Here is a link that will help everyone with claybar questions: http://www.properautocare.com/usclaybartor.html

This is just a part of a monthly publication from Classic Motoring Accessories. They always have some very good information and tips.


Polishing with Panach
A paint polish is an abrasive lotion or cream used to remove small amounts of the paint's surface in order to remove imperfections or improve gloss. That's pretty easy to understand. What's more difficult to understand is the mish-mash of terms used by manufactures when marketing their products. Here at Classic Motoring, we offer a couple dozen different "polishing" products. Each polish is designed for a specific purpose (e.g., repair or refine) and application (e.g., hand or machine). The hard part is wading though all of the manufacturer's marketing material to understand what the product really does. To help better define products and their use, I enlisted the help of a car care expert, David Bynon, who provided us with this two-part article on polishes and polishing.

Before we talk about polishing, we need to establish a common understanding of the word polish. The word is highly misused throughout the car care and detailing industry. Here's my take:

Rubbing Compound -- A compound is a cutting polish designed to remove heavy oxidation, some common forms of paint damage and defects, and the scratches created by fine sand paper.

Polish -- A specially formulated blend of components designed to remove minor scratches, surface imperfections, water spots, acid rain spots, light oxidation, and the swirl marks created by compounding with a machine. In this category, we're partial to 3M Perfect-it for hand applications, and 3M Finesse-It for high-speed machine use.

Glaze -- A very fine polish. Some glazes are safe to use on fresh paint, as they do not seal. A glaze does not have enough cutting power to remove imperfections, but will increase surface gloss.

Pre-Wax Cleaner -- A glaze containing chemical cleaners to help remove minor surface contamination and dirt not handled by normal washing or claying.

You may be asking why I didn't mention detailing clay with the polishes. While detailing clay is an abrasive suspended in a clay base, it's purpose is removing particles from the paint's surface, and not the paint itself.

It's important to note that polishes may be specifically created for hand or machine use. The difference between a machine polish and a hand polish is how the abrasive material breaks down in use. The abrasives in most polishes break down into finer particles, allowing the polish to "buff out". If you use a machine polish by hand, the particles may not break down and the finish will not buff out properly. Conversely, using a hand polish with a machine will cause the polish to break down too quickly and you won't get enough cutting action. A few polishes work by hand or machine, because the abrasives don't break down or they are not temperature sensitive.

Repairing minor paint flaws through polishing is not harmful to the paint system unless you remove too much paint. If more than 50% of the clear coat finish is removed, you stand a good chance of premature paint system failure. If more than 75% of the clear coat finish is removed, you will experience immediate paint system failure. It can be a very fine dance between success and failure.

Here's a general rule for you to follow. If a scratch or other flaw can be felt with your fingernail, it's too deep to be completely removed through polishing. That's not to say that polishing won't help hide the flaw, as it will. Take a look at the following diagram showing paint layers and minor scratches (marring) in the clear coat surface. These scratches can be removed completely through polishing, because more than 50% of the clear coat would remain.

<http://properautocare.com/lib/classic-moto...ng/scratch1.jpg>

If scratches run deep into the clear coat, as illustrated in our next diagram, polishing cannot fix the problem. However, polishing a deep scratch will help to hide or lessen the appearance of the problem.

<http://properautocare.com/lib/classic-moto...ng/scratch2.jpg>

Non clear coat finishes have the same basic rules. You should not remove more than 50% of the top coat (color coat) finish when repairing a scratch or other paint flaws.

It is important to understand how a polish can be used to "hide" scratches and other micro marring. In the two diagrams above, you can see that the scratches are shown with hard edges that run at a 30 to 60 degree downward slope. It is the hard edge and angle of a scratch that creates a perfect opportunity for light reflection. It is this reflection that enhances the visibility of the scratch. A good polish rounds the edges of scratches, reducing reflection.

Here are a list of problems that can be fixed or improved through abrasive polishing:

Scratches -- Surface abrasion that do not extend past the first 25% of top coat material can be fully repair/removed by polishing. Deeper scratches can be improved as long as they do not fully penetrate the color coat into the primer.

Scuffs and Rub Marks -- Scuffs are broad, shallow surface abrasions, that are easily repaired by polishing. Rub marks are commonly caused by shoe heels (getting in and out of the car) or the bumpers of other cars. The rub mark is generally a transfer of rubber or other vinyl material to the paint surface. Rub marks are easily removed by polishing.

Micro Marring -- Micro marring, also known as swirl marks and spider webbing, are very small scratches in the paint's surface. Micro marring is created by machine compounding and in everyday use and maintenance of the vehicle. Micro marring is easily remove by polishing.

Etching -- Paint etching is a common problem caused by hard water (tap water) or acidic water (acid rain). Bird droppings are another common cause of paint etching. Depending on the severity of the etching, polishing will repair or lessen the appearance of etch spots.

Dust Nibs -- Small particles of dust and other foreign material that land on the paint during the painting process create small nibs on the surface. Polishing will remove the nib and level the paint.

Orange Peel -- When a car is painted, the paint is applied at a consistency and thickness that allows the paint to flow (briefly) and level. If the paint is applied too heavy, sags and runs will result. If applied to thin, the paint does not properly flow and level, causing an uneven surface called orange peel. If the orange peel is not severe, abrasives can be used to level and glaze the finish to match the rest of the vehicle.

Runs & Sags -- If paint is applied too heavy, sags and runs will result. If the sag or run is in the clear coat, it can be repaired, but not if it is in the color coat or primer. On a non clear coat paint, sags and runs can be repaired.

Continued next month...

 

I wouldn't touch this stuff with a 10 foot pole, much less the paint of my S2000!

 

To those who suggested I wasn't using enough or 'any' lubricant, I emptied the bottle of Quick Detailer in two applications (one on the S, one on the wife's XC wagon.) The S was done first, but the wagon doesn't show the scratches...

The whole reason I used the bar was to remove water spots, which it did do. Like I said, I might have dropped the bar and got something embedded in it... can't figure out why the wife's car didn't get scratched though...

I have no doubt it was 'pilot error' but hoped my experience would prove as caution to anyone else that while a clay bar can help, you have to apply it cautiously.

Good news is the scratches aren't very deep though, so I expect to be able to buff them out with a good polish. In fact they are much less noticable than the swirl marks common on most car finishes and the last time I waxed they were nearly invisible.

If the water spots come back, I'll clay bar again....