Hi all,

I have been asked a few times about claying, and mentioned it in some other threads. So, I had some time at weekend to think of what to do.

Theory:
The purpose behind claying the paintwork (or wheels!) is to remove bonded contaminants. These include; tree sap, iron fallout, bug stains, tar, and in some cases even overspray. This is done by the clay bar lifting out the debris from within your paintwork.

In practice:
Once you have washed the car, you are then to remove as much tar as possible prior to claying to avoid clogging a bar and damaging your paint. This can be done using a product such as Autosmart Tardis, which will dissolve the tar. Any left over small fragments will be picked up by the clay.

After the de-tarring is completed you're ready to begin.

Step 1:

Start by folding the clay bar into a thin flat piece of material, big enough to fit in the palm of your hand.



Step 2:

Most clays can be used with just water, no need for a dedicated lube, unless you're using an aggressive clay. Once you've got your flat piece of bar, spray some water onto the panel you're starting with. You could even just rinse the car off..



Step 3:

Begin by gently rubbing the clay backwards and forwards over the same area. Only ever so light pressure is needed, the harder you force the clay into the paint the greater the risk of damaging it, and you wont neccessarily remove any more contamination! At first it will feel rough and grainy, keep going over it until the bar slides over the paintwork like it would a sheet of glass. Remember to keep spraying water onto the paint to ensure the clay is lubricated at all times!



Step 4:

The rougher the paintwork feels the more contamination there is present. This will fill the bar up quickly. There is no guide for how long a bar should last, you may only get half a car done if it is that heavily contaminated! What you should do to ensure you do not damage your paint, is keep folding the clay bar over to reveal a fresh piece whenever it gets 'clogged'.

This is what 'clogged' looks like:



This on the other hand is what the bars can sometimes look like after a full car:





Step 5:

After you have clayed your entire car, the paint should be smooth to the touch. If it still feels rough in places, the contamination is still present. If everything feels silky smooth though, the final stage is to rewash the car to remove any loose debris the clay bar has pulled out which is still sat in the lube (whether clay lube or just water). This ensures the car is at it's cleanest prior to applying any protection or polishing etc.


Show me:




I hope some of you guys find this thread useful.

Any questions, as always, just ask..


Matt.