new clay is bad?

Mliner

Mliner

New member
Will it harm the paint if you use the same Clay over and over.
One of my friends told me he Throws away the Clay after one time use.
 
What brand of Clay are you using? Most of the time, clay is good for multiple uses, but it all depends on your car paint. Take a look at your clay after you are done with your car and see how dirty the clay is. I have used my Clay Magic clay bar 3 times so far...
 
Waxxy said:
What brand of Clay are you using? Most of the time, clay is good for multiple uses, but it all depends on your car paint. Take a look at your clay after you are done with your car and see how dirty the clay is. I have used my Clay Magic clay bar 3 times so far...
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Well i have Clay Magic bar and i clayed my car for the first time about 3 months ago.
 
I generally fold the clay to create a new surface & then reuse.

If you're going to follow the "use & dispose" method, I suggest cutting a new claybar into 1/4's .... use a piece .... discard .... and you'll still get 4 uses out of one claybar while always having a fresh piece of clay.
 
I didn't use an entire clay bar when I was removing primer overspray from the windows of my crx. Throwing a clay bar away after one use is just wasteful.
 
In case you don't know store that clay in a plastic bag to keep moist, I spray some OD in to keep wet until the next use.
 
For red clay magic i'll use it til it won't pick up anything off the paint, or until i drop it. If its blue clay magic i use it til it starts to fall apart from use. I've used one peice of clay bar on over 75 car/trucks at the dealership. Never heard of anyone using it on a few cars and throwing it away? Clay is good until it doesn't work anymore, it falls on the ground, or its causing scratching that polishing or waxing can't take care of.
 
Patrick said:
75 cars?????????????
:wait :beat :flamed
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Yes i did say over 75 cars. If you can only get 4 or 5 uses out of it then so be it. The way i use clay i can make it go a long way. I'm not gonna waste 20 dollars on a 200 gram bar to throw it away because thats what the detailing text books tell me.
 
The reason clay is used for contaminant removal is because it holds the junk w/o keeping it on the surface. Keep needing it and keep the crap off the car. Any marring is very minimal, and if your no polishing after using even a brand new clay bar your not doing a very good job. Clay in as of itself is slightly abrasive. Any minor marring is always taken care of with a quick polish. Unless you get a huge rock or something in the clay why couldn't you use it again? Heck if I drop it on a just cleaned shop floor i'll wipe it off and need it unless it picked up a lot of crap. It just doesn't pay to waste clay. If you want to be very good to your paint and you've got money to burn sure, go ahead and use it on one car and throw it away, I'm not going to waste my money tho.
 
Theres no way Im doing even 20 cars with it. What you cant see, can hurt you, and once the damage is done, its too late to look back. Dont you find validation in knowing your performing the best you can? Is a buck a job too expensive ? Clay is not expensive if you shop, or your buying expensive clay! If you get 20 applications out of a bottle of UPP, is that too expensive ? Thats a buck an application!
If a client brings you a 997 Carrera, you have peice of mind knowing its "been around the block", 20 times for the sanity of saving a buck?
If I drop my gum on the floor, im not chewing it anymore! I dont throw it away after one use, but its not uncommon for me to relegate it to wheels and glass after a hal dozen.
I totally disagree with your rationalization.
To each their own, but this is how I run my business.
 
I demote each clay that changes to a darker color. ANyway, frequent buying = more clay products to try! :lmfao
 
I totaly know what your saying Patrick. I agree to an extent. I'm not saying I do 75 cars with a 200 gram bar, perhaps 25-30. It depends on how dirty the clay looks and feels. I could see getting 50 out of a bar if a lot of the cars were very clean. From years of expereince using clay I think I've only seriously mard a car once or twice tops. And I assure you it was nothing that didn't buff out easily. I do agree whole heartedly that idea that saving a buck is not the point. The perfect finnish is. I think there is a fine line, however, between being wasteful and careful. If I think there is a chance I can damage the car I throw the clay with no reserve, but I'm not going to thow it away just because I've done a car with it.
 
I do agree whole heartedly that idea that saving a buck is not the point. The perfect finnish is. I think there is a fine line, however, between being wasteful and careful. If I think there is a chance I can damage the car I throw the clay with no reserve, but I'm not going to thow it away just because I've done a car with it.
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Agreed.......
 
May be I sticking my nose in where it don't belong but I feel you have your formula wrong....you are saying this bar can do 20-what ever Cars before it can hit the garbage can.
When if fact your clay bar tells you how many cars It has left in it. "Period "

We are all at this to maximize our profits.
keep cost down and do the best we possibly can, but using a piece of clay that is beyond its effective limit is going to make you work your polishes harder and longer, taking the chance of diminishing the clear coat even further.....time is money. where 's the savings?

(imho)
Personally I try to work clean as possible, treat the clay as if it were the last on earth, never set it down on the surface of the veh. I'm working on...always back in to a mini zip-loc bag, when not needed. Always use the minimum amount of clay off the main bar and the main bar gets sealed and put away. Depending on how bad the veh. I was doing I might use a piece of clay for 2-3 cars Max...

Rich
 
Patrick said:
Theres no way Im doing even 20 cars with it. What you cant see, can hurt you, and once the damage is done, its too late to look back. Dont you find validation in knowing your performing the best you can? Is a buck a job too expensive ? Clay is not expensive if you shop, or your buying expensive clay! If you get 20 applications out of a bottle of UPP, is that too expensive ? Thats a buck an application!
If a client brings you a 997 Carrera, you have peice of mind knowing its "been around the block", 20 times for the sanity of saving a buck?
If I drop my gum on the floor, im not chewing it anymore! I dont throw it away after one use, but its not uncommon for me to relegate it to wheels and glass after a hal dozen.
I totally disagree with your rationalization.
To each their own, but this is how I run my business.
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You know i wasn't going to reply to this cause i don't want to cause a big fuss over this. but some things you have said have pissed me off. you know I like to share my knowledge and ways that " I " detail as well as read others.

I'm glad that you disagree with my ways and i'm happy for you that you run your buisness like that. but I didn't know this was the thread to call someone out on how they use a product. To each their own. REALLY do you think i would continue to use a peice of clay that was damaging a car?

I'm not trying to save a few dollars by using clay over and over, I'm trying to get the full usage out of my clay that I feel is safe. But when you throw away clay that is still good just because a detailing book or site tells you to, Thats like throwing money away. I'm in this business to make money not throw it away.

If you had a problem with what i posted then you should have pm'ed me. Not called me out in someone elses thread, Thats pretty much what you have done. Now when others read this It might give me a Bad reputation. Thank you.
 
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