Beken- the griot's clay is super soft. It turns almost muddy soft when you keep applying QD (as you're suppose to) and it sticks to your hands, under nails, etc a pretty yellowy mess. but I started wearing those disposable gloves griots sells and I'm fine.

 

Well, after hearing all of this I'm going out to get some clay right now!

 

Sounds good!

 

I love those gloves...aloe is great for my hand. Wait, I mean..

 

yep! makes my oil changes a breeze too.

 

Yeah. That and brake jobs...but you generally need more than one pair. Good thing they are cheap.

I have been tempted to get the holder just to hang on the wall.

 

YAK I think I will stick to my Meg's clay. That Sonus clay I tried was sticky crap & I am not going thru another nightmare claybar session like that again. Meg's holds shape nicely & no mess

 

Got it. Went back to the same Godforsaken Autozone just to see if the guy was there. He wasn't. I'll be claying tomorrow....first time. Any heads up tips?

 

which megs clay? I hated there white clay, it was hard to kneed and stuck to the paint.

 

yah, that red holder does look real nice. i just put that
kleenex box (the paper dispenser box it comes in) in my tool case.

PrimaClay is also real nice. i like how it doesn't fly out of my hands too.

 

My Meg's clay was white. I used it with their QD & it glided effortlessly, no streaking, no sticking, was a breeze

I may try theirs one day but I am a bit gunshy to stray from my Meg's again after the Sonus clay debacle

 

make sure you use QD or water with it, do a 12x12 or 15x15" section
at a time, wipe the QD/water before it dries.

if you drop it, toss it. dont risk scratching your finish.

i use a half dollar sized chunk per app.

after you're done, spray some QD in a ziploc baggie or sealed container
and store it until next time (including the fresh unused portion too...best
to use a separate baggie for the fresh chunk).

if the clay turns an ugly gray color it's time to toss it and use a new
chunk.

 

i think octaneguy has a bunch of these and might be able to get you a
good deal(?) i know he bought like 12 bars last time.

 

Thanks Kenchan.

A half-dollar sized chunk of clay per application? That's it? That's literally a little bit larger than a quarter.

 

+1 The price is just right and it includes a good sized QD and quality MF.

 

another tip.... do not skimp on Qd and rub the clay with very little pressure. Keep it well lubricated and do not expect to remove stains on the first pass. It will require a lot more rubbing to remove stubborn stains.

 

+1, the clay should totally glide. If it sticks at all you are not using enough QD

 

Agree'd I did mine last weekend, and the rear had and nice sand paper feel before I started. 3 hours later the car was like glass. I used the meg's and it took the whole bottle of quick detailer. Walmart has the meg clay bar kit for almost 10 bucks cheaper the autozone. To bad my windshield got cracked monday.....

 

FWIW - there's a fine line between enough lube and too much. If you use too much you will render the clay ineffective since it needs some friction to do the shearing that you use clay for. If the clay is grabbing as you pass it along the paint, you need more lube. If it glides effortlessly, you've used too much. Rather subtle and requires some practice.

 

It must be a really fine line because when I clay it feels effortless but I know it's working because my finish feels draggy before & like smooth satin afterwards.

 

Well I don't like to use QD because it makes lube that is too slick. If you have too much lube it will take more passes to treat the surface.
I prefer to use the wash water from my pre-clay wash and to do my clay work in the shade or in the garage. I just dip my clay in the wash water and clay a section. When it tries to grab or stick - more wash water.

 

I love my lube Squirt lube, clay, wipe lube all around the MINI & in approx 30 mintues I'm done

 

Should I rub each small section dry as I go?

 

Maybe I just am having a long week but that totally cracked me up.

 

Go with that then!

If you're talking about rubbing dry while using the clay - no. Once your lube begins to dry or thin out too much the clay will begin to grab and stick. If you're talking about drying the paint after each clayed section - no need since you will usually follow clay with a polish like Prima Swirl or Amigo. The polish step will remove residual clay and lube residue in preparation for the wax stage using, for example Prima Epic.
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