Paint Thickness Gauge Needed?

Jakerooni said:
If you've been at this for years. And you still can't tell the difference between a panel that can be and a panel that can't be corrected just by looking at it you obviously didn't learn proper methods and need to go back to the basics. Like barry said it's a good beginners tool. It does make you "Look" more professional when dealing with higher end clients. But by and by it's not needed. it's just an extra back up tool to have. If your a true paint correction professional your eye's really should be all that is ever needed.
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Wow Jakerooni...You must be a true master craftsman or just full of it. :think:



How in Gods name can you tell how thick or thin the paint/clear is on a panel without a PTG?



I have seen thin spots on an older black SS ferrari. But basecoat/clearcoat is a different story.



Please teach us all the basics. :har:
 
gmblack3a said:
Wow Jakerooni...You must be a true master craftsman or just full of it. :think:



How in Gods name can you tell how thick or thin the paint/clear is on a panel without a PTG?



I have seen thin spots on an older black SS ferrari. But basecoat/clearcoat is a different story.



Please teach us all the basics. :har:
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I like to know as well............... as Bryan said single stage yes, a modern THIN water based paint no............ on a metallic right before strike through you can roll the clear but a guage even if it only records total thickness of the primer, base coat and clear will give you the "danger Will Robinson" warning and of course makes you look like a pro instead of a a**hat in front of a client expecting you to know what you are doing.
 
bufferbarry said:
yakky, can I tell how much clear is left by a digital number? NO. Can I tell when its time to back off the paint? YES. Ok now onto these so called paint meters. First there design for this business was for dealers who don't have time to check cars while running threw an auction. It was designed to give a general idea of what was painted. Now adventually they got introduced to a other areas of the automotive field. Detailers and Body Shops. NOw I'm gonna exclude a body shop here. Now onto us the DETAILERS. These meters can be good to tell you how much clear your removing in a digital number. Which can help the average joe. As a professional. Now I have no document saying Barry's a pro. I consider myself to be a professional at this stuff. If you disagree with that. Thats your choice. Now If your eye has been trained the way my has over the years you would understand where I'm coming from. I see you said you were a novice at this. Thats great. NOw keep in mind I have litterly corrected paint on thousands of cars over the years. I'm not talking 1 or 2 Im talking in the ranges of ten thousand. I'm not talking out my butt either. Thats is a serious qoute.

Before the meters were in this business it was all eye hand and feel. You can tell a panel has been painted or so called thin numerous ways. You can tell from texture of the panel. Thats the biggest. You can also tell thin spots by dullness in the paint. A spot with less clear will have a duller look. With many more ways I'm not gonna get into. truthfully to some it up. I think they are a waste of money. thats just how I feel. For those who do use them thats great. Its another tool. For me I have one but its more of a dust magnet then nxt. lol
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I don't think I need to bryan. Barry explained it all in very basic simple to read plain english right here. How did you ever correct paint before a PMG? I mean they are relatively new to the business. But yet paint SS and BC/CC have been corrected to perfection without the use of this tool for many decades before.. How was this ever possible?? How did anyone EVER do it??? please explain how you guys did it before crutch tools were invented to hold your hand? Sorry if that's harsh but it's exactly the point. We've all been doing this for a lot of years now. Saying it can't be done without some stupid tool that is by far and far new to the business is just plain stupid. You guys all did it before and I'm sure you guys all did it very well before. If you couldn't polish paint without burning through it before you purchased a paint meter then tell me again why on earth are you in this business?
 
Auto Concierge said:
I like to know as well............... as Bryan said single stage yes, a modern THIN water based paint no............ on a metallic right before strike through you can roll the clear but a guage even if it only records total thickness of the primer, base coat and clear will give you the "danger Will Robinson" warning and of course makes you look like a pro instead of a a**hat in front of a client expecting you to know what you are doing.
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Bob, We will never get a straight answer out of some on this forum. One detailer here gives his side of the story with respect to other detailers, the other one must bash those who don't do it his way. Then he relies on other detailers to speak for him due his own inadequacies. This is the same detailer who can do full corrections in 4-5 hours and claims others are ripping clients off if they take longer. Sounds like its time to add someone to my ignore list. :wavey
 
I'm not taking sides here, but I can see what Auto Concierge & gmblack3a are getting at. I too am in the market for a guage. I believe DaveKG did and excellent write up on defect removal not too long ago. He used a PTG during the entire process and as a result yielded an awesome demo on how a PTG can be used as a danger zone indicator. A good bonus article within an article.
 
Bryan I will be in your neck of the woods so to speak soon enough. I would be more than happy to sit with you in a few details... I think I could learn alot from your methods... But like me and todd came to the understanding that I could very easily teach you a lot as well. And I still think a PTG is a good tool to have. I'm pretty sure I clearly stated that in my first post. But I honestly don't think it's a nesseciety by any means to do a proper and correct detail. I think it's a added tool. Nothing more. I have never came across any paint that I've ever needed to know the microns on before I corrected it. Could it be useful info? Sure I think it would be neat to see. But is not knowing going to stop me from doing a proper correction? Hasn't in over 15 years now. Don't see why it would ****t now. And for the record it was Barry that called it a useless tool for a professional. But I didn't want to see him get plowed out here. Seems like he has a decent enough following and it probably wouldn't have mattered. But I see things his way in this. To me it's a cool tool but nothing one absoultly *NEEDS* to do a proper detail. Sorry you're so blinded by hatered or whatever to see that point.
 
I certainly respect the pro's that say they can look at a surface and tell, I'm not doubting the fact that there are a few individuals that can, but a calibrated instrument that takes before and after readings seems to be a safer approach to me.



Also when I get down to 80 microns and still need a polish, guess where I'm going :D
 
bufferbarry said:
I think this thread is a little out of control. I'm gonna leave it.
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Ditto. But it's nice to hear that some very experienced pros find the ETG as helpful as I do. On the rare occasions that I use it, I'd hate to be without it.
 
Accumulator said:
Ditto. But it's nice to hear that some very experienced pros find the ETG as helpful as I do. On the rare occasions that I use it, I'd hate to be without it.
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Just like everything else, there are pros who shun technology, and pros who embrace technology. There is no right or wrong on something like that. Whatever floats their boats, you know.



I know a few authors who still refuses to embrace computers. They still use type-writers !! :rolleyes: Hey ..... as long as they produce the novels in the end.
 
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