Not Quite OT - Partially Aluminized Mylar Sheeting

Try?

If I may hitch hike on your thread, Joe? I'm looking for a similar film - but much thicker. Something like X-ray negative stiffness. This is intended as a smooth surface for glass and carbon fiber layups.

Reflective window tinting film. Just about any glass shop, tinting shop or even Lowes/Home Depots will have it on hand.

Mylar drafting film. Single matte has one side textured for drawing, the other is glossy. It's available in different thicknesses. Photo film backing is Mylar (polyester film).

I think that model makers use 0.014" Mylar for that purpose. I've never tried it, but some model magazine I read a few years ago mentioned it. The thickness stuck in my memory for some reason. It probably displaced something important in doing so. d8-)

You can buy it at good craft/drafting suppliers.

Another form is plastic shim stock, which comes in a wider variety of thicknesses in rolls and small sheets. Both polyester (Mylar) and PETG are available from McMaster.

Don't know how thick it is, I've used similar stuff for wing covering on models, once glued in place, it can be tightened with a heat gun. No dope needed! Comes on a roll.

Stan

I'll have to remember that one. I was surprised that the thickness quoted was so...ah, thick. That's good for maintaining curves and flatness but it sounds pretty thick to work around a model airplane wing.

Anyway, that was just a remark I saw in an article, not a description of how to use it. And using it as a parting layer on FRP is quite a bit different from what you're doing with it.

True, but it's made to be adhered to the glass. I don't need the adhesive properties. I just want to attach it to the sash frame (or to the door face using small magnets) for easy removal in the fall.. And it's gotta be CHEEP! (like me)

Joe

the adhesive is only active after you pull off a protective sheet of mylar and wet that surface. if you don't pull the protective sheet, it doesn't stick to anything.

Is that stuff Mylar (PET)? I didn't know it could be made to shrink that much. We make PET film where I work, and we do test it for shrinkage as a quality check; it doesn't change its dimensions by much. Maybe if you stretch it (under heat) but don't allow it to recrystallize, it might shrink back to the original size?

A friend of mine gave me some of that heat-shrink film a few years ago; it was orange in color and worked great for my purposes. Now that I've used the 3M window insulating film kits on the windows of the old part of my house, it reminds me of the model-builder's stuff; you even use a heat gun (OK, hair dryer) to shrink it, thus removing the wrinkles.

We used to make X-ray film base years ago, but everyone's gone to the digital sensors, so the market has all but dried up. I think Agfa is the only supplier left.

There is a re-work supplier near here called Interfilm. They do PET, along with other films. Don't know what their minimums are, though.

On 3/10/2010 2:53 PM, Joe wrote: I don't need the

I don't know how cheap it is, but these folks:

Kevin Gallimore

Now that you mentioned that, I just remembered that I have a piece left over from the front door!

Yea!

Joe wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

The "adhesion" is by vacuum: you dampen the glass, press the film firmly against it, and squeegee out the bubbles.

You can use painters' tape or drafting tape (masking/duct tape has too sticky a glue) to attach to a frame.

Another alternative might be the removable type of dark window tinting that sticks by electrostatic "cling" if you're not "hooked" on the silvery appearance...

maybe on some, but i can tell you from experience removing some that there's some adhesive involved.

"chaniarts" wrote in news:hnb772$jp7$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

What you've experienced is the separation of the coating from the film.

You didn't soak the stuff off (score then apply soap film) before you peeled it away from the glass.

No adhesive is required to make the film stick - just water aka diHydrogen Monoxide. (MSDS @ )

Since the OP has no intention of applying the film to the glass - he wants to tape/pin it to the window casing - it makes no difference whether or not an adhesive is used nor whether any form of adhesion is involved.

I tend to agree with chaniarts, in that some of the film I've seen/used does seem to have an adhesive. The stuff I put on my car does, for sure. I even had to peel off a backing film before applying it, although there was no detectable 'tack' to that surface before the application, which involved wetting it, then squeegeeing it in place.

The only problem with the adhering stuff is that it costs too much for my purposes (I did allude to the fact that I'm a cheap bastard). The "gardeners" stuff is 100% reflective, which also means it will not pass any light, so is not suitable for my needs.

The "space blankets" I have been using are about 52" x 64", and can be had for around a buck each online. If it weren't for the creases, they would be ideal. Barring any more leads, though, it looks like that is what I'll be using again this summer. Even with low-E windows, the additional shading makes a huge difference in my cooling costs.

Joe

strange. i didn't see you there when i applied it, nor when i was trying to get it off 15 years later after it had faded to a light purple and was massively bubbled.

also strange: if you google it

in getting it off, i tried water, soapy water, ammonia, lacquer thinner, and acetone. it wasn't until i broke down and bought the stuff they sell in auto stores for removal did the film adhesive come off.

Any of the films sold for vehicle use have adhesive on them. The older ones used a REALLY nasty adhesive. Tint shops have the removal spray OR you can do it the hard way, Razor scraper and LOT'S of blades...

The newest films sold are MUCH thinner than the old stuff. Plus they have better dyes that hold color better. The only real problem with the thinner film is that using heat to stretch it to match curves is a bit more difficult as it does tear easier.