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Posts: 797
Joined: Jun. 1 2010
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Acrylic nails
First off, SORRY for yet another nail topic. I'm sick of them too. I've read through the archives here, but I wanted to discuss acrylics in particular in more detail.
I'm in a bit of a weird situation. I also play steel string fingerstyle, usually pretty aggressively. In the past I have used both acrylics and fake nails with the SS to great effect. I want to find a solution that will work well for both SS and flamenco. The problem is, I'm currently without a flamenco guitar as I wait for Stephen Faulk to deliver my new blanca. So, I can't really test things for myself at the moment.
My natural nails have gotten a good bit stronger since I have been using them on my SS. However, they are still not strong enough to produce the kind of tone I'm looking for. I've been thinking about going back to acrylics, but I'm concerned about getting good tone for flamenco. I read a few posts about keeping the acrylics thinner to avoid an overly dull or plunky sound. Is anyone having success with acrylics? I know from experience that they make the natural nail weaker, so I'm really struggling with using them again because the recovery takes a while if I change my mind.
So, who is using acrylics and how is it working out for you? And yes, I have tried various nail hardeners and they don't stand up well to the steel string stuff (unfortunately)
I have acrylic put on my nails about every three to four weeks. The lady who I go to puts it on fairly thin. For me, I cannot use other methods because they either don't last long enough or I can't do it as well as she does. I accompany dance about two times per week and have to have some type of protection. However, it will thin out your natural nail. If you are not doing a lot of rasgueos for dance accompaniment, I would consider just painting on some nail glue. I wish this worked for me, but it doesn't. I hope you find a good solution.
Thanks for your insight, Don. If I was only playing flamenco, I think my natural nails would be fine since I'm still quite a newbie and not yet playing for dance. I've been playing steel string for 20 years, so it's important for me to find a balance between the two.
IMO acryl is too thick for good control. There were 2 types of acrylic protection when I testd them about 6 years ago. One was thinner but still too thick. I prefer krazy glue...plain. Like Ricardo.
Yeah, I'm worried about that. When I first got acrylics years ago, the girl put them on soooo thick. If I do get them done again, I would ask for a much thinner application and probably file them again myself. My buddy and his girlfriend (she works in a salon) are coming over tonight, and she's gonna apply some shellac stuff that cures with UV light. It's supposed to be thinner like nail polish, so we'll see.
One thing I don't like about cyanoacrylate glue is that it runs down the sides of the nail and makes little pools along the sides. Plus, it's supposed to cure fast but I find it takes about 30 mins to fully set. Maybe the humidity this time of year has something to do with that, I don't know.
Hi My nails are just starting to recover after two sets of acrylics... I can see the benefits in theory but basically didn't work for me Really screwed what were once strong nails... Once the last lot peeled off I bought a maestro Vargas nail set ( lol...could have thought of a better name....) Probably the same stuff as savaras or other kits out there SurprisinglyI found this stuff great for reinforcing the nail...Much better option than acrylics...For me anyway Guess crazy glue works in much the same way... I usually cover the top third of the nail... I can control the thickness etc.... I play about 6 classes a week and perform regularly... It's kind of a hassle putting the stuff on but find its not damaging the natural nail... and the tone is much better.. Found acrylics have a dull, thudding sound...just wasn't the right sound or feel for me.... Guess it depends how much you value your natural nail and tone...
Yeah, I'm worried about that. When I first got acrylics years ago, the girl put them on soooo thick. If I do get them done again, I would ask for a much thinner application and probably file them again myself. My buddy and his girlfriend (she works in a salon) are coming over tonight, and she's gonna apply some shellac stuff that cures with UV light. It's supposed to be thinner like nail polish, so we'll see.
One thing I don't like about cyanoacrylate glue is that it runs down the sides of the nail and makes little pools along the sides. Plus, it's supposed to cure fast but I find it takes about 30 mins to fully set. Maybe the humidity this time of year has something to do with that, I don't know.
Does the acrylic nail replace the entire nail (i.e. the original nail is cut extremely short) or is it just a coating to protect your existing nail? I have been playing without nails up to now and am looking for a good solution.
I haven't used glue since i quite dance accompany/performing 15 years ago, but back than i used super glue in combination with silk. Specialized guitar shops sold this silk for ridiculous prizes (10,- for apr. 1x8 inches) but at a specialized painting shop i could buy myself a square meter of silk for that tenner (having much more choice in thickness as well). The general idea was to put it on top of the nail to protect it against the polishing effects of rasgueado. But i also used it to repair or rebuild broken nails. Make sure not to cover the luluna!
Both super glue and crazy glue are based on cyano-acrylate which to me sound very much the same as acrylics. Can anyone tell me the difference (Toddk)?
Alain - thanks for the info! I checked out the Vargas site and they mention something I've read a lot, which is to maintain some flexibility in the nails for good tone and feel.
Hamia - the acrylic mix is painted on, so you can just cover the existing nail or the tech will use a sticker that goes around and under the nail and acts as a guide surface for them to extend the acrylic out as long as you want. Then the sticker just peels off.
Todd - thanks man, I've followed your posts on this issue since I really dig your playing and tone. I'm certain that if I wasn't also playing steel string, my natural nails would be fine. I had given up fingerstyle when I discovered flamenco because I realized how steep the learning curve was. I wanted to dedicate myself completely, but I just couldn't give up the steel so easily. Now looking for an ideal balance so I don't have to compromise either style.
Erik - I did the silk and glue thing recently as well, seemed ok but I couldn't get them smoothed like I wanted. And they seemed to flake off too easy. I probably would have gotten better with some experimentation, but I want something even easier to work with. And I may have found it!
As I mentioned before, my buddy's girlfriend brought over some shellac and a UV lamp on Friday night. One base coat and three top coats, each layer cured perfectly with 1.5-2mins under the lamp. My nails seem to have good flexibility still, and I have played steel string the past couple of days and they still look brand new! It's kind of amazing. Fingers crossed, I look forward to trying them on my blanca - I think I'll continue to use these until it arrives. After so many years of messy pain in the butt solutions, the ease of application is priceless IMO.
Both super glue and crazy glue are based on cyano-acrylate which to me sound very much the same as acrylics. Can anyone tell me the difference (Toddk)?
Acrylics fully coat the nail, and its pretty thick. It feels and sounds much different than just putting a few thin layers of krazy glue on the upper half of the nail.
Acrylic substance is really hard, like cement. They have absolutely no give to them. The nail will not have any bend to it whatsoever. This, to me, is what makes the tone and feel so bad, compared to naked nails, or thin layered glue.
Acrylic substance is really hard, like cement. They have absolutely no give to them.
Thought I'd jump in here, as I have constant problems chipping my nails working on the farm, etc.
I was recently chatting with a (Vietnamese) nail lady in our local shopping mall. She tells me there is a new kind of flexible gel nail coating available that does not harm the natural nail and is quite thin and flexible. It's called "Bio Scultpture Gel".
I was tempted to try it, as I had tried the 'acrylic' route some years ago and hated them, both for playing and what they did to my natural nails. So I'm still very wary.
For about a year and a half I've been using those "Guitar Players Nails" from Strings by Mail. They're fiddly to put on right, but mine seem to last about three weeks or so - if I dont get them too wet when swimming (I use a plastic glove on the right hand with vaseline on the nails). I find the GP's Nails work pretty good and only cover about half the natural nail. But they still leave a very ugly-looking natural nail surface when they come off.
I wish I could find the ideal solution, also.
Anybody heard of, or tried, this new Bio Sculpture Gel stuff?
Erik - I did the silk and glue thing recently as well, seemed ok but I couldn't get them smoothed like I wanted. And they seemed to flake off too easy. I probably would have gotten better with some experimentation, but I want something even easier to work with. And I may have found it!.....
As I mentioned before, my buddy's girlfriend brought over some shellac and a UV lamp on Friday night. One base coat and three top coats, each layer cured perfectly with 1.5-2mins under the lamp.
I used very thin silk adding several layers on top of each other. Each layer consisted of 2 or 3 small neighboring strokes of silk (in stead of one big stroke) in order to prevent bubbling. In between i smoothened the edges with sandpaper and added an in between layer of superglue before adding the next layer. It might take me 1 or 2 hours. Sometimes they crashed after 1 hour of playing, on other occasions they stayed on for weeks, despite 10 hours of intensive dance accompany on a weekly base.
Before the silk i used UV hardening glue as well (not sure if that was the stuff my fathers dentist recommended, we tried so many kind of glue over the years) but i didn't like the results and on top my uv/glue combination could give severe skin problems when used to frequently.
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