If the general NICO crowd isn’t up to speed on them - Just a bit of history...
The Japanese car industry had a lot of trouble with overspray in the factories. Some brilliant mind(s) came up with the product made of plastics and synthetic rubbers all mixed into a Silly Putty like product. It was used on the assembly lines to remove overspray without having to buff the crud off the paint. Yup, Japanese engineering comes through for us one more time
To check its effectiveness, take a baggy (the thin cheap kind - not a thick Ziplock), put it on your hand and slide it over your just washed car hood/roof/trunk. You will feel it (dirt, pollution, sap . . .) snag and drag. It is scary. Now clay the horizontal surfaces and repeat. Your hand will slide like it is on ice. No snags or very, very few. That is clean paint ready for waxing, etc....
Less time, less damage possible, cheaper. If you ever pick up a bar of clay, you will find that it is sort of sticky/tacky. For it to work, it has to have a lubricant under it so it can slide easily. Some use a detail spray and some use a car wash soap solution. It works by grabbing (it is tacky) up the embedded particles in the paint. Since it is floating on a fluid, it really doesn't scratch the paint. They do come in different grits, so don’t believe the PR that they can-do-no-harm - A 600 lb Gorilla pressing on a clay pad w/o enough lube is NOT a good bet ! I use the Schlegel Gray Ghost (Fine Grade) brand which say they are actually “Made in Japan” plus a free soap/water spray or running water.
To clean it, you just fold it in on itself and flatten it out again with a new surface. There are different grades of clay. Some are more abrasive and will remove sap/droppings that have really baked on the paint. Most of us use the mildest stuff. If you ever drop it on the floor, you really should toss it out since it will pick up every piece of gravel and crud.
Then, you are ready to nurse your Q back into form with your choice of cleaners/Swirl Removers/glaze/waxes/polymer finishes . . ._________________________________________The following is from an AutoDetailing Forum that gives some usage insights -
The neat thing about clay is that it won't remove clear or induce scratches IF you use a lubricant. Anyway, here is what I do to clay:
1. Wash the vehicle with Dawn (original, unscented stuff). The reason is that you want to remove all the wax since the clay will work best on bare clear/paint. Dry it like you normally would.
2. Take your clay bar and divide it in half or thirds. The reason is that if (and I have) you drop the bar on the floor, it is worthless. It will pick up every rock, chip, bug body that it touched. Then you still have some clay left to work with and you don't need a whole glob.
3. Flatten the clay into a patty maybe 3" or so. Spray a 2'x2' area with your lube (Quick Detail or a car wash/water solution). You only need a mist of it. Now work the bar from front to back. It does not take much pressure. You can feel when you need more lube since it will start to drag instead of gliding. Now move the clay 90 degrees and work it across the hood. This gives you a different angle to pick up bits that stuck after the first attempt. Since you are not scratching anything, it is not like waxing or washing in only a front to back motion. You will not cause a scratch with clay. Now fold it in on itself like cookie dough and flatten it out again. Move onto a new area and repeat.
4. You may find a light residue left over. If you are going to use a swirl mark remover or polish, then just leave it alone and apply your next product. Some folks will wash the car again and this is fine if you want. If you are going to wax right over the clay, then you may want to wash it so you aren't trying to get wax to stick to a "dirty" surface. You would probably want a nice clean paint surface since you are trying to get the wax to adhere and seal.
5. The best way to store clay is to take all your pieces and put them into a sealable plastic bag. Squirt in some QD or a bit of your car wash soap/water solution so that they stay wet. You aren't trying to submerge them, but you want them to stay moist. They will dry out and become worthless._________________________________________When fellows recommend using Dawn, it is to do just what everyone says it will do:
Remove all the wax/glazes down to the clear.
You can't clay effectively on top of wax. You need to be on clean clear/paint. Dawn will strip it off since it is quite alkaline in PH value. If you used it every car wash, you would not do a favor to your paint. It would be nasty to your clear/paint. That is why we only use it when we do swirl mark work or when we clay. Since you only clay maybe twice or three times a year, Dawn will not hurt your paint. To just do the usual car wash/detail work, always use a Car Wash soap. None other. Car Wash type of soap is pretty neutral in PH value and does not strip wax. It has surfactants to lift and hold dirt in the film so that it floats off into your wash mitt. Remember:
Dawn wash only to strip your wax/sealant so that you can clay or swirl mark work.
Dawn is only a part of the process.
Firstly, it is harmless to clearcoat, but you are using a capful to 2 gallons of WARM water. Rinse with warm water. Cold water will just put the wax back on the car.
