Someone at work told me that they use a bar of Duct Seal (available in the electrical section at Home Depot, around a buck for a bar 4X's the size of most clay bars) to clay their vehicles. For the spray, they use a spray bottle of soapy water. Once their vehicle is clayed, they wash and continue detailing as normal. Has anyone ever used Duct Seal to clay with? If it works without problems, the economics would certainly be considerable. If you drop the bar on the ground, you would be a lot less likely to convince yourself to pick out the trash and continue using it. Toss it, it's cheap, assuming it works comparitively.

What say you?

C.B.

I know! I have a gullable buddy at work who owns a Dodge, I'll get him to try it! Just kidding, I do have a '89 Crown Vic that I'm going to use the a/c compressor to replace to one on my wife's '96 T-Bird, I'll try a spot on it. I'm gonna scrap it anyway.
C.B.

 

Hmmmmmmm............ I've use Duct Seal before around the house, but not on any vehicles. If I remember correctly, it's kind of a soft putty like consistency, and very "sticky"............... don't know if I would want to try it on my paint.

If you do try it, go about it very carefully.

 

might as well use playdough, duct seal is a bit more "gritty" then claybar and it breaks apart...so i dunno

 

Gritty?

I don't know guys, it sure sounds questionable to me. Keep in mind, it only takes one screw up with clay/clay material to cause MEGA problems... problems that require a new paint job to correct.

If it were me, I'd stick with the products that are designed for automobile paint useage.

RP

 

im speaking from experience lol, i do electrical and use this product, thats what its pretty much ment for, cause it stays pretty flexable around the cables and conduit when we put it through walls, but yea, it isnt as smooth, or "silky" as the clay, it is a courser material, not much, but guess what, doesnt take much to scratch up clear coat....im sure you all can relate to how delicate clear coat is

 

OK..I'm ignorant on the clay bar in general.. I have detailed many of my autos... but never used a clay bar. What is a clay bar to be used for?

Wayne

 

gets any contamination off the paint surface, kinda like exfoliating your paint, gets rid of all the crap that normal washing/waxing wont

 

Work well? My '00 looks great, but always willing to try something to make it look better.. also been following the posts on 5 Star Shine..interesting, but I'm still a little skeptical.

I try to keep all my vehicles spotless... but normally it's alot of work (or $$, depending on how lazy I am)... use Meguiars on my wifes Infinity, and Pig Snot on my Mean Streak... only had the F150 for 2 weeks... and it was detailed when I got it..

Always willing to learn..

Wayne

 

well next time you wash your truck, take your hand an slide it on the paint, does it feel a lil unsmooth? if so , claybar it an you will notice how smooth it gets

 

thanks for your quick replies...I'll do it! Where do I get a clay bar.. is this something I can get at an AutoZone, or do I need to order from a detail store?

Wayne

 

yea pepboys an autozone have em, meguires , mothers, an stuff, usually comes in a box with the spray and the bar of clay

 

Exactly like DrP mentioned, clay is utilized to remove stuck on contamination. The typical 'stuck on contaminant' suspects are rail dust (tiny pieces of metal embedded in the paint), industrial fallout, paint overspray, and a few others...

Many manufacturers make a 'kit' which contains a clay bar and a lubricant spray (something like a Quick Detailing spray). To use, you simply spray the QD down on a freshly washed vehicle and, using only the pressure from the weight of your hand, no downward pressure, you move the clay bar back and forth. Of course, before you do this, feel your paint. And, of course, after you've clayed an area, feel your paint again. You WILL feel the difference if your vehicle hasn't been clayed recently.

Claying is an abrasive technique and thus, many folks may find it necessary to remove some very slight marring or scratching caused by the clay. This can be achieved by utilizing a light polish and/or a cleaner wax typically.

Notes on clay:

1. If it hits the ground, it's trash. Period. No exceptions. One very tiny grain of sand embedded in the clay of a clay bar can RUIN your paint. Thus, I always recommend that you chop the claybar into two pieces and use one at a time. That way, when you drop a piece, it's easier to toss in the garbage because you have a backup.

2. Buy a kit if you're unfamilar with claying. Most will come with a handy instruction kit. Follow it to the 'T'.

3. As a perfectionist, I would suggest that you'd only have to clay a few times per year. Some do more, some less depending on atmospheric and environmental conditions where your vehicle spends most of its time.

4. A good detailer will start with a standard clay job before applying any polish and/or wax and/or sealants.

5. It is essential that you, at a minimum, wax after clay. The reason is that you will remove some of the film build of wax that you already have on the vehicle. Protection is a virtue.



I think that's it.... sorta. There are OODLES of write ups within the GENERAL CARE forum about clay and thus, I highly recommend performing a search within this forum for more information. Several of us have spent vast amounts of time writing up stuff about clay... I think you'll find most all of it handy.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

-RP-

 

The Meguiar's Quik Clay System is a very common consumer line product that is available at many 'mart' style stores as well as many autoparts stores like AutoZone and Pep Boys.

RP

 

Rockpick.. thx for the reply.. I did read through several posts on use of clay after I asked my question and found lots-of-info on the subject..

I'm off work this week (well.. at least that's the plan), so I may give it a try. I agree also on the concept of breaking the clay into 3 pieces so .. dropping one will not be quite as costly.

Thx again..

As another note.. this is kinda funny how much I love this truck.. I have owned several vehicles, but always wanted a truck. Now that I have this thing, I am more picky on it than I was on some of my vehicles that I paid more the 3x the price of my '00 F150. Unreal!

Wayne

 

Unreal!!! I listened to you all, bought the clay and NXT wax.. truck looks awesome!! I can't believe the difference. My wife has a new Infiniti G35x w/ only 2K miles on it.. I know the paint job on her car is much more $$ than on my '00 F150, but when I ran my hand accross hers, it feels very rough.. mine now feels like glass.

Thanks for the recommendation, folks..

Wayne