Claying to remove Wax or Paint Sealant
On the topic of using detailing clay to remove previously applied wax or paint sealant instead of chemically stripping the paint with IPA, MS or a product specifically formulated for chemically stripping wax or paint sealant off paint, here are my comments for what they're worth...
Detailing Clay is a type of polymer clay, think of a high-tech Play-Doh. What give detailing clay it's ability to remove
Above Surface Bonded Contaminants is that detailing clay contains abrasives in the mix and the
quantity and
aggressiveness level of the abrasives can be varied to create either an
Ultra Fine clay or an
Aggressive clay.
The way clay works is the abrasives act to abrade off any particulates sitting on the top surface of the paint, kind of like sandpaper would only a LOT more gentle and safe to the finish, when the clay is rubbed over paint with a lubricant.
The question of whether detailing clay will in-fact remove previously applied coats of wax or paint sealant off the paint is a great question but there is no simple definitive answer because there are too many variables involved, such as,
- Type of clay - Level of Aggressiveness or Non-aggressiveness
- How many passes made over each square inch of paint
- Downward pressure used by the person using the clay
- Amount of lubricant used
- Skill level of person doing the claying
- Type of protection ingredients bonded to the surface
Those are just off the top of my head but probably include most meaningful factors...
The Big Picture
Instead of focusing on all the factors that determine if claying removes wax or paint sealant
or not lets look at the
big picture.
Rubbing clay over paint
doesn't "add" more wax or paint sealant to the surface.
Question: What's the opposite of adding?
Answer: Subtracting or removing.
So at a minimum, if you clay your car's finish, then in the big picture there's probably less wax or paint sealant on the surface than before you started. Make sense?
Is all the wax or paint sealant removed? Probably not as paint is not totally flat, under a microscope the surface of paint has hills and valleys, pockets, pores and pinholes, and what we call interstices, which means microscopic cracks and fissures.
Since the clay is only going to touch the upper surface of the paint and it's going to be gliding it over it, it's not likely that claying removes 100% of everything bonded to the paint, but it's completely logical that some portion of the wax coating or paint sealant is being removed.
Claying shouldn't be counted on as a best practice for removing wax or paint sealant when there are better ways that are more effective.
The point about claying and wax removal is that anytime you clay your car's paint, BECAUSE the potential exists to remove any previously applied wax or paint sealant, then it's a good "Best Practice" to at a minimum, re-apply a coating of wax or paint sealant to the clayed area to replace an replenish a coating of protection.
Thanks to my friend
John aka Perfections for suggesting I includes the topic of claying as it relates to removing previously applied wax or paint sealant as this topic mingles its way into the topic of the bigger topic of using a solvent to chemically strip paint.
:xyxthumbs:
