Clay questions

A

Altimazzz

New member
Hey gang, I have been officially dubbed the "Midnight Waxer" in my cul-de-sac after neighbors saw me beautifying my ride at 12:30 a.m. Little do they know I was up until 3:30 a.m. and spent anonther three hours the next day. Don't think my wife didn't notice.



Anyway, among the many steps I took to clean the paint, I clayed my exterior with Pinnacle clay bar and their lubricant. The directions said each bar will clean 4 cars if I remember right so I took about a quarter of the bar and started on the car. After about 1/3 of the car the clay got somewhat gritty and seemed to break down like it was too soggy. I really worked the clay and kept it well lubricated as many have advised. Is this soggy sort of texture common? Did I use too much lube?



It took about 3/4 of the bar to do the whole car, of course I dropped one on the ground doing the sides and had to toss immediately. Them suckers are slippery.



However car is now silky smooth. I love that clay.
 
how long a clay bar lasts is proportionally to how much nasty stuff is in your paint. good job cutting the bar into smaller pieces, it's noce to have a fresh piece of clay to work with.



as far as the bar breaking apart. it's possible ou used too much lube or the wrong kind. people have had all sorts of incidents depending on the type of lube used and the amount. usually if you let it dry out in the sun (I know it was night, so a little hard to find sun), the bar will usually dry out and you can continue to use it.



so how many lights were you using to light up your work area at midnight
 
Pinnacle clay has a reputation of breaking down if you use too much lube. Some have had success drying out the clay in the sun and reusing it. I hadn't had the problem untill I tried using more lube than normal and, sure enough, it broke down just like people said. Just use enough lube to get the job done and maybe squeeze the excess out of the clay once in awhile to see if that helps. You are right about clay though. Gotta love it.
 
I had the same thing happen to me. Did my truck (Dodge Dakota 2000) and by the time it was done, the clay was loose and ready to fall apart. I e-mailed the CO and they said let it dry overnight and it would be good as new. I guess I'll not know because after I finished the truck I managed to drop it on the ground. BYE BYE.

Truck turned out great. Used BF and it really looks good.
 
One thing I love about Clay Magic is that it sticks to your fingers somewhat. Very hard to drop. Sorry to those who have wasted clay because of it. Is it safe to shave off the top layer?
 
Boy, I'll tell you I know that many like to cut their clay into sections in case they drop it, but I cringe at that idea. To my way of thinking, you need plenty of clay so that when you knead it the dirt and grime have somewhere to go. The smaller the piece you use, the greater the chance of some hard deposit resurfacing and scratching your finish.



Were you using the Pinnacle Poly Clay or the regular Pinnacle stuff? Those poly clay bars are awfully small, and I would never want to cut one. I have used the poly's myself and never had a problem with breakdown. My gripe with them was how tough they were to knead. They did a great job on the finish though.



I like the Mothers bar because it was easier to knead and was kinda sticky. There was no chance of dropping it because it stuck to my fingers. I also like to buy the Magic Clay bars. Not the kits, but the biggens available from refinish distributors. Those are big enough to cut in half safely. I have not seen any of these break down, although I don't doubt that it has happened to some for various reasons.



My clay philosophy is "I drop it, I buy another." For me, the risk of scratching my finish trying to save a dime should I drop my clay is not worth it.



:wavey
 
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