First used by Japanese auto manufacturers the technology was passed on to the US market in the late â€Ëœ90â€â„¢s. There are only a couple manufactures of clay(its actually a mallable plastic) and patents protect the technology, with some subtle difference in consistency and firmness. In general, softer clays are safer and easier to use, firmer clay cleans better with a little more risk of scuffing or scratching
A recent court hearing found components of the âہ“Polymer clayâ€Â� is a patent infringement and the judge ordered sale of the product to be halted. As a result, all of the clay being manufactured now comes from the same factory in Japan. There are many variations in the formula, but all are based on the same plastic clay technology.
All detailing clayâ€â„¢s contain an abrasive; the differences between the types of detailing clayâ€â„¢s are the abrasive levels. Some manufacturers distinguish the differing levels by colour (i.e. Clay Magic Red is a medium abrasive, whereas the Blue is a Fine abrasive.