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blr123
13th March 2007, 09:30 PM
This guide was written by the lad I detail with....put the kettle on :D: -

A product that has recently come to promenance in the world of detailing is Detailing Clay. In this thread I aim to write a general guide to what clay is, what its used for and some generic tips for how to get results from clay. I will focus on the use of clay for the removal of bonded contaminants.


What Is Detailing Clay??
While clay is growing in popularity with many detailers now, it has certainly not become a well known "household" car detailing product. Detailing clay is a substance that is designed to remove bonded contaminatns from paint, leaving the paint smooth as glass, allowing easier and more fruitful applications of polihses, glazes, sealents and waxes. Detailing Clay is wiped gently across the paint which needs to be lubricated with a lubricant such as a Quick Detailer spray.

Clay, like polishes, comes in levels of aggressiveness - if you are a beginner with clay, do start with a mild clay such as Meguiars Quik Clay, Meguiars Professional Mirror Glaze Clay (mild, the blue bar) or Sonus Green Clay. These mild clays should be enough to remove bonded contaminants from most cars, only step up to a more aggressive clay if absolutely needed.

Clay can be used on paintwork, glass, and wheels. Always use separate clay on each - ie dont first clay your wheels then use the same clay to clay your paint, as all the brake dust embedded in the clay from the wheels will scratch the paint.


What Are Bonded Contaminants??
When you come to wash your car, the paint will be covered in lots of fresh contiaminats such as dust, mud, possibly bird boms and many others. In addition, the paint will also have a growing amount of bonded contaminants attached to it, which accumulate over time:



When you wash your car, the fresh contaminants are removed from the paint and the paintwork looks clean. However, washing will leave behine the bonded contaminats which are attached to the paint as if they had been glued on:



These bonded contaminats are hard to see, so after washing your paintwork looks clean. However, if you gently run your fingers acorss the paintwork you may feel that the paintwork feels rough - a bit like stubble in a way. This roughness, grittiness that you are feeling is the bonded contaminants in the paint.

Examples of bonded contaminants are:

> Brake dust - sharp, so embeds itself in the paint
> Industrial fallout
> Tree sap - very sticky so adheres strongly to the paint

and there are many others as well which you're car is subjected to on a regular basis.


Removing Bonded Contaminants - Clay
In order to remove the bonded contaminats and restore a glassy smooth feel to the paint, detailing clay is used. As well as leaving a pleasingly smooth feel to the paint, when you come to polish, glaze, seal or wax, it means that you are now sealing in remaining bonded contaminants if you have removed them by clay. Simply washing and waxing will not remove bonded contaminants, they will be left behind and then just waxed over.

Clay basically works by grabbing hold of the bonded contaminants and pulling them off of the paint surface:



The contmainats become stuck in the softer clay where they remain. A safety note when using clay here - these bonded contaminats are stuck into the clay and the clay represents a flat surface. Therefore, surface marring can occur if not enough lubricant is used, or the clay is not kneaded regularly enough to a clean side - please see also the section on using clay...

This leaves the paint finish glassy smooth. Clay can remove the bonded contaminants listed above, however some adhesive contaminants such as tar may need a dedicated tar remover as they are very highly adhesive.


Using Clay
Before claying, always wash fresh contaminants off of the car. First and foremost, always follow the manufacturers instruction for the correct use of their detailing clay. What follows here is a generic guide of tips for the safe use of clay which I use from experience o

N12 JLK
14th March 2007, 04:45 AM
can you go over that again;)

blr123
14th March 2007, 05:32 AM
In a nut shell it's like this...over time your car will pick up "bonded contaminants" which can only be removed using Automotive Clay, it's like playdoh yeah?

All you do is break a peice off and flaten it out, then spray the area to be clayed with a lubricant most people use Megs Last Touch dilued 1-1, then just very lightly rub the clay over the paintwork being carefull to stay INSIDE the area you have sprayed, you should normally work an area of about 15 inches to 2 feet square at a time.

If your car has not been clayed before then it will almost certainly pick up a lot of dirt & grime......soooo when the clay gets dirty DO NOT turn it over no what you do is FOLD it over, in other words what you're doing is folding the dirt INTO the claybar.

There is a test we call "The Cellophne Test" for which you need the cellophane wrapper from a cigarette packet and this is what you do.......lightly rub your fingers over the paint.....it may well feel very smooth and slick, then put your fingers inside the cellophane and do the same again........I bet your paintwork feels like it's roughcast, or your car has been harled eh :D

OK when I count to 3 off you go.....1,2,3.......I hear the feet making a bee line for the door with cellophane in hand eh :D

Bryan

Big Col
14th March 2007, 02:59 PM
But...I don't smoke!

Gismo
14th March 2007, 03:09 PM
Manky owners club this way ------------> ;)

KenL
14th March 2007, 04:42 PM
I use a plant sprayer with a mix of water and car shampoo (stronger mix than you would use for washing) as my lubricant when claying - works perfectly.

blr123
14th March 2007, 11:51 PM
quote:Originally posted by Bonnie Scotland

Manky owners club this way ------------> ;)


Yeah you can do that Ken no problem, just make sure you rinse the car sufficiantly to remove every trace of the shampoo solution as that could cause streaking.......although it sounds like that's exactly what you do in any case :)

Bryan

KenL
15th March 2007, 03:43 PM
After claying I would always rinse then dry the car before applying wax/sealant.

After all, no point going to all that trouble conditioning your paint and then not protecting it.

Allan
16th March 2007, 08:48 PM
Aw Naw. who let you in :D:D:D:D

;)

p.s. Where did all the avatars and stuff go???

Burple
16th March 2007, 10:07 PM
quote:Originally posted by Allan

Aw Naw. who let you in :D:D:D:D

;)

p.s. Where did all the avatars and stuff go???


Avatars??
We don't got no steenkeeng Avatars! :D:D:D

GP 1536
27th March 2007, 07:58 AM
I never knew cleaning your car could be so serious !!

3GGG
27th March 2007, 11:19 PM
I use turps or white spirit to remove the tar spots then it is smooth for waxing/polishing.

bainy1
29th March 2007, 05:01 AM
quote:Originally posted by GP 1536

I never knew cleaning your car could be so serious !!


See here http://www.detailingworld.com/

GP 1536
30th March 2007, 04:24 AM
Bejesus !

GP 1536
30th March 2007, 04:32 AM
How often should you clay your car ?

blr123
31st March 2007, 03:32 AM
Hi GP,

Only clay your car twice a year, I do it as part of my Pre winter detail, about September/October time, then again as part of my Post winter detail, about April/May time, and that's it ;)

Bryan