Decon then Clay or Clay then Decon

B

Bert

Active member
I will be detailing a car soon and the last time I detailed this car, it required two full clay bars and way too much time.  This was a few years ago and I had never used a Decon system.  So this time around, to save time I am going to incorporate a decon job but as bad as I am assuming this car will be again, I am thinking Decon alone may not be enough, probably will require both decon and claying.


 


So, should I decon first and then clay afterwards with the assumption that the decon will make whatever claying is left over much easier


 


or


 


She I give it a quick over with some clay to knock as much as possible from the surface to give the decon acid a chance to get to the pores.


 


 


In the past, I have clayed WHILE using the acid step of Decon.  The first time I tried it, it worked pretty good.  While the clay was slowly degrading and had to be thrown away afterwards, while it was holding together, it was like clay on steroids, just ripping the contamination right off the paint with just one swipe of the clay unlike the first time I did this car where I was having to work sections NUMEROUS TIMES.  Then I tried this claying while acid method again, and for whatever reason, the clay was degrading much, much faster and was smearing all over the paint.


 


I am hoping I can clay while acid method again but I have a bad feeling the fast degradation of the clay will happen again so I better be ready to separate the steps, I am just wondering,  which to do first.
 
My choice would be to decon then clay. IME decon chemically is more effective and efficient in getting the most of contamination off than doing it mechanically but doing both is still what I prefer for a thorough clean surface.
 
Try one of those clay-block things instead of clay after decon. I'm pretty much down on clay right now! I doubt I'd ever buy another bar.
 
Yeah, decon then clay, not that the claying is likely to be necessary if the decon goes OK.


 


But yeah, I too have had to clay while the acid is dwelling and yeah it sure eats up the clay fast.  If you're doing something with reasonable clearcoat hardness, you might try the ValuGard Bug Pad.  It's like a soft Scotchbrite pad (did I scare you by saying that?!? Heh heh heh..).  Ron Ketcham told me to try it, but !oh man! was I leery..thought I'd mar up my paint something awful so I tried it out on the older Crown Vic, which was already in need of serious correction.  Surprise surprise, it didn't mar the medium Ford clear!  Would I try it on BMW Jet Black?  Nah, but it's a lot more gentle than I expected.
 
I was hoping you would reply Accum because I was thinking I got the idea to clay during the acid step from you.  I don't know why the clay was dissolving so much faster this time compared to first time I tried.  The clay was literally smearing on the paint it was dissolving so fast.


 


While I agree with you that clay will probably not be necessary, the last time I did a car for this guy, (did not decon that time) it took me longer to clay it than to polish it and I went through two and half clay bars.  I started with normal gentle clay and after about two spots I realized I needed to step up to some of my old Sonus Grey Block clay and thank heavens I had it.  That car would have wiped out my entire normal clay supply and it would have taken me all day.  I would love to know where he parks his car, next to the space shuttle at take off????  Kidding obviously.


 


June bug mentioned one of those clay block things.  I might try the one I bought years ago and have only used once.  If the acid ruins it, who cares, I never use it now as is.  In all seriousness, the acid probably will ruin it.  A month or two ago when I deconed my car (the time the dissolved the clay so quickly) I used one of my old Sonus foam applicators, the ones that are soft and one side and aggressive on the other.  After using it I tossed it in a bucked of water and APC mix to soak.  The next morning, tossed it in the wash machine and when I pulled it out of the wash machine, the acid had eaten up much of the soft foam part.  Fortunately I have like a dozen of those.
 
Hi-Lustre clay can be used with detergent - I like a tablespoon of Dawn in a quart spray bottle - and will cut through fallout like a chainsaw through styrofoam.  The detergent keeps the contamination from sticking to the clay and makes the clay both faster and longer lasting.  Rinse the bar off with clean water before you fold it over so you don't fold detergent into the clay but the Hi-lustre clay is pretty much detergent proof, inexpensive and fast, fast, fast.  


 


Getting the big chunks off the surface and out of the way, then using acid to clean up the small amount that's gotten down into the paint and can't be reached by the clay is what I recommend.


 


Robert
 
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