How To Make Clay Bar Lubricant

I of the critical steps to a high-quality detailing procedure is surface decontamination. That'due south the process of removing embedded dirt, chemical residue, mineral deposits, and other foreign elements from the pigment of your vehicle.

Many owners call back that washing their car with soap and a pressure washer will leave their paint perfectly make clean. All the same, in reality, that'southward not the example at all. There's a expert deal of clay and contagion that's lodged and hardened into the porous surface of the paint, and which is impossible to remove without either mechanical action or heavy-duty chemicals - sometimes both.

If these contaminants aren't removed, they will compromise the quality and effectiveness of whatever subsequent procedure - be information technology polishing or ceramic coating - and shorten the lifespan of the vehicle's paint.

Dirt confined have risen equally the standard tool for decontaminating automotive paint. Professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike have these in their arsenal - and y'all should as well!

In this commodity, we'll talk in particular about detailing clay bars, dirt bar lube, and surface decontamination. Stick with us.

★★★★★ Rated 5 Out of v Stars

All-time Clay Lube! (Free Dirt Block Included)

Your vehicle's surface is filled with contaminants. Some of these may be visible, such bug guts, bird debris, water spots, and tree spots. And some contaminants, such as iron deposits, brake dust, and overspray may not be visible to the naked eye.

The Clay Decon Kit helps to remove that deepest layer of contaminants, that attaches to your vehicle's clear coat. This helps prevent long term harm to your clear coat.

Purchase Now

The Basics: Understanding Clay Bars

A dirt bar looks very similar to plasticine or Play-Doh - information technology'due south a putty-like substance that can exist moulded and formed hands into whatever desired shape.

You lot use a clay bar to rub over the panels of the vehicle and remove embedded contamination. The clay is slightly abrasive, and so information technology shears off stuck chunks of dirt, road tar, brake grit, salts, mineral deposits, chemic residue, paint overspray, and other forms of contamination.

However, it'south soft enough so that, when used with a proper lubricant, it doesn't

scratch the paint, leaving the surface finish mostly intact. Detailing dirt is viscid, so loose contaminants go trapped within it, and if a proper technique is used, it can't come back on the pigment.

Many of these elements will be removed in the washing process, but non all. Automotive paint and articulate coats are fairly porous surfaces - they have small holes and cavities, just like your skin. Some contaminants will come in but the correct particle size and shape to lodge firmly into these pores, making them incommunicable to remove with simply soap and h2o.

First-timers are always amazed to see just how much clay and grime detailing clay will pull out of the vehicle, even when it was thoroughly washed 5 minutes agone.

Detailing dirt comes in all forms and shapes - there are wash mitts with integrated clay layers, dirt blocks, dirt mitts, dirt sponges, and a host of other variants you lot tin notice online.

Some of these are convenient, but we can notwithstanding fence that the original, putty-like clay is the best, almost effective, and most versatile product on the market. Information technology'due south inexpensive, easily replaceable, and gets you practically the same quality when handled correctly. If you're just starting out, stick with a regular dirt bar for a while earlier exploring different products.

Claying a vehicle seems really simple from the side - just mindlessly rub it over until you lot're satisfied with the effects. Notwithstanding, always remember that detailing clay is an annoying. If you don't employ the proper technique, you lot can and volition impairment the surface finish of the vehicle, introducing marring, hazing, or even light scratches.

In the interest of fairness, the decontamination procedure may require some specialized chemic products like iron, road tar, and mineral deposit removers. These products assail specific groups of contaminants and are generally safe to use.

Before the invention of detailing clay, car care specialists used harsh chemicals - strong acids and bases - to dissolve the contaminants. These do work, but they're very aggressive, and will attack the paint if left on for too long. Prolonged utilize will eventually sparse out and deplete the clear coat and compromise the paint entirely.

These chemicals will also fire your skin, eyes, and lungs, so information technology's ever required to apply proper personal protection - gloves, glasses, and a mask.

Harsh acids and bases are still used for severely contaminated vehicles - normally wheels caked in restriction grit. All the same, they are to be avoided if possible.

Why A Dirt Bar Lube Is Crucial

Don't ever use a dirt bar on a vehicle without lubrication! This is the quickest, surest method to ruin the paint and have to smooth the entire panel - hopefully before the owner of the vehicle sees it.

If you attempt it on an former junkyard body console, you'll observe that you can't even rub information technology over easily. The clay will endeavour to stick and catch - because that's exactly what it's designed to practise.

In order to clay the vehicle, yous must ever, 100% of the time, use a clay lubricant!

The lubricant minimizes the friction between the dirt and body panel, reducing the chances of scratching or marring the surface. Information technology doesn't reduce the effectiveness of the clay, because the contaminant particles have a crude and irregular surface and will grab on regardless.

Lube also helps y'all effortlessly move the piece of clay, allowing yous to practice a better task - faster, easier, and safer. Trust us, if you have to clay a whole vehicle - permit alone a few in 1 solar day - you'll appreciate the deviation clay bar lube makes on your arms later on the job is done.

But which dirt lube to use? There are literally hundreds of products on the market, each claiming to be the best, well-nigh effective, and safest for the pigment.

A set up-to-use solution will cost you lot around $20 for a one-half-gallon jug. That's not too bad, so if yous're a beginner or are looking for a no-hassle solution, only buy ane and don't overthink information technology.

Still, over time, you lot'll find out you're actually using this stuff a lot and the cost will get-go to pile upwards.

Here's the thing: y'all don't accept to buy a prepare-made clay lube. There are half a dozen homemade recipes that will work just fine and sometimes even amend than the name make prepare-to-use products.

They're as well dirt cheap and super easy to make yourself, and then let's look into some dirt lube alternatives and homemade concoctions.

Clay Lube Alternative: Is Machine Soap A Adept Thought?

Yes, soapy water makes a very decent clay lubricant! It'southward by far the cheapest way to do it and you likely already have some in stock, so you lot can mix it up correct at present.

After you launder the car, mix the same proportions of car shampoo and water in a clean bucket or spray bottle and utilise generously to the surface. Then, become at information technology with the clay, regularly adding more than soapy water to keep the surface wet at all times.

Many motorcar enthusiasts utilize soapy water as clay lube on a daily footing and will readily evidence as to its lubricating properties.

Of form, while motorcar soap can be an effective lubricant, not all are created equal. They contain unlike proportions of detergents that aid dissolve different types of dirt, grease, oils, chemicals, and metals. The agents that break down these contaminants besides wet and lubricate the surface, making soapy water a good medium for using detailing clay.

You can judge how glace and slick the surface is with your bare hand. Y'all should not, however, determine the lubricity of whatsoever given lather solution past the amount of foam it produces.

Foam is simply air bubbles trapped in the water. Information technology's a by product of the soap agents, which lower the surface tension and allow solids and gasses to mix more easily with water. Foam has no cleaning or lubricating qualities in its own right and is non really needed to make clean at all - dishwasher and washing machine detergents clean absolutely fine without any foam or suds.

Foam is a marketing gimmick! In fact, many soap manufacturers add together foaming agents because people associate cream with cleaning power, and estimate the effectiveness of the product past the amount of foam it produces.

Automobile shampoo manufacturers know how fragile the paint is, so they also add pocket-sized amounts of lubricants - cellulose or synthetic polymers - to assist protect the paint during washing and preserve the condition of the finish for longer.

Information technology's this ingredient you lot should be most interested in if you're planning to utilize car soap for clay lube. Of course, y'all don't know how much there is in any given product, so you're stuck to trying out a couple and analyzing how slippery the solution is on your body panels.

Most car shampoos are fine for the DIY enthusiast who wants to clay their ain machine and keep it looking brand new all the time. The depression cost and ready availability is difficult to shell.

However, y'all won't meet any professional person detailer use car soap as clay lube on a client'southward car. It's okay, merely not fantastic, and you should just really use it for low-cal pressure claying. Whatsoever hard pressure level volition hands overcome the lubrication and potentially damage the finish.

There are improve products yous can use for your bootleg clay lube.

Tin You Utilise A Quick Detailer Spray As A Clay Lubricant?

Yes, quick item sprays are adequate besides! Although, in that location are some considerations.

They are designed to become on dry surfaces or microfiber towels, and so manufacturers add generous amounts of lubricating polymers. These piece of work to both lubricate the surface and prevent marring and scratching, while also removing dirt by bonding freely with the particles and trapping them in the liquid medium.

Therefore, if you have a detailing spray in your arsenal already, you tin can use it as a clay bar lube straight on. It's already in a spray canteen - in that location's no mixing, no dilution, and no hassle. Nevertheless, this convenience comes at a price.

At $20-$xxx for a 16-24 oz. bottle, quick detailers are certainly more than expensive than anything we've discussed then far. However, they're besides very safe and a good selection for beginners who are nonetheless learning the basics of clay bars and decontamination.

Quick detailers provide enough lubrication to go harder with your clay bar, although be aware that any difficult claying will nonetheless somewhen mar and slow the surface finish - specially on nighttime and blackness cars.

If yous desire to try one out, we propose using our own formula - Torque Detail'south Turbo Waterless Detailer .

It contains a pocket-sized corporeality of SiO2 ceramic particles, which remain after you lot're done claying and fill in some of the cavities previously full of contaminants. Turbo Waterless Detailer makes the surface non-static and hydrophobic, making your job easier the next time around.

Information technology's good for touch-ups between washes, removing bird crap , boosting the longevity of your existing ceramic coating, and likewise as a clay lubricant.

Clay Bar Lubricant: Why It's A Must

Finally, we become to the 18-carat stuff - fix-to-use clay spray lubricants. In that location's a reason why this stuff exists - it's the best for the task.

Professional clay lube comes as a fix-to-use product, significant you can starting time the task immediately. Information technology carries the right amount of lubricants and dissolving agents to complete a professional decontamination process.

Mixing soap and diluting ONR is fine for everyday use on your own cars and possibly the daily drivers of your customers. Withal, when it comes to detailing high-priced exotics, y'all don't want to take any chances, even with unproblematic things like what clay lube to use.

Imagine being hired to detail somebody'southward Lambo simply to add together swirl marks all over the car considering you mixed the wrong proportions, or the paint was soft and you didn't take the necessary lubrication.

Using a professional person spray lubricant removes all the human error elements in picking and matching the correct production. This can make the price worth information technology.

Some clay bars and cleaning solutions aren't uniform, and you tin discover your clay degrading unusually quickly as a result. Typically, this isn't too much of a problem if you utilise an ordinary clay bar. These are expandable and take to be thrown abroad, as they become saturated with dirt. You don't want to use the same one a whole year until it turns black, since you'll just be smearing the grime from old jobs onto new ones. Withal, if your lube is eating through clay bars as well quickly, specially more expensive products, that'south going to affect your bottom line cost.

Professional dirt lube doesn't do that. It's designed specifically to work with dirt, and so you'll get more life out of yours. Plus, at $xx for a gallon, it's not exactly breaking the bank, even if it's a single-purpose product.

If yous're aiming for a superlative-notch chore, just pay for a top-notch product. Yous can grab the whole decontamination kit from Torque Detail (clay bar kit + decon kit), containing a decon wash soap, mitt, clay pad, and lube - all for $50.

Source: https://www.torquedetail.com/blogs/car-detailing/clay-bar-lube