Wet film thickness gauge

An apparatus for measuring wet film thickness on a surface, comprising:

• a fixture adapted to be positioned in close proximity to said surface;
• a gauge ball supported by said fixture for movement toward and away therefrom;
• means for spacing said fixture at a selected distance from said surface;
• and
• means for moving said gauge ball from a first position out of contact with said wet film to a second position in contact with said surface to create a film spot diameter on said gauge ball, said film spot diameter being convertible to a thickness for a wet film on said surface, said moving means comprising a rod supporting said gauge ball and extending through a bearing in said fixture for axial movement to cause said gauge ball to move from said first position to said second position.

An apparatus for measuring wet film thickness on a surface, comprising:

• a fixture adapted to be positioned in close proximity to said surface;
• a gauge ball supported by said fixture for movement toward and away therefrom;
• a pair of spacer legs for spacing said fixture at a selected distance from said surface, said spacer legs also positioning said gauge ball in confronting relation to said wet film, said spacer legs having feet generally conforming to the contour of said surface;
• and
• means for moving said gauge ball from a first position out of contact with said wet film to a second position in contact with said surface to create a film spot diameter on said gauge ball, said film spot diameter being convertible to a thickness for a wet film on said surface, said moving means comprising a rod supporting said gauge ball and extending through a bearing in said fixture for axial movement to cause said gauge ball to move from said first position to said second position;
• said fixture having a recess for receiving said gauge ball when said gauge ball is in said first position, said recess having a diameter greater than the diameter of said gauge ball and a depth generally equal to the diameter of said gauge ball, said rod extending through said bearing in generally centered relation to said recess in said fixture.

A method of measuring wet film thickness on a surface, comprising the steps of:

• providing gauge means supported for movement toward and away from said surface;
• moving said gauge means from a position out of contact with said wet film to a position in contact with said surface to create a measurable spot of said wet film on said gauge means;
• moving said gauge means from said position in contact with said surface to a position out of contact with said wet film to measure said measurable wet film spot on said gauge means;
• and
• taking a measurement of said wet film spot and converting said measurement to a wet film thickness.