Clay question

paver1960 · #1 09-19-2003, 12:55 PM

I plan to use clay during my next cleaning/waxing job on the truck.

Is there a special clay I need to use? I know there are some clays sold in the wax and finish aisle but they any different from the childrens clay my kids play with which costs about $2 a pound?

Thanks

flafonman · #2 09-19-2003, 03:32 PM

Not the kind of clay they use to make brick pavers.

Get a Mother's Claybar from your local autosupply shop. If you can get just the bar good for you, but it often comes in a "Car Care Kit" from Mother's. The 3 part kit still costs less than $20 at WalMart, so it isn't a ripoff. Follow the instructions, its not hard to use. Since you don't seem to know about clay I would advise you to use this product first, before you try to smear some clay compound on with an orbital and ruin your finish.

Tomorrow is Saturday, give it a try.

**Rockpick** · #3 09-19-2003, 07:51 PM

HAHAHA! Don't use play dough... please...

Like flafonman said, go get Mothers or another reputable brand and enjoy your Saturday.

RP

ROUSHFAN-1 · #4 09-19-2003, 08:56 PM

Ya know that was a good basic question...When I told a guy i burn cd's a few years ago..he wanted to know how hot they got ..ha ha ha .....

The Dummy · #5 09-20-2003, 08:56 AM

paver 1960, if you have some of your childrens' clay, give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised and if you don't like the results, you can always buy the more expensive type. I buy mine a a local hobby store. It has done well for me by removing light scratches and noticeably small blemmishes in the paint.

Good luck with whatever you decide to use.

**Rockpick** · #6 09-20-2003, 12:38 PM

Dummy,

I'm definately not the know it all on this subject and I'm not sure what you're using however; clay isn't designed nor used to remove light scratches or blemishes. It is specifically designed to remove stuck on contamination (fallout, sap, etc) from the surface of the vehicle.

If you're seeing it remove a slight scratch, I would assume that some of the clay is serving as a 'filler' rather than actually removing it. Polish (with a light abrasive action) will remove small scratches and similar as it will remove some of the clearcoat to make the scratch less 'deep' and noticable...

RP

Boss_429 · #7 09-20-2003, 10:23 PM

I'm thinking about developing a clay that........

Washes, removes oxidation, scratches, swirl marks, water spots, paint chips, small dents, and also adds gloss, and provides a protective coating, and can be used as a QD in a pinch! It will also be inexpensive and available locally! I will probably try to market it in a box with a gallon of Dawn to be used as a lubricant.

Wish me luck!

cgorris · #8 09-22-2003, 04:11 AM

ROFL

I think Boss's idea will fail miserably.

But then again, I am sure if marketed like some other products it could be a huge success.

For now I will stick with my plain ol' californy gold clay bar kit

skibum0607 · #9 09-22-2003, 11:08 AM

I use Clay Magic (sold at AutoZone) but I'm sure any brand will work as good. I would recommend cutting the bar into 3 or 4 pieces. Keep kneeding it like dough as you use it and once it gets too cruddy to use any more (or if you drop it), pitch it and use another piece.

Good luck. You'll like the difference it makes.

**Rockpick** · #10 09-22-2003, 11:34 AM

skibum practices the golden rule there from the standpoint of chopping your block up into multiple pieces... if you drop the clay to the ground, it's trash. Period. No questions. I've preached doing this since clay was concieved...

One tiny grain of sand can and probably will cause DISASTER on a paint finish.

RP

cgorris · #11 09-23-2003, 04:02 AM

Gotta agree with both of you on that one. Drop it and chuck it is the best thing. The most horrific thing about it is if you do drop it and get that little piece of sand in the bar you probably will not even see all the damage it is causing until after you are done with the whole vehicle.

Man that would s-u-c-k suck!

The Dummy · #12 09-23-2003, 09:43 AM

RockPick, you may be exactly correct in your observations when you wrote:

Quote:

I'm definitely not the know it all on this subject and I'm not sure what you're using however; clay isn't designed nor used to remove light scratches or blemishes. It is specifically designed to remove stuck on contamination (fallout, sap, etc) from the surface of the vehicle.

If you're seeing it remove a slight scratch, I would assume that some of the clay is serving as a 'filler' rather than actually removing it. Polish (with a light abrasive action) will remove small scratches and similar as it will remove some of the clear coat to make the scratch less 'deep' and noticeable...

I won't argue with the knowledge that supports your remarks. However, the clay I use is a small bar approximately 2"x3"x1/2" that I buy at a place called Hobby Lobby, so I assume that it is modeling clay. Whether it fills or removes the small scratches, I do not know. What I do know is that after using it with a strong solution of whatever dish washing liquid found in my wife's kitchen is that before applying whatever polish/wax that I use, the paint feels smoother than before the clay was used. After applying the clay, I have been using NuFinish and that leaves what I consider a shiney and protected finish, albeit, probably sub standard to that of a higher dollar group of products. I don't have an example of these available to me for comparison so I don't know how well the higher priced products perform. Bottom line? This combination works for me. These clay bars cost around $3 each and last for several uses each. My goal of course is to have a well protected and nice looking vehicle that is as easy and inexpensive as possible to attain. I am not expecting to achieve show quality.

FWIW, I am less impressed by the NuFinish than the Hobby Lobby clay. The Nu Finish clouds badly while attempting to remove it from my clear coat which is a pain. I did not have this problem on pre clear coated paints so once this bottle is depleted, I plan to try another single application type product. Blue Coral once sold a product called AutoFom that I liked to use but can no longer find marketed under that name. I understand that the Rain X polish may be the same thing so that may be the next one that I will use.

**Rockpick** · #13 09-23-2003, 10:13 AM

I see what you're saying and I suspect that I might be hitting the nail on the head with it serving as a filler. You are the first and only person I've ever heard of using hobby clay but, if you are getting the results that YOU want, that's all that matters. I know you cringe at buying the higher dollar products but, I bet you'd get better results with a clay that is meant to be used for automotive purposes (Meguiars Body Shop Professional Overspray Clay) along with a good polish followed up by a good Carnauba based wax. Then again, like I said, if you're getting the results that you want, you're doing just what you need to do...

Not sure on your polish as I've never tried the NuFinish or the Rain-X...

RP