All About the Clay Bar Process

[Junkman2008]

What is the clay bar process, you ask?

 

Clay Bar is used to remove paint contamination, overspray and industrial fallout.

What is paint contamination?

 

Paint contamination consists of tiny metal shavings from rail dust, brake dust and industrial fallout. This contamination affects all paint finishes and can cause serious damage when left untreated. Paint contamination can be felt as a "rough or gritty" texture on the paint's surface and can lead to tiny rust spots. This contamination can not be removed by washing, waxing and/or polishing. Check out the three stages of paint contamination.

 

Stage 1:

 

Metal shavings land on the paint's surface.

 

 

 

Stage 2:

 

Shavings start to oxidize.

 

 

 

Stage 3:

 

Rust spots forms in the paint.

 

 

 

Where does it come from?

 

There are three major causes of paint contamination:

 

1. Rail dust - produced from the friction of train wheels against railroad tracks. Over 70% of new vehicles are shipped by rail. Rail dust can contaminate a new car's finish before it even reaches the dealership. Anytime a vehicle is parked or travels near a railroad it is subject to rail dust contamination.

 

2. Brake dust - particles produced from the friction of brake pads rubbing against the rotor. This metal on metal friction disperses tiny particles of bare metal into the air and on the highway where it collects on passing vehicles.

 

3. Industrial fallout - another word for pollution, industrial fallout is a byproduct of our modern industrial age.

 

 

Testing for paint contamination:

 

After washing and drying your vehicle, put your hand inside a plastic sandwich bag and lightly run your fingertips over the paint's surface. It should be as smooth as glass. If your car's surface has a rough, gritty or pebble-like texture, it indicates the presence of paint contamination. This should be removed with a clay bar before applying a polish or wax.

 

 

Removing Paint Contamination:

 

There is no wax, natural or synthetic, or any chemical treatment that can prevent or protect against this contamination. Compounding with an abrasive polish may remove paint contamination but it can only be performed a few times before removing too much of the top, clear coat finish. This is why the process of claying is required. Claying removes these impurities without removing your clear coat. It is the safest, most effective way to do so.

 

Claying is a simple process, although you may have to exert a little energy. The secret to proper claying is to keep the area that you are working on wet at all times. Not doing so makes the claying process difficult and it also causes marring of the paint. The amount of pressure that you apply is directly proportional to how bad the paint is contaminated. A 10 year old car that has lived in a driveway all of its life is going to require a little more scrubbing than your new car that you have just driven off the car lot.

 

The object of claying is to get the paint as smooth as glass. Work in small sections (1 foot square areas). Once you get a section smooth as glass, you move on to the next section. Work in small areas so that you don't miss anything. Here's a short video of me claying an area of a bumper in which a deep scratch resides.

 

 

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The claying process itself does absolutely nothing to remove swirls or scratches. It simply removes the impurities from the paint as stated before. Claying is a very important process when necessary, and contributes effectively to obtaining that deep, glossy shine.

 

 

When should I clay?

 

Only when your finish fails the baggie test described above. Some folks clay their finish too often. It is not a set in stone step with paint maintenance, it is only required if your paint needs it. A car that stays garaged, covered and not driven often is not going to get clayed as often as a car that sits in a driveway night and day, in a dusty or dirty environment. I have personally clayed my car once, a year and a half ago. It of course is the first car in the scenario above.

 

Now that you realize when and why to clay your finish, all you have to do is inspect your paint. If your paint is a candidate for clay, drop on over to the Adam's website and pick yourself up some Adam's Detailing Clay Bar.

 

Performing the claying process in the shade or indoors helps keep your lubricant from drying too quickly. Try and do so if possible.

 

The Junkman

Edited December 16, 2010 by Junkman2008

[pdisme]

AJ, just wanted to first say thanks for all your great info; I found some posts of yours in a Viper forum, watched a lot of the videos, just ordered your namesake Adams bundle and hope to get down to some detailing soon. I have a black chevy pickup that's not in the greatest shape that I plan to use for learning before I touch the 'nice' cars.

 

Anyway, I've always used the two bucket wash technique with grit guards, but the truck probably gets washed twice a year at most. As a result, it has a lot of nasty crud built up on the lower front quarters of each front door. Even after washing, little bits of whatever are still there. I haven't done the foam pre-wash before, I ordered the gun and will do what you do in your video for that before the next wash, but I'm wondering where the line is before how much pressure you can use while washing to get some material off versus moving on to clay bar with the risk of it marring the paint? In your video with the clay it looks like you use a fair amount of pressure; I'm afraid with the kind of gunk on my paint that could easily put deep scratches in there; I feel like I have to get that stuff off somehow first, but maybe I'm just naive from having never used clay before?

[Junkman2008]

Thanks DH, but before I can advise you, I need to see exactly what this "gunk" is that you're talking about. Can you take some up close and IN FOCUS pictures?

[pdisme]

Thanks DH, but before I can advise you, I need to see exactly what this "gunk" is that you're talking about. Can you take some up close and IN FOCUS pictures?

 

Hard to take a good pic of it but here goes:

 

 

That's the panel immediately behind the front wheel. The stuff on the panel is mostly road tar and other sticky nasty stuff that gets kicked up. I feel like I'd have to press pretty hard to get it off but was not sure if there's an easier way to get it off, or if I'm going to have to press hard either way, at which step do you do that.

[Junkman2008]

Well, the only way to remove that stuff without scratching up the paint real bad is to clay it off. Yea, it will take a lot of pressure, but you are going to have to constantly flip the clay. Any other method is just going to scratch the paint up real bad (like using a Brillo pad, which I have seen people do).

[pdisme]

So you're saying I should take these back to the store?

 

[Junkman2008]

So you're saying I should take these back to the store?

 

 

[97 TAHOE]

I got a few spots on the roof that look like stage 3 also. I guess its best to do the whole process in one day? I just got a 1997 Chevy Tahoe that I plan on doing once I get the Adams Polisher kit with the Porter Cable 7424, I got it already picked out.

[97 TAHOE]

I also want to thank The Junkman cause after going thru YouTube videos and came across the Junkman. His videos broke it down for me the best and thats how I found out about Adams products thank Junkman. Brother in the Garage Production's crack me up..LOL

[pdisme]

I got a few spots on the roof that look like stage 3 also. I guess its best to do the whole process in one day? I just got a 1997 Chevy Tahoe that I plan on doing once I get the Adams Polisher kit with the Porter Cable 7424, I got it already picked out.

 

All depends on how bad it is. My truck sits outside and it took me four days just to get the damn thing clayed; after a few years of buildup.

[97 TAHOE]

All depends on how bad it is. My truck sits outside and it took me four days just to get the damn thing clayed; after a few years of buildup.

Right the way things are going I probably have to it in a few days or something cause with family stuff its seams like I don't have time to do a all day cleaning the way I want to I told the wife when I get my kit I'm picking a day and doing it but we'll see how that goes.

[Chewy]

Right the way things are going I probably have to it in a few days or something cause with family stuff its seams like I don't have time to do a all day cleaning the way I want to I told the wife when I get my kit I'm picking a day and doing it but we'll see how that goes.

 

One day? hahaha... Right... My first correction took me weeks on and off while the car sat in the garage. I could only take it in small doses.

 

The Flex has sure helped with that. Oh, and having done it several times.