Paint thickness gauge required?

[VonLego]

I want to know how to use a rotary well enough to use on anyone's car without fear by next summer, and plan to somehow acquire a Makita 9227. Only think I'm really concerned about is the pricing... Pricing is going to be rough if I start buying new pads and such...

What about the paint thickness gauge? I see these crop up all the time, but they're quite expensive and do not work on plastic.

Is it possible to confidently use a rotary with out using one of these? To me it seems impossible-- eventually you'll run into some thin paint and burn through it quickly with an aggressive compound. What about plastic bumpers and such? Tad lost here, guide me!

[VonLego]

Re: Paint thickness gauge required?

bump

[PorscheGuy997]

Re: Paint thickness gauge required?

I don't have a thickness gauge and there are many others that don't have one, either.

If we are just talking about polishing a car with a rotary: is it necessary, no. It would really help if you are wetsanding a car, it would help.

Joe did a thread a while back about how much paint you are actaully removing. That should give you an idea.

When rotary polishing, you have to play it smart. Don't stay in one spot for a long time (depends more on the pad). Don't use excessive pressure. Don't tilt it on edge. Make sure you watch where you polish - again, don't spend too much time in one area.

It's always a good idea to take a walk around the car to inspect for signs the car has been buffed before. For example, I detailed a silver '03 Taurus that had this funny darker grey spot in the center of the hood near the wipers. Sure enough, someone had polished and struck through.

If you happen to run into a car with thin paint, explain it to the customer and go extremely mild. I had a Guards Red '86 951 with some white lines near an edge above the door. Yes, the single stage paint is gone and the primer is showing. So, I polished the car using M03 and a finishing pad with the rotary.

Plastic bumpers seem to retain heat better, so you can't polish an area as long. In these cases, watch your pressure and check your work after a few passes.

When it comes to pads, I prefer the Solo wool, W8207 polishing (or W8006), and the W9207 finishing. Almost 90% of the time, I'll start with a polishing pad. It's versatile enough that I can remove the swirls and still leave a very nice finish (some paints may require you to switch to a finishing or to the PC).

Some have said that the cutting pads offer the best chance for burning through. While this is true, I don't have a car to test it out on.

[VonLego]

Re: Paint thickness gauge required?

Chris, what do you think about the large pads? How much time could potentially be saved? 10 minutes? 30?

Also sent you a PM.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: Paint thickness gauge required?

A paint thickness gauge is mostly used for wet or color sanding, not rotary buffing.

[Pocket_Aces]

Re: Paint thickness gauge required?

I could be way off but unless you are sanding with 1500 grit or rougher you have to do quite a bit of sanding to blow by the clearcoat. I have seen really deep scratches removed by sanding without going through clear. So unless you plan to do alot of sanding I don't think you need a gage.

[jjbleds]

Re: Paint thickness gauge required?

I recently bought one but not because I dont trust myself with the rotary. I dont trust people. "No never detailed before" "No repaints" "Never had a scratch removed" "This IS the original color" I also understand that some people have no history on the car. At least I have some idea with the PTG.

[Cosmin]

Re: Paint thickness gauge required?

i got one too , ptg is good to give an idea what u deal with, for example my car : the trunk was repainted and maybe patch too , but looks brand new , no gaps ,no extreme orange peel , same color, was like an oem . second i found out the roof is thin , so if i buff i may use fillers on roof and some finish pad with 205, just light.
paint gauge is a cheap insurance, a panel repaint is a little more than a gauge even double than a gauge so why to take the risk.
tools make difference! in every job u do. and don`t work blind.

easy and simple , u take a measure from inside of door and find out what`s the min paint with clear coat , messure around the car and made differance between around the car and inside and have an idea how much clear coat u have , where was body work or respray , where are thin spots or previews buffing /scratch removal. is like a map.