Paint Thickness vs. Product cut

[BlackRam]

I know there are alot of factors into how much cut a pass will be, pad choice/product choice/pressure/speed etc, but is there a way to chart or gauge how much an AIO may take off in microns vs say a compound or swirl remover, etc etc etc.
What is a new car micron thickness? And what is a good to great polishing safe zone? What is unsafe?
Trying to wrap my head around microns and thickness.

Thank you

[CowboyTruckn]

I think every manufacturer will vary on paint thickness. I think even different colors will

[jamesboyy]

as said it will vary depending upon product and manufactures your best bet is to get a paint gauge but for the time begin use the least aggressive approach and work your way upward in aggressiveness but always do a test spot before that way you know it will work, and if a defect is still there after those few passes leave it be

[FUNX650]

Trying to wrap my head around microns and thickness.

1.0 micron = 0.039 mils
= 0.000039inches (39 millionths of an inch)

CC paint thickness/3M Post-it-Note=
~1.0-2.0 mils = 25.4-50.8 microns
= 0.001-0.002 inches (1-2 thousandths of an inch)

Takes a real good set of eyes to see these "thicknesses"!!
An electronic paint thickness gauge (EPTG) will be the
tool of choice, in order to see these numeric elevations.

Bob

[LaFawnduh]

Is there anywhere posted where the paint from various manufacturers paint "hardness" is posted?

[Docpeanut]

Is there anywhere posted where the paint from various manufacturers paint "hardness" is posted?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AhSmV1SQJjifdEU5TGNRdTQ2RzNVcjQySE9QVnowWF E&usp=sharing

[LaFawnduh]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AhSmV1SQJjifdEU5TGNRdTQ2RzNVcjQySE9QVnowWF E&usp=sharing

Awesome - thanks!

[Docpeanut]

Awesome - thanks!

My pleasure, play it safe as said above. Always start with the least aggressive approach first

[rmagnus]

All good advice but that chart is still too subjective. Bottom line always do a test spot. Measuring paint thickness before and after is another good idea.

Sometimes you'll run into repainted panels and after market paint as well. Rarely do people volunteer this information. A few extra minutes doing a careful inspection after the wash is time well spent. Remember to take photos part of the before and after documentation.

[LaFawnduh]

All good advice but that chart is still too subjective. Bottom line always do a test spot. Measuring paint thickness before and after is another good idea.

Sometimes you'll run into repainted panels and after market paint as well. Rarely do people volunteer this information. A few extra minutes doing a careful inspection after the wash is time well spent. Remember to take photos part of the before and after documentation.

What prompted my question was a recent experience with some minor scratches originating from bird crap on a friends BMW. The most aggressive combo of products I had (a red cut pad and UC) didn't take it out. I had never had that happen before on my Jeep or Ford. That made me curious if I need to find something even more aggressive. I told him anything stronger than what I had on hand, I would be uncomfortable going after and potentially causing more damage than correction. The table definitely helped make sense of my experience.