Claying question

[8GC]

I know that claying is to remove bonded contaminates on paint surface,how about if we skip claying & go for compounding or polishing, would the bonded contaminates also remove by the compound or polish ?

[Michael Stoops]

Yes, in many cases they can be removed via heavy compounding. If the paint doesn't need such an aggressive approach to correct really severe defects, however, then you're much better off (and safer) using clay and then follow with a paint cleaner/buffer combination that will correct the light defects below the surface.

[the other pc]

Strangely enough, as I was washing my car this morning I was thinking through how I’d like to do a write-up about this.

Unfortunately, I’d need the right car in the right condition for the pictures to come out really well and I don’t have access to one right now that would be appropriate.

Anyway, I did do it once. I just didn’t take pictures.

The car had single stage red paint. It actually looked pink because the whole top layer of paint was heavily oxidized. I picked out a section of the hood about twice the size that I would normally compound at one time. I clayed half of it. There were lots of bonded contaminants. Then I compounded both halves with a rotary buffer and a heavy cut compound (I used M84 Compound Power Cleaner) with a W7006 cutting pad.

There’s no question that I took off a lot of paint. I had to remove the entire depth of pink to get down to the red paint below. After buffing the finish was deep red.

Then, I clayed again. And guess what? The half that hadn’t been clayed before still had bonded contaminants. Maybe there was less, but there was still a lot.

Plus, when some of that nasty gunk does get removed while buffing, where does it go? Into your pad, that’s where. That can’t be good for buffing. You can feel that too. Buffing a finish that’s already clayed goes smoother and easier than buffing one with stuck-on gunk.

So I say to use the tools the way they work best, clay for bonded contaminants and compound/polishes to cut paint.


pc.

[8GC]

Thanks Michael Stood & "the other pc" for great explaination, now I got the point.