Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob22315
The current U.S. patent is # 5,727,993 and is dated 1998. None of the referenced patents go back further than 1966 and they all appear to be variations on grinding ideas but not identical to claybars. As I understand it (WARNING folklore here), claybars came into use in the 80's in Japanese paintshops to remove overspray. The US patents came after. The company that holds the patent has aggressively pursued copycats and violators so there is only one source of claybar in the US - Automagic - no matter who's name is on the label. Old time detailers speak longingly about a competitor to Automagic that no longer sells in the US because of the patent. If you see a bar of 'Ricardo' at a garage sale, buy it.
Feel free to correct the folklore or provide alternative facts if I got anything wrong. You can check the patent details at the USPTO website - US Patent Full-Text Database Number Search |
I was wrong. I guess there was no patent in the 1930s. Sorry my memory is imperfect. The source of my "folklore" was an article from Autopia on detaing clay. Here's a passage:
An easy way to think about detailing clay is simply this: detailing clay is a “selective polish” with a built-in applicator. Its job is to “polish away” dirt and surface contamination from paint, glass, chrome and plastic without polishing the surface itself. A pretty simple concept, isn’t it? Detailing clay technology has been around for many years, with roots dating back to the 1930’s. That’s when the idea of combining polybutene (a soft plastic resin material) with abrasives was first put to paper.
A link to the entire article.
Detailing Clay & Pre-wax Cleaning - Autopia.org
The fact that it's in this article doesn't make it a fact. I'm sometimes skeptical of Autopia's information but I fail to see the incentive for lying about this. It could still be folklore. I did my detailing research about a year ago and if I had a photographic memory I'd work for the CIA. Needless to say I don't!