Knowing When to Stop Polishing - Thin Paint!

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imported_Luster

New member
As most of you know, I polish a lot of old cars. Corvettes, classics, muscle cars.

One area that is always risky.... Am I going to go through the paint or clearcoat???:scared:

I've learned to err on the side of caution with these older vehicles. I will usually tell the owner.."It may not be PERFECT when I finish, but it will look good and I won't go through your paint!!!"

I will usually "wipe and inspect" frequently if I suspect the paint is thin. I did a '64 Corvette recently and noticed that the clearcoat on the hood was getting extremely thin! I stopped polishing immediately on that part of the car and slapped on 2 coats of Blackfire WD!:D

What's your experience with "knowing when to quit"?
 
This is a great subject to bring up! Right now since I dont have my PC yet I cater more to the clean up of soccer mom cars and such. However, a huge part of the car community down here is old muscle cars, talked to a few owners of them and have them interested when I can get the right supplies.

I know some people use some paint depth gauges but some of them can get pretty pricey! So this will really help me out! Hopefully someone better can help ;)
 
John M. said:
I know some people use some paint depth gauges but some of them can get pretty pricey! So this will really help me out! Hopefully someone better can help ;)
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I know paint thickness guages are great, but for fiberglass or "composite" cars, they don't work, unless you want to spent $3,000-4,000!!!
 
$3,000!!!!!!! :scared:

I think Ill stick with trusting myself and my eyes :) You may need a little help when you eyes start going bad with age :D
 
John M. said:
$3,000!!!!!!! :scared:

I think Ill stick with trusting myself and my eyes :) You may need a little help when you eyes start going bad with age :D
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Yeah, you can get a PTG for metal cars for around $200-300.. pretty good one!

For fiberglass, they are very proud of them!!! Like everything else for a Corvette!!!
 
My next mahor purchase will be a PTG but that's been on my list for about a year! They are expensive but seeing their application here and on other forums I'm convinced one would help with exactly this question.

I've been eyeballin' paint condition but for me it's extremely difficult to estimate the thickness of what you're working on. I'm like you Bill - i.e. err on the side of caution and either lighten up on the agression scale or stop and glaze/gloss/LSP. I'm also interested in hearing from some of the pro's for maybe tips on what to look for. I've been fortunate up to this point and haven't run down through the paint.
 
John M. said:
$3,000!!!!!!! :scared:

I think Ill stick with trusting myself and my eyes :) You may need a little help when you eyes start going bad with age :D
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Even when I was young judging the removal of 0. 1 Mil (3? (Microns)) from a paint surface was well beyond my capabilities. Now it?s hard enough just to see the side of a car ;)
 
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