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Proper Use of the Clay Bar

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Americanshine

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Thought I would offer up several suggestions about the clay bars, as I do use them quite often. I have been getting alot of complaints from people who have tried to use the clay bars. Not mine, but others. I usually get these complaints when I am working at Car shows. I find that the public is misinformed or have not been instructed in the proper use of the clay bar.

First off, I do not care weather you purchase my clay bar or use any of my competitors. I want you to get the FULL Expierence of the clay properly.

Second, the clay bar is for surface contamination removal. It will not take paint down, like when you use cutting compound. The clay bar is ment to takle tree sap, overspray, smog, grit grim or any contamination on top of the paint.

When using the bar, I always set it in the sun, or throw it into a bucket of WARM water, too make it easier to work with. The very first thing you should do is wash off all the loose dirt off the vehicle with a good sampoo. Then do not bother to dry the car off.

Now, you want to use a slightly soapy spray bottle and take the clay bar and flatten it out to be used in the palm of your hand. Spray down some soapy water and using a firm even pressure, apply the bar in large figure eights. Do sections so that you can feel the difference before and after, careful not to let the area you are working get completely dry. While using the bar, fold any contamination into the bar coming up with a clean surface to work with. You can mold the bar to get into those hard to ge areas without "BURNING" a edge. Remember, the bar will not take down the paint, but it will remove the contamination. After doing the entire car with the bar, I usually give the car a quick wash just to wash off any residue. You should get at least 10 time usage out of a bar. I have used the same bar on as many as 15 cars myself. THe only way to trash a bar is if you drop it. DO NOT DROP CLAY BARS!! They become usless for the simple reason that it will pick up any gritty substance on the ground and then be ground into you paint resulting in severe scratching!!
Again, the bars are very safe for the eunthsiast when used properly. I just find that most people who are sold a clay bar are not instructed properly on its use.

Now it is time to put a good carnauba wax on you paint for maximum protection.

Whether you use clay magic, meguires, bar concepts, mothers, eagle one or American Shine. Just be sure you use it proplerly. I am here to be but a servant in automotive cleanliness. It does not matter to me who's you use, just use it properly.
 
Very good presentation ---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
Thanks for the great information. I've never actually have used a clay bar, and am interested in getting one. How much are your clay bars going for?
 
Well, A client challenged me to what some would call a Detailers Nightmare. Here's what the challenge was. TO bring out a shine on a 1979 BLACK Corvette, that had not been waxed in 15 years and was sunbacked. Here was a truly oxidized paint on a fiberglass surface. Well between the clay bar and the wax. It amazed me. So, sufice to say, clay bars will also work on fiberglass that is a painted surface.
 
It works on most anything with decent paint - steel, fibreglass, aluminum, fabric, etc. It also works to remove overspray and to an extent "baked on" dirt on plexiglass and some plastic materials.
 
[ QUOTE ]
It works on most anything with decent paint - steel, fibreglass, aluminum, fabric, etc. It also works to remove overspray and to an extent "baked on" dirt on plexiglass and some plastic materials.

[/ QUOTE ]

And it leave underarms freash and clean /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/square.gif
 
Hmmm... haven't tried that. You know Bas, you just might be spending too much time with your detailing products /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Will clay bars take out dust/dirt that was added during painting? The painter did a poor job of preventing contamination. I've been gradually taking the dust/dirt out with 1200 grit wet or dry and then using rubbing and polishing compound.
That's a ton of work and the result is a relatively dull shine. Pete
 
It depends.

Clay only removes contaminants that are stuck on top of the surface. Dirt that lands on the paint while it's still very slightly tacky can sometimes come up with clay.

Dirt that lands on the paint while it's still wet won't. Anything that's embedded in the paint film needs to have the whole surface around it ground down. You do need to wetsand that.

It's nearly impossible to sand, cut and buff to a consistently great shine by hand on a whole car with today's paints. They're designed for machine buffing.

If you're committed to doing it by hand your best hope is to take it to a much finer paper grit (minimum #2500 to #3000 but much finer would be better) before switching to chemical abrasives. Afterwards you'll need to use much finer chemical abrasives than you've been using.

Since the best results come from having the sand, cut and buff done by somebody who has the skills and the tools I'd recommend you consider taking it to a competent pro. In theory painters are supposed to have this capability but sadly, far too many don't. Check with yours to see if it's something they can do (and do well). Some detailers can also do the job but be aware that most can't wetsand. Whoever you have do it, get references and/or carefully inspect examples of their work.

It is something you can learn to do yourself but it takes lots of practice and an investment in the proper tools. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif


PC.
 
Did I mention that you can use the clay bar on glas & chrome too? Yup, you can!!
 
Hello All:
I'm BAAACK!!! With another little tidbit Just for you LBC'ers. Check out the Comment about Ink & Leather!
 
Thanks for the tips!

I just got done doing a thorough exterior detail on our minivan, a 2003 Chev. Venture. I got a new (used) work car this week which is immaculate, so I felt a little guilty about allowing My wifes vehicle go with gas station car washes only. It was losing it shine a bit and didn't look as good as my car even though it is years newer. Also, I recently painted the engine for my Briggs and Stratton Flyer replica project and ended up with an invisible, but rough coat of overspray on the van...oops. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif

I used a clay bar to remove the overspray and it worked great. I had to really work on the horizontal surfaces and go over it 2 to three times until red overspray stopped coming up (front end a roof took one evening each), but the verticle surfaces went much, much faster. I did the rest of the van in a little over an hour this morning before work (too rainy to run).

The paint feels so slick now it's amazing. I followed the clay job with Meguiars NXT (would have used AmericanShine, but already had the other stuff /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif) and other than a few tiny paint chips, the exterior literally looks new.

As mentioned above, I used the clay on nearly every surface including the chromed plastic grill, headlights, turn signals and windows. WORKED GREAT!!! I even preferred soapy water to the lubricant that came with the bar. It worked fine and it was easier for me to feel when the surface was clean.

The van has those black rear-view mirrors that are supposed to be shiny, but always get dull a couple of weeks after a wax. The clay bar had the mirrors gleaming before they saw wax. I'm expecting the shine to last better.

I really am impressed with the clay bar. I plan on doing it once a year or so on each car...unless I'm dumb enough to forget and leave a vehicle inside while using a spray bomb again...in which case, more often.

Call me a true believer. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
Hey Everybody:
Just a note,you can use a clay bar on front windshields too!
 
Should I use the clay bar on a newly-painted, close-trailered car, specifically, a 1948 Jaguar saloon painted with Deltron paint?
 
How newly painted? I wouldn't even put wax on fresh paint. In a warm climate I wait two months before touching a new paint job.

The only reason to use clay is to remove surface contaminants. If the car is kept inside and rarely driven, it may never need clay. The majority of the substances removed by the clay are industrial fallout, which attack and embed themselves in the paint. If the car is kept waxed, then the paint will never suffer oxidation or attack by these substances and therefore clay will not be needed.
 
Hello Everybody!
It has been quite a while since I was able to post about the clay bar. we have been very busy here at American Shine, all over, from San Diego to Tennessee and onward.

About the clay bar and fresh paint. Generally you want to wait about 30 to 90 days for the paint to cure before you use any waxe's on it. Until then you should use a good hand glaze, we recommend California Clear Coat, but any glaze is approiate.You would not use a clay bar on fresh paint unless for some unforseen reason your paint received some sort of contamination on it, it will not hurt the paint. I have customers that are into the concourse proffessional restoration business, and they would use the bar if one of their vehicles was contaminated with overspray from the shop.

You use the clay only when you can feel some contamination on your paint that will not come off with just a wash. For information only, if you use the bar every single weekend on your car, it won't hurt the paint.

REMEMBER, THIS IS MY OPINION ONLY!! But I do go through a lot of clay bars and vehicles

See you soon at a town near you.!
 
Thanks for all the wisdom, I appreciate it. I have a 2000 Intrepid & my wife a 2002 Beetle. Would it be a safe presumtion to assume it needs a clay bar just from normal exposure to the elements? I've never sprayed anything near it and they've both basically just had car washes and hand washes most of their lives.

any thoughts?
TIA
JP
 
You only need clay bar if the bare paint is exposed to the elements. Wax your car more often and you won't need to clay. If the wax does wear off, the paint will suffer and clay will become necessary to restore the shine.
 
I do not agree that frequent waxing obviates any benefit of clay. Take a car that has never been clayed, but waxed frequently, then try a small part of it with clay and compare how smooth the surface is to an adjacent panel....but then again, I live in a place with 4 very distinct seasons. It's tough to wax monthly from November through March.

I clay about once a year (maybe twice). You can feel the difference and waxing goes much easier. Maybe if one uses a wax with cleaners all the time it's not necessary, but clay once or twice a year is less abrasive than wax with cleaners monthly.
 
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