Clay, Mans Greatest Invention!

F

FourStarDetail

Go Deep!
I had posted about a week ago or so, about the line paint problem on my truck, after a bunch of replies, I tried some clay, and man that stuff is awesome, a lil bit of elbow grease and the line paint was comin right off, very happy, have alot more togo, is really caked at the bottom of the fender. I will post some before and after pics when im thru!

:dj
 
i just clayed 13 year old silver paint that was rarely taken care of and my claybar came out looking dark orange instead of yellow. it is amazing the type of invisible contamination that can build up of a cars finish. Its also amazing what clay can take off.
 
what exactly is clay made of? how come it can get rid off contaminants that polish can't ? (hehe you can tell I've never used clay before- not that I don't want to, it's not available at my country :()
 
circus1 said:
what exactly is clay made of? how come it can get rid off contaminants that polish can't ? (hehe you can tell I've never used clay before- not that I don't want to, it's not available at my country :()
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Circus1,
I wish I knew what the answer to your question was. The same thought has plagued me for a few years now. Only a select few companies know exactly what properties clay contains that makes it able to pull off raildust, overspray, and other contaminants with ease... If I knew - I'd be making it and selling it for much less than the average $20 per clay bar.

The only comparison that I can really make is to that of Silly Putty. Growing up in the 70s, I can remember Using Silly Putty to 'pull' pictures and text from newspapers. The Silly Putty somehow 'grabbed' the ink... Unfortunately, Silly Putty is a very poor substitute for a clay bar... Put simply, it just doesn't work. I've tried it...
However, I have found something that does come very close to detailer's clay... It's a common product available in almost any hardware store... I'm still in the process of testing it, and will be posting my results someday here at DC...

Onthespot
 
If you have an Auto Zone store in your town maybe they would have clay...or you can maybe order it on line. It really makes a big difference. Check with Steve at www.poorboysworld.com
 
I think clay is actually a natural not man-made substance. I don't know where the clay is mined for use in automobile paint cleaning but a large portion of the clay producted in North America is from Georgia and SC.
More info on Georgia clay here - http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1959/59-6/kao.html

As for how it works - beats me! It's quite sticky so I would guess it's a mechanical bond. I.E. the non paint stuff on your car sticks to the clay better than it sticks to your paint. But that's a just a guess based on reading consumer oriented descriptions on various web sites.
Anyone know for sure?
http://autogeek.net/wg9000.html has More Info - Wolfgang clay.
and http://autogeek.net/pinpolclayba.html has more info on Pinnacle clay.

Sorry I could not get links to work. :(

As for whether it removes stuff that polish will not - I think it's actually more a matter of that it's not removing any paint. As an experiment, I left a spot unclayed and then cleaned it with a polish. I had to work the polish much, much longer to acheive the same results I got with clay first.

FWIW
 
JimS said:
If you have an Auto Zone store in your town maybe they would have clay...or you can maybe order it on line. It really makes a big difference. Check with Steve at www.poorboysworld.com
Click to expand...

Cheers Jim, I would do that when I next order online. Btw is there any big difference between
1.the medium grade and fine grade clay (blue and red one I think)
2.brands

Some questions I have, do professional detailers use a cheaper clay( I read someone mention industrial clay or whatever he call it) or they use those popular one (but expensive).

How many cars can I use with a bar of clay?

cheers guys, never too late to learn :hippi :hippi
 
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