[katsbimmer]

Well had to try the clay bar stuff out cause had some love bug guts that left marks on the hood....and it worked did the hood and bumper for now..great stuff!!!

[jasonlu]

it's hard to use? what's some tip you learned from it? i might do a clay for the first time.

[digital01]

Originally Posted by jasonlu

it's hard to use? what's some tip you learned from it? i might do a clay for the first time.

No, it is not hard to use. One thing it is though, is time consuming. Just make sure you get some good lube for the clay bar and you should be good. Given that its your first time, it might take you a bit longer due to the fact that you're learning, and also because you'll probably have a lot of contaminants on the surface of your paint the first go around.

[katsbimmer]

like he said ^^^...no not hard just keep it lubed..does take time though but i think it will go faster now that i know what to expect ......

[jasonlu]

do i need to dry a car after a wash if i am going to clay? or it's ok to have some water remaining on the surface while i am claying? thanks guys

[Express]

wipe up the QD after you clay the area. after you clay the car, give it a wash to remove any/all residue left from the QD.

[digital01]

Originally Posted by jasonlu

do i need to dry a car after a wash if i am going to clay? or it's ok to have some water remaining on the surface while i am claying? thanks guys

Id definitely dry the car prior to claying. If you don't, youre gonna have water spots all over. No reason to add to the mess. Drying shouldnt take you more than 10 minutes anyways. Takes me about 5-7 minutes with a squeegee and a waffle microfiber towel.

[jasonlu]

thanks for the help. as the clay bar and lub. i use this one
http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Pack...lay-Lube-P503/
it will be ok right? cause i live in an apartment. so i have to go to a self washing place to get it done.

[BMW4Life2112]

I used the Meguiar's Clay Kit. The kit comes with two clay bars, a plastic box for storage of clay when you are done, Quick Detailer (for lubricant), and Quick Wax for after you are done claying. The car comes out looking and feeling great when you are done.

The work it takes to clay the car is worth it after you are finished!

[henry418]

Originally Posted by digital01

Id definitely dry the car prior to claying. If you don't, youre gonna have water spots all over. No reason to add to the mess. Drying shouldnt take you more than 10 minutes anyways. Takes me about 5-7 minutes with a squeegee and a waffle microfiber towel.

I would definitely not recommend drying with a squeegee..

[TOGWT]

CliffNotes™ Version
Using this product was one of my first ‘Eureka Moments’; there have been a few others (ONR, Nanotechnology coatings, and a few others) but this was the first and to-date the most surprising, insofar as ‘how could something be so simple and yet so effective. Prior to clay we used a razor blade or chemicals to remove paint over-spray.

Detailer's clay was formulated to remove paint surface contaminants like paint overspray, when it’s used to remove brake / rail dust it abrades the top section of the sintered (heat fused) iron particle, leaving what is below the paint surface to remain. Once water and heat (reactivity) is added the corrosion process is started

After washing and drying your vehicle place a plastic sandwich bag over your hand or fingers, gently pass over the surface. Does the surface feel silky smooth or rough and gritty? If you felt roughness and/or grit, your surface is contaminated

If the paint surface has a rough ‘textured’ feel this roughness is most probably due to surface bonded contaminants, these contaminants come about due to exposure to industrial fallout, paint overspray, brake dust, etc. While they usually accumulate slowly over time, it is possible for a single event to cause them. Detailer’s clay and a surface lubricant will generally remove them

Surface contamination comes from a variety of sources, and can be categorized based the typical size of the particles and what they are made of, they are either organic such as bird excrement, honeydew and bug carcasses or inorganic such as brake dust, bituminous asphalt, etc . Brake dust is sharp fractured metallic particulates that embed themselves in the paint along with brake pad adhesive, which is sticky and adheres to the surface

A common misconception about using detailer’s clay is that it pulls contaminants from the paint, if this were true there would be no need for it to be abrasive; (See also Detailer’s Clay Lubricant) the abrasives shear the sintered iron particulates, so be cognizant the using a clay bar can actually add minor imperfections in your paint so it's always best to follow up with a polish to remove any clay induced micro-marring.

Application - aquaplaning, also known as hydroplaning, is the condition where a layer of water builds up between the surface and the clay, this thin film of lubrication provides a safety barrier that enables the clay to hydroplane across the surface.

In other words, by applying enough pressure to ensure contact with the surface the clay will aquaplaning on a micro-thin film of lubrication between it and the paint surface removing the (protruding) surface contaminants by abrasion and encapsulation by the malleable clay. Without lubrication the clay will abrade the paint surface much like a dry-sanding block and will produce significant fine surface marring.

Form a 2 or 3-inch disc approximately 1/8- inch thick, the disc should be slightly larger than your fingers and thick enough that friction will not wear a hole through the clay. Your fingers are applying the necessary pressure, so a disc that is too large is serving no useful purpose; a disc slightly wider than your fingers allows the clay to transverse surface contours

When you start the clay process you’ll feel resistance as you glide the clay with its lubricant, this is normal, the resistance will lessen as the contaminants are removed, and once there is no more resistance you should move to the next 2 x 2-foot section. Knead the clay so there is a fresh surface, once it picks up abrasive contamination it becomes just like sandpaper. A medium sized vehicle should take approximately 30-45 minutes

[Envious Eric]

sprtiz panel, rub clay, spritz panel, wipe dry, move to next section. (in simple terms)

You absolutely MUST clay before polishing, and must polish after claying!!! Sure, you can wax after claying a car, but all those straight line "scratches/marring" and "scuff marks" WILL NOT go away permanently via waxing. Wax has no abrasive in it, so it cannot remove the defects, only fill and cover/hide them. There is a proper way to do things. At the very minimum, an AIO should be used with a slightly abrasive pad if the marring is light! It will do two thing - clean the paint, and correct the marring. The pad will do the abrasive fixing, while the AIO will do the cleaning (a product like meguiars #66 is a great chemical cleaner wax). clay is abrasive and will mar the finish! Keep that in mind!

[Envious Eric]

Originally Posted by digital01

Id definitely dry the car prior to claying. If you don't, youre gonna have water spots all over. No reason to add to the mess. Drying shouldnt take you more than 10 minutes anyways. Takes me about 5-7 minutes with a squeegee and a waffle microfiber towel.

at the very minimum, just dry the windows so those dont spot up, and then make a quick drying pass to get most of the water off the car. using the water sheeting method will remove 80% of the water from the car, leaving you with little drying necessary for the rest of the car. It wont matter if there are some streaks since you will be reapplying QD/clay lube which has some slight cleaning ability to it anyway, and going over the paint with clay, which is designed to remove bonded debris from the paint, mineral deposits included.

[Joonsup]

if you drop the clay, use a new piece

[Detailed Image]

If you need help maximizing the clay bar we have step by step instructions in our clay bar section of our detailing guide. If you want a great value on a bar and lube check out the DI Packages DI Gentle Fine Grade Clay Bar 100g & Clay Lube. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Greg @ DI