Thoughts on using clay!

K

kimwallace

New member
Clay is a great tool to help achieve the best paint finish possible. It can however create additional problems if not used carefully.
Clay is used to remove the embedded contaminates in paint that cannot be removed by washing or polishing alone.
In my opinion when clay is used to remove tar, bugs, paint specs and other surface contaminates that can be cleaned off with a soap or solvent, the risk of scratching the paint is greatly increased.
Tar can contain particles of dirt and small pieces of stone and who knows what bugs eat. Some of the paint specs, especially road paint, can contain abrasive particles that are harder than the paint on a car.
This is the claying process I use to help me reduce scratches and still achieve a smooth finish:

1. Wash and dry the car
2. Examine the paint for tar or other surface contaminates
3. If tar is present, use a tar remover to clean it off.
I saturate a cotton cloth and wipe the car down … let sit for a few minutes and wipe off with a dry cotton cloth. This method is inexpensive and safe for the paint.​
4. Use a bug remover or diluted APC to remove bugs.
5. On Base Coat/ Clear coat finishes, Lacquer thinner or Goof-Off can be used to remove most paint specs. Be careful to keep it off of the plastic trim pieces because most of these are single stage paint and can be damaged by these two solvents.
6. Wash the car again if needed, to remove traces of the solvents used
7. If the paint is badly oxidized, clean the paint with a product like Poorboy’s Pro Polish, Klasse AIO or Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner Polish. Otherwise the clay will load up and not work as effectively.
8. Clay the car starting at the top and working down. (There are usually more contaminates on the lower parts of the car)
I use Clay Magic and Meguiar’s Final Inspection as a lube. After much experimentation, this combination is what works best for me. Everyone’s technique is different so different combinations of clay and lube may work better based on the pressure applied and other factors. I also divide a 200 gram clay bar into 6 or 8 pieces so if it gets dropped or contaminated, I can pitch it and grab a new piece. I clay one or two panels at a time and wipe off the remaining Final Inspection with a Micro Fiber Towel. This also removes any smudges from the clay, leaving the surface ready to Polish and Protect.​
9. On many car including new, it is only necessary to clay the areas that do not feel smooth.
10. These are just my opinions based on my experience. I am sure there are many others but this is what works best for me.
 
Thanks Kim. I had not thought about polishing a bad finish before claying, but it makes sense.
 
Kim,

Thanks for sharing that great process; the people who are relatively new to clay appreciate the time you took to do this.

Have you tried an elastic clay? I found the ones from Clay Magic, and other popular ones made by (private labeled) Clay Magic come off in clumps. Usually when you use chunks like this, you toss them away since they get dirty quickly. On average, I got about 3 cars clayed effectively with my Clay Magic bar ($25 a bar @ $8+ per use).

Did you know an elastic clay is basically self cleaning? When the surface gets dirty after a panel, you can stretch and fold it twice, which will spread the contaminants to the middle of the bar, thus reducing the risk of micromarring.

Also, the elastic clay I use is 400grams, and it's less expensive as the 200gram I mentioned above. With this larger bar, you can easily split it into 2 parts for greater use; this should be about the size of your inner palm, which means you'll have a good grip on it. I would tend to suggest that if you are new to clay to split into more pieces, as if you drop it, your better off tossing it in the trash. If you clay the vehicle with the entire bar, the manufacturer suggests 10-12 vehicles before replacing; if you split it up into 2 parts, that's 20+ cars ($18 per bar that's about $1 per use)! An elastic bar does not disentegrate nearly as quickly as a solid bar either, so it stays realitively the same size throughout it's lifespan.

Just my 2 cents though. Many do not know that more bars are available.
 
I have found my Clay Magic bars to be pretty stretchable and easy to fold over.
I cannot say this about a couple others I have tried. I think some of the clay bar disentegration comes from the choice of a lube. I found that the Clay Magic lube left a lot of clay residue on the paint. I do not get that when using FI. One of the main points I was trying to make is that clay can become contaminated by the things we are trying to remove with it, which can cause damage to the paint, so as with all process, it pays to be careful.

As a clarification to #3 ... I use mineral spirits (I deleted it somehow and just caught it) as a tar remover and have never had a problem with it adversely affecting the paint.

Nick, please post or PM me with more specifics about the elastic clay it sounds interesting.
 
MattZ28 said:
Nick -- where is this elastic clay available from?
Click to expand...

Erazer, Mothers, Wolfgang, Pinnacle and Blackfire are all elastic clays.

A 200gm Clay Magic bar should do way more than 3 cars and is very pliable.

I cut mine into 8 pieces when new and each small piece will effectively do 1-2 cars.

I may not know alot about detailing but I am the expert when it comes to detailing clay because it makes my car smooooooth. :naughty

Tyrell
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top