Clay bar...wow!
08-17-2016, 12:30 PM
#16
Drifting
Have never had an issue with it dragging and/or scratching the surface but I guess there's always a 1st time....
08-17-2016, 12:48 PM
#18
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08-17-2016, 12:53 PM
#20
Sir Thomas Lord of All Mets Fans
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Originally Posted by jdgamble
Love the red. Wish my wife would authorize that.
Great job, blassy...T
08-17-2016, 12:56 PM
#21
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08-17-2016, 01:29 PM
#22
Drifting
Something to think seriously about: Clay bars are wet sanding.... very very fine abrasive, but your are wet sanding. Period. This stuff was originally invented for painters to remove over spray, not to detail cars. I use a Porter Cable random orbital, terry pad, and Meguires Ultimate Polish.... same results as clay but I feel much more confident with this than clay.
clay bar is just a solid rubbing compound, rubbing and buffing has always been the answer to smooth out paint surfaces. Its just harder to handle a buffer and compound with out going thru the paint. The safer way to polish out the paint is to use a orbital buffer/waxer and use a polishing compound
Wet sanding and compounding remove some of the surface coating, which is a completely different method of surface prep. Even the mildest compound removes clear coat, and the purpose of water in wet sanding is not to protect the paint from the sandpaper, as it is in clay barring. The purpose of the water is to carry away the grit and debris created by the sanding so that it doesn't clog up the paper and leave scratches. Those processes are apples and oranges.
Compounding or machine buffing a paint surface that hasn't been thoroughly cleaned off has much more risk of scratching and swirling than clay barring. With a clay bar, you're skimming the surface and even if the clay gets dirty, you are turning it to a clean side often. If you compound a surface that's even slightly gritty, you're holding that grit in the pad and grinding the grit back into the surface continually. If the grit is larger than the sanding/compounding media, you're just creating more scratches.
I worry about clay barring and the damage potential. I am not always fastidious about turning the clay bar and sometimes I do it in a hurry. But, for prep after washing and prior to waxing, I haven't seen a better alternative.
08-22-2016, 08:32 AM
#24
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Nice. Use clay all the time. I'm careful to clean the car well before use, keep the bar wet and make sure I'm changing the clay as it gets dirty. And I don't reuse after it falls on the ground. Lol.
