Paint thickness gauge.

[GeoffreyS]

Does anyone know where I can borrow or inexpensively hire a paint thickness gauge, please?  I plan to machine polish my TR6 and would love to use a paint gauge for about 10 or 15 minutes.  I’d rather not spend £100 or so on a machine that I probably won’t use again for a few years, at least.  Thank you.   I’m in SW London. 

[Motorsport Mickey]

Why not ask your local paintshop if they have a paint gauge, and if you bring the car around can they run it over your car and give you readings of paint thickness for a labour only price. Budget £50 an hour, and they'll likely take maybe 20 min to cover your car.

Then you can use your machine polisher on a well covered panel until happy with the result and then apportion the effort around panels which may not have the same covering, obviously reducing the amount of polishing so not to reduce to undercoat.

Mick Richards

[GeoffreyS]

Great thinking, Mick.  Thank you. 

[RogerH]

Hi Geoff,

you can make a rudimentary thickness gauge using a small magnet and spring balance

As the paint gets thicker its ability to hold a magnet reduces.

So using an unpainted sheet of mild steel - somehow attach the magnet to the spring balance -place the magnet on the steel and gently pull.

Read the value on the spring balance.

Repeat  this process but add a sheet of paper for each pull.  The value on the spring balance will reduce.

Plot this on a graph - paper thickness on the Y axis and pull value on the X axis.

Now try it on the car.   There will be a small variation of magnetic attraction between the car and the test plate but shouldn't make too much of a difference.

The same can be applied on Chrome with a steel base - but you will need a new test plate.

 

Roger

PS - I posted this before Mick - but I forgot to press 'send'

[GeoffreyS]

On 9/15/2021 at 8:41 PM, RogerH said:

Hi Geoff,

you can make a rudimentary thickness gauge using a small magnet and spring balance

As the paint gets thicker its ability to hold a magnet reduces.

So using an unpainted sheet of mild steel - somehow attach the magnet to the spring balance -place the magnet on the steel and gently pull.

Read the value on the spring balance.

Repeat  this process but add a sheet of paper for each pull.  The value on the spring balance will reduce.

Plot this on a graph - paper thickness on the Y axis and pull value on the X axis.

Now try it on the car.   There will be a small variation of magnetic attraction between the car and the test plate but shouldn't make too much of a difference.

The same can be applied on Chrome with a steel base - but you will need a new test plate.

 

Roger

PS - I posted this before Mick - but I forgot to press 'send'

Hello Roger,

Thank you.  That is fascinating.  Using that method would make one really in touch with one’s car.  Modern equipment is clever but the traditional techniques have the charm.
 

Thanks  

Geoff