Clay magic medium grade...fine grade???

[breakneckvtec]

I noticed when going to purchase clay for the upcoming spring that clay magic has a medium grade(red) and fine grade(blue). Which of these would I want and what is the differences?

Thanks.

[Holyghostfilled]

That`s a good question. I have Mothers(yellow) and 4*(greyish).

I have not used 4* yet (tomorrow).

I just know that a good lub is needed and if dropped to discard.

I am so impressed of what a simple procedure like clay can do. I am a beliver(x2):rolling

Daniel
:ghost

[NYV6Coupe]

depends on the surface

I started out with the blue clay & it took care of all the grime & contaminants I had, so always start out with the least aggressive product.

Clay is not abrasive but use it the same way you`d use a polish or swirl remover, always start with the least abrasive product.

Also, I use soapy NXT wash water for a clay lube & it works great without any streaking, smudging, or marring.

Apply soapy water with wash mitt, clay, reapply soapy water with wash mitt, rinse.

[JaredPointer]

The blue Clay Magic is fine unless you have a really dirty surface. The red clay is more aggressive.

[wifehatescar]

Clay is not abrasive

Not sure about that, plus if you run out of lube on a spot it will marr. :dunno

[breakneckvtec]

If you pay close attention I guarentee you will see some additonal marring NO MATTER WHAT after you clay. Its sort of the nature of the beast. Every car I have ever done has gotten a very light, hazy mar to the finish after a throrough clay job. I wash the car, rinse, wash a section, spray the clay itself with QD, clay the section, rinse, go back wash the car again. I am very very careful. If you think about the clay and its makeup youll begin to realize marring is almost inevitable when using it, but often times its so light most people dont notice.

Its all good though because your next step should be polishing, so they dont stick around long enough to bother you.

[rollman]

The Red clay magic is a medium grade for medium to heavy surface contaminants . Use it on light colors like white to make the job go faster. It has more bite than the blue clay does.

The Blue clay magic is a Fine grade for light to medium surface contaminants .

On a side note Clay Magic makes their own clay . How can you tell you ask , just look at the package it comes in it has patent numbers on it.

[Rob Tomlin]

Yeah, I pretty much agree that claying can cause some minor marring in the finish....which is easily removed with polishing.

[NYV6Coupe]

Not sure about that, plus if you run out of lube on a spot it will marr. :dunno

Could be true, I don`t know `cause my Accord is silver & I didn`t notice any marring or scratching. I used ClayMagic blue to remove some sap, it worked better than I could have hoped for so I did the entire car & didn`t see anything alarming.

Guess I never hit a spot & ran out of lube `cause the clay just slides along & I must be staying within the "lube zone" of soapy water.

My comment "clay is not abrasive" was strictly about relating something like IP to FPII (greater to less abrasive) and relating red clay to blue (greater to less aggressive). I was trying to reinforce the concept of starting with the least aggressive product & use something more aggressive only if necessary.

If clay really is abrasive and IP is a 10, then fresh clay must be about .01 and the abrasiveness would go up as more junk is cleaned off the surface until it`s time to pitch it.

[wifehatescar]

I`m pretty sure it has abrasives, albeit very fine ones. I always polish after clay for this reason, especially on black.

[NYV6Coupe]

wifehatescar: I think we`re both right. Yes, apparently there are abrasives but they are micro-fine and, according to this exerpt, should not scratch and/or marr the paint. Hobbiest detailers should stick with fine and medium grade clay, course grade clay should be left for the pros.

I found this info in the "How To Clay" article at autopia car care, there was no author:

"CLAY SAFETY
Detailing clay isn`t new. Paint and body shops have been using it for years to remove paint overspray. Clay is fairly new to the car detailing market, and is very new to the consumer on retail shelves. In the early days there was always a concern that paint damage might occur if improperly used.

New technology detailing clay bars are made of fine polishing particles in a soft, malleable "clay" medium that allows the bar to be formed and kneaded. Some clay makers add color to make the bar more attractive or to identify bars of differing strength (coarseness).

Many clay products claim to contain no abrasives. This is stretching the truth. The reason clay manufacturers claim their products don`t contain an abrasive is because the general public thinks the word "abrasive" refers only to aggressive, paint removing materials. The fact is that the abrasives in most automotive clay products are so fine that you will not see any reduction in paint gloss. After several uses, paint luster may even improve.

Still, I have heard some horror stories about people ruining a Ferrari paint job using a clay bar. I can see how this might be true if an inappropriate product was used or if the clay bar is used incorrectly."

I wonder if the "new technology" clay products referred to are the poly-clays marketed by Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Blackfire & others mfgs. Are these the products that contain micro-abrasives? Perhaps ClayMagic is just clay and is virtually non-abrasive.