentist.
Mine gave me a baggy of lead coverings that were from their bite-wing x-ray films. Appears to be only one thickness, but it a source.
Mine gave me a baggy of lead coverings that were from their bite-wing x-ray films. Appears to be only one thickness, but it a source.
Spuds
Joined: August 31, 2002
KitMaker: 393 posts
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 06:17 AM UTC
Right on, Ken. Dave Black (Delta 42) , in his younger days as a resteraunt manager, kept a bunch of that stuff from wine bottles and uses it, with great success, for slings, straps, uniform parts, etc. Great stuff. It's thicker than regular aluminum foil but thinner than lead foil. Works great. So does the wine.
azadro
Joined: September 24, 2007
KitMaker: 47 posts
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KitMaker: 47 posts
Armorama: 46 posts
Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 06:32 AM UTC
hey Verlinden sells the stuff .. 
mother
Joined: January 29, 2004
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 07:11 AM UTC
Well thou it's not lead foil I have used many products found around the house.
1) Is Crest Tooth Paste tube, once finished cut both ends off and wash. Down fall is it smells minty for awhile, just let it air dry out to rid the smell...works well.
2) Look at the foil from coffee/ yogurt containers and such. I drink a lot of General Foods International Coffees. The foil has the right thickness for harness.
You can find many products around that will work well enough in many thicknesses. Just wash, dry and run a light grit sandpaper over it, this will give the paint to bit onto. All of the above will bend, twist and hold shape.
Happy Modeling,
Joe
1) Is Crest Tooth Paste tube, once finished cut both ends off and wash. Down fall is it smells minty for awhile, just let it air dry out to rid the smell...works well.
2) Look at the foil from coffee/ yogurt containers and such. I drink a lot of General Foods International Coffees. The foil has the right thickness for harness.
You can find many products around that will work well enough in many thicknesses. Just wash, dry and run a light grit sandpaper over it, this will give the paint to bit onto. All of the above will bend, twist and hold shape.
Happy Modeling,
Joe
gremlinz
Joined: February 07, 2009
KitMaker: 795 posts
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 09:37 AM UTC
I use one of two things, either the foil oven trays used for baking etc from the supermarket, or if I feel I really need lead foil I go down to the local cheapo shop and buy a bunch of lead fishing sinkers and melt them down using an old melting cup I used to use for making black powder balls. I just melt them and then pour it out and let it cool. It can be kinda fragile at times but what doesn't get used just gets remelted.
lukiftian
Joined: March 12, 2010
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 10:06 AM UTC
Ask someone into stained glass. They may be able to help.
Headhunter506
Joined: December 01, 2007
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 10:06 AM UTC
Hennessey Cognac bottles are sealed with lead foil. too. if you need to thin it down, roll the smooth end of an X-acto knife handle over a section. Hic!
pseudorealityx
Joined: January 31, 2010
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 10:21 AM UTC
plastic containers of yogurt, sour cream, etc all have a foil "freshness seal".
It typically has a texture, however, you can smooth it out really easily.
It typically has a texture, however, you can smooth it out really easily.
plastickjunkie
Joined: December 31, 2009
KitMaker: 399 posts
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 10:22 AM UTC
Possibly you are not looking in the right places at the craft stores. For example, Hobby Lobby has that foil over in the jewelry making section. AC Moore has thin aluminum sheets in the glass staining and small tool area. I believe K&S makes thin aluminum sheet packets. Ditto on the wine bottle foils, I save them as much as I can.
ericadeane
Joined: October 28, 2002
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Posted: Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:23 PM UTC
... but all my wine bottles have twist off caps!
corsutton
Joined: June 17, 2005
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Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 10:02 AM UTC
I'm not sure ericadean, but I think they are talking bottles of wine, not boxes of wine! LOL
Dutchy3RTR
Joined: June 28, 2009
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Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 10:23 AM UTC
Quoted Text
... but all my wine bottles have twist off caps!
Cheapskate.
trooper82
Joined: September 11, 2005
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Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 10:28 AM UTC
Lead wire used for tieing fishing fly's can be flattened/rolled out and used, or use masking tape with the glue taken off with some enamel thinners.
Grumpyoldman
ConsigliereJoined: October 17, 2003
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Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 12:04 PM UTC
I picked up a life time supply of .006 lead foil years ago from a minning supply company.
gcdavidson
Joined: August 05, 2003
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Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 12:09 PM UTC
Micheal's craft store. In the art section. They have copper foil, lead, metal, and fine mesh. I think all on all the same shelf near the sculpting stuff.
Headhunter506
Joined: December 01, 2007
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Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 12:20 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Lead wire used for tieing fishing fly's can be flattened/rolled out and used, or use masking tape with the glue taken off with some enamel thinners.
Duct tape is good. It has cloth fibers which will stand up to repeated painting. Plus, as an added bonus, it doubles as a muting device when the better half starts ladying about all the time you're wasting making fashion accessories for plastic soldiers. Wives. You can either live with them; or, you can invest in a wood chipper.
panzerdoc
Joined: August 22, 2010
KitMaker: 147 posts
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Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 02:22 PM UTC
I use the packing material from a suture called vicryl. The foil is thinner and easier to work with than any lead sheet product.
Spiderfrommars
Joined: July 13, 2010
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Posted: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 12:10 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Is there a similar alternative anyone could suggest?
Personally i use Aluminium Foil Trays and metal tube toothpaste (or mayonnaise, sauce, ketchup...)
They are absolutely the cheapest alternatives. You can obtain a metal very thin (about 0.2 mm) and easy to bend although is enough strong
You have, before the use, just to clean the packaging and roll out carefully the tin whit a rolling pin
cheers
pigsty
Joined: January 16, 2007
KitMaker: 1,226 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 01:08 AM UTC
Many wine bottle seals are laminated with a thin layer of plastic. This makes them slightly stronger, but it's at the expense of: (i) making the foil harder to cut, (ii) making it harder to shape (it keeps trying to spring back), and (iii) leaving little ragged bits of plastic at the cut edges that you have to trim away.
Toothpaste tubes are generally plastic and hard to shape. However, one tube that does work is tomato puree. It's not quite as malleable as lead (I think it's aluminium) but it keeps its shape; it's a single layer; it's quite thin; it contains tomato puree (which is good enough to eat on its own); and it's cheap.
Toothpaste tubes are generally plastic and hard to shape. However, one tube that does work is tomato puree. It's not quite as malleable as lead (I think it's aluminium) but it keeps its shape; it's a single layer; it's quite thin; it contains tomato puree (which is good enough to eat on its own); and it's cheap.
sasman21
Joined: May 20, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 01:22 AM UTC
I use a thing called snoot foil. I use it in photography for well making snoots on my modelling lights and it is painted black so it is primed already. It is thicker than tin foil and thinner than take away food containers. I got my roll at Jessops and although it is about £30 you get 11m of the stuff 
35th-scale
Joined: November 21, 2007
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Posted: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 02:39 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextLead wire used for tieing fishing fly's can be flattened/rolled out and used, or use masking tape with the glue taken off with some enamel thinners.
Duct tape is good. It has cloth fibers which will stand up to repeated painting. Plus, as an added bonus, it doubles as a muting device when the better half starts ladying about all the time you're wasting making fashion accessories for plastic soldiers. Wives. You can either live with them; or, you can invest in a wood chipper.
Or you could treat her to l'Occitane hand & foot care products. The tupes are a nice thickness of metal foil when she's finished....
NebLWeffah
Joined: October 13, 2004
KitMaker: 1,683 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 07:42 AM UTC
I use mostly wine or cognac bottles but I've used toothpaste tubes, pie or small tart tins and yogurt lids. I save any piece of foil from around the house and I always end up finding a use for it in some project somewhere. I've never had to buy any, it always just turns up somewhere.
cheers;
Bob
cheers;
Bob
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