I feel kinda dumb, but...what is clay?
#1
03-08-2005, 10:38 PM
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#2
03-08-2005, 10:46 PM
Clay bars are like plah doh but they're also like shaping or molding clay. More over, they come in a little rectangle of clay and you use them to detail your car, mostly before polishing to remove the ground in "bumpy" contaminants with a lubricant. Helps to smooth out the surface and prep it for polish and wax. Don't feel dumb. 
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03-08-2005, 10:46 PM
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#4
03-08-2005, 10:49 PM
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Hi SlammaJamma! I asked the same thing when I'd 1st heard of them so it's a good question. We all learn here!
A clay bar is used to remove surface contaminants from the clear coat. It's about the size of a bar of soap. You use a special cleaner & GENTLY rub the clay bar over the truck & you can see the grit/grime in the bar.
Clay Magic has a kit - about $10 for the cleaner & bar. They also have better directions than I can give here.
I've used it & was very happy with the results. Try it - you'll probably like it too!
A clay bar is used to remove surface contaminants from the clear coat. It's about the size of a bar of soap. You use a special cleaner & GENTLY rub the clay bar over the truck & you can see the grit/grime in the bar.
Clay Magic has a kit - about $10 for the cleaner & bar. They also have better directions than I can give here.
I've used it & was very happy with the results. Try it - you'll probably like it too!
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03-08-2005, 10:53 PM
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03-08-2005, 11:01 PM
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#7
03-08-2005, 11:10 PM
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It's COWLADY !!!!!
How's it going Cowlady?
Slamma - Not a dumb question. As lees99f150 said, RP can help you out here. You can find a ton of stuff on it in the Gen Care and Detailing Fourm
https://www.f150online.com/forums/fo...?s=&forumid=22
just make sure you use plenty of lubricant . . . . (not that way you perv!!!!)
How's it going Cowlady?
Slamma - Not a dumb question. As lees99f150 said, RP can help you out here. You can find a ton of stuff on it in the Gen Care and Detailing Fourm
https://www.f150online.com/forums/fo...?s=&forumid=22
just make sure you use plenty of lubricant . . . . (not that way you perv!!!!)
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#8
03-08-2005, 11:32 PM
Don't ever feel stupid about asking a question...I hadn't heard of them either until about a year ago on a Porsche enthusiast forum that I am a member of... I had to post the same question there too. I have yet to use one but everyone claims they work great...The only complaint I have ever heard is that they are labor intense as already mentioned....
#12
03-09-2005, 03:36 PM
This is an excellent question SJ. No need to worry about someone ripping on you with an unknown... well, at least not in the GC & D forum....
As has been mentioned, clay is a material that is utilized by someone wishing to remove bonded contamination present on their paint. Some examples of bonded contamination include, but are not limited to, bird poo, tar, sap, industrial fallout, bugs, rail dust, etc...
Clay is designed to remove stuff that doesn't wash off with a normal car wash procedure. In short, it's the Mr. Clean of paint cleaning.
To determine if you should clay, feel your bathroom mirror then go and feel your paint. Generally speaking, they should feel nearly identical. When you run your clean, dry hand across your paint, you should feel nearly nothing except smooth texture. If you're feeling 'bumps' and more of a 'rough' texture, clay is probably something that can improve the overall look of your vehicle because it can help to improve the optical clarity of your paint.
The good news is that all that texture that you probably felt can be easily removed for the most part. Enter clay.
To clay a vehicle, you simply buy a kit like this one -- Meguiar's Quik Clay and follow the directions. It's a VERY simple procedure and isn't all that labor intensive as has been described. It does, however, take a little bit of time but, once you've done it correctly once, it's relatively easy to maintain. I find that I clay about 4 times per year tops. I almost never have to clay 'side' panels (doors, fenders etc) but, that I do have to clay upwards facing body panels (hood and roof -- and also tailgate as an exception). These panels, on my vehicle within my environment, tend to pick up the most 'crud'. My tailgate, believe it or not, tends to be just about the worst for some reason. The air movement must really 'swirl' back there when moving and thus, things tend to stick.
One thing to remember when you clay is that you should always follow up with some sort of last step product (wax) and, even better, you should potentially make some time to address other surficial problems with your paint like swirls or scratches prior to the last step product as it's most advantageous to do it at this point.
Look at it like this:
Put your hand (we'll pretend this is a bonded piece of contamination) on the table (we'll pretend this is your paint) in front of you where you're sitting at your computer. Pretend there's a layer of wax over your hand while it's sitting on the table. Now remove your hand.
When you removed your hand, that wax that was sitting on top of your hand was also removed. This, in turn, leaves that area of your table top unprotected from the elements. Thus you see the importance of waxing the vehicle post-clay.
As a tip, when you get your clay bar, cut it into two pieces. Here's why. You're going to drop a piece eventually and, when you drop it, it becomes trash. Absolutely NO exceptions here. You see, when that soft piece of clay hits the ground, inevitably, it's going to pick up a grain or two of sand, some grit, and probably some other 'crud' that can spell utmost disaster for your paint if you drag that type of material across it. So, when you chop it into two pieces, you're going to have a follow-up piece to finish your job (hopefully... unless you drop both). Clay will last a while but, when you start noticing that it's changing colors (getting a dirty looking tone of color), it's time to change the clay too. A typical clay bar will do several vehicles; not just one. Don't push it though, if you think it's spent, it probably is.
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!!
RP
As has been mentioned, clay is a material that is utilized by someone wishing to remove bonded contamination present on their paint. Some examples of bonded contamination include, but are not limited to, bird poo, tar, sap, industrial fallout, bugs, rail dust, etc...
Clay is designed to remove stuff that doesn't wash off with a normal car wash procedure. In short, it's the Mr. Clean of paint cleaning.
To determine if you should clay, feel your bathroom mirror then go and feel your paint. Generally speaking, they should feel nearly identical. When you run your clean, dry hand across your paint, you should feel nearly nothing except smooth texture. If you're feeling 'bumps' and more of a 'rough' texture, clay is probably something that can improve the overall look of your vehicle because it can help to improve the optical clarity of your paint.
The good news is that all that texture that you probably felt can be easily removed for the most part. Enter clay.
To clay a vehicle, you simply buy a kit like this one -- Meguiar's Quik Clay and follow the directions. It's a VERY simple procedure and isn't all that labor intensive as has been described. It does, however, take a little bit of time but, once you've done it correctly once, it's relatively easy to maintain. I find that I clay about 4 times per year tops. I almost never have to clay 'side' panels (doors, fenders etc) but, that I do have to clay upwards facing body panels (hood and roof -- and also tailgate as an exception). These panels, on my vehicle within my environment, tend to pick up the most 'crud'. My tailgate, believe it or not, tends to be just about the worst for some reason. The air movement must really 'swirl' back there when moving and thus, things tend to stick.
One thing to remember when you clay is that you should always follow up with some sort of last step product (wax) and, even better, you should potentially make some time to address other surficial problems with your paint like swirls or scratches prior to the last step product as it's most advantageous to do it at this point.
Look at it like this:
Put your hand (we'll pretend this is a bonded piece of contamination) on the table (we'll pretend this is your paint) in front of you where you're sitting at your computer. Pretend there's a layer of wax over your hand while it's sitting on the table. Now remove your hand.
When you removed your hand, that wax that was sitting on top of your hand was also removed. This, in turn, leaves that area of your table top unprotected from the elements. Thus you see the importance of waxing the vehicle post-clay.
As a tip, when you get your clay bar, cut it into two pieces. Here's why. You're going to drop a piece eventually and, when you drop it, it becomes trash. Absolutely NO exceptions here. You see, when that soft piece of clay hits the ground, inevitably, it's going to pick up a grain or two of sand, some grit, and probably some other 'crud' that can spell utmost disaster for your paint if you drag that type of material across it. So, when you chop it into two pieces, you're going to have a follow-up piece to finish your job (hopefully... unless you drop both). Clay will last a while but, when you start noticing that it's changing colors (getting a dirty looking tone of color), it's time to change the clay too. A typical clay bar will do several vehicles; not just one. Don't push it though, if you think it's spent, it probably is.
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!!
RP
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03-09-2005, 05:23 PM
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#14
03-09-2005, 08:55 PM
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I was told by my cousin, who details cars for a living. To see if the paint is clean and smooth, You feel it with your fingers and it feels smooth, but feel it with a piece of cellophane between your fingers and the paint and the cellophane, (like from a cigarette pack) amplifies the dirt and roughness. try it. It works.