Question about clay longevity.

[rogie]

Good morning,
Is there a "time limit" on clay? Or is it X amount of uses and it`s done?
Or is it done when it quits working, and what are the signs(besides the obvious ones) of it being done. I know that sounds and is a dumb question, but i`m still new to clay. Thanks for listening, and would appreciate any info on the subject. I`m out.
Rogie

P.S.- I`m going to clay and wax 2 cars today(saturday), so i`d really appreciate any quick response, thanks alot.

[Brenton]

Hi, three things can break down a clay bar: solvents, use, and time. The result is all the same, the bar has embedded grit, or falls apart under your fingers. It will break apart as you try to use it.
I don`t use full bars. I break off a piece and use only one side. As it gets dirty or thin, I fold it in. Another guy in town does not fold, but works grit in.
If it breaks apart or is gritty, chuck it out and pic up an OTC bar kit like Mother`s or Meg`s if you are in a hurry.

[rogie]

Brenton,
Thank you so much for the timely reply and information. I recently bought a large "bar" from a local Detailers specialty shop in which i`ve bought many of quality products in the past, and this "bar" was highly recomended from the owner. For me it`s been a pain in the ass, it is extremely hard almost impossible to break or rip into two pieces and equally as hard to shape. I prefer a softer bar myself, but the owner says that I could not find a better bar on the market. So I will give it a go one more time. Once again thanks for the timely reply.
Rogie

[Sherman8r44]

Brenton,
Thank you so much for the timely reply and information. I recently bought a large "bar" from a local Detailers specialty shop in which i`ve bought many of quality products in the past, and this "bar" was highly recomended from the owner. For me it`s been a pain in the ass, it is extremely hard almost impossible to break or rip into two pieces and equally as hard to shape. I prefer a softer bar myself, but the owner says that I could not find a better bar on the market. So I will give it a go one more time. Once again thanks for the timely reply.
Rogie

Rogie

Spray some QD on it, put it in a sealed container/ziploc bag, and let it sit for a bit. It should regain softness. Clay needs to be kept moist after each use...I found this out the hard way, just like you.

[Brenton]

^That`s what I`ve done before.
You can use a razor blade to cut it.

[tubafeak]

I`ve got the pinnacle clay right now, I`m really liking it. It sits in a decent amount of QD (megs #34) all it`s not working life. After a few uses, or if I drop it, I`ll relagate the clay to windows (it really helps make everything nice and clear) and after a certain amount of time (or when the clay degrades) I`ll chuck it. If you can`t knead the clay there`s a problem, you should be doing that every time you go to inspect the surface, if you can`t bring up a fresh layer of clay then you`re putting your paint in danger.

[Mikeyc]

I stopped using clay for several years. I`m not really sure why because clay is awesome! Anyway, I have a couple of bars that are at least three years old. They`re still perfectly good and work the same as ever. They were in a plastic travel soap box all that time and they aren`t dry or brittle.

[detailz]

I would add one more measurement of when clay is done: experience. Once you become adept at using the clay you will notice that the contaminants from the vehicle will not come off as easily after many uses. Despite whether there is a break down of the product or heavy discoloration.

Another suggestion if you have that special customer or for your personal car. As you clay panel to panel, put your hand inside a sandwich bag and run it over the panel just clayed. This will identify the areas missed. Talk about a WOW factor also with customers. I get a kick when customers come in with a brand new vehicle for a wash and I suggest that they should get their exterior detailed also. Their immediate response is that I am crazy but then I go show them the contaminants that have attached to the car during transport or display of the vehicle on the dealers lot with the sandwich bag. I then explain that I can remove those contaminants and properly protect the vehicle afterwards. Of course, I also explain the other benefits of the claying which of will add credibility and comfort between us.

Good luck

[roksob@shaw.ca]

Why worry about how long the clay lasts. Just buy a large block of kids modelling clay (plasticene)... costs around $3 for about 2 lbs. It`s a little firmer than the "pro" stuff, but a quick soak in hot water softens it up. It works just fine and is so cheap you can just chuck it when you feel like it. I can`t tell it apart from the expensive stuff ... I really think it is the same. At least this way you never have to worry about grit. I just finished a 2002 S-type Jag that had never been clayed before... real rough paint. The plasticene lubricated with soapy water (forget the expensive detailer fluids) brought it back like new. Really smooth and a nice deep shine after a coat of Eagle One Nanowax.

[rogie]

It`s funny you bring that I up, I remember when I was a kid and we had this, I guess you`d call a toy, it was called "stretch armstrong". It was a minuter body builder and you could pull/stretch his limbs as far as you could pull them and after letting go they`d slowly work itself back into it`s appropiate place. I bring it up because of what you said and I would say my clay is as hard as a "stretch armstrong".

[Sherman8r44]

rogie, did you try letting it soak in QD?

[rogie]

I have yet to soak it in QD, although today I put my clay in a bowl of hot water, and that loosened it up, ripped in in half, left half in hot water, used the other half on a car and just swithced the two every so often. The clay worked much better than any other i`ve ever used by far. I will continue to use that method whenever using clay in the future.
After using the clay I did take your advice and soaked/stored the clay in QD, in a tupperware container. Thanks for the advice.
Rogie