Roundy-Round or To-And-Fro

Flyin'Hawaiian

Flyin'Hawaiian

Maui No Ka Oi
How is clay worked over a finish? I thought it was a back-and-forth motion, but I saw a pic on another detailing product site that looked like the clay was being worked in a circular motion.
clay-big.jpg

Mahalo for your help.
 
Well I am sure that there are many ways to use the clay. Just as there is for any other product. For me I will use the back and forth motion. It has woked for me.

some apply wax in a circular motion. I use the back and forth for that also. What ever works for you is fine with me.:)
 
Yeah, do what works for you. The reasoning for back and forth motion is to reduce the chance of having circular swirl marks.
 
All clay is is a slight abrasive(sp?) that cleans your clear coat. I think it will worth either way. I like the back and forth motion i think i get eveything that way. But each to his own. do what feels right and works thats all that counts
 
Yep i am with the others use what is good for you. I use mostly back and forth but have on occasion used a circular motion to get at a heavy contaminant at all angles to get it out.

Richard
 
Back and around....I mean back and forth

All clay is is a slight abrasive(sp?) that cleans your clear coat. I think it will worth either way. I like the back and forth motion i think i get eveything that way. But each to his own. do what feels right and works thats all that counts
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I'm probably wrong here but isn't clay NOT an abrasive? Isn't it just something that grabs the crap out of the paint?
 
As long as you have enough lubrication, you can actually work the product in any which way you want. You must remember to change and flip the clay to avoid cleaning over the suface area with the same contaminants. This goes for any clay bar on the market.
 
Clay is not an abrasive. Although some clay bars are tougher than others. It is used to pull contamination out of the clear coat. Using a lubricant will allow those particles to be loosened so the clay bar can grip it out of there and you will not create swirls in the finish with proper lubrication as well. Hope this helps!
 
becca21andup said:
Clay is not an abrasive.
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That is something that could be open to debate.
Meguiar's, (Mike Phillips), has at times discussed the difference in the aggressiveness of their professional line of clay products as related to the difference in the abrasives in them.

Also, the U.S. Patent covers the use of abrasives in detailing clay.
The following is an excerpt from the primary detailing clay patent
U.S. Patent No. 5 said:
“A method of polishing a protrusion or stain from a surface comprising;
applying a plastic flexible tool to the surface, the plastic flexible tool comprising a plastic flexible material having mixed therewith an abrasive comprising grains from about 3 to 50 m in diameter
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It really doesn't make any difference since most damage done from a clay bar is usually from contaminants imbedded in the clay rather than from the abrasives in the clay itself.
One exception could be the professional aggressive clays that can leave some hazing after use.
The keyword there is "professional". Most of us hobby detailers shouldn't be using that stuff anyway.:)

Charles
 
Clay is most definitely an abrasive and can easily scratch a finish even with a lubricant. In the wrong hands clay can create as much havoc as it does good.
There are different grades of clay, as Charles stated and most enthusiasts do not need the more aggressive ones. Knowing which clay and the hardness of your paint is also important, as some paints will mar and scratch easier than others. :)
 
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