Fine clay recommendations

K

killerzee

New member
I have a Black car, that is in need of a minor clay. The paint is in very good condition, but I do feel some dirt on it when I rub my hands on it. I want a light clay to smooth it out, and cause the least amount of marring possible. I don`t want to be polishing out all the swirls every few months.

Thanks
 
killerzee said:
I have a Black car, that is in need of a minor clay. The paint is in very good condition, but I do feel some dirt on it when I rub my hands on it. I want a light clay to smooth it out, and cause the least amount of marring possible. I don`t want to be polishing out all the swirls every few months.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Killerzee --
The mildest clay I have ever used was sold by Zaino - it was a red claybar..
What are you using for claybar lube ? Some claybar lubes are better than others in my experiences..
Dan F
 
I have been using the Zaino clay lately, but I feel like others might be better.... specifically the Claymagic ones. I use soap with a sponge, and not clay lube.
 
I use Riccardo Yellow with Dodo Juice Born Slippy as a clay lube. Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay is another ultrafine clay choice.
 
killerzee said:
I have been using the Zaino clay lately, but I feel like others might be better.... specifically the Claymagic ones. I use soap with a sponge, and not clay lube.
Click to expand...

Killerzee --
In all the years I used the Red Zaino Claybar I found that because it is a milder grit, you have to press down a little more and check your work to make sure you get everything off that spot on the panel, before moving to the next spot..
You mentioned wanting a mild claybar and that perfectly describes the Red Zaino Bar..

Yes, the Blue ClayMagic Bar is a good one, and has been around my shop for over 15 years..
It is more aggressive than the Red Zaino Bar, and that can be good if you have a lot of embedded gunk to remove, and bad if you put too much pressure on it..

When I use Claybars or my SM Arnold Towel, I only use DoDo Juice Born Slippy Clay Lube mixed in a 35 ounce Spraybottle with water..
It is by far the best claylube I have ever used, and it is easy to work with, and leaves no residue...
It is so slippery you have to be careful that you don`t let the claybar slip out of your hands...
For my needs and plan, car wash soap will work, but not as great as this claylube I mention...
Dan F
 
22ple makes a very fine claybar, marketed as a coating safe clay which is generally frowned upon (claying a coated car) due to the possibility of marring. Perhaps it would meet your needs?

I`ve used it and, paying close attention to the temperature I used it in (according to instructions) it worked quite well.
 
I agree with Dan F that the clay lube is very important. And the dodo juice born to be slippy concentrate is one of the best ones. Sonüs SFX ultra fine detailing clay is a great mild clay. When it comes to effectiveness and with the least possible to marr Bilt Hamber clay bar is a great one if you can get it. BH claims only water is needed when claying with theirs. But I play it safe and still use a clay lube when useing it and have still not see any ill effects when inspection with light. Have used it on my Kia cee`d which is a softer clearcoat and still not marring. And since it`s so effective you stroke it fewer times than some other aggressive grade clay bar I have used.

https://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-3200-2.html#.WvK3-2Gew1I
 
I`ve always had good luck with the Meguiars clay bar kit which can be found just about everywhere. The price isn`t bad and I`ve never found the clay to be overly sticky or too abrasive. I`m also a fan of the QD spray included with the kit, not only as a clay lube, but as a respectable multi-use QD spray as well.
 
Another vote for Sonus SFX, though the newest version (gray) doesn`t appeal to me *nearly* as much as the old (green) version. This new gray stuff gets a bit, uhm...worn out and crumbly and yeah, I`m using it with their Glyde.

Actually, maybe I`ll be looking into something else when I use this batch up, I`m *that* disappointed with it. Sigh..that`ll be a long time though.

But it *is* very mild, doesn`t compromise my LSP unless it`s absolutely on its last legs anyhow.
 
hawaiidude said:
I threw my claybars away once I tried nanoskin autoscrub pad.
Click to expand...

I *still* don`t understand how people can use those without causing any marring, or at least compromising their LSP. Even the Product Literature says not to use `em on certain finishes due to the potential for abrasion.

Not flaming, not saying I wouldn`t consider it if I had to do correction anyhow, just saying that I don`t understand how it can work that way. I mean..gee, if I move my *clay* for more than an inch or two (without kneading/replacing) I risk marring!
 
Accumulator, I only use nanoscrub when I`m preparing paint for full polish and coating. I have never had trouble with marring or any issues for that matter. For me it really works great and takes about 15% of the time of clay. I used to put it on my PC but lately I`ve found using the hand pad works just as well.
 
Accumulator said:
I *still* don`t understand how people can use those without causing any marring, or at least compromising their LSP. Even the Product Literature says not to use `em on certain finishes due to the potential for abrasion.

Not flaming, not saying I wouldn`t consider it if I had to do correction anyhow, just saying that I don`t understand how it can work that way. I mean..gee, if I move my *clay* for more than an inch or two (without kneading/replacing) I risk marring!
Click to expand...

That`s because they do marr. I don`t care what anyone says. From personal experience they marr more than a clay bar even with plenty of clay lube and a gentle touch. I only use clay on my personal vehicles as it still does a better job of contaminant removal. If I am polishing someone else`s paint like my brothers then I will use a clay mitt.
 
hawaiidude said:
Accumulator, I only use nanoscrub when I`m preparing paint for full polish and coating. I have never had trouble with marring or any issues for that matter..
Click to expand...
OK...I`m not gonna argue or anything...but IMO if a car needs correction it`s already so marred up that I wouldn`t expect any kind of effects from the decon. to be obvious anyhow. Eh, I only do my own vehicles and gather my experiences are unusual with regard to needing to polish.
 
Accumulator said:
OK...I`m not gonna argue or anything...but IMO if a car needs correction it`s already so marred up that I wouldn`t expect any kind of effects from the decon. to be obvious anyhow. Eh, I only do my own vehicles and gather my experiences are unusual with regard to needing to polish.
Click to expand...

I COMPLETELY AGREE! The nano pad WILL MARR the paint for sure. It`s not the pad, or even the dirt...., it`s the speed of using the machine... it`s WAY TOO FAST!

Most clays rubbed on a paint will be rather soft, and slow..... which will not really marr it at all.

But yes... if the paint is already destroyed, and you plan to clay, and then polish out swirls and scratches....hey go the easy route. I HATE CLAYING!

Who wants to spend their day rubbing up a car. I`m not a perv, and I don`t want to spend my Saturday night feeling up my car all night. I`d rather be feeling up on a sexy girl ALL NIGHT LONG
 
Hmm, weird. I`ve never experieinced marring. Next time I`ll try pay closer attention. I do use the pad by hand so maybe that`s a help?
 
Aw man...Though I do get up on my High Horse and lecture about (micro?)marring like it`s the end of the world, I honestly don`t want people to go looking for problems...minor cosmetic problems...that they don`t know they have! IT DOESN`T MATTER unless you think it does!

Will other people judge you based on such stuff (or your diction, or appearance, or....something...)? Sure, of course they will! Somebody`ll judge everybody for something every minute of the day. Do you care? That`s your business. OK, that said...

If you`re using mild clay, the clay itself shouldn`t mar, period. The marring comes from either using that clay incorrectly (e.g., insufficient lube, excessive pressure), or from abrasive contamination that`s stuck in the clay.

The instant the clay picks up a speck of something abrasive, it turns into potential sandpaper. That`s why I`d never use a machine-driven system as there`s no way to stop and knead/clean/replace the clay after every momentary contact with the paint (if that`s necessary) and thus avoid marring. Yeah, that`s a huge PIA...which is a big reason why I advocate chemical decon instead of mechanical.

killerzee said:
It`s not the pad, or even the dirt...., it`s the speed of using the machine... it`s WAY TOO FAST!
Click to expand...
Uh-oh, you lost me there...how would the speed be the determining factor? It`s not moving fast enough for heat to be an issue, and other than abrasion and heat I can`t see a cause for marring (i.e., if heat isn`t an issue, the speed with which you move the decon media in-and-of itself wouldn`t factor in at all... unless I`m missing something).
 
accumulator, your explanation on chemical vs mechanical decon totally makes sense to me.

So chemical decon means something like iron X?

I think my tolerance for imperfections is probably higher than most. The car I most recently polished is a 11 year old rav4. Paint has taken a beating but still shines like no other. My other is a truck that is used like a truck. Protection is more important thank looks. I guess it`s just a personal choice, I`ll take saving an hour over possible marring.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top