when refering to "Mils"

When they talk about a clear coat being 1-2 mils thick, is that Milimeters? also, has anyone here ever had the need to use a paint thickness gauge? and when is it nesscessary to use one? just wondering if I need to invest in one...thanks tm

they are also referred to as "mil gauges" i don't have any real experience with these as the cost is a little high. they do come in handy if you are wet sanding and buffing. and of course, it doesn't hurt to have one around to measure just in case. the prices have come down a little and i believe the last one i saw was at the topoftheline detail supplies. sorry i couldn't give more info on this one, but i never take the paint far enough down and if i am concerned, i reccomend the body shop. this is a problem if you get a car that has been buffed and and sanded or repainted. i did see a demo unit used by a rep. that was high dollar, but it was unable to measure the thickness on the composite panels on our pontiacs, i would assume the same holds true for the corvettes. i do know that they offer gauges that measure these panels now.

I also dont have experience with these, but have spoken to a few people that have. They are an excellent way and the only way for that matter, to measure how much clear coat or single stage base coat yo have to work with. Since the first 25% of the clear coat is where the UV blockers in the paint rise up to during the curing process, it would be a very wise thing to buy if yo uare buffing many cars in need of compounding. Look under the tech tips on Valuguard'e website, Ron has provided excellent info, since he works with the paint manufactures, on buffing. You will find all the reasons to buy a mil gauge there to help you decide. I personally, cant afford one at this point. I hope that helped

"Mills" refers to a thousandth of an INCH.



Don M
'02 Cavalier LSSC
2200 DOHC