Clay question.......

[YankeeFan]

Did a Search under "clay" but didn't find the amount of posts of which one to use as compared to other products. Which do you find to be of great quality and is any lubricant good (i.e. quick detailer, soapy water, etc.) to use or is a specific clay lubricant better? Do you choose which clay to use (I assume some have more abrasives than others) the same way you choose a polish, try the lowest then move up to then next level, etc.

Howard

[Sevenrd]

I've used the clay lube supplied with the clay, various QD's and the soap while washing to clay - all have worked fine. I've read of some clays not reacting well with some soaps in that the clay begins to break down, but I haven't had that experience yet.

Yes, there are different grades of clay. If I'm doing an initial clay on a car and its suface is very rough, I'll use a medium grade. Then, for upkeep, I'll use a fine grade.

[nick19]

I have used Meguiars professional grade clay with success. Any QD will do the job, but I have heard good things about the ClearKote, and Duragloss QD I believe.

What type of "soapy" water are you referring to?

Yes, I would recommend using the least abrasive clay first. A "medium" grade, is an average grade clay, as a finer clay is more commonly used. Real abrasive clay is not recommended for the average user. Go with a fine or medium grade clay, and you'll be set. If you clay once a year, you might want a medium grade clay, as more contaminants will be on the surface, but if you plan to clay more than twice a year, go with a fine grade clay.


Have a safe and happy Holiday!




-Nick

[supercharged]

Pinnacle Poly clay is a very nice clay. Couple it up with Pinnacle clay lube and you are set. DP and Wolfgang are about the same too.
You can also look at Ultra poly clay made by Pinnacle. It is a finer grade clay for more frequent contaminent removal.
If you are going to get something at Local PepBoys, go with Mothers clay. It worked for me better then Meguiar's, it is more elastic, and doesn't break down as quickly.

Good luck.

[TOGWT]

Most manufacturers colorize the plastic to identify differing abrasive strengths (i.e. Clay Magic Blue is a fine to medium abrasive, whereas the Red is a medium abrasive) It is also very effective on paint over-spray, if the over-spray is particularly heavy, you may want to seek the assistance of a professional. http://www.claymagic.net/

a)Ultra- Fine- clay that abrades or shears light surface or imbedded paint contamination and encapsulates it. This type of clay is mild enough for frequent use without overly abrading the paint surface. Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay (http://sonus-usa.com/son-3200-2.html) –Autopia.org
b)Medium- clay is used to remove heavier surface contaminants (bird excrement and bug reside) it is more abrasive than the ultra-fine grade and abrades the paint surface, while the clay encapsulates it
c) Medium to Heavy duty- clay is used to remove paint over-spray; it contains a slightly stronger abrasive that abrades the paint, while the clay encapsulates it

Detailer’s Clay Lubricant:
Most clay retailers supply their detailing spray (QD) as a lubricant the problem with most of them is that they contain some form of alcohol and / or solvents. To provide sufficient lubrication the surface must be thoroughly saturated, problem is that alcohol or solvent dries out the clay causing it to crumble or breakdown and become soft leaving streaks on the paint surface. Some car wash concentrates will also cause some of the same problems if the clay becomes saturated due to the synthetics used.

The best way to describe the proper method for using detailer clay is to use plenty of the lubricant and aquaplane the clay bar over the surface in straight-line motions, using very little hand pressure.A mild liquid soap (Woolite™) works as a lubricant and is gentle enough that it will not adversely affect either the clay, vehicle paint or trim using a 5:1 solution of distilled water / Woolite™. As an alternative use a 16:1 solution of distilled water and a pH suitable car wash concentrate (Zaino Z-7 Show Car Wash, pH7.0) in a 16 ounce spray bottle

{Knowledge; don't ever stop learning; [always keeping an open mind]

[BILL]

;)
Pinnacle Poly clay is a very nice clay. Couple it up with Pinnacle clay lube and you are set. DP and Wolfgang are about the same too.
You can also look at Ultra poly clay made by Pinnacle. It is a finer grade clay for more frequent contaminent removal.
If you are going to get something at Local PepBoys, go with Mothers clay. It worked for me better then Meguiar's, it is more elastic, and doesn't break down as quickly.

Good luck.:iagree: P.P.C...is very nice........along with the lube...

[FloridaNative]

The pinnacle and DP clay are both excellent ( I haven't used the wolfgang clay yet but I'm sure it's excellent too). I personally like to use a dedicated clay lube for claying. Pinnacle's clay lube is excellent. Claying only needs to be done once or twice a year depending on your driving habits and whether the car is garaged or not, and a fine/medium grade clay will suit your needs. I personally like to clay more often to prevent the contamination from building up so I like to use Pinnacle Ultra Poly clay once a month to maintain that perfectly clean finish. It's a really nice clay too because you don't have to reapply your wax or sealant afterwards. :p I hope this helps. :)

[YankeeFan]

Thanks to all for the clarification of clay and how to use it.

Howard

[ScottB]

Clay is much more similar than first thought ... did you know there is only two manufacturers with patents ?? Thus sometimes color may be the only real difference. Clay carefully.

[YankeeFan]

Clay is much more similar than first thought ... did you know there is only two manufacturers with patents ?? Thus sometimes color may be the only real difference. Clay carefully.

Yeah........I learned that the hard way as I clayed my front bumper pretty poorly and had to borrow a DA from a neighbor to fix it. This is why I am surprised people clay their whole car, potentially cause more harm than good. I guess also I can't get over the fact that clay is used on a car.

Howard

[Nica]

The way I see it use lots of lube and you should be fine...well I guess I'll find out when I use it.

[TOGWT]

Clay is much more similar than first thought ... did you know there is only two manufacturers with patents ?? Thus sometimes color may be the only real difference. Clay carefully.

I thought there was only one?

In the United States, Auto Wax Co. (now owned by Illinois Tool Works Inc.) owns the US patent rights for detailing clay. Auto Wax owns six patents relating to clay products and provides private label clay to many of the detail industry’s leading companies - http://www.automagic.biz/specialt.htm (http://www.automagic.biz/specialt.htm)

But the formulation can vary significantly, mainly;

Density or plasticity
Abrasive particulate size
Abrasive used (i.e. Kaolin, diatomaceous earth, etc)
Abrasive density ratio (abrasive content to clay) Colour (to identify differing abrasive strengths)

{Knowledge; don't ever stop learning; [always keeping an open mind]