Still a bit confused about clay

zesty-man

zesty-man

how do ya like it?
ive read about clay, but im still a bit confused............ i understand that you have to wash the car first, getting all the dirt off and stuff. after that, i have to dry the car, and then i start claying (with lube). however, my first question would be, how long should i wait for the clay residue to "dry"? should i wait a while before taking it off, or should i take it off rite then and there. also, when claying, should the clay be like a even coat? i cant even seem to get some kinda coat. its just like lines with breaks in them. ill get a picture of it tomorrow..

the next question would be, how should i take the clay off? should i use S&W+mf to take it off, or should i wash the car AGAIN? is there any "time saver tips" you can give me about clay?

finally, what if i dont really feel a difference? the last time i tried to clay, it seemed like the place i clayed wasn't nearly as slick as the place that i did not clay. the car that i was doing had barely, if any wax on it.


the topic of clay has always illuded me. it sees that whenever i start to understand clay, im always going back to the drawing board. clay is really complicated....... hey poorboy, maybe you should make a wash/clay in one :cool.
 
Check this out if you have not done so yet....

http://www.detailcity.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4686

The clay isn't supposed to "coat" anything. It just grabs the harmfull particles off of the paint. Think of it as using tape or one of those roller thingies to get lint off of clothes. :) You don't need to wait for anything to dry either.

Me: Wash (I dont dry), Clay (using dawn and water in a sprayer as lubricant), Wash again (with clean water and dry this time)...then apply cleaner, wax, etc.

I like to clay because you can really see and feel the difference in the paint. Unfortunately, you only get to do it once or twice a year. :wait
 
hmmmmmmmmmm, thanks for that hyperlink, it was very helpful. as for not drying after washin the first time, that sounds like someithng i should try doing. to me, it sems that dting takes a really long time, and lots of effort..... so basically, the idea is, if you run the clay over a surface, its taking off contaminates, even though its not leaving any clay residue behind??????


a question to all you detailers. do you clay every car you get?
 
I like to think clay is like a bar of soap. Not enough water on the surface, it doesnt move. With enough lubrication it glides across pulling dirt and contaminants. The clay residue you see should be just milky with the lub, or make it cloudy somewhat. There should not be any portions of the clay on the paint, like soap which shouldnt crumble or lose parts of itself.

Here's my technique:
Wash > Rinse > Spray Lub and clay with droplets of water on panel > Wipe with small WW
I haven't had the problem of seeing lines of clay residue dry or any clay pieces come apart with Mother's or Adam's bar. The meguiar's old retail bar was the worst piece of poo i've ever used! (broke apart stuck like crap....)

If you scared, just use QD again or S&W. (The residue should just be dried and very little / none)
To test the ability of clay, grab a plastic bag and feel the surface with ur hand inside the bag. The gritty stuff you have is imbedded and need to be pulled out. Claying helps the overall feel of the panel. If you think polishing evens the surface, clay takes the major chunk of it!

Detailing takes a long time, but with the right paint, techniques, products (:D), and willpower you will be happy.

Hope I answered everything and feel free to PM since work is boring....
 
I see a lot of poeple recommend to wash -> clay -> wash again. I understand the methodology behind this. I have never done this, just due to the fact that when I clay I work in small sections and wipe away what is left when I am finished. I am always going to polish afterwards. Granted, I am not a professional, but why do people feel that they need to wash again. Is it recommended or is it just something that a lot of you have perfected and feel that it speeds up your overall detail time? As always, thanks for your help!!
 
I don't wash again either ...
I wash ... dry ... clay using Clay Magic and Meguiars Final Inspection as a lube ... wipe off each panel with a MF as I go and the paint is ready for polish, wax etc.
If the car isn't too dirty I S&W as my first step.
I hate water dripping out of the cracks and seams when I am polishing so the least amount of water the better ... IMHO
 
I wash, clay (while still wet) with clay magic, then dry with a QD and MF. The only time I re-wash is if I use a soap mixture as a clay lube, which isn't to often.
 
hmmmm, ive had problems in the past where i tried to wipe the clay off with the mf, but it didnt seem to be "dry" so all the clay would residue that was left over would smear the paint and stuff. it was a real pain in the @ss to take care of....
 
hmmm, i have a really bad habbit of pushing too hard, and marring my paint temporarily. ill try doing that.
 
Yes its really easy. Its like ice melting going across a counter. The more you push the more the imbedded stuff digs into the paint again!
 
kimwallace said:
I don't wash again either ...
I wash ... dry ... clay using Clay Magic and Meguiars Final Inspection as a lube ... wipe off each panel with a MF as I go and the paint is ready for polish, wax etc.
If the car isn't too dirty I S&W as my first step.
I hate water dripping out of the cracks and seams when I am polishing so the least amount of water the better ... IMHO
Click to expand...
:yeah
 
tiuser said:
The only time I re-wash is if I use a soap mixture as a clay lube
Click to expand...

Thats the main reason I wash again. If I were doing it professionally I might use a QD and MF to clean up then pass the cost on to the customer. But, Id'e rather save the $5 (bottle of QD) and spend 15 mins washing after claying.
 
Ok guys. I have clayed more cars than I can count. I have always washed, clayed then rinsed the car. The only time the clay has left a residue is if it has gone bad, I have put to much pressure on it or the paint is really bad. I always have the water handy and ready to rinse. I will use a spray bottle with soap and watere in it lightly spray half the hood clay in one direction then rinse. You want to keep it well lubricated. Its designed to remove particles and do what some call flatten the paint.
In Hawaii you will not have the amount of pollutants that we have on the mainland from the industerial areas. You may not need to clay your car but once a year.
Dont know if this helped but good luck.
 
thanks for the help guys. i tried out claying on my dad's 20 year old f-150, and it was a lot easier than i had intially experienced. this time, i felt better about claying, and sure of what i was doing. heres what i did i was a little pressed on time, so i took this course of action.....

1. S&W to get the dirt off and stuff
2. use poorboy's clay and S&W as lube
3. starting buffing off whats left

it was pretty amazing, because as i was claying, all of this gross brown stuff started to come out. after i buffed it off, ranney's mf was brown :(. anyways, heres a pic of the part that i did. as you can see, the truck hasnt even been worked on before. after claying, it acually felt like the truck had a clear coat again. prior to claying, it the truck's paint felt like igauna skin.......
 
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