July, 2005 -- San Diego, CA --
Sonus USA is please to announce the immediate availability of SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay, the latest in a series of new paint care products for car enthusiasts.
Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay is the result of more than a year of development effort. Our new clay is the finest (least abrasive) clay ever made, and the best choice for car enthusiasts who clay their cars frequently.
I’d like to share with you a synopsis of more than a year of detailing clay education. I guess you could say it was a year of “a passion for excellence,” because that’s what I believe we have achieved.
First, I’d like to debunk a common myth about how clay works. After all, how can you fully understand and properly use a product if you don’t have all of the facts?
I keep reading clay marketing information that reads something like this: “…clay pulls contamination off of your paint...” This statement sounds pretty ridiculous when you realize that you must lubricate the surface you’re claying. How in the world do you pull on something that’s super slippery? This myth was born from a fear of telling people the truth. Clay is an abrasive.
Oh my goodness… did I really say that? You bet I did.
Read the patents on clay and they describe very clearly that detailing clay is a mixture of a “clay base” and various abrasives. Detailing clay is an abrasive system. If not used properly, detailing clay can cause light surface marring. There’s no need to fear if you use proper lubrication.
So, now the word is out; detailing clay is an abrasive. The best way to think about it is simply this: detailing clay is a “selective polish” with a built-in applicator. Its job is to “polish away” dirt and surface contamination from paint, glass, chrome and plastic. A pretty simple concept, isn’t it?
Detailing clay works by hydroplaning (floating) over the surface you’re cleaning on a thin layer of clay lubricant. When the clay (polish) encounters surface contamination, it abrasively grinds it away.
Those are scary words to a car enthusiast, but that’s what detailing clay does. You can see the end results of this “grinding” work by inspecting your clay. Does your clay have large particles sticking to it or does it have what appears to be a dirty film? It’s the later, of course, and it’s proof that your clay is doing its job gently polishing away contamination.
A big part of our [Sonus] detailing clay education this past year had to do with what makes one formulation of clay different from another. As it turns out, there is a lot that goes into each formulation of detailing clay. Although most of the clay made today comes out of a single factory in Japan, the formulas can be significantly different, including:
- Clay density (firmness)
- Abrasive particle size
- Type of abrasive
- Abrasive density (ratio of abrasive to clay)
- Color
Detailing clay formulation determines the optimal function of the clay and its potential to do damage when used improperly. As an example, professional grade clay that’s designed to remove paint overspray is very firm and contains abrasives equivalent to heavy rubbing compound. Used properly it will remove heavy overspray without damaging the paint. Used improperly, it can leave some pretty significant surface marring. That’s why it’s a professional product.
Most consumer grade detailing clays are designed to be used as an annual or semi-annual paint maintenance tool prior to polishing and waxing. At this frequency, these detailing clay products work great. Simply use the clay as part of your major detailing regimen. The problem we were beginning to see is that many car enthusiasts wanted to clay their vehicles frequently; as often as monthly. At this rate of use, some consumer grade detailing clay can begin to dull clear coat finishes. After all, it is an abrasive!
At Sonus, our goal became clear. We needed a detailing clay system that can be used as frequently as necessary to maintain smooth paint without reducing clear coat gloss. At the suggestion of many, the system should also do its job without removing paint protection (wax or sealant). This is what we achieved with Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay and Glyde Clay Lubricant.
The final critical lesson we learned in the development of Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay is the importance of proper lubrication. It’s important to both your paint finish and to the detailing clay itself.
Most clay retailers recommend using their detailing spray as a lubricant. Detail sprays work as a clay lubricant because they contain chemicals that prevent scratching when wiping away dust and light dirt. The problem is that most detailing sprays also contain some form of alcohol. Used in heavy concentration (the surface must be thoroughly wet with lubricant), alcohol removes wax protection and causes most clay formulations to break down and get mushy. Once this happens, your clay is dead, and it will make a smeary mess. We also discovered that some car wash soaps will cause the same problem when the clay is allowed to sit in the bucket of soapy water.
The solution was to create a glycerin-based lubricant. Glycerin offers plenty of slip, yet it’s mild and does not react with any surfaces on the vehicle, including most waxes and paint sealants. The feedback we received from some of our panel of testers was “… that’s great, but I want to clay after I wash, while my car is still wet…” We went back to work and created a concentrated version of Sonus Glyde that you can mix-to-strength in a bucket of water. We expect this new product to be available in August.
So now you have basically the same knowledge we gained after a year of hard work. If you like to clay frequently, and you don’t want your clay to remove your wax or reduce final gloss, try Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay.
, on a chemical basis. Will it make a big difference with other grades of clay, or only on the ultra-fine?
Claying has been my answer for this problem with clearcoated paints.
Linear Mode
