Funny claybar question

Ok I got into a fight with someone from another board about this.

He seems to think that it`s necessary to cut the claybar in 16 or so pieces (one for every part of the car ie:bumper), roll each one into a ball untill it`s the size of a nickel or quarter then use the QD spray and go over a 2x2in area at a time. He says the reason for cutting the clay up into a bunch of pieces is to prevent you from scratching the clearcoat with contaminents you`ve already pulled up from the paint.

I basicly told him that it was pointless to do it that way.

Am I right?

P.S. It took me forever to realize that my account was deleted a few months ago for some reason. New server or something?

Yes, you are right!

I`m no expert, but I`ve never heard of anyone using clay the way your friend suggests. Most instructions instruct to fold the clay on itself. I was also under the impression that clay can be used for more than one car. I sure hope that is true, because clay ain`t cheap. But in the end, to each his own. I don`t see a problem with the way your friend suggests, I`m sure it achieves the same result. It just seems like a waste of clay and I can`t imagine trying to move little bits of clay over the car`s surface.

I cut the clay bar into small piece`s to get more life out of the bar. I have used the same clay bar on a few cars, it all depends how much dirt gets on the bar.

I cut my clay bar into smaller pieces ... at least four.
I have thrown out several after they hit the floor ...
And, sometimes the car has so much junk on it that I am afraid to use the bar on another car for fear of scratching the paint.
The pieces are more than adequate to do a complete car and I don`t lose an entire bar if something gets in it.

I use small pieces at a time (maybe 5 small pieces per car). I get about 3 cars out of a bar.

That`s funny. I usually cut mine into thirds.

I`ve seen a lot of posts where people recommend cutting their clay into pieces (never as many pieces as you have suggested). I understand the mind set and actually think it might be a good idea. Having said this I have clayed vehicles dozens of times, to date I have never dropped the clay on the ground. My 13 year old son did once, right after I told him to be careful but I never have. I kind of like having a substantial chunk to hold on to. Maybe I`m just lucky. :band

I just used it and then fold it as it becomes dirty well i guess you know what im talking about

Even though I cut mine into pieces, I still get quite a few cars out of each piece, unless of course it picks up something that might damage the paint
It also makes a difference what size clay bar you have to start with ... I use the Clay Magic Bar that is 200 grams ... that is bigger than the bars at Auto Zone.

I break mine into quarter sized, flat pieces, and get at the least three to five cars out of each piece. I constantly knead it and about about the time they turn dark and start to feel gritty, I toss them in the trash. I`ve been using the clay-bars for over ten years now (long before it was commercially available) and this seems to me to be the best method. It not only helps in stretching my product dollars, it also helps in not contaminating a whole bar, it forces me to "feel" when the surface is free from defects and speeds up my processes because it takes less time to knead. It also frees up my other hand to spray the lubricant.