Is this how you clay if you use soapy water??

C

C-MDX

New member
I'm not sure if I'm doing it right but here's how I clay. Put the clay bar inside bucket of soapy water, rinse the part where I have to clay, wash the part where I have to clay then without rinsing go stright to clay, after finish go over surface with soapy water, rinse. So am I doing it right or am I just claying dust because the last time I clay my car (car was 2 1/2 months old when I clayed it) my clay bar got really really dirty after only one section so I was worry if I'm claying dust instead.
 
Sounds like you're missing a step. You oughta rinse, wash, and rinse again before you clay. You want the panel as clean as possible before claying it. Then I wash and rinse it again to remove any possible clay residue.



Oh, and I don't put the clay in the soapy water (it might dissolve, depending on the clay). I have a spray bottle of car wash shampoo that I use for the claying. I've tried dunking the clay in my wash bucket, but I like the separate spray bottle better.
 
Accumulator said:
Sounds like you're missing a step. You oughta rinse, wash, and rinse again before you clay. You want the panel as clean as possible before claying it. Then I wash and rinse it again to remove any possible clay residue.



Oh, and I don't put the clay in the soapy water (it might dissolve, depending on the clay). I have a spray bottle of car wash shampoo that I use for the claying. I've tried dunking the clay in my wash bucket, but I like the separate spray bottle better.
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That's a lot of soapy water! So even if I clay during washing I still have to use a spray bottle??
 
I totally wash and rinse the car then I get a new pail of wash water with a little higher concentration of soap then;



1) Rinse the area I am going to do with copious amounts of water

2) I have a sheapskin mitt I use just for this and I dip it in the soap/water then I wet down 1/4 of the hood and clay as I am running the mitt over the area.

3) rinse and move on



On vertical surfaces I hold the mitt above the area I am claying and move it back and forth letting the solution run down to where I am claying.



NOTE: I don't use a full clay bar I cut a piece off about the size of my little finger and use it till it is soiled.
 
C-MDX said:
That's a lot of soapy water! So even if I clay during washing I still have to use a spray bottle??
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Well, that's how I do it. FWIW, the Griot's Car Wash I use seems to be pretty easy on my LSPs, in fact, it doesn't seem to affect KSG at all. But FWIW, I do a lot of my claying with clay lube so it's not like I'm doing this "lotsa soap" thing all the time.



I also like the sound of Jesstzn's method :xyxthumbs There are different ways to do this stuff, the trick (IMO) is to find a method that doesn't result in marring. Same ol' same ol'- it's all about preventing marring so you don't have to polish it out.
 
Adequate lubricant is of primary importance (after having a clean starting surface) in attaining a mar free result. The clay should hydroplane across the paint’s surface - never actually touching the paint - only touching the contaminants that protrude through the film of lubricant. I wouldn’t consider using clay without a spray bottle of car shampoo solution in one hand while the clay is in the other hand!
 
Nick T. said:
Adequate lubricant is of primary importance (after having a clean starting surface) in attaining a mar free result. The clay should hydroplane across the paint’s surface
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Very nicely worded. I like it when the claybar feels like a melting icecube melting on a kitchen countertop.
 
Originally posted by Nick T.

Adequate lubricant is of primary importance (after having a clean starting surface) in attaining a mar free result. The clay should hydroplane across the paint’s surface



Originally psoted by SK2003TypeS

Very nicely worded. I like it when the claybar feels like a melting icecube melting on a kitchen countertop.
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Nice visual imagery!



I also use the soapy water/clay method for paint decontamination... it works like a charm, and allows me to save my QD for "QD'ing" ;)
 
?????????????

dumping the clay in soapy water

using soap with the clay????????

won't this mess up the clay

i normally wash the car

clean the paint

spray detail mist on the part of the car i want to clay

then clay over the detail mist area........always keep the surface wet with detail mist

iam i right :confused:
 
cap-e-tan said:
?????????????

dumping the clay in soapy water

using soap with the clay????????

won't this mess up the clay
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I don't dump it in the soapy water .. just use a mitt above the clay to drissle the soapy water down for lub.



Soapy water or QD .. both are ok .. Soapy water makes the clay a one time use thats why you use a small portion.



I use QD/Clay more for spot touchups.
 
Jesstzn said:
Soapy water or QD .. both are ok .. Soapy water makes the clay a one time use thats why you use a small portion.
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It’s been my experience in using both Zaino Z-18 clay and Clay Magic blue clay that using a car shampoo and water solution for the lubricant in no way shortens the life of the clay.



YMMV!
 
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