"paint" thickness tester?

[BobHaskell]

Just wondering how well the paint thickness testers work in detecting the amount of body filler under the paint. Any recommended units? Something between the professional and HF.

 

[equiprx]

There are high tech units you can buy for $$$$$$.
Most non-pros use a magnet with a protective coating and can estimate bondo with it.
You can compare strength with a known un-bondoed area.
Only the high end painters use the expensive instruments.

 

[DrEntropy]

With practice/experience a tapping with a fingernail works for finding filler, too.

 

[Roger]

A monstrously dishonest repair man told me he had done that on the body of my Lotus Europa!
The magnetic test, that is.

 

[equiprx]

A monstrously dishonest repair man told me he had done that on the body of my Lotus Europa!
The magnetic test, that is.

Same one for the Corvette?

 

[JPSmit]

certainly amazon has a range of price points and technologies. I suppose the reviews could help?

 

[BigGreen]

Expensive versions can find different layers, the normal ones only the total thickness (from metal up)
I use a Paintdetective when polishing with the machine

Ideal would be having a new paintjob and the painter using it between layers
That would be the only way to know the thickness of the outer layer.

The cheaper Amazon stuff is as usefull as a magnet covered in clingfilm

 

[LarryK]

Eastwood used to have a decent one.

 

[BobHaskell]

Would have thought so to, but looked on Eastwood's site yesterday and didn't see one. I guess what I was asking about was more of a body filler detector/gauge, rather than a paint thickness gauge.

 

[DrEntropy]

For a magnet to find filler, a weaker one like the sheets used to apply to business cards, etc. would be better than something like an Alnico one.