I know its been discussed before but I can't find it through the site search. It was probably about a year ago. But how much of the clay in a clay detail kit do you actually need to use when detailing 1 truck? I thought I remembered that you didn't need the whole bar or something like that. Also, do you save it when you're done or throw it out? Thanks!

 

cut the bar in half, and put one portion in a ziplock to protect it ..

use the other half ..

depending on how dirty the finish is, you can get multiple uses out of a bar .. just knead it continually.. when you can't nknead it anymore and get a fresh, clean area, or if you drop it .. then replace it ..

 

Ohh alright thanks! I'll be workin on it tomorrow One more thing I thought of: do I need to put a lot of pressure on the clay when I rub it on the paint?

 

No. The clay should glide over the paint. You can't really use too much lube.
Once you've used the clay bar, assuming you haven't dropped it, keep it for doing your wheels.

 

just glide the clay across the paint...a lot of pressure is not needed.

 

Just make sure that you cut the bar. By the time you finish with a full-size truck your arm is tired if you have done more prep work before the clay-bar and I had that sucker just flung into the ground. Besides some harsh words I whent and grabbed the other half....Don't mean to steal the thread but wouldn't the claybar hurt the rims?
~Phil

 

I don't see why it would... your rims are most likely clearcoated, depending on what you have. If factory chrome or painted, they're cleared, and can thus be treated the same as paint.

 

My rims have spots and some oxidation in one spot. Sad but I think I'll save for some 22's and then start taking better care of them . Thanks for all the replies!

 

I can't remember who or where it was but, someone called me after I made that exact same comment...

After experimenting on the next vehicle that I clayed -- I do think that you can use too much. It's excessive and probably nothing that anyone would spray down on the paint prior to claying but, I could tell a difference when using an excessive amount versus an average amount.

 

What type of "lube" do you use when claying your vehicle?

 

As of late, Meguiar's Last Touch (D-Line) or #00 (M-Line).

I'm just trying to get the two gallons of Last Touch off of my shelves as I don't really care much for the product but, it works fine as a lubricant with clay...

 

Um yeah. Point taken. On a flat surface, I guess you could have too much.
On a vertical surface, too much will just drip down so you know when to stop
I really meant to say or imply, keep misting the lube on and don't let the work area get dry.

 

It's a stretch -- I totally agree with that. *shrugs*