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measuring film thickness

9/14/17       
Kevin Jenness

How many of you use a wet film thickness gauge on a regular basis? How many have and use a dry film thickness gauge? And how many have had problems with CV that may have been due to film thickness?

I ask because of a post on Sawmill Creek, primarily a hobbyist forum, asking for recommendations for a dry film gauge. I replied that I had never seen one in the small shops around here and that most finishers judged dry film thickness by eyeballing, solids content and # of coats, but it made me wonder what the general practice is among this group.

9/14/17       #2: measuring film thickness ...
Leo G

The only non destructive dry film mill gauge is an acoustic one. All materials have a resonate frequency and it's based on this that it can measure the thickness of one material on top of a dissimilar material.

Then there is always the destructive method where you cut the pc that is painted and view it under a calibrated microscope.

9/14/17       #3: measuring film thickness ...
Leo G

Like these.

Ultrasonic Measuring Gauge

9/14/17       #4: measuring film thickness ...
Rick Mosher

Wet film thickness is extremely important in automated finish lines where you want to maintain a consistent finish using multiple guns. It is also very important in finishes like conversion varnish where you can have catastrophic failure of the finish if you apply too much.

The wet film thickness gauges come in two types, combs and wheels. The wheels are the most accurate.

Just spray a test panel with the number of passes you normally spray and then check the WFT. You do have to be careful to spray the same amount on vertical surfaces as horizontal surfaces or you defeat the purpose.

Once you have the WFT it is a simple formula based on the % solids and amount of thinner to calculate the DFT.

Once you have the numbers as long as you use the same tip size and reduction you don't have to measure everything you spray. Just be consistent in your technique.

As far as failed conversion varnish finish, just Google it and you will see it is not a myth. CV can fail for many reasons, too much finish, too much or wrong catalyst and cold temperatures during spraying or anytime within 48 hours of spraying.

How to Measure Wet Film Thickness

9/15/17       #5: measuring film thickness ...
Shane

I manage a finish dept. for a custom millwork company. I use an array of test tools on a fairly regular basis to test things. I have a UV roll coat line and some other specialized goodies so my normal test tools are UV light puck, calibrated hatch test set with the approved tape, calibrated 3 angle sheen meter, nice set of wet film gauges and ultrasound type dry film thickness meter... I monitor most of the dry film stuff when we are doing full fill type jobs... mainly because it makes me nervous with all that coating waiting to crack on a full fill job, but the company just loves to say yes.. so I document and take pictures to CYA just in case I have to pull a "I told you so" if we have a warranty issue / finish failure. I also keep a handy 300X pocket microscope around to check out finish defects.. amazing what that little guy will tell you whats going on with a coating problem sometimes.


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