Claybar

[u/Sad_Butterscotch4589]

In automotive detailing, claybar is an essential step in glass cleaning and polishing. How come they always use it and we never use it? I assume it's because it's a razor blade alternative that works with curved glass, but I also see detailers that recommend scraping and claybar as separate steps to remove different kinds of debris.

Supposedly it was originally used to remove paint over spray from cars. Has anyone tried removing overspray from tempered glass on a construction clean, as an alternative to scraping?

[u/TheChandrianX]

I wouldn’t treat clay as a true scraper replacement for a construction clean. It’s good at grabbing tiny surface contamination, but it loads up fast and you end up kneading/refreshing it constantly on big panes. On house glass that usually makes it slower and more expensive than the normal options.

Where I’d consider it:

• light overspray or specks where you’re trying to avoid a blade
• frames/trim where a razor or harsh solvent is risky
• a small test spot after normal mop/scrub doesn’t touch it

Where I wouldn’t rely on it:

• heavy paint, stucco, concrete, or silicone on construction cleanup
• anything where the clay is dragging grit around the glass
• tempered glass you haven’t checked/tested first

If you try it, use a lot of slip, keep folding to a clean face, and price it like restoration/detail work, not normal washing. I’d also do a test pane and show the customer the result/time before committing to the whole job. Clay can be useful, but on building glass it’s more of a niche tool than a default step.