All you need to know about detail clay for your car

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dood786
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All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by dood786 »

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Djin wrote:Image
Should I Clay My Paint When Detailing My Car?
For those that have seen clay in action, the origins of body clay are sometimes as mystical as how it works.
Some say it came from Asia for the removal of airborne particles from paint surfaces, while others swear it came from creative painters in the US for the removal of over-spray.
Clay works by literally grabbing the object and removing it from the paint surface. Even today, after countless clay jobs, detailers are still sometimes amazed at its simplicity. No matter its origins, body clay is something that every detailer should be familiar with.
Before you begin
Before you get started on claying, make sure you have a few items handy:
1. The clay bar of choice: Depending on the manufacturer, you may choose from light, moderate or highly aggressive clays.
2. A lubricating agent: While some will suggest water, studies show that this increases the chance of micro surface scratches developing.
A good suggestion is to use either soapy water or a liquid spray detailer product. Bear in mind that soapy water will not damage the paint as it does add lubricity, but it does cause the clay to "break up"
3. Several drying cloths: Micro fibers are a common recommendation.

Claying 101
The process for correctly claying a vehicle is a very simple series of actions.
First, make sure to give the vehicle a thorough wash and clean all soil and dirt from its surfaces. Dry the vehicle and inspect the finish for any imperfections you can work on.
Before applying to the surface, remove the clay from the packaging. Preferably, break the clay in half depending on the size of the bar and roll one half of the clay into a ball.
Next flatten the ball into a pancake — this will allow easier movement on the surface and better the quality.
Before starting, check the paint surface for dust and or debris. Even a slight breeze can deposit dust on the surface that, in turn, will cause scratching.

Use your senses
Watch the area that's being worked on with clay. Watch for the visual changes being made.
Feel the clay glide across the finish. Utilize your senses within your hand to feel for the clay sticking, this may mean you need more lubricant. Also feel for the clay grabbing onto imperfections.
Listen to the sounds made as you clay. Listen for scratching sounds or if the sounds change.
This could save you both time and money from having to remove surface scratches from the finish. Using your senses should be an active part of claying.

The claying process
With your flattened clay in hand, start on the high points of the vehicle. Apply a generous amount of lubricant to the surface.
Begin on the high points of the vehicle and with strokes in the direction of airflow. Make the strokes from front to back and break the area into reachable sections that are small enough to clay without the lubricating agent drying.
Follow these claying strokes by drying the area and rubbing your hand across the surface to inspect for smoothness.
Inspect the area with the magnifying glass and compare to the areas not yet clayed. This action allows you to visually see the change.
If surface debris remains, you may want to re-clay and this time start in the opposite direction of airflow or from front to back and then side-to-side. This change in direction will sometimes dislodge surface material that was not coming off with single direction strokes.
Tip: As you use the clay bar, make certain you turn the clay. This is done by rolling the clay back out and kneading the clay, which will cause the clean internal clay to move to the outer areas and thus reduce the chances of micro surface scratches.
You should perform this step several times while claying a vehicle.
Repeat the above steps on the entire vehicle, finalizing the top sections first. Leave the lower 12 of the vehicle for last, as these areas are usually the most contaminated and can cause a quick death for clay bars.
When you have completed the claying process you may need to re-wash the vehicle or at least use a liquid detailer to wipe the finish down so that the finish is ready for the next step within the detail process.

Think outside the box
Body clay remains a fantastic tool for removing over-spray but other important uses have been developed.
Deposits on paint surfaces of any type continue to be a challenge to many detail technicians and clay can come to the rescue and assist at achieving higher quality work.
Not only are technicians using clay on paint, many parts of a vehicle can be enhanced with the use of clay including:
1. Wheels: When clay has served its life by restoring paint surfaces and is nearly ready to be tossed, it can then be put to work on wheels and wheel-well trim.
Clay works great at removing stubborn wheel stains and deposits. The painted areas within the wheel-well trim are another area that nearly discarded clay can improve.
2. Windows: While several methods exist for cleaning windows, clay can also be an effective source for removing bugs, road film and other contaminates from windshields and side windows.
3. Chrome bumpers: When bug and road grime build up on chrome bumpers and trim, clay can be an effective avenue to try.
4. Front grills: For example, a newly purchased truck was delivered, and it was quickly noticed that the chrome grill had a tremendous amount of hard water deposits.
Using clay within the recesses of the grill, all hard water spots were safely removed without affecting the grill finish.
5. Pre-polishing prep: Before polishing paint, some detailers prefer to clay. This preps the paint, making certain the surface is smooth and clean of paint deposits.

With that said, clay is not an answer to all issues. Certain paint deposits will not be affected by clay and may need chemical or machine interdiction for proper restoration.
Using clay properly can assist technicians at several paint restoration tasks including:
Claying is a vital and important step within the detailing process. Clay's original introduction into the industry and its portrayal as being revolutionizing has turned out to be very appropriate. Detailers' love affair with body clay is here to stay!

Something iv also used to determine how badly paintwork needs a clay down , is to insert ya hand into a plastic bag (eg Ziplock bag) and then run it over a section of the paint .. the plastic bag helps to magnify the feeling of the contamination on the paint compared to using your bare hands. You will be amazed ! at the difference.
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by dood786 »

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Detailer’s Automotive Clay

The advent of detailer's clay is an example of why it's important to stay in touch with the innovations made in the detailing industry. New products, chemicals, technologies and ideas are constantly being introduced.

When automotive clay was first introduced there were reports of paint damage due to improper use. With education on correct application methodology this is no longer a problem. It amazes me how many professional detailer’s do not know what detailing clay is capable of, let alone how or why they should use it. For the rest of us who have been using it for ten or more years, we can't imagine being without it

Even new cars that have been sitting on a car dealerships lot for a few weeks can accumulate contamination that bonds to the paint surface; it shouldn't be assumed a vehicle that looks good is contamination free. Do a ‘Bag Test’ place some saran wrap or a zip lock bag over your hand and rub across the finish lightly. Every snag you feel is a surface contaminant that the clay bar can remove but you may not be able to see, especially on white or light colored vehicle surfaces.

Acid rain, road salt, tree sap and airborne contaminants are very detrimental to a vehicles paint film surface. Brake dust or rail dust is very small, almost microscopic particles of steel, iron or their alloys. These particles carry a positive charge (due to friction) while the vehicles they land on are carrying a negative charge. The vehicle surface becomes a magnet, attracting and bonding the ferrous metal particles to the vehicle surface. Regardless of how clean you think your paint is there are still bonded contaminants on the paint that you need to remove. When an area of metal has a positive charge and another has a negative charge; water acts as an electrolyte,, temperature and ozone (air) create a corrosive chemical reaction(See also Reactivity); corrosion is caused allowing current to flow between these areas. During this process the metal absorbs oxygen from the water and forms iron oxide (rust).

The corrosive chemical compounds generated then proceed to etch (corrode) the clear coat, the metallic particles (brake dust) penetrate and act as a conduit spreading the corrosives through the paint film system (and the sheet metal), which results in erosion of the paint surface, that shows on the surface as tiny rust spots (rust blooms) This is most noticeable on light colored paint surfaces (especially white) (See also Acid Rain, Industrial Fallout (IFO) Corrosion, and Decontamination) There is no wax, natural or synthetic, or any chemical treatment that can prevent or protect against this contamination. Compounding with an abrasive polish may remove paint contamination but it can only be performed a few times before removing too much of the top, clear coat finish. ( See Acid Neutralizing Wash)


History

Before the advent of detailer’s clay it was a common practice to remove surface contaminates by polishing the surface with a compound / polish and a wool pad. In 1990, Tadao Kadate of Japan is acknowledged as the inventor of an automotive clay resin that exfoliates vehicle paint surfaces, it’s the first product to safely, instantly and cheaply remove airborne bonded contaminants from delicate automotive paint surface without any unnecessary removal of the clear coat. Clay bars are used in the detailing, automotive reconditioning and auto body paint and repair shop professions to remove paint over spray, tree sap and industrial fallout from the cars painted surfaces. It also works on glass, plastics and many metals. First used by Japanese auto manufacturers on vehicle production lines and then auto body repair shops, the technology was passed on to the US market in the late ‘90’s. Detailer's clay is now routinely used by OEM's, professional detailer's, vehicle auctions and body shops as a simple, safe way to remove paint over-spray and surface contaminants from vehicle paint, chrome and glass surfaces

Automotive clay is not a replacement for polish or a compound; it is a pliable, petroleum resin product, Polybutene PB-1 (Polyisobutylene) containing a mild abrasive(s) i.e. kaolin, silica sand, calcium carbonate, alumina, ceramics quartz and also silicon carbide that polishes and exfoliates bonded surface contaminants by shearing ( a popular misconception - it does not pull or extract contaminants from a paint surface, if this was the case there would be no need for it to be abrasive) it is then encapsulated by the clay resin. These abrasives are extremely small with an average particle size of 1- µ (micron) dependent on the aggressiveness required, mixed in with a powdered synthetic detergent.

The clay bar may not totally remove rail dust, but it will exfoliate the protruding particles. It will, however, easily remove surface contaminants i.e. tree sap or paint over-spray. Usually only the horizontal paint surfaces require detailer’s clay treatment, as it is these surfaces that contaminants tend to land on and adhere too, you should evaluate any vertical surfaces and if need be, clay them.

It can be argued that a polish or compound will do the same thing; problem is that they not necessarily remove surface contaminates but just ‘round-off’ the edges, whereas clay will remove the surface contaminants and a percentage of the applied wax /polymer.

Note: You may have to remove minor surface marring caused by the clay


Application

A thin film of lubrication (see Detailer’s Clay Lubrication) provides a safety barrier that enables the clay to hydroplane across the surface. In other words, the clay is riding on a micro-thin film of lubrication between it and the paint surface removing the (protruding) surface contaminants by abrasion and encapsulation by the malleable clay. Without lubrication the clay will abrade the paint surface much like a wet-sanding block and will produce significant fine surface marring

Most manufacturers colorize (these colours vary by reseller) the clay to identify differing abrasive strengths (this is accomplished by varying the type, amount or particle size of the abrasive used) i.e. Green Clay is a very fine abrasive clay, Clay Magic® Blue is a medium - fine abrasive, whereas the Red is a medium - heavy abrasive, it is also very effective for the removal of paint over-spray, if the over-spray is particularly heavy, you may want to seek the assistance of a professional.

1. Fine clay Abrades or shears light surface or embedded paint contamination and encapsulates it. This grade of clay can be used on a regular basis for paint surface ‘maintenance’. Sonus SFX or Pinnacle Ultra Fine Detailing Clay - [1] or Pinnacle Ultra Clay - [2] Swissvax Paint Rubber - [3]

2. Fine - Medium-clay Is used to remove heavier surface contaminants (bird excrement and bug reside) it is slightly more abrasive than the fine grade and abrades the paint surface, while the clay encapsulates it Clay Magic - [4]

3. Medium to Heavy duty Clay that is used to remove paint over-spray; it contains slightly stronger abrasive or larger particles that abrade the paint, while the clay encapsulates it.

4. Detailer’s clays (erazer™, Opti-Clay ) Based on a cross linked polybutene resin which is more durable, more elastic, and has a great deal more tack than the resin used by Auto Wax Company Inc.


Abrasive Ratings (on a scale of 1 to 5)

- Hi-Tech Body Sponge™ - most surface marring
- Clay Magic® - Red- very aggressive; a lot of surface marring - 5/5
- Sonus Grey Block Detailing Clay- very aggressive; a lot of surface marring - 5/5
- Top of the line purple - slightly less aggressive - 4/5
- Clay Magic® Blue less aggressive; less marring - 3/5
- Mother's Yellow- 2/5
- Sonus Ultra Fine (Green) 1/5 (will not remove wax / sealant)


Manufacturers

There are only a couple manufactures of clay and patents protect the technology, with some subtle difference in consistency and firmness, a recent court hearing found components of the “elastic clay” to be a patent infringement and the judge ordered sale of the product to be halted. (In the United States, Auto Wax Company Inc. (now owned by Illinois Tool Works Inc.) owns the US patent rights (No. 5,727,993) and reads thus;

* “A method of polishing a protrusion or stain from a surface comprising; applying a plastic flexible tool to the surface, the plastic flexible tool comprising a plastic flexible material having mixed therewith an abrasive comprising grains from about 3 to 50 m in diameter and; applying a force to the plastic flexible tool such that a polishing force per area is applied by the plastic flexible tool to a protrusion or stain on the surface, and such that the amount of force per area applied to the surface is less than the amount of force per area applied to the protrusion or stain.”

Auto Wax owns six patents relating to clay products and provides private label clay to many of the detail industry’s leading companies - [5]. As a result, all of the Polybutene (Polyisobutylene) or plastic clay being manufactured now comes from the same factory in Japan, which as the only patent holder has a monopoly on the market. Meguiar's, Mother's, Sonus, Zaino, et al get their clay either from Japan (Source Chem. Inc. one of Japan's biggest clay manufacturers) or from a US licensed manufacturer.

Formulation can vary significantly, mainly; -Density or plasticity -Abrasive particulate size -Abrasive used (i.e. silica sand, calcium carbonate, alumina, ceramics, or silicon carbide) -Abrasive density ratio (abrasive content to clay) -Color (to identify differing abrasive strengths)


Other Uses

Detailer’s clay can also be used on glass surfaces (exterior) to remove heavy road film, bug deposits and surface water spots; it seems to outperform even the best window cleaners. Clay will safely remove stubborn embedded brake dust, tar and road film from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) wheel surfaces (detailer’s clay is not recommended on wheels that do not have a clear coat or powder coat finish.


Alternative clays

1. Zymol Lehm-Klay 2 (contains quartz and chalcedony abrasives)
2. Sonus SFX Ultra Fine Detailing Clay
3. Swissvax Paint Rubber Set (inc. 250ml Quick Finish) - Mineral based putty compound that will gently remove paint overspray, industrial and environmental contaminants.
4. One of the factors that make Optimum Opti-Clay work better than Clay Magic is that it is based on cross linked polybutene resin which is more durable, more elastic, and has a great deal more adhesion properties than the resin used in Clay Magic (But only available outside of US / Japan)
5. Poli-Flex Rubberized Clayblock safely and easily removes rail dust, water spots, tar, bugs, and paint overspray from automotive paint and glass surfaces.
6. Its unique texture and elasticity makes this yellow clay a real pleasure to work with. Poly clay quickly and effectively removes stubborn environmental contaminants, like tar, bugs, factory fallout, paint overspray and brake dust for a mirror-smooth finish


Alternative product

Hi-Tech Body Sponge™ this innovative rubber polymer product safely and easily removes overspray, water spots, tree sap, rail dust, bugs and other bonded surface contaminants from the surface of automotive paint, glass, mouldings and plastic, may be used with any kind of lubricant. Sponge retains soap and water and releases it as a lubricant when gently squeezed while gliding over the surface.

Unlike detailer's clay this product can be cleaned by simply rinsing off the accumulated contaminates with water or in a soap bucket. Accidentally dropping it on the ground is not a problem. Just rinse the sponge pad clean and you're ready to keep using it. Easy grip sponge allows for sturdy and controlled handling, can be used up to 30 times before needing to be discarded. Hi-Tech Body Sponge™


Does my paint surface require the application of detailer’s clay?

Is the paint surface showing one or more of the following; colored or yellow stains, water marks (spots) black metallic colored flecks, a rough texture, etch marks (concave depression) oxidation, bug or bird excrement, place some saran wrap or a zip lock bag over your hand (‘bag test’) and rub across the finish lightly. Every snag you feel is a surface contaminant that the clay bar can remove but you may not be able to see, especially on white or light colored vehicle surfaces.


How often should I use detailer’s clay?

Usually bi-annualy is average, but that would depend upon your environment and how you maintain your car see ‘bag test’ above, If you find the need to use detailer’s clay on a regular basis use mild clay


Using automotive clay

Using automotive clay to remove surface pollutants and abrade the debris from the paint film surface leaving behind an ultra-smooth surface that will make your paint protection adhere better and improve its durability. You can use detailing clay on any smooth, hard surface, including glass (exterior) to remove heavy road film, bug deposits and water spots, and chrome. Do not use on clear plastic, such as headlight lenses as it may cause ‘fogging’. The best way to describe the proper method for using detailer clay is to use plenty of the lubricant and aquaplane the clay bar over the surface in straight-line motions, in the direction of airflow and using light hand pressure, you should hear a slight noise and feel some resistance; this is the contaminants being abraded.


Q If I’m going to polish the car with an abrasive, do I still need to use detailer’s clay?

* Polishing and detailer's clay are very different processes. One good reason to clay before you polish; polishing can result in smoothing and rounding the surface contamination it making it significantly harder to remove later. Although a polish / compound will remove the contamination there is a risk is that the abrasive particles will become embedded in the foam pad, which will cause surface scratches / marring by making the foam /polish more abrasive than necessary and may cause deep scratches


Q How often can detailer’s clay be re-used?

* Inspect the clay surface often and fold (knead) clay to present a clean surface to the paint to avoid scratching; when the clay surface becomes really soiled (it becomes more difficult to find a clean surface by kneading, relegate and use fresh clay. Do not over use a clay bar. Take a 100 gm bar and divide it into 6-8 pieces (this allows you to drop a piece and not have to throw away the whole bar) A mid size car usually takes around 20-30 grams

Once the clay becomes too soiled for paintwork, relegate to glass surfaces, and from there to wheel surfaces and finally discard.

Q Will detailer’s clay remove the applied paint film surface protection?

* It will remove a wax product, but not a cross-linked polymer sealant, as they form a molecular bond with the paint surface

Q How long does the process take?

* This would be dependent upon many factors, such as how well the car is maintained between detailing clay bar sessions, what type of environment is the vehicle exposed to, how contaminated the vehicle is and of course the size of the vehicle. An SUV is going to take approximately twice as long as a Mini. A mid-sized vehicle usually around an hour to an hour and a half; I would suggest 1-2 hours is an average time for this process. Ambient temperature will affect its pliability and may effect how long the clay process takes, if its cold place clay in warm / hot water before use

Before you clay and after you wash the paint surface, you’ll need to remove the old paint protection first so you can get down to the bare paint where these contaminants have attached themselves. If you’ve never clayed your car before, chances are that there are contaminants being protected underneath your previous wax or sealant coat, that’s why you need to remove the old protection before you clay.

It is not recommend using a harsh dish-washing detergent such as Dawn on a regular basis, as they tend to dissolve oils and can prematurely dry up rubber molding and trim. I recommend using a d-limonene (citrus) based paintwork cleanser. (P21S Total Auto Wash) Once you remove the old paint protection then proceed to the paint surface preparation process; detailer’s clay, polishing, and then applying a surface protection.


Application Methodology

Select the appropriate abrasiveness of detailer’s clay (i.e. Ultra-Mild, Fine, Medium to Heavy)

Divide the detailer's clay into several equal pieces and knead into a ball to ensure pliability

Take one of the pieces and flatten it out into a circle, approximately enough that it will fit onto two or three fingers

Spray a 2-foot by 2-foot surface with a lubricating solution, ensure that the surface being clayed is always wet (important enough to restate- ensure that the surface being clayed is always wet)

Inspect the clay’s surface often, knead /fold to provide a clean surface as necessary

Glide the clay across the area in a front to back straight-line ( in direction of airflow) aquaplaning type motion, use long strokes without lifting the clay from the surface

Use a light to medium even pressure until the surface becomes smooth and silent.

If the Clay is streaking on the paint, you need to apply more lubricating solution, it is better to over lubricate the paint film surface than let it dry-out

To avoid wasting detailer's clay because you probably will drop it, place a towel on the ground under the area you're claying so the clay will fall onto the towel without picking up gravel etc.

If you drop the clay on the ground do not try to clean it, discard it or it may cause micro scratches in your paint film surface.

Rinse of any clay residue and ensure there is no more contamination to remove

Move onto the next two-foot by two foot square area and repeat the process.

Once half the section is completed turn the clay over to a fresh, clean side and completes the remaining section.

Check the surface of the clay often, once it becomes contaminated fold to a clean surface.

Wash, rinse and dry each section and ensure (‘bag test’) all embedded surface contaminants have been removed before moving on to the next panel / section

I would go over the paint surfaces again with the clay to ensure nothing was missed When complete wash, rinse and thoroughly dry the vehicle. The surface is now ready for a paint cleaner to ensure a pristine surface Any wax that was on the paint surface has been removed, so you should re-new the paints protection system Detailer’s clay can also be used on glass surfaces (exterior) to remove heavy road film, bug deposits and surface water spots; it seems to outperform even the best window cleaners. Clay will safely remove stubborn, embedded brake dust, tar and road film from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) wheel surfaces; detailer’s clay is not recommended on wheels that do not have a clear coat or powder coat finish.

For a pristine paint film surface after the application of detailer’s clay use a paint cleaner (Zaino ZPC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner or Klasse All-In-One) to ensure the surface is clean and the sub-surface is free of any grease or other residue, ensuring a clean surface will also avoid pad becoming contaminated and / or clogged prior to polishing The paint cleaner’s suggested above can sometimes be used instead of detailers clay if the ‘bag test’ doesn’t reveal contaminates but the surface looks ‘soiled’ use a chemical surface cleaner (especially on light colored paint)

Detailer’s clay is formulated to remove surface contaminates from the paints, it contains abrasives (i.e. silica sand, calcium carbonate, alumina, ceramics, quartz, or silicon carbide) in an applicator (the malleable clay bar) the clay lubricant is doing the same thing for the clay's abrasives as the oils in a polish, which is providing surface lubrication. Contrary to popular belief it does not pull the metallic particles from the paint surface. The abrasives 'shear' the surface contaminates (i.e. the top of the metallic particle leaving the rest imbedded in the paint, allowing it to continue generating corrosion damage) the sheared particles are encapsulated by the clay.

Clay being an abrasive product will remove a percentage of both natural and synthetic wax and most polymer sealants, therefore a paint surface protection should be applied after use.


Acid Neutralizing Wash

I is strongly recommend an acid neutralizing wash followed by a corrosion inhibitor on an annual or semi-annual basis. Ford has a TSB that states all new vehicles must be treated with a neutralization system prior to delivery. You will find that a proper acid neutralizing wash opens the paint fissures (pores) and will release most of the embedded ferrous oxide deposits and the remainder comes off very easily by clay encapsulation. These systems will produce a better finish on the paint surface than is possible with detailer’s clay alone and is also the only solution that addresses acid rain, industrial pollutants, and tree sap etching as well as other polyurethane clear coat concerns

A three step neutralization and wash system comprises; (a) Acid Neutralizer (b) Alkaline Neutralizer (use in conjunction with detailer’s clay) is a blend of acids, which deep cleans painted surfaces to remove alkaline deposits and safely dissolves the ferrous metal particles bond with the paint so that they can be rinsed away and (c) a pH 7.0 Surface Conditioner, which safely removes both surface and subsurface contamination (i.e. rust) that collects on a painted finish which includes, industrial fallout (IFO), rail dust, acid rain, hard water spots, road tar, bird excrement, waxes/silicones, oxidation, adhesive residue, road grime and rust stains introduced via road salt, ferrous metal deposits. All necessary safety precautions should be taken whilst using this product

Warning - Before using any chemicals or solvents, carefully read all of the cautions and medical information on the products container and / or MSDS. Always follow all of the manufacturer’s recommendations.


Surface scratching

When automotive clay was first introduced there were reports of major paint damage due to improper use. With education on correct application methodology this is no longer a problem. Like all abrasive products you need to select and use; the appropriate grade (abrasion ability) proper / adequate lubrication, the correct application methodology, exercise due care and diligence. A medium to heavy-duty detailing clay will remove harsh, stubborn contamination, but may also create fine scratches that require polishing to remove. Surface marring or scratching on a paint surface can be minimized by;

- Not using an unnecessarily aggressive (abrasive) grade of clay
- Using insufficient or an inappropriate lubrication on the paint surface
- Too much hand pressure applied, try a 3-inch ‘flat pancake’ shape held between two fingers
- Trying to ‘clay’ too large an area (should be 2’ x 2’<)


Ambient temperature

Too cold (50oF <) and will not allow sufficient kneading of the clay bar to ensure a 'clean' surface, too hot (>75 oF) the lubrication dries out and the clay becomes unstable - You drop the clay and pick up road dirt / grit. - Read the manufacturers' directions for the number of uses of their clay bar. Do not over use a clay bar; expect approximately 5-10 uses from a single (8 oz.) bar. Use it on the paint film surface, and then glass surface's and finally wheel surfaces

To correct any surface marring / light scratching use a mild polish (Zaino Z-PC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner Swirl Remover) that gets it abrasive capabilities from the foam pad used, to eliminate detailer’s clay surface marring - use a PC speed # 5 - 6, using a LC White or Orange pad (See also Detailer’s Clay Lubricant)


Storage

* Detailer’s clay should be stored in a cool (range- 50- 75oF) dry place, store your clay in a plastic baggie or a plastic soap travel case. Mist the clay with a Quick Detailer (QD) and place the piece of remaining clay in the storage container, and close the lid or seal tightly.



Information resource-

* “Automotive Detailing Inside & Out, A Knowledge Base for the Perfectionist"– by Jon Miller

© TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by GHOST »

hey DooD, in the link I think you ment to write "source" not sause......
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

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GHOST wrote:hey DooD, in the link I think you ment to write "source" not sause......
it was done intentionally :)
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

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ooookaaaaaayyyy...........
:lol:
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by Kashi »

ive got white spots on the car that looks like road paint. if you scratch with you finger nail, it does come out. will a clay bar be able to remove this?
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by onyx »

Kashi wrote:ive got white spots on the car that looks like road paint. if you scratch with you finger nail, it does come out. will a clay bar be able to remove this?
Yip... :hi:
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by GTiDon »

Can this help dull paint shine again?
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

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gtidon wrote:Can this help dull paint shine again?
Nope, for that you need to polish
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by zain_c »

info overload. but definitely useful and informative.

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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by Dirty Harry »

How do you know when you need to clay your vehicle as opposed to just a wash and polish/wax?
lawrence
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by lawrence »

Dirty Harry wrote:How do you know when you need to clay your vehicle as opposed to just a wash and polish/wax?
Wash and dry the car

then put your hand inside a thin plastic packet (like a bread packet) and rub your hands gently along the paint... if it feels rough, it is time to clay...
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by Mitch »

@dood786: Thanks for the information. Schooled me on the mystical thing that once was clay. It actually doesnt seem too difficult to use if you have a brain. Will just need guidance on which type is appropriate for my paint.
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by dood786 »

Its really easy

Get in contact with Solo786 and im sure he will be able to give you lessons on how to do it when he is next detailing
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lawrence
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by lawrence »

Or as mentioned in the other thread, roll into my place this weekend as I am detailing and can give you a hands on crash course into claying....?
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by amstel18 »

How many times can you generally re-use the clay? Or can you only split the clay in half and then use the 2 pieces once only?

Because clay is quite expensive so would turn out to be around r150 just for the clay each time you use it.
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Re: All you need to know about detail clay for your car

Post by lawrence »

Depends in the size of the clay bar (common sizes are 100g or 200g) but yes, you can cut a 100g bar in half and use that.

It is also very dependent on how badly contaminated the car is.... The worse it is , the less life you will get from the clay bar.... essentially you can continue using the clay until you can no longer fold the clay to expose a completely clean surface.
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