Quote:
Originally Posted by pkauf
OK, I've never used clay before, so I'm way paranoid about something that will remove "everything". So help me a bit . . . What prevents you from scratching the crap out of your car with all the stuff that is removed from one area, flipped around in the clay, and becoming a scratching device on another part of the car? I'm in no way saying i think this is a bad idea, I just have never done this before, so I don't want to hose my paint job up by doing it wrong. I've read the "how to" links, but don't want to be missing some important info and screw up my paint. Thanks!!!!
|
An extremely good post! I love it when folks question the why behind something I tell them to do. That tells me that they are thinking this "detailing stuff" through, and not just blindly following directions that they may or may not understand. Well allow me to answer your question!
Hopefully, you have watched my videos and are up to speed on preparing your car for claying. The car needs to be clean (not necessarily dry), before you start. The reason being, you do not want to put unnecessary dirt into the clay because the clay will only last so long.
The particles that you are removing from the clay are EXTREMELY small. They will quickly disappear into the clay as you are flipping it. The amount of clay that Adam's sells is significantly larger than pretty much anything else that you will find on the market, thus, it goes quite a distance. You will keep your eye on the clay during the claying process to ensure that every time you flip it, a new clean spot is found.
It is when you cannot find a clean spot on the clay after flipping it that your piece of clay is finished! At that point, you need to get some more clay.
How long a bar of clay will last totally depends on the condition of the cars you use it on. I can tell you that on a car as new as the Camaro that have not been abused by years of neglect, a bar of Adam's clay will do quite a few Camaro's. You still need to be cognizant of your clay as you use it, ensuring that you are constantly finding a new clean area as you flip it.
Under no circumstances whatsoever, do you want to use a piece of clay if it has been DROPPED!!! Once that clay hits the ground, IT IS WORTHLESS. The size of the dirt particles that it will pick up can do major damage to your paint. It is NOT worth chancing the damage. Throw that piece of clay away!
Most folks split the clay that Adam's sells in half because it is so big. This is their ace in the hole in case they drop it. I suggest you do the same. Follow these rules and always clay a CLEAN car and not only will you not have issues, but the clay will last much longer. Also, some minor marring may occur while claying, especially if you don't keep the area lubricated. This damage is very minimal, and can be easily fixed using the Fine Machine Polish.
Purchase a gallon of detail spray if you have never clayed your car. If you don't, you will quickly find out that a 16 ounce bottle is definitely NOT enough.
