If you're getting some light scratching from claying is this indicative of using too much pressure or not enough lube?

The details: I noticed some what can only be described as schmutz on my paint/clear bra. There were these odd hazy spots that felt kind of rough when you'd run your hand over them. I noticed them along the paint in between the windshield and fender flare as well as between the headlight and fender (on the paint and on the bra).

I washed the car today and then tried claying the spots to see if I could get whatever it was to come off. I was using the DP clay and lube (Glide). After the first attempt I buffed the lube off w/ a Monster Fluffy and noticed a) a bit of the spot was gone, but b) I was getting a lot of little scratches where I'd been claying.

After that I tried being a little more generous w/ the lube and using lighter pressure and that seemed to prevent any more scratching. I did get some of whatever the crap was to come off, but it took a lot of claying, and it still wasn't perfect.

Eventually I got frustrated, broke out the Swirl and a foam pad, and decided to see if I could at the very least get rid of the scratches I'd introduced. This went pretty well (I'll be able to see for sure if it ever decides to stop being overcast) and with a little elbow grease I seemed to be able to polish out the scratches as well as make the remaining gunk go away. So maybe I should have just broke out the Swirl in the first place.

 

My guess is that it's far more likely that the "schmutz" (whatever was causing the haze) left the scratches than the clay. As long as you were properly lubing the clay and the panel, you shouldn't have been leaving scratches behind...the clay was clean?

 

Well, I'm pretty sure the scratches weren't there before I started claying.

The clay was brand new. I'd just opened the package. (And no, I didn't drop it on the ground.)

 

are you claybarring the clearbra or the paint?

if over the clearbra then it could swirl as those films are very soft.
if over the paint, you might be just seeing swirls that you already had but
was hidden by the wax.

or you are scratching the finish...

 

Both.

I'm pretty sure I was scratching the finish. I'm just trying to work out what would cause scratching while you clay. Am I just putting too much pressure on the clay, or not using enough lube?

Though I can't see how I could have been using much more lube that I was.

 

The DP clay comes out of the package with a slight crust sometimes. For those that do I have found warming it with my hands and Glide or Slick and then kneading it will soften it up and re-moisten the crusty bits.
Could this have been the problem?

 

possibly.

unless you use aggressive grit clay or have contamination it
shouldn't haze even if you had considerable pressure on the clay.

if there's not enough lube your clay will just stick to the paint and wont
glide... so i doubt it was the amount of lube or pressure.

probably just contamination either grit or crusts.

 

It's possible there was a crust. I don't remember if it was crusty per say (though I can go check the unused portion), but it was definitely very, very stiff.

A quick technique question: when you're just generally claying (and not trying to get a specific spec of crap to come off) how many times are you rubbing it over the same section of paint? Once or twice, or are we talking tens or hundreds of times?

I conned one of the guys in our local club who's a Zaino rep into having a detailing day so I could see someone that (purportedly) knows what they're doing demonstrate things, but of course the cheeseweasels went and scheduled for a time I'll be at work. Thanks, guys.

Whats the best way to store opened clay? I'm assuming it'll dry out if you just let it hang around. I put mine in two ziploc baggies (one marked new, one used) and then put those in a Tupperware-like container.

Next time I'll try kneading it a bit more before I start working with it. Maybe I'll shoot DP an email to see what they have to say.

 

i rub the contamination with light pressure as many times needed until
it dissappears. usually 10 times or so. (air claying right now counting... )

 

Only 10? Okay, so the need to do exponentially more than that probably should have been a tip off that the clay wasn't cutting it.

Good to know!

 

yah, even the griot's soft clay it doesn't take much more.

 

Depends on what it was though. Like I just took a black scuff mark off my bumper with clay, and it took awhile. But it did all come up!

 

Its highly unlikely that a clay bar (clean) will scratch the surface.

There is a possibility that your clay bar may have had this 'crust' on it or was perhaps contaminated.

That is why you need to constantly check the clay bar to make sure there are no big chunks or pieces of contaminants that could possibly scratch the surface.

In terms of how many times, I clay small sections of 10 x 10 or 12 x 12 or even smaller sometimes and just continue to clay each section until it is as smooth as glass. I wear a latex glove so I can feel the paint with more sensitivity.

But if you have a clean clay bar and you are constantly checking it and kneading it to be sure it if clean, you could be seeing scratches/swirls that you never noticed before as kenchan mentioned.

Do you have any pictures of this?