Too cold to clay?

[Laura]

Feed back please
Is there a low temperature threshold for clay? It was about 50 today; cloudy and windy, so the surface temp of the car was probably near 50 as well. My Wolfgang clay was so hard that it didn't seem to be picking anything up. I could take it inside, warm it up some, and it would work for a while until it got cold again. Does this sound normal? Is there a brand that handles lower temps better?

[Clutch34]

Wouldn't clay that hard add more swirls/scratches then remove contaminants?

[Lasthope05]

I actually clayed my car today and it was in the mid 40s. The trick with claying in cooler temperatures is to have a cup of hot water with you. First you clay the paint as usual and when its time to knead the clay dip the it in the hot water for few seconds. The hot water will soften up the clay making it very easy to knead.

[zinc02gt]

Just kneading the clay for a few minutes should make it maleable enough to work with. Mine worked fine in 30 degree weather. It was very stiff at first, but after a few minutes of kneading it was perfectly fine.

[BobbyG]

I've clayed several times in the mid 40's. The biggest issue I had was my hands getting cold. The clay is more difficult to kneed and fold due to the temperature but it can be done.

[ScottB]

I never thought about this , temperature and claying. I suppose it has more to do with temp of water and how long you can hold the clay bar.

[Laura]

Wouldn't clay that hard add more swirls/scratches then remove contaminants?

That's what I was afraid of. I don't have any scratches, but I have noticed a few places with some residual clay that I didn't get off completely. I was also trying to clay after washing but before drying. I'm not sure if my issues were because of some water still on the car or the cold...or user error.


I actually clayed my car today and it was in the mid 40s. The trick with claying in cooler temperatures is to have a cup of hot water with you. First you clay the paint as usual and when its time to knead the clay dip the it in the hot water for few seconds. The hot water will soften up the clay making it very easy to knead.

I never thought about using warm water :doh: I'll try that. :thankyousign:

[honk]

I clayed at 34 last night and it worked out well. Mighty cold fingers though. Had to stop when I dropped it in all the salt, sand and water under the car:( The 2.0 was frozen too! All looked well for a mid winter recoat