how much pressure to use when claying?

[flyinion]

Subject says it all pretty much. I constantly see pictures around here of people claying even new cars and the clay looks filthy. I've clayed two cars now, mine (which wasn't exactly in the best shape even though an 08) and a truck in much worse condition and I never see that level of dirt on the clay after "one panel" as others show in their pictures. Maybe I'm not using an aggressive enough clay? Or I suspect I'm just not doing it right. The baggy test feels better after I did both cars, but it was not perfectly smooth. Just to the skin it felt much better though. I was using Mothers gold clay and their quick detailer for lube. I was following Mike's instructions of rubbing fast but maybe I was not pressing hard enough or going too fast? I never really "heard" the clay picking up stuff.

[flyinion]

Or maybe I'm using too much clay lubricant?

[Mike Phillips]

You match your pressure to match the difficulty of the contaminants you're trying to remove.

This comes from testing the claying process to your car's paint. Clay a little with light pressure and then inspect to see if that's working.

Some contaminants come off real easy and some come off extremely hard.

Do you know what the contaminants are? Like DOT road paint? Or normal tree sap mist?


:)

[BobbyG]

Not all finishes "must" be filthy however many are.

If you properly maintain your finish, once it's clayed and corrected, then your finish through routine washing, sealing and waxing should exhibit minimum contamination.

Your Z looks well taken care of from here! :props:

[flyinion]

Yeah the big stuff around here is sap/tar from trees and I guess road paint if it can be picked up from driving on the roads. Not a lot of industrial stuff in the area. Yes my Z is pretty well taken care of, garaged nightly except the first few months I owned it, but it is a DD (10mi. round trip) and sits in a parking lot (open air) all day 5 days a week. However the first 18 months I neglected it with just touchless washes and later a soft cloth full length tunnel express wash chain because I got suckered in yet again to a dealer installed sealant....the "5 year never have to touch it" Xzilon stuff.

I finally started doing everything myself last August but earlier this year was the first/only time I have clayed it and the first time I had ever used clay. The second time was that highly neglected 2004 F150 of my parents that always sits outside and just got the run through the gas station car wash or later on that same soft cloth express wash thing. I saw a bit more dirt on the clay that time but still not to the degree I see on everyone else's posts.

I guess maybe what I should ask then is once the car is properly clayed, should the baggie test be totally smooth?

[Mike Phillips]

I guess maybe what I should ask then is once the car is properly clayed, should the baggie test be totally smooth?



Believe it or not, from my experience, you don't always feel perfectly smooth paint after claying using the baggie test. Of course this means you wouldn't feel perfectly smooth paint without the baggie either.

I've clayed a lot of cars and taught a lot of people how to clay cars and this just means I've felt the paint both before and after on a lot of different cars with a lot of different types of above surface bonded contaminants on the paint and it's just an observation.

If you still feel a texture after claying with or without the baggie on your hand you can try claying again and try to focus and remember if you feel a difference between the first and second claying process. You could also do some controlled testing.

What I usually do is clay to the best of my ability and then move on to the correction steps. Claying is the most effective way to remove most above surface bonded contaminants, IronX should be a first step before claying if your car is a daily driver.

The combination of IronX, Claying and the correction machine polishing should get the paint to where you want it to be.


:)

[flyinion]

Thanks Mike, I'll see about adding some Iron-X to an order next time I pick some stuff up. There was definitely a huge difference without the baggie before and after claying. Before the back of my fingers would drag on the paint (on both vehicles) and you could sometimes feel little bumps of stuck on contaminant. After, on my car at least, it was silky smooth before I followed it up with Pinnacle PCL and SS II.

[embolism]

I posted almost the exact same thing after I first clayed my car. I think I said it was anti-climatic to me. Then I switched from the Mother's lube to ONR at clay lube dilution and did a car that was not in good shape. Night and day difference and I could really tell where was clayed and where it wasn't.

my advice is to find a neglected car and clay it. It'll teach you everything you need to learn about claying...

[flyinion]

Hmmm, maybe the mother's quick detailer that came in the kit for clay lube is the problem after all then. That truck I did should have satisfied the neglected car bit.

[sensi09]

I was using poorboys spray and wipe and as a lube and the clay would get quite dirty. After running out of the S&W though, I switched to a car wash soap and water mix and notice the clay would not get very dirty at all afterwards. Though the panels did get smooth.

[embolism]

save the Mother's quick detailer for quick detailing, and get some rinseless concentrate and distilled water to make lube. Much more economical. I've gone through almost a gallon of clay lube so far which took only 4 capfuls of ONR to make

[flyinion]

save the Mother's quick detailer for quick detailing, and get some rinseless concentrate and distilled water to make lube. Much more economical. I've gone through almost a gallon of clay lube so far which took only 4 capfuls of ONR to make


Oh I'm only using the Mother's QD as a lube because it came with the clay kit when I bought it at the auto store. I bought a bottle once a year ago to use as a QD and didn't really like how it performed. You may have seen my other thread recently where I was asking what people were using as a QD since I was about out of the Pinnacle that came with my wax kit. I got a lot of ideas from that thread, but Mother's is definitely not on my list of ones to use still. Anyway, I'm getting off my own topic now lol. I've been thinking about the Ultima WW for QD and I think it can be used as a clay lube as well. Otherwise I may end up with the Optimum stuff.

[Bunky]

I bought a bottle once a year ago to use as a QD and didn't really like how it performed.

What did you not like about it?

[flyinion]

Well, I thought it was ok at first, it was the first time I'd used a QD. Then the Pinnacle Crystal Mist came with my SS II wax kit order and it was like night & day. The Mother's seems very watery and unlubricated to me now compared to the Pinnacle. I think the Pinnacle cleans stuff off a bit easier too. Could just be me though.

[SeaJay's]

I have used your combo with mixed results. It really will vary on some cars.

I had a car that I did the whole front of the car and there was barely anything. Then I did the rear trunk lid and it was disgusting! Sometimes I get barely anything at all.

As Mike said it depends on what your dealing with. Some contaminants will not budge with a average clay and you need a more aggressive clay. However, with a more aggressive clay your bound to induce a good amount of marring. Which you can do with fine clay as well. Depending on the paint your dealing with.