Can I use old clay?

[sfzBimmer]

I have some Sonus clay that I bought 3 years ago, but I haven't used it since then. It still looks good, but I'm wondering if clay gets bad with age?

 

[bjackson8]

I have never heard of clay getting old. I would guess that as long as it has not dried out, you should be OK.

 

[JasonD]

I sure hope not. I have about a half dozen clay bars sitting on a shelf that I bought about 3 years ago as well. I even have one bar that I used once in a plastic ziploc bag, and it seems to be doing okay, so I would think the sealed ones should be fine.

 

[mikelea4ever]

^^^+1. I don't think clay gets old. You should still be okay to use it.

 

[sinbad]

As long as clay bar isn't dried out, you should be okay. After you make sure it is not overly dirty/used, try working it in your hands heating it up. If it doesn't get plyable, then toss it out.

 

[Macruz19]

I'd sure to make it moist and wet prior to using lube to clay the finish.



I have used old clay before and it's still ok.

 

[Accumulator]

Heh heh, three years....no problem IMO. I have *much* older clay than that that's still fine.

 

[David Fermani]

Has anyone ever seen a dried out piece of clay? Does it exist?

 

[Accumulator]

Well, yeah, I *have* seen clay that was dried out. Left out of the container in a very hot shop, it got dry and "crumbly"; that was the most extreme example but I've had others get to where they wouldn't knead properly.



I keep blobs of clay stuck to the top of my shampoo-solution spray bottle, my wheel/tire bucket, and the top of my Glyde lube bottle. The last time one of these blobs dried out it was the one that had been stuck to the rim of the wheel bucket forever and a day. The others get used more often (or rather, get rotated/cycled more often, being relegated to the wheel bucket when contaminated) and they never dry out.



But if you keep clay in a baggie or some other container it oughta stay OK.

 

[coupe]

Ive never seen clay dry out......ever.

 

[albs]

I've had clay dry out on me. It happened on two separate occasions, and they were both still sealed in their plastic bag. I'll have to double check what brand they were. The first time it happened to me a couple of years ago, I thought it was a fluke. The second time, I decided not to buy any extra clay. I'll buy it as I need it.

Last year there was a heat wave and the garage was probably ~100 F for about a week. That may be the cause, but how many people have a climate controlled garage?



I actually tried to use some clay that was partially dry. Don't do it. It will scratch the hell out of your paint.