Modeling clay as a substitute for "clay bars" for auto detailing?

[also being cross-posted to rec.autos.tech and rec.autos.misc]


Hello,

For a while I've used what is called a "clay bar" product to remove
surface contaminants from automobile paint finishes. It works very
well -- it borders on a miracle product.

How one uses it is to apply a lubricant (such as a soapy solution) to
a small section of the car and one slides the clay bar over the
wetted surface. Very quickly it smooths the finish out by removing
embedded microscopic particles (rail dust, brake dust, tree sap,
water deposits, etc.) which ordinary washing/scrubbing does not
remove. The results are amazing -- the paint feels as smooth as a
baby's behind. :^)

Anyway, the commercial "clay bars" for auto detailing are relatively
expensive (like $15 for a 4 oz. bar), and I can't help but think those
clay bars are simply some kind of modeling clay with a huge profit
margin attached. From some cursory online research, most of the
automotive detailing clay bars are made out of natural clay (a couple
clay bar products instead use synthetic polymers of some sort.)

One person mentioned trying out inexpensive modeling clay and
getting good results:

http://list.miata.net/pipermail/miat...ry/009655.html

In the article the author talks about paying a few dollars for a whole
pound of clay, which means the clay need not be reused as much. Clay
bars get dirty from all the stuff they pick up, so the more it is used
the more likely it will scratch. So it's better not to overuse a clay
bar, and this only adds to the cost of using them. With the cost of
modeling clay so little, one can do one car (or even half a car) and
throw the clay away for a fresh piece.

Anyway, using modeling clay intrigues me. However, before rushing out
to buy some modeling clay and trying it out myself, I'd like to get
feedback from the modeling clay artist community regarding this. Do
you believe the commercial automotive "clay bars" simply use some type
of commercially-available modeling clay? Or are these truly special,
made to "spec" by the clay companies, with nothing comparable sold to
the modeling clay community? Of course, the biggest fear is that the
particles in many modeling clays are not fine enough and will visibly
haze the paint. Is modeling clay also rated by the size/fineness of
the clay particles? I do know some auto detailing product companies
offer fine and medium "clay bars" -- the medium ones are for tough
jobs with the comment that polishing is required afterwards (thus, the
medium clay bar must leave a "haze".)

A last point is who are the major manufacturers of modeling clays? I
am thinking of contacting them and trying to get feedback -- some
might volunteer useful information on this topic.

Your insights will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Jon Noring


(p.s., another person posted an interesting "recipe" for a clay bar
lubricant, thus closing the loop on a "do-it-yourself" clay bar
system -- most automotive clay bar products also include a lubricant
of some sort:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm...&output=gplain

)