MF Towels

[lpandroc]

I just clayed the plastic bumpers on my 2000 volvo...there were small bumps and stuff on them...wow..its awesome...followed it up with AIO and 1 coat of SG.....I used mothers and it did a great job!!!...anyone recommend another lube for the clay?...thanks,Lance

 

[Redcar GUY]

I use Z6 mixed with a little Distilled water, Or also a little Z7 in a spray bottle mixed with water



I love clay

 

[imported_Intel486]

You can use pretty much any QD spray. I've even heard some people using clean soapy water. When I clay bar I usually use meguiars #34

 

[imported_doug]

Although most of us are familiar with it, I think claying is one of the best kept secrets in car care. it is especially wonderful for us "instant gratification" junkies - nothing does more good in less time. (Assuming of course, you need it in the first place.)

 

[dengelson]

When you want to make older paint look really, really good a clay bar is a great tool. I just clayed the hood on my truck last night and I just dig this product. I can really notice the difference that the clay makes because my truck is white and that makes it easy to see the little specs and junk left behind even after washing. I have been using the QD from Mothers that came with the kit because for real QDing I prefer Meguiars Final Inspection so I'll use up the bottle of Mothers for claying. In fact I like FI so much I bought a gallon of it this week.



The Mothers works just fine for claying but the trick is to find just the right balance between too wet (too much lube makes the clay slide over the contaminants without picking them up) and too dry (develops too much friction and gets grabby).



It's cool finding a new product that delivers on its promises. It's also cool adding new detailing methods to our own personal set of skills and knowledge base.

 

[Lemonxxs]

Use QD's with mother's clay as with soap it tends to break down and turn into a slimy mushy blob that smears...well it did for me anyways.



USe your faveorite QD with clay.

 

[dengelson]

Another option for working on smaller areas is to spray the clay itself with QD. That little amount of moisture will allow you to do about a 6" square area.

 

[BradE]

Washes can sometimes break down the bar quickly. Clay Magic seems to work well with wash mixtures, as does Zaino Z18. :up

 

[Dave N]

Here's a clay question: I'm planning on using SMR this spring -- do I need to clay beforehand, or will SMR remove anything that clay would have? I just bought some Blackfire, and the instructions say that the BF polish will NOT remove environmental contaminants like clay will. That got me to wondering about the SMR...



Thanks,

 

[dengelson]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Dave N [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Here's a clay question: I'm planning on using SMR this spring -- do I need to clay beforehand, or will SMR remove anything that clay would have? I just bought some Blackfire, and the instructions say that the BF polish will NOT remove environmental contaminants like clay will. That got me to wondering about the SMR... [/b]</blockquote>
I don't think that SMR will remove the stuff that the clay removes. I have used AIO on my truck with the PC and it still left behind little specs (that would be hard to see if the truck wasn't white) that I had to use clay to remove. Even with a dark color car you can tell if the clay is working because you can feel it working and you will notice the dark color crud that collects on the clay bar.

 

[iforcev8]

Will Claying remove Zaino?

 

[imported_doug]

claying is unique. if you have above surface defects and intend to use anything less than sand paper on a block, you should absolutely clay before any other step. And yes, it will probably remove your Zaino. I wouldn't clay unless I intended to at least wax.

 

[F1Crazy]

Dave N,

SMR or any other mild abrasive will not remove the stuff the clay bar removes. I've just used SMR on the trunk of my Accord followed with AIO and boy, I'm sorry I didn't clay. There is a lot of small contamination that can be felt with bare hands.

I will never do any major work on paint without claying it first!

 

[Dave N]

Thanks for answering my clay question, guys! I thought that SMR would have removed what clay did, so I'm glad I asked.



Now for my next question: can I attach a lump of clay to a PC? Just kidding.

 

[dengelson]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Dave N [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Now for my next question: can I attach a lump of clay to a PC? [/b]</blockquote>
Yes you can. I don't know if it works but it is available.

<em class='bbc'>clic pic[/i]

 

[imported_doug]

I am a huge advocate of the PC, but I think claying with one is a BAD idea. claying should be done by hand. The feedback, both in terms of drag and noise, is really vital to using it well. It would be easy to over-clay with the orbital, to expose the exact same clay surface for too long, and to run low on lube, leaving clay smear behind before you had a chance to react.



Claying generally only needs 2-3 strokes over an area, and doesn't need heavy pressure - so it is easily done by hand.

 

[dengelson]

I agree with carguy 100%. I wouldn't use a PC for claying either. I think that you would lose the feel for what the clay is doing that you have when using a clay bar by hand.

 

[Dave N]

OK, now I've seen <em class='bbc'>everything[/i]! I agree that this would be a bad idea, for all of the reasons you guys mentioned, plus you would be forever taking the clay out of the PC to flip/knead it.

 

[BradE]

I agree, using clay with a machine is not a good idea. You have much better control by hand.

 

[imported_Intermezzo]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by iforcev8 [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Will Claying remove Zaino? [/b]</blockquote>
Light claying will not remove Zaino, but it would still be a good idea to re-zaino the clayed areas.