How much clay do I really need per bar?

I just got my nanoskin mitt and some griots clay in this week. I'm gonna try both when my warehouse closes and I can move in. I'll post my very inexperienced opinion once I've gave them a trial run.
 
Using a small piece of clay means it loads up rapidly with contaminants - that means it takes longer to work an area, and increases the chances of marring the surface.

I wouldn't use less than 80-100 grams at a time, and even then I'd knead the clay at the end of each body panel.

Using a ridiculously small-sized piece of clay may save you a few pennies, but what's your time worth to go back and polish out all the scratches you put in the paint, ignoring the cost of the polish used?
 
forrest@mothers said:
Using a small piece of clay means it loads up rapidly with contaminants - that means it takes longer to work an area, and increases the chances of marring the surface.

I wouldn't use less than 80-100 grams at a time, and even then I'd knead the clay at the end of each body panel.

Using a ridiculously small-sized piece of clay may save you a few pennies, but what's your time worth to go back and polish out all the scratches you put in the paint, ignoring the cost of the polish used?
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Sure, that's the tradeoff, a small piece gets dirty quicker, so you can't use it on as much of the vehicle (which all depends on the condition of the vehicle) before having to discard it. On the other hand, it's only a small piece if you drop it, and since a few of us have some sort of OCD tendencies, we feel better if we have 10% of our bar really dirty, and 90% new, as opposed to having only half of it new and the rest of it not-so-dirty but "not new".

EDIT: I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're suggesting people cut their bar in half and use half at a time. If I'm doing a personal car, it's not going to be very dirty, and I'm going to wind up (from my clay bar) with half of it new, and half of it a little dirty but "used". I'd rather wind up with 90% of my bar new, and 10% that's dirty and is going to go in the garbage, or be used on wheels or something like that.

Because if half my bar is "used", I'm going to start thinking "shoot, I only have half a bar of new clay, that's not enough, I'd better buy some more clay" and before you know it you have so much clay that you can't ever even try a clay substitute because you're still trying to use up the clay you bought 8-10 years ago...but that could just be me.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Sure, that's the tradeoff, a small piece gets dirty quicker, so you can't use it on as much of the vehicle (which all depends on the condition of the vehicle) before having to discard it. On the other hand, it's only a small piece if you drop it, and since a few of us have some sort of OCD tendencies, we feel better if we have 10% of our bar really dirty, and 90% new, as opposed to having only half of it new and the rest of it not-so-dirty but "not new".

EDIT: I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're suggesting people cut their bar in half and use half at a time. If I'm doing a personal car, it's not going to be very dirty, and I'm going to wind up (from my clay bar) with half of it new, and half of it a little dirty but "used". I'd rather wind up with 90% of my bar new, and 10% that's dirty and is going to go in the garbage, or be used on wheels or something like that.

Because if half my bar is "used", I'm going to start thinking "shoot, I only have half a bar of new clay, that's not enough, I'd better buy some more clay" and before you know it you have so much clay that you can't ever even try a clay substitute because you're still trying to use up the clay you bought 8-10 years ago...but that could just be me.
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My problem is that I use so much to do a job. Kinda adds up fast in price.
 
Bill1234 said:
My problem is that I use so much to do a job. Kinda adds up fast in price.
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Yeah, I got that. Definitely try cutting up your bar into smaller pieces, as Forrest suggested, perhaps in half (although some of us use smaller pieces). Use your best judgment based on how quickly the clay gets dirty and how dirty the car is, also how big a deal clay-induced marring will be on the car you're working on (having to do with expectations, whether you will be polishing after, and color of car).

Also might look into some of the lighter-colored clay substitutes on the page I linked earlier in the thread.
 
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