Overspray and Paint Cleaning Clay

[Gumball]

Recently, I had a chance to see if paint cleaning clay really works. I've been restoring a 40 year old Colnago road bike and on a nice Fall day a month or so ago I painted it at my shop. I used Eastwood two-part epoxy (real catalyzed automotive paint in a spray can) and had a large fan venting the overspray out of the shop.

Well, I just happened to drive the FFR over to the shop that day and, although I thought it was upwind and far enough away from the door, it ended up being covered in a fine dusting of overspray. Even though my car is a deep green and the bike is a bright orange, you couldn't see it.... but you sure could feel it on the surface.

My first thought was to use an orbital and buff the paint, but a friend recommended I use paint cleaning clay. I had a chunk of it laying around (still new in the container from Griot's Garage) and used it with their recommendation of Speed Shine as a surface lubricant. I was amazed at what a great job it did and without any real effort - I'm now a convert to the wonders of clay. Not only did it do an awesome job cleaning the surface, it did so without removing any of the clear coat.

Here's a pic of a hunk of the clay after just a few light passes over the front fender......

The clay is yellow and the redish-orange is the paint and other impurities it removed.