Newbie to claying - how hard to press?

[mckeand13]

I've got a clay kit with QD on the way.

Just wondering if you rub the clay back and forth quickly, nice smooth motions, push hard or light.....

Any suggested technique would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Murr1525]

Re: Newbie to claying - how hard to press?

A light touch is all that is needed, and you dont want to go to fast. Much like removing cleaners/polishes/waxes with a towel, you have to give the contminant time to bond. So just light smooth motions.

Claying is really something you just have to do, and you'll understand it in 30 seconds. Just use plenty of QD.

[PorscheGuy997]

Re: Newbie to claying - how hard to press?

I usually use it with a light amount of pressure - just enough so the clay starts to spread out over time. I have gotten the best results by using a circular pattern. You can do the back and forth routine, but it doesn't smooth out the paint as much.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Newbie to claying - how hard to press?

Actually,

How hard to press is determined by how bad the above surface bonded contaminants are, the worse they are, i.e. the more of them there are, and the harder or better they are stuck or bonded to the paint, the more time and more effort it's going to require to remove them.


We have people at our Saturday classes that often times don't push down hard enough and after they're done claying the surface is still rough. Usually they're a little too shy because they're scared of doing something wrong and they error on the side of caution, nothing wrong with this except they aren't getting the job done.

In most case somewhere around 5-8 pounds of pressure with plenty of lube should take care of about anything on the surface.

[mckeand13]

Re: Newbie to claying - how hard to press?

Thanks for the feedback.