| This kind of work should only be undertaken by a very experienced enthusiast or a professional detailer; experienced in colour-sanding (wet-sanding), as this is more a paint renovation technique that has to be perfected. |
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The paint sections / panels that are difficult and involve risk are usually those that are close to the edges of a panel (as this is where the paint is usually thinnest) or highly contoured areas. Flat areas like the trunk, hood or roof involve minimal risk.
Wet-sanding levels the paint (and removes orange peel, harsh acidic or alkaline marks, etc) it removes approximately 0.025- 0.003 Mils (a Mil is 1/1000th of an inch) of paint from the vehicle using 2000 -grit finishing paper, Bear in mind that a clear coat has a thickness of 1.5 – 2.0 Mils, removing more that 0.3 – 0.5 Mils of clear coat may cause premature paint film failure. As a point of reference a sheet of Saran wrap measures 0.95 Mils
A digital paint thickness gauge will allow you to measure the film thickness of the paint system which includes the e-coat, primer, base coat (colour) and clear coat, total thickness is usually 4.0 – 6.0 Mils. Check the paint system both before and after wet sanding and this will tell you how much paint has been removed. |
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For these reasons all car manufacturers now specify that the paint thickness be measured in 0.1mil, or 1/1000th of an inch before and after any wet sanding or buffing. The following are the maximum allowable clear coat reductions the major USA car manufacturers will allow; Chrysler- 0.5 mils, Ford – 0.3 mils,
GM – 0.5 mils.
The Phase II PTG- 3500 digital electronic paint thickness gage is one of the leaders in coating measuring devices. Don`t let the size and simplicity fool you! This is one of the BEST paint measuring devices you will ever see, and its hundreds of dollars cheaper than other leading paint thickness measuring tools.
This gage offers extreme accuracy with an instant readout and high resolution. The digital display eliminates guesswork of other devices and its precision is second to none. The PTG-3500 is made of a durable lightweight ABS plastic housing assuring long term durability and maintenance free performance for many years. |
Here is why this tool is so good:
- The PTG-3500 will measure in both MILS and MICRONS. This is something that many other gages will not do at all, and if they do, you can`t touch them for this price.
- The PTG-3500 is pre- calibrated at the factory, as well as being able to re-calibrate with just the touch of a button.
- The PTG-3500 will measure both a ferrous (steel) and non ferrous (aluminum) surface. Many of the other devices in this category will ONLY measure a ferrous (steel) surface. Not only will it measure BOTH surfaces, it will do it without doing anything to the tool. The tool will tell you what the surface is made of!
- Large measuring range. Up to 1000 MICRONS or 40 MILS
- Extreme accuracy- accurate to a tenth (.1) of a MIL or 2 MICRONS
- Portable and lightweight- This tool fits in your pocket and measures only 5 inches high, 2.6 inches wide, and 1.1 inches thick. It weighs only 5 ounces!
- Operates on regular AAA batteries which are included and installed
There is no better gage available no matter what the price and there is no better value out there for a tool that does all this. This is the tool Trusted Detailing, LLC uses before detailing any car or vehicle.
Before quoting any price for wet sanding we'll measure your vehicles clear coat in 30 different places to determine how much sanding it requires to give it a mirror finish. |
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