Barry Theal
New member
I’m having issues with HD Uno….. | Presidential Details
Since I began to use HD Uno, I often get questions about it. From phone calls to emails, and private messages, it seems as of late many people are really beginning to see the benefits and results it provides. For sometime I have been wanting to do many how to articles, My time has been very limited, this morning I woke up and thought since my shop is closed for Veterns day, I would come in a get some things caught up. First I want to break down in simple terms what Hd Uno really is.
Breaking it down
Hd Uno is a single formula that provides both compounding and polishing abilities. Its one mans goals to simplify the polishing system. Tunch Goren owner of 3D Products International, the chemist behind this unique formula has one simple goal. Simply put, his goal is to make detailing simple. So just how simple is Hd Uno you ask? First ask yourself this, do I fully understand the science behind polishing paint. Years ago when I first came into the business I was taught it took 3 steps if not more to acheive that perfect finish. Recently over the past few years things have changed and the science part of our field has spun out of control with product formulas that actually do what they say they do. From wool wads, to foam pads, and the recent trend DA Microfiber pads. Todays' detailer has so many pad choices, where do you even begin to start? Now lets talk compounds and polishes. Many manufactuers are trying to take what was once a heavy compound, an intermediate compound or polish , and a final polish into two steps. By personal choice I loved this. In my personal opinion Mequiars Car Care was the first to master this with the release of buffing liquids M105 and M205. These two forumlas hands down took over a large percent of the Market. Not only did they help the professional, but an amatuer detailer could acheave incredible results using only a Dual Action Polisher. Who would have thought? One thing still remained. Many professionals found themselves reaching for a third step product to help them further refine the paints surface. One of my personal favorites was Menzerna 85rd. A polish that burnished the paint to an incredible shine and gloss. Then HD Uno came into play. They advertised One Product is all you need. After several attempts. Todays version HD Uno 4 is a remarkable buffing liquid. It's in a class entirely on its own. With one liquid, I can remove sand marks and refine the finish to an incredible shine. Amazing stuff to say the least.
The Mechanics of HD Uno
So how can a liquid act as both a compound and polish? One of things I strongly point out about this product when I show someone its capabilites you have to forget the old 1,2,3 system and focus more on the abrasion side of things. With any buffing liquid, a pad is probally the next important thing outside of the user for a perfect shine. Uno is a very pad dependent product. It's performance is greatly altered depending on the mechanical movement and the pad its worked with. Now with a wool pad it cuts into the paint, but with a softer polishing pad it can finish down. Obviously all pads buffing liquids will do this, but they wern't designed this way. HD Uno was. Thats what makes it unigue. As a pad crosses the surface plane of paint it reacts to heat, pressure, and speed. HD Uno characteristics provide the lubrication needed for this. Although many will debate this and say, the major factor is the abrasives in the liquid. I tend to look outside the box and say while the abrasives play a major role, the biggest factor is the pad. For example a wool pad runs at cooler tempatures then a foam compounding pad, but still cuts into paint faster. This is not because of speed, but material used. Heat is a by product that is not need during the polishing cycle. If it was needed, how can I acheive the same results with a machine like the dual action polisher that produces no heat vs a machine like a rotory which creates heat? Again its the Mechanical movement.
Less is More
This section of the article I dedicate to Thomas Dekaney of Dekany Paint Restoration in Portland, Oregon. Thanks Thomas! For years I always layed down a bead of product " small 3 to 6 inch line of polish" to work a 2 by 2 area. When I first began to do this with HD Uno I felt no Cut in the product at all. I contacted Thomas and he explained to me to use less, then when I thought I had it, use even less product to work the same 2 by 2 area. I personally dialed it in to a dot of product about the size of a dime. Keep in mind this may alter between detailers. These are mine findings. At this point it really made sense to me. I began to notice that Mechanical properties of the pad is what was doing the majority of work. The more I began to play with these findings, the more I found myself reaching for HD Uno. I began to love it and slowly some of my major go to products began to collect dust. As time moved on I began to use it for its intended purpose and make it work threw every polishing step. I couldn't beleive my eyes. I had completely eliminated the need of all those polishes I once had. Amazing how thinks work out.
Looking at things Differently
So we just learned that less is more, and the pad is a major role in HD Uno. Turning to the liquid itself. This part of the article I give my credit to one of the guys who has inspired my career over the last few years. Todd Helme of Bella Detailing in Orlando, FLorida. Often when I talk with Todd on the phone we get into some pretty crazy thoughts on polishing. When two minds talk, idea's are formed. A while back we had a conversation about polish scales. What I mean by this generally speaking on a scale of 1 to 10. Most copounds are rated on an agressive side to least agressive side. 10 being most of aggresive and 1 being the least aggressive. For years detailing product manufactuers have been using this scale to help us determine which grade of product is needed for the application. Todd had mentioned to me that what if a company would use a different scale entirely. What if they would base it upon how fast a product cuts versus how much cut. Seem's far fetched, but in reality its not. If you look at HD Uno there is no scale, this is because it does everything in one liquid. So I took this into play and looked at it different. What if I look into rate of cut with Uno vs how much. Thats when this polish began to open up more and create more possiblities. Faster speeds equaled faster results, and slower speeds equaled less cut and more of polish. Rate of cut started to become my new scale with HD Uno. Being that the abrasives in HD Uno don't diminish like traditional compounds and polish. The working cycle will vary as it doesn't need to be broken down. With longer working times you can keep compounding away till the paint is leveled or you can burnish the paint to maximum gloss in longer cycles or short cycles. So here we are, we learned the importance of pads, Less product equals more, and now were talking rate of cut vs how much?
So hopefully your not confused. My goal here is to help you think a little different when using this product. Below are a few simple tthings to help ease the use of it.
How to finish down with Uno?
Make slow and steady movements. Use less pressure. When using a rotory to finish with, keep the machine at 1200 rpms and cycle down to about 800rpms. When using a DA machine try finishing on 3 or 4. I have also noticed that when using a DA I can finish better on the majority of softer paints with a firmer pad like the green one. How ever when using a rotory to finish with The Red HD Finish pad is amazing.
How can I make HD Uno cut more?
Simple trick here, when polishing with a rotory try misting your pad lightly with some HD Final Touch. I found this makes HD Uno cut even heavier. I was able to remove 800 grits sands marks this way.
Im having trouble removing HD Uno from the paint? It streaks!
Try IPA or my prefered choice glass cleaner. I have found Glass cleaner is amazing at removing carrier oils in polishes. It doesn't streak or grab like IPA mixtures do.
Most important tip of all.
Experiment, HD Uno is extreamly versatile. It not only polishes paint, but is effective with metal, chrome, alluminum, glass, and wood grain interiors. The possibilities are endless!
Hopefully you learned something from this today. If not Thanks for reading.
Barry Theal
Since I began to use HD Uno, I often get questions about it. From phone calls to emails, and private messages, it seems as of late many people are really beginning to see the benefits and results it provides. For sometime I have been wanting to do many how to articles, My time has been very limited, this morning I woke up and thought since my shop is closed for Veterns day, I would come in a get some things caught up. First I want to break down in simple terms what Hd Uno really is.
Breaking it down
Hd Uno is a single formula that provides both compounding and polishing abilities. Its one mans goals to simplify the polishing system. Tunch Goren owner of 3D Products International, the chemist behind this unique formula has one simple goal. Simply put, his goal is to make detailing simple. So just how simple is Hd Uno you ask? First ask yourself this, do I fully understand the science behind polishing paint. Years ago when I first came into the business I was taught it took 3 steps if not more to acheive that perfect finish. Recently over the past few years things have changed and the science part of our field has spun out of control with product formulas that actually do what they say they do. From wool wads, to foam pads, and the recent trend DA Microfiber pads. Todays' detailer has so many pad choices, where do you even begin to start? Now lets talk compounds and polishes. Many manufactuers are trying to take what was once a heavy compound, an intermediate compound or polish , and a final polish into two steps. By personal choice I loved this. In my personal opinion Mequiars Car Care was the first to master this with the release of buffing liquids M105 and M205. These two forumlas hands down took over a large percent of the Market. Not only did they help the professional, but an amatuer detailer could acheave incredible results using only a Dual Action Polisher. Who would have thought? One thing still remained. Many professionals found themselves reaching for a third step product to help them further refine the paints surface. One of my personal favorites was Menzerna 85rd. A polish that burnished the paint to an incredible shine and gloss. Then HD Uno came into play. They advertised One Product is all you need. After several attempts. Todays version HD Uno 4 is a remarkable buffing liquid. It's in a class entirely on its own. With one liquid, I can remove sand marks and refine the finish to an incredible shine. Amazing stuff to say the least.
The Mechanics of HD Uno
So how can a liquid act as both a compound and polish? One of things I strongly point out about this product when I show someone its capabilites you have to forget the old 1,2,3 system and focus more on the abrasion side of things. With any buffing liquid, a pad is probally the next important thing outside of the user for a perfect shine. Uno is a very pad dependent product. It's performance is greatly altered depending on the mechanical movement and the pad its worked with. Now with a wool pad it cuts into the paint, but with a softer polishing pad it can finish down. Obviously all pads buffing liquids will do this, but they wern't designed this way. HD Uno was. Thats what makes it unigue. As a pad crosses the surface plane of paint it reacts to heat, pressure, and speed. HD Uno characteristics provide the lubrication needed for this. Although many will debate this and say, the major factor is the abrasives in the liquid. I tend to look outside the box and say while the abrasives play a major role, the biggest factor is the pad. For example a wool pad runs at cooler tempatures then a foam compounding pad, but still cuts into paint faster. This is not because of speed, but material used. Heat is a by product that is not need during the polishing cycle. If it was needed, how can I acheive the same results with a machine like the dual action polisher that produces no heat vs a machine like a rotory which creates heat? Again its the Mechanical movement.
Less is More
This section of the article I dedicate to Thomas Dekaney of Dekany Paint Restoration in Portland, Oregon. Thanks Thomas! For years I always layed down a bead of product " small 3 to 6 inch line of polish" to work a 2 by 2 area. When I first began to do this with HD Uno I felt no Cut in the product at all. I contacted Thomas and he explained to me to use less, then when I thought I had it, use even less product to work the same 2 by 2 area. I personally dialed it in to a dot of product about the size of a dime. Keep in mind this may alter between detailers. These are mine findings. At this point it really made sense to me. I began to notice that Mechanical properties of the pad is what was doing the majority of work. The more I began to play with these findings, the more I found myself reaching for HD Uno. I began to love it and slowly some of my major go to products began to collect dust. As time moved on I began to use it for its intended purpose and make it work threw every polishing step. I couldn't beleive my eyes. I had completely eliminated the need of all those polishes I once had. Amazing how thinks work out.
Looking at things Differently
So we just learned that less is more, and the pad is a major role in HD Uno. Turning to the liquid itself. This part of the article I give my credit to one of the guys who has inspired my career over the last few years. Todd Helme of Bella Detailing in Orlando, FLorida. Often when I talk with Todd on the phone we get into some pretty crazy thoughts on polishing. When two minds talk, idea's are formed. A while back we had a conversation about polish scales. What I mean by this generally speaking on a scale of 1 to 10. Most copounds are rated on an agressive side to least agressive side. 10 being most of aggresive and 1 being the least aggressive. For years detailing product manufactuers have been using this scale to help us determine which grade of product is needed for the application. Todd had mentioned to me that what if a company would use a different scale entirely. What if they would base it upon how fast a product cuts versus how much cut. Seem's far fetched, but in reality its not. If you look at HD Uno there is no scale, this is because it does everything in one liquid. So I took this into play and looked at it different. What if I look into rate of cut with Uno vs how much. Thats when this polish began to open up more and create more possiblities. Faster speeds equaled faster results, and slower speeds equaled less cut and more of polish. Rate of cut started to become my new scale with HD Uno. Being that the abrasives in HD Uno don't diminish like traditional compounds and polish. The working cycle will vary as it doesn't need to be broken down. With longer working times you can keep compounding away till the paint is leveled or you can burnish the paint to maximum gloss in longer cycles or short cycles. So here we are, we learned the importance of pads, Less product equals more, and now were talking rate of cut vs how much?
So hopefully your not confused. My goal here is to help you think a little different when using this product. Below are a few simple tthings to help ease the use of it.
How to finish down with Uno?
Make slow and steady movements. Use less pressure. When using a rotory to finish with, keep the machine at 1200 rpms and cycle down to about 800rpms. When using a DA machine try finishing on 3 or 4. I have also noticed that when using a DA I can finish better on the majority of softer paints with a firmer pad like the green one. How ever when using a rotory to finish with The Red HD Finish pad is amazing.
How can I make HD Uno cut more?
Simple trick here, when polishing with a rotory try misting your pad lightly with some HD Final Touch. I found this makes HD Uno cut even heavier. I was able to remove 800 grits sands marks this way.
Im having trouble removing HD Uno from the paint? It streaks!
Try IPA or my prefered choice glass cleaner. I have found Glass cleaner is amazing at removing carrier oils in polishes. It doesn't streak or grab like IPA mixtures do.
Most important tip of all.
Experiment, HD Uno is extreamly versatile. It not only polishes paint, but is effective with metal, chrome, alluminum, glass, and wood grain interiors. The possibilities are endless!
Hopefully you learned something from this today. If not Thanks for reading.
Barry Theal
