Colorless contaminants, clay

**SR99** · 08-12-2012, 12:25 PM

Some kind of mystery contaminant. Claying a car this morning and can't feel the contaminants with my bare hand but can feel it with a plastic baggie.

Mother's gold clay gives no indication of the contaminants (no color on the clay at all, no grabby feel), but it does eventually remove whatever it is.

However, it takes a real long time claying a given spot to pass the baggie test, so I moved to the blue Claymagic clay. It works faster, and I can slightly feel the contaminant while claying, but still no color on the clay at all.

Anyone encountered this type of colorless contaminant before? Ideas what it might be?

Would you toss the clay afterwards since there's no visual indication how saturated the clay is, but it's definitely in the clay, whatever it is?

**drbobbybones** · 08-12-2012, 01:01 PM

I've gotten tree sap off with clay, which is almost colorless. Otherwise, i'm at a loss. I always toss my clay after I use it--cheap insurance to make sure you don't introduce swirls. That's why I only use a portion of clay at a time so that I don't have to toss the whole thing.

**GoldBl4d3** · 08-12-2012, 01:13 PM

the same happends to me. I also would like to figure this out.

**mwoolfso** · 08-12-2012, 05:34 PM

Happens to me too....

Anything that can get airborne can become trapped in the pores of paint. Plant and tree pollen, minerals from water and dirt, skin cells, metallic particles, bird droppings, sap, bug spray (for those cities where their county has a spray program), oxidized <anything>, human skin cells, etc...

**rwright** · 08-12-2012, 06:37 PM

Maybe it's pixie dust?

j/k

Do you live near a chemical plant?

**Tvanpool** · 08-12-2012, 06:46 PM

Have you been around a cabinet shop or other wood working operation. I know from sad experience that polyurethane will do this.

**SR99** · 08-12-2012, 09:09 PM

I tried a couple other things. Pinnacle paintwork cleansing lotion had no effect on the mystery contaminant. Neither did mineral spirits. A 20% alcohol solution had some kind of effect but it's hard to describe.

It didn't remove it, but something in the contaminant is affected by alcohol because the alcohol wipe pulled some kind of film out that left a coating that made the paint feel like old oxidized paint. Wiping it with a dry MF felt kind of stiff (not sticky), definitely not smooth.

A wipe with UWW+ got rid of the film, but the contaminant was still there.

So the blue claymagic seems like the best thing to use. I guess I'll toss it when I'm done, which sucks since it was a new bar.

I don't think it's tree sap or paint overspray. Airborne chemicals are a possibility but I don't remember anything in particular. Or maybe I was driving behind a truck that was spewing something I couldn't see. It's mostly on the front half of the car.

Thanks for the comments.