Paint thickness gauge

[mohamedmaark]

Hi guys, i have alot of questions im getting started with detailing so you guys will hear from me alot , and you guys have been very helpful so thank you! Anyways i wanted to get a paint thickness gauge because i feel like it will help me a little but the defelsko is expensive and i wanted to get something cheaper that will do the job, i found this one>>>http://www.amazon.com/PRO-Gauge-Powder-Paint-Thickness/dp/B003CHFXR8<<< i was wondering has anyone used it, have it? Is it good? and will this work on plastic bumpers like the front bumper or rear bumper? and why is the defelsko so much more expensive if this does the job?

[Stokdgs]

Don`t know about the gauge you looked at on Amazon. I am pretty sure it will not ever measure plastic or fiberglass, and it probably wont measure anything but steel.

The DeFelsko 200m (?) - the one that costs over $2000.00 will measure everything including plastic, and the most expensive model will give you a read out of each layer of material, which is very important if you are correcting a vehicle with low paint levels, or low total thickness levels.

If you are using a Rotary, then this is in my opinion, very necessary to have because a Rotary can remove a lot of material quickly depending on how it is used, pad, compound, is it wool/foam wool, how fast and how much pressure are you putting on it, etc...

If you are using a Random Orbital, then you are removing a lot less material because the machine rotates much less and is not directly powering the backing plate, like a Rotary does..

The DeFelsko costs so much ( the most expensive one, because it measures everything we see in auto Detailing, gives you a picture of each level and its thickness, and can be connected to printers, etc...

There are plenty of others, HighLine, etc., that measure total thickness on both steel and aluminium only, and a lot of people use them just to get a general idea of what is available to work with..

Just know that if you get one of these, you are only able to see Total thickness of all material on that spot, not the total thickness of the clearcoat, and then the paint, and then the primer..

Dan F

[Stokdgs]

Something else you need to know about plastic painted materials, eg., bumpers, front and rear, etc...
There is not normally a huge amount of paint on these parts, so you have to be careful about removing too much clearcoat, most of the time.

Stay away from sharp edges (always), and do not get the paint too hot, because plastic does not release heat very well, because of its composition. Too much heat can cause the paint to do weird things like swell up or even twist and absolutely ruin the paint.

You can work on them safely, just think about what you are doing and dont keep hammering on that one spot too long, so it will cool (if you got it hot), and then come back if you need to.

Tell us what you are doing to increase your knowledge besides asking questions on this forum.....

Dan F

[mohamedmaark]

Don`t know about the gauge you looked at on Amazon. I am pretty sure it will not ever measure plastic or fiberglass, and it probably wont measure anything but steel.

The DeFelsko 200m (?) - the one that costs over $2000.00 will measure everything including plastic, and the most expensive model will give you a read out of each layer of material, which is very important if you are correcting a vehicle with low paint levels, or low total thickness levels.

If you are using a Rotary, then this is in my opinion, very necessary to have because a Rotary can remove a lot of material quickly depending on how it is used, pad, compound, is it wool/foam wool, how fast and how much pressure are you putting on it, etc...

If you are using a Random Orbital, then you are removing a lot less material because the machine rotates much less and is not directly powering the backing plate, like a Rotary does..

The DeFelsko costs so much ( the most expensive one, because it measures everything we see in auto Detailing, gives you a picture of each level and its thickness, and can be connected to printers, etc...

There are plenty of others, HighLine, etc., that measure total thickness on both steel and aluminium only, and a lot of people use them just to get a general idea of what is available to work with..

Just know that if you get one of these, you are only able to see Total thickness of all material on that spot, not the total thickness of the clearcoat, and then the paint, and then the primer..

Dan F

I was referring to the Defelsko PosiTest DFT Ferrous, and the 1000$+ one is crazy!! Does any one even have that due to how expensive it is?

[Stokdgs]

Yes, a few Detailers I know have the more expensive one because it does measure plastics, etc...
If you do high end vehicles all the time, you will have that expensive gauge.. It will be way less money than having to pay to repaint a Ferrari, etc...

Dan F

[Stokdgs]

The higher end Clients with the nicer cars will like it that you are using a paint gauge on their vehicle, and you can also find out where any body work was done because the readings there will always be way higher than the surrounding panels..
Usually though, you can spot bodywork and aftermarket paintwork, unless it was done by a really good shop that actually did quality control on each job...
Dan F

[mohamedmaark]

The higher end Clients with the nicer cars will like it that you are using a paint gauge on their vehicle, and you can also find out where any body work was done because the readings there will always be way higher than the surrounding panels..
Usually though, you can spot bodywork and aftermarket paintwork, unless it was done by a really good shop that actually did quality control on each job...
Dan F

O.... intresting

[TroyScherer]

^^Dan is correct.

If you want to be able to measure paint thickness and such on all "substrates" (Metal, plastic, Carbon Fiber,) you need the expensive version of the Defelsko. Defelsko PosiTector 200 Series (Advanced)


The cheap version on Ebay may work and work well, but I would want to be able to verify the reading before trusting them. But they would be good for at least getting a general idea. I hope to some day get a Defelsko 200...

[Todd@RUPES]

I was referring to the Defelsko PosiTest DFT Ferrous, and the 1000$+ one is crazy!! Does any one even have that due to how expensive it is?

We actually sell quite a few of these.

[TroyScherer]

We actually sell quite a few of these.

Todd, Do you have an open box unit that I could use for a review???

[The Driver]

Universal site search -> Craigslist

For extremely expensive tools I go on craigslist, for everything else thats when Todd comes in

[mohamedmaark]

We actually sell quite a few of these.

Todd what paint thickness gauge do you use? or how do u determine the amount of paint im guessing a paint thickness gauge.

[Evan.J]

I would think any of these Defelsko

DeFelsko Electronic Paint Thickness Gauges

[Woob]

Highline PTG great great entryline meter. Otherwise you can go super cheap and run magnetic, at that point just get the Harbor Freight cheapie meter.