Clay bar ?

R

re-tired

New member
Since I am still pretty new to the detailing "scene" (if thats a good term )- I still don't understand how clay bars actually work

1) just what exactly are they made from? is it natural / organic or synthetic / man made.

and

2) just exactly how do they work? like SUPER FINE sandpaper? I have been told you use them for a bit and fold them and re fold them and just continue to fold them back into themselves. So if the clay bar is removing something like contaminates , why would you want to keep using it as what ever was removed and is now in the bar will surely be dragged back over the surface-- it just doesn't make any sense to me.
And lastly

3) how do you know / what are the signs that tell you that the clay bar has used up its useful life??

I know thats a lot to ask but I know there is a ton of knowledge here

Thanks in advance

R
 
I will let someone more knowledgeable answer your question on the clar bars, but i will say after one use of the nanoskin clar bar mitt and a couple of times with clar bars. Get the mitt its awsome. I still use some dedicated clay for wheels, and another batch for nasty / sharp areas. It is much faster and over time cheaper than the clay.
 
Welcome, Re-tired -

Claybars were invented in the 80's and according to the story, came from japan..

They are a type of Clay and/or Synthetic Clay, and they are "sticky" enough to when rubbed across a clean, washed, panel, with an appropriate Lubricant, will shear off/pull out particles stuck in the paint pores, which is a lot like our skin pores when viewed through a very high power microscope..

As they go across a panel that has been prepared as above, they will, because of their "stickiness", remove all the other gunk that is on top of the paint as well..

For example, say you go to the local car wash and get the "works plus magix wax" 52 times a year..
There will be a layer of "magix wax" on the paintwork that is also stuck to the panel, and the claybar will remove this and leave you a nice, clean, very smooth panel for your efforts...

The best "all around claybar" I have ever seen that is readily available most anywhere is - ClayMagic and its Blue in color..
They also sell a little bottle of "clay lube" to be sprayed on the clean panel right before you rub the claybar across it..

For Cleaning the claybar, I prefer to use a ClayBar Cleaner which is sold here under the Blackfire Label, and it works great...

Yes, if you get all this gunk off the claybar after rubbing it across the panel and you just fold it into the claybar, eventually the claybar will be very dirty and you have to throw it away..

I prefer to just clean it and keep the claybar as long as possible, but any number of ways will work here..

Good luck !
Dan F
 
I also use the nanoskin mitt and agree that it is a much more user friendly way of " claying" your paint without messing with clay bars.
I also use my waterless wash as a lube for the glove. I find actual clay lubes more expensive to use and it does just as good a job IMO
 
Re-tired --

If you choose to use a Claybar, you will probably be amazed at how much stuff comes off that panel when you do it for the first time..

To do this correctly, hold the claybar that you flattened out to fit the palm of your hand better, spray the lubricant on the claybar and on the panel, and then just rub the claybar across the panel, like you are sanding it, with a little pressure..

At first, the claybar may feel like its sticking a little but just keep moving it in straight lines, with even pressure across that spot, and then overlap it to the next spot, just doing enough so you can manage it and get good results..

You will hear the claybar making a sanding sound (even though everything is wet and needs to stay wet), and as you keep going over those areas; that sanding sound will disappear and the bar will begin moving very easily across the areas you worked..

This means the claybar has pretty much done what it was supposed to do - on that area only -

It's vial to keep that working area wet while you are doing this - I just keep the spray bottle with the trigger part of the handle in my back pocket so it's out of the way, and pull it out and spray the panel while I'm working it if it starts to get dry.

If you want to check how you did, take a clean towel, wipe off that area so its dry and also the surrounding area, and take your clean, dry, hand and lightly run it over that area and then the areas next to it..

You will immediately be able to identify where the claybar removed all the contaminants, and where you need to remove them next..

There are replies here about using a nanoskin mitt or a towel and I have used one of those for years in the Shop, and we can talk about that more if you want to know about it..

I will say this about the towels - (SM Arnold Speedy-Prep) while they are faster because you can rinse them with just plain water and all the muck comes off very easily (unlike the claybar unless you use a claybar cleaner), I have found that they are not as efficient in removing all the contaminants as quickly as a claybar, unless you rub them on that panel longer and put more pressure on them..

So there are trade-offs...But not deal-breakers by any means...
Good Luck !
Dan F
 
I haven't read Todd's thread, but I'd be surprised if it didn't cover everything quite well. But some sorta-random thoughts follow anyhow:

-Once clay picks up something abrasive it turns into sandpaper
-Clay works via "shearing" as opposed to "pulling"
-Claying can be so gentle that it just cleans the LSP without stripping it, or so aggressive that it *really* scours up the paint
-Different people have different experiences/opinions/preferences regarding clay lubes, gotta find what works for *you*
-Same with the different types/grades of clay
-IMO most people use too little lube and too much pressure
-I consider clay a renewable/expendible resource; I don't try to clean it and I don't mind going through it fast
-Clay doesn't "dry out" or otherwise go bad, but IME it *will* go bad if you store it in lube/QD the way some recommend
-Much as I like/use/recommend clay, it's *NOT* a substitute for chemical decontamination
 
re-tired said:
What would be used for chemical de- contamination??
Click to expand...

I myself like the "ABC" system from ValuGard. Tested/approved by all the major automakers.

Is a clay bar by itself abrasive?
Click to expand...

*Leaving overspray clay out of the discussion*...

Claybars are, *IMO/IME* abrasive in the same way that sheepskin wash mitts are abrasive- they *are* in the absolute sense but *NOT* in the practical/functional sense if used correctly. That's because *used correctly* the clay is separated from the paint by a film of lube, gliding along until it bumps into above-surface contamination, which it shears off. BUT 1) that's in the ideal/theoretical sense and it's easy for things to not work out that way in practice and 2) once it does shear off something, if that something is abrasive, once it sticks to the clay it turns the clay into sandpaper.

I clay all the time without marring the paint (at least not to the extent that I can see any marring), but I suspect that I'm a bit unusual in that sense (heh heh, plenty of people would say I'm simply unsual period :o ).
 
One of the things I am interested in knowing , will using a very fine claybar leave swirl marks / streak marks??

I cannot see any possible way that bar can be lubed enough unless its constantly flooded with a lube
 
re-tired said:
One of the things I am interested in knowing , will using a very fine claybar leave swirl marks / streak marks??
Click to expand...

As I'm always posting, I spot-clay at every wash without any such issues. Even on dark colors (mentioning that just in case somebody thinks I wouldn't notice it for some reason ;) ).

I cannot see any possible way that bar can be lubed enough unless its constantly flooded with a lube
Click to expand...

Well, I *DO* use a *LOT* of lube and I seldom move the clay more than...I dunno...an inch or so at most before kneading/replacing it. Yeah, I know, but that's how I do it. (Yes, really.)
 
Re-tired -

A fine clay bar or rubberized towel (SM Arnold Speedy Prep), etc., has less potential to do anything bad to your paint..

What has to be used - after - the paint is washed really good.. (Don't have to dry it) is a quality Clay Lube product...

After decades of using claybars and then rubberized towels, the absolute BEST CLAYLUBE for my needs is ---

Dodo Juice Born Slippy clay lubricant

This product is really really, slippery, doesn't do anything negative to the paintwork, wipes off or rinses off, however you choose to do this part easily... Smells nice as well...

It doesn't take a lot to make a 32 oz sprayer bottle full of this product...

This is the only one I use in my shop...
Good Luck with your research..
Dan F
 
Accumulator said:
You ever use Sonus Glyde? That's long been my fave but I'm open to something else being better.

I readily admit I'm a a ClayLube Snob; others say to just use [whatever] but IME the right lube makes all the diff with regard to claying-induced marring.
Click to expand...

Accumulator -
No, I have never tried Sonus Glyde...:)
Will see about trying it out sometime..

The product I mentioned is so slippery that you have to be careful that you dont lose your claybar or towel from your hand as you use it..
Dan F
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top