Thickness guage

[AndrewR/T]

Looking for something cheap to just mess around with. My truck has been repainted though so what's a good guage that will tell me how thick the clear is on top? I'm guessing this one won't work...

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/progauge-magnetic-paint-thickness-gauge-p-10805.aspx

[Mike Pennington]

Re: Thickness guage

The gauges that measure only "top coat" are very very very expensive.

The gauges that we recommend for paint correction are the digital ones since you need to be very very accurate. We're talking tenths of a mil.

Gauges like that are used to determine out much total material is being removed...

Before Repair = X

After Repair = X
_______________
Diff = total "top coat" removed...


That said, the above gauge would not be a good choice for determining top coat film build or paint correction measurments...

[AndrewR/T]

Re: Thickness guage

Dang I was hoping to get by cheap lol Probably start investing in one.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Thickness guage

The gauges that measure only "top coat" are very very very expensive.

The gauges that we recommend for paint correction are the digital ones since you need to be very very accurate. We're talking tenths of a mil.

Gauges like that are used to determine out much total material is being removed...

Before Repair = X

After Repair = X
_______________
Diff = total "top coat" removed...


That said, the above gauge would not be a good choice for determining top coat film build or paint correction measurments...

The only one I am aware of that can measure the various layers is the Delfesko Positector 200 which is for measuring layers on non-metal surfaces. Even so, it is extremely expensive!

Tim

[Mary S]

Re: Thickness guage

Looking for something cheap to just mess around with. My truck has been repainted though so what's a good guage that will tell me how thick the clear is on top? I'm guessing this one won't work...

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/prog...e-p-10805.aspx

Same one for less. If all you need to do is find out (on a rough scale) if a part has been repainted, or if there has been body work, this would probably be accurate enough.

As has been pointed out, for the purpose of measuring how much clear coat a process is removing from factory clear coat, it wouldn't be accurate enough.

But the good news is, you say your car has been repainted. This means, as I understand, that your car should have enough clear coat for you to do whatever you need to do, remove orange peel or defects or whatever. It is only the factory clear coats where you need to be careful trying to wet sand to remove orange peel because these clear coats are very thin. As I understand, and someone correct me if I am wrong, a repainted car you can pretty much do whatever buffing or wet sanding you need to do.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Thickness guage

Same one for less. If all you need to do is find out (on a rough scale) if a part has been repainted, or if there has been body work, this would probably be accurate enough.

As has been pointed out, for the purpose of measuring how much clear coat a process is removing from factory clear coat, it wouldn't be accurate enough.

But the good news is, you say your car has been repainted. This means, as I understand, that your car should have enough clear coat for you to do whatever you need to do, remove orange peel or defects or whatever. It is only the factory clear coats where you need to be careful trying to wet sand to remove orange peel because these clear coats are very thin. As I understand, and someone correct me if I am wrong, a repainted car you can pretty much do whatever buffing or wet sanding you need to do.

Hey Mary,

Not exactly. Generally you need to tell the painter that you are planning to wet sand and buff the paint. They way, he/she will lay enough clear so that it can be rubbed out perfectly flat. Many body shops use the bare minimum of clear in order to keep costs down. Moreover, depending on that person's skill along with the contour of the vehicle, some areas may have more or far less film build. Hence, multiple readings must be taken all over the vehicle. Then a test spot must be done and measured with before and after measurements. Some paints are very hard and can take considerable buffing while others can be incredibly soft and a simple buffing can remove large amounts of clear.

Delfesko makes a smaller PTG that works very well and is very accurate. But as mentioned, in this case you do have to spend in the $500-700 range for a decent gauge.

Tim

[Mary S]

Re: Thickness guage

Thanks, Tim.

What do you think of this one? It measures to within 0.1 mil, which I think is as good as you can find.

http://www.highlinemeter.com/

[Mary S]

Re: Thickness guage

This link has the comparison chart of Highline Meter with other meters

[Mary S]

Re: Thickness guage

Sorry for my 3 posts in a row.

I was just googling on what people had written about the Highline and found this interesting quote:

"The highline meters are very accurate and are a budget paint thickness gauge that gets the job done on all metals (without calibration every time you switch). If you want to see how thick the clear coat is then just check under the hood where there isn't any clear coat. then check a surface with clear coat, and then the difference is roughly the thickness of clear coat only."


So of course I ran out to my car and looked under my hood. The paint does look a lot more dull there. I guess you would have to test it in several places to see if this really gives an accurate reading of what your non-clear paint layer is, but it is an interesting theory anyway.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Thickness guage

Thanks, Tim.

What do you think of this one? It measures to within 0.1 mil, which I think is as good as you can find.

http://www.highlinemeter.com/

Hi Mary,

I have seen that meter (or a clone of it) before, but have no experience with it and as such can not say if it is any good or not. One of the problems with cheaper meters is their lack of consistency. When it comes to measuring paint, having a consistent meter is extremely important. With the meter you sourced, like I said, I have no idea if it is any good or not. I would search the detailing sites and ask people that actually have and use one for their assessment of it. Any comparison charts etc I always take with a grain of salt. Generally, this is one of those times that you usually get what you pay for....

As for measuring the paint under the hood, again, I am not sure if that would be an accurate way to go or not. It depends whether or not a full primer and base coat was used on the underside and whether or not all manufacturers use the same painting procedures. That is what makes wet sanding so tricky as one can still have all of the measurements and still because of discrepancies, sand through to the base coat. One must be very careful as a mistake can be very expensive...

Cheers!

Tim

[Mary S]

Re: Thickness guage

Thanks, Tim!

Personally, I'd be a happy camper if they would rent those gadgets at the local rental centers.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Thickness guage

Thanks, Tim!

Personally, I'd be a happy camper if they would rent those gadgets at the local rental centers.

You are very welcome!

You know, with the availablility of electronic devices in today's digital era, you would think they should be able to produce a good PTG at a good price. Heck we have iTouch players that do every thing but make toast!

Tim