(Paul N. Gardner: Pompano Beach, FL) -- Paul N. Gardner Co. recently released three products for testing paints and coatings: an anti-sag meter, multiple clearance square applicator, and a stainless-steel bar film applicators.

Anti-sag meter

Coatings applied on nonhorizontal surfaces will sag due to gravity. Sag resistance is a factor of the composition and viscosity of the coating, as well as the applied thickness.

The applicator is a U-shaped drawdown bar with a series of 1/4 in. (6.4 mm) wide notches of varying clearances, spaced 1/16 in. (1.6 mm) apart. It is 5 in. (127 mm) wide and produces a total film width of 3 3/8 in. (86 mm).

When a drawdown is made, a series of parallel stripes of different wet film thickness will be formed. This panel is placed on a vertical surface with the stripes horizontal and the thickest stripe lowest. As the film stripes sag downward, some of the uncoated 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) spaces may become entirely covered. The clearance of the gap that produces the thickest film stripe, not sagging completely to the stripe below, is the anti-sag index of the coating.

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