Detailng NEWB!!!

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DrftMstr

DrftMstr

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I bought the meguair's smooth surface clay kit from Canadian tire. I was trying it on my Civic. So do I stray some of the lub before applying the clay? And do I wipe off the lub?
 
Okay.

First off, don't do it in direct sunlight. Your lube will dry up too fast and you'll end up using two bottles.

Secondly, the clay bar can severely damage your paint. The lube prevents you from damaging the paint if you are careful. Apply very little pressure when passing the clay bar on the paint. Work on one part at a time and make sure each part is covered in lube. You should hear a rustling noise as the clay bar is passed. This noise is the sound of the contaminants getting picked up by the clay bar.

Thirdly, knead the clay bar from time to time in order to gain a cleaner surface.

Lastly, after you are all done, wash your car. The lube will leave a residue all over your car and you will most probably want to get rid of it.

Good luck!
 
What i like to do is to wash the car without drying it. Pass the clay around and then rewash and dry the car.
 
m_1313 said:
What i like to do is to wash the car without drying it. Pass the clay around and then rewash and dry the car.
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if you use this technique, I sometimes put some foam with the foam gun, however I go section by section.

Make sure your clay bar is flat, so most of the surface will work and if it falls off to the ground, forget about it, buy another one otherwise you might be forced to pay for some heavy damages.
 
CelicaGTS said:
if you use this technique, I sometimes put some foam with the foam gun, however I go section by section.

Make sure your clay bar is flat, so most of the surface will work and if it falls off to the ground, forget about it, buy another one otherwise you might be forced to pay for some heavy damages.
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I forgot to mention, while i clay, i use some clay lube too.
 
m_1313 said:
I forgot to mention, while i clay, i use some clay lube too.
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Which one do you use?
I really like the ONR as a clay lube. I use 2 to 3 bottles of quick detail per car, so if I get the ones from CT @ 13$ it's a lot of money.
 
CelicaGTS said:
Which one do you use?
I really like the ONR as a clay lube. I use 2 to 3 bottles of quick detail per car, so if I get the ones from CT @ 13$ it's a lot of money.
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i use CG clay lube.

i bought 1 gal for 15$. with the shipping it comes up to about 5$ for a 16oz bottle.
 
I use the cheapest car soap from Canadian Tire and mix it 30/70 with water. Makes a perfect lube for real cheap.

Wash and rinse the car forst, then put lube, a lot. Always keep the area you are rubing with the clay well lubed. Do the car section by section. Rinse at the end and dry. You may need to re-wash if the lube you use leaves marks.
 
I like how Paul Dalton uses lots of clay lube on his work.

I personally never go in circular motions. For one.. it's a discipline I've followed for years, if you ever visit a body shop, you'll notice they'll always sand the car in linear motions and in the same direction.


 
DrftMstr said:
Ok, I've now clayed and waxed it properly but I still see the swirls when light hits it. Any tips?
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The clay bar will not make your car look any different. It simply gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your paint is not as contaminated as it was before.

In order to remove the swirl marks, you will need to get your paint polished. I recommend you see a professional. There are quite a few on this board.
 
DrftMstr said:
Ok, I've now clayed and waxed it properly but I still see the swirls when light hits it. Any tips?
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Don't worry, lots of people think the clay bar makes the car like new.

If anything the clay bar will show even more swirls to the eye, since the job of the clay bar is to remove all contaminants bonded to the surface. So the reflections without contaminants is more accurate, therefore you really see the paint finish.

You need to polish/compound the car in order to remove imperfections. You can watch some DIY but this takes a lot of patience and knowledge. Every car is painted differently.. even if it's the same brand, model, year, color, it may not be the same.

This Audi TT required 3 passes
DSC_0004.jpg



This Jetta hood went through 4 passes
hood.jpg


This integra went through 2 passes
trunk.jpg


This G35 only 1 pass
rearright.jpg



So a good detailer will always adapt his method to the paint.
 
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