Decades ago, I used tinfoil to mask scenery to protect it from the over-spray when using Dullcote on some things on the layout. After I completed spraying, I noticed that the aerosol caused the aluminum foil to buckle inward against the scenic details, as if they were covered with a tarp. So I got an idea to make tarps for loads in a similar way, This was the result of experimenting with tin foil.
Interesting, something I should experiment with.
I found before and after photos of a large generator load leaving GE's River Works (Lynn, MA) around 1950. It was pulled out of the building where it was built to the usual PR fanfare, sign and fresh paint very visible,. But later, when the B&M switcher took it out the plant gate, it was completely tarped.
I've never seen anyone using tinfoil that way before.
The results look excellent.
Howdy, the foil looks terrific. Thank you. I think I'll try the technique on the stacks of hides at the tannery. Have fun, mike
Quote from: friscomike on March 06, 2026, 08:15:24 AMHowdy, the foil looks terrific. Thank you. I think I'll try the technique on the stacks of hides at the tannery. Have fun, mike
Mike, When you are working with thin tin foil, work with a light touch. It tears easily. A sure way to tear and make a mess of tin foil tarp is to cut it with a hobby knife. Use scissors.
Most tin foil has a shiny and a dull side. If you drape your tarp over a load with the dull side facing outward, then it will be easier to paint later. It is critical to make sure that a foil tarp does not flop around while you are draping it down over the load. I secure tarps on loads by sticking them on the top of the load, either with double-sided tape, or with CA.
The best way to drape a foil tarp onto a load is to commence at the center of the tarp near the top of the load and work in the folds from top to bottom. Use light finger strokes to press the tarp over ridges, rivets, and other details near the top of the load.
Canvas tarps have enough bulk to create soft, rounded fold profiles. This look can be achieved by gently bending the foil down the sides of the load with a soft make-up brush. Gently hold the top of the tarp down on the load with a finger of one hand while working in the folds. Use your finger to gently flatten the folds in against the load to make the tarp look as though it is tied down. If you complete one corner or side before draping the rest of it, the tarp will tend to look asymmetrical and poorly draped.
Quote from: Rick on March 06, 2026, 07:39:40 AMI've never seen anyone using tinfoil that way before.
The results look excellent.
Rick, The next time I make one, I will use an airbrush and pull it back a bit in order to try to make it have a more textured/canvas-like look.
Quote from: jbvb on March 06, 2026, 07:21:39 AMInteresting, something I should experiment with.
I found before and after photos of a large generator load leaving GE's River Works (Lynn, MA) around 1950. It was pulled out of the building where it was built to the usual PR fanfare, sign and fresh paint very visible,. But later, when the B&M switcher took it out the plant gate, it was completely tarped.
James, I wonder what material was commonly used for large tarps in the 50s.
RiverWorks1122OverpassSS_v1.jpg
I think I'm looking at canvas in this 1957 image. Color would help but all I can go by is texture here.
It's been a while, but I don't recall seeing the cheap woven/heat sealed plastic tarps until the late 1970s, first I recall were blue.
Why wouldn't canvas be the 'materiel of choice' for covering loads? Certainly the age of sail was capable of producing large sheets of canvas.
dave
Quote from: deemery on March 06, 2026, 03:07:20 PMWhy wouldn't canvas be the 'materiel of choice' for covering loads? Certainly the age of sail was capable of producing large sheets of canvas.
IIRC most uses of canvas switched to plastic fairly quickly as the substitutes became available: I recall a circus in the 1960s with a canvas Big Top but campers weren't buying canvas tents (except military surplus) by the late 1970s. I believe sailboats switched to Dacron about the same time. I've seen canvas sails, but only on old or old-style boats with history-minded owners. You might know better, but I'd guess US armed forces used a lot of canvas in Korea, but little or none in Viet Nam.
Issues would include canvas being hard to waterproof (see stories about touching the inside of a canvas tent during a rainstorm) and rotting if left wet or poorly stored. Also, cost to weave, waterproof etc. Shipping tarps were usually one-way throwaways unless supplied by the carrier instead of the shipper.