I'm looking for a source of sheet copper about .001 or .002 to plate the hull of a ship model?


Call up your local auto parts store (not the fuzzy dice dealer chains) and get a price on shim stock. You should be able to find it in just about any thickness you want, but it won't be cheap (sheet copper never is).
Another possibility: Bare Metal Foil has added copper to their line of adhesive backed foils. These foils are amazingly thin - you'll have to have the plastic/wood as smooth as you want the metal surface to be, but its probably a lot easier to work than even .001 shim stock. Look for ads for Bare Metal in your favorite hobby mag.
{Don Schmidt}
Ask your dealer to order you a sheet of Bare Metal Foil Co.'s Copper Foil. It measures 6"x12" and works wonderfully for coating the hull. (I recommend ordering one sheet (which runs $6-$8) so that you can try it before you go all the way.) It usually takes 3 to 4 sheets to cover the entire bottom.

However, I put it on my U.S.S. Constitution and it make all the difference in the world. It is "wafer" thin, so all of the surface details on the plastic show up.

BTW, if your supplier can't order it, and you can't get it through mail order, their address is:

         Bare Metal Foil, Co.        Phone: (248) 477-0813
         P.O. Box 82                 Fax: (248) 476-3343
         Farmington, MI 48332
{William Blakely}
I've used copper sheathing tape, which is extremely thin and comes in 1/4 and 5/16 inch widths. If you can't find it, Model Expo sells it in 15 ft. coils for about $5. Works fine.
{William Nichols}
Stores that deal in stained glass supplies carry a copper foil tape in various widths and thicknesses. Already has adhesive, so just cut to length, peel off the backing, and apply.
{John O. Kopf}
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