“Looks like Metal Because It Is Metal”™ *BUT* Bare-Metal Foil costs around $14/sq ft. !!!
A roll of “Super Aluminum Foil” from General Dollar, a bottle of Micro Metal Foil Adhesive, plus a soft brush comes to under $1/sq ft.
As for different shading of aluminum foil try using different brands/sides: NO JOY! I suspect that the manufacturers try to get the most reflective sheen (on one side) they can to impress the buyer — the result is highly uniform. And while there’s more variation on the dull sides, it’s not much. (Helpful hint to others reading this: if you want to keep that variation, avoid polishing — I had to re-do one of the trim tabs on my NMF P-38J after over-buffing the different foils I’d carefully selected.)
When I what copper, Bare-Metal Copper Foil. When I what gold, gold-leaf.
Occasional factual, grammatical, or spelling variations are inherent to this thesis and should not be considered as defects, as they enhance the individuality and character of this document.