Is Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay a soft clay?

**newb001** · 02-25-2011, 09:42 AM

As the title states, is Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay soft, and therefore a good starting point for a newbie with a black car? I already own it so would prefer not to get anything else, but if enough people strongly recommend a different clay I would consider it. I plan on using ONR at clay lube strength (or stronger...).

Thanks!

**SeaJay's** · 02-25-2011, 09:50 AM

I think you'll be just fine with that clay. It's on the softer side as the title says, so you shouldn't have any issues with marring. Test it out on a inconspicuous spot first just to be sure.

Mike Phillips · 02-25-2011, 10:04 AM

It's an Ultra Fine clay

Wash and rinse car very well to ensure there are no loose abrasive dirt particles on the car and then if possible try to do your claying in a garage where there's no potential for air-borne dirt, dust or other contaminants can land on the paint as you're claying the car.

Use plenty of lube, focus on the task at hand and wipe off the claying lubricant residue after claying each section.

Show Car Garage Video: How detailing clay works and how to use detailing clay to remove above surface bonded contaminants

**newb001** · 02-25-2011, 10:11 AM

Thanks!

**mcpp66** · 02-25-2011, 11:38 AM

I don't know if it's just me, but everytime I tried to clay my black car it left marring behind. About a year ago or so I spoke with Mike Phillips about what was going on when I was polishing my car and he told me it sounded like I had soft paint. Perhaps that's why I can't clay this particular car and be marring free. Anyhow, maybe it won't be a problem with your car but do an inconspicuous spot first and see if it slightly marrs the paint.

**newb001** · 02-25-2011, 12:02 PM

Thanks. I have a black Audi which I think I've been told has hard paint (i.e. hard to fix), though for some reason seems easy to mar...

**mcpp66** · 02-25-2011, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by newb001

Thanks. I have a black Audi which I think I've been told has hard paint (i.e. hard to fix), though for some reason seems easy to mar...

I don't think you can generalize like that. I've read threads on this forum in which the same make, model, year, and even color had different paint hardness.

Mike Phillips · 02-25-2011, 12:24 PM

The term coined to describe "Clear Coat Paints" is "Scratch-Sensitive". What this means is modern clear coats are harder than traditional single stage paints, (the only two types of paint categories we've had since we all stopped riding on horses), and it is this hardness factor that enables the paint to "last a long time", but that doesn't mean "look good a long time".

You can have a scratched up clear coat last a long time and look horrible because it resists breaking down via oxidation like single stage paint do.

So test first.

Thing is if you have above surface bonded contaminants, sooner or later you have to "touch" the paint in order to remove them, the key thin is finding a way to touch the paint safely. IF your paint scratches easily, then you might have to polish the paint after claying, you won't know until you do some testing and inspecting.

Keep in mind, we don't make the paint, paint manufacturers make paint. Maybe someday someone from a paint company will get on a forum like this, understand how "consumers" feel about clear coat paints and start making paints that are easy to work on.

If you read enough of my posts you'll see I always post about how much I enjoy and prefer to work on single stage paints as do most people once they have the chance and that's because single stage paint is easy to work on. Modern clear coats are a tick on the difficult side in comparison. The good news is that there are now more products using new technology that makes working on clear coats easier than ever.

It used to be you needed both skill and experience to buff out a clear coated paint job and make it look good, now with foam pads, modern abrasive technology in the compounds and polishes, and tools like DA Polishers, anyone can create a show car finish their first time machine polishing.

Proof You Can Do It! - Joe The Detailer - Black Porsche Turned into Black Pearl!

This is not true when it comes to doing the same kind of thing by hand. I've posted this before and here it goes again...

Working by hand actually takes a lot more skill to get great results than working with a DA Polisher like the Porter Cable and Griot's Garage units, or the Meguiar's units.

You can try removing aboves surface bonded contaminants using a paint cleaner of some type but these don't always work because if the contaminants have a strong bond to the paint the paint cleaner and your hand applicator or your buffing pad on a machine will simply glide over them.

Claying is the most effective way to remove above surface contaminants in most cases. Any fallout results are just the nature of the beast and characteristic of the way paint manufactures formulate the paints car manufacture use to spray on your car.

Mike Phillips · 02-25-2011, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by mcpp66

I don't think you can generalize like that. I've read threads on this forum in which the same make, model, year, and even color had different paint hardness.

I agree.

I think I posted some pictures of some Audi's that had paint as soft as butter recently. If someone did enough searching using the right key words they could find the posts.