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Posts: 377
Joined: Nov. 22 2005
From: Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Nail hardening
So I've been reading up on all of the tecniques for hardening nails, but for the life of me I can't figure out how TISSUE paper and crazy glue can work together...I understand the glue part, but TISSUE PAPER?? Someone, please,...explain this to me!
basically you build up your nails from putting other substance over them, basically when you do a rasgueo on the strings its like grinding them off sand paper, that dust under the string aint dust its the ground fibers of your nails.to prevent breaking a nail from overgrinding you substitite another substance. dont do the stuff with nail glue and tissue paper just get a noraml nail polish that allows them to breath and put on one or two coats every week
i've never broke a nail yet, with this method.and dont cut your nails,file them.
I understand the glue part, but TISSUE PAPER?? Someone, please,...explain this to me!
I put super glue on all my nails. I have thin, flimsy nails that grow into hooks. The super glue not only strengthens them, it also causes them to grow straight. I only use tissue paper and glue on my thumb. The tissue paper acts as reinforcement. Without thr tissue the super glue alone is very brittle and I tend to break the nail or shatter the glue doing mundane everyday activities.
I put a single ply of facial tissue on the nail and apply the super glue in stages to until the pores are filled in and I get a reasonably smooth surface. Then I use a fine soft nail file to finish smoothing it. I think they're made by revlon. They come 2 in a pack. I use the pink ones. If I apply it correctly it will last for weeks without coming loose. The tissue paper also allows me to apply a uniform layer of glue. I used to apply an additional ply of tissue, but I discovered that 1 ply seems to be strong enough. Every now an then I'll go a couple of weeks with nothing on my nails to give them a break. If you use super glue without the reinforcement of tissue the secret is to apply FRESH glue in very thin layers. I spread it around with an open paper clip. If glue accumulates on the clip I scrape it off. I emphasize fresh glue because it tends to thicken after the tube has been open a couple of weeks and seems to loose it's strength and sticking ability.
WARNING! Some people have reported fungal infections from using super glue. Leo Kottke, the finger-style 12 string player, had a very bad case several years ago. If you're prone to fungal infections or are concerned about this then you might want to spend the extra money on nail repair glue (which is nothing more than super glue) which has a fungicide added to it. Personally, I use super glue that costs 60 cents a tube.
but dude you finger look like something out of a horror film, as i said before varnish is the trik put on 3coats of it a week.unless your doing 3hrs of nothing but rasgueado a night i think this would do the trick.thne again my nails are thick chunky ones.so ofr a smaller hand the nail size may be less, another person told me eating gelatin strengthens the nails, also id reccomend a product called ecrinel i found in france to stimulate growth and toughen the nails.
I would never use super glue on my nails! That is up to you. I am sure that you can find others who agree with you but I would suggest caution!
Super Glue is a vicious cyanoacrylate and is classified as an irritant. It causes the nail to weaken and can cause cancer. But then everything we eat, drink or breath can cause cancer.
I asked Juan Serrano what he uses on his nails and he said, “Sally Hansen Hard as Nails”. I use the one with silk. There are many versions of this product. Just apply it to the outer exposed area of the nail – not the entire nail. Also apply a bit to the outer edge of the nail. Build up two or three coats. It works.
You may not be getting enough iron, calcium, zinc, protein, silicon, and vitamins A, B complex, and C in your diet.
Eat a varied and well-balanced diet that includes fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes (beans, peas, lentils, and soy products), seeds, nuts, low- or non-fat dairy, fish, and lean meats.
Biotin (B7) can help. 2.5 milligrams of biotin a day which is a very high level must be supervised by a doctor. It will promote nail strengthening by about 25%. One study suggested not taking this amount of Biotin for more than 6 months. Some people report noticealbe results within a few weeks and others take from two to five months.
You can get B7 from: Egg yolks liver and other organ meats, yeast whole grains and cereals, soybeans, fish cauliflower, lentils, milk, and peanut butter.
On the advice of Miro Simic at the last guitar fest I have been rubbing lavender oil (*not* the aromatherapy kind!) onto my nails and it really seems to work. My nails, besides the one on the a finger, do not chip or break anymore. The only problem is that the nail on my a finger still breaks because of golpe.
It's the best and safest way to keep nails strong. My nails are thin and hooked. I spread 3, 4 layers on the 1/4 outer part of the nails. Remove evey week and apply new coats. Or add one more coat after one week if you want to leave it on for 2 weeks. This increases my nail hardness about 40%. I'm kind of handy man and do lots of "honey do" things around the house. My nails won't chip/damage any more. I'm sure super glue would give you much harder nails but be careful about the danger.
I have used some sort of nail-hardening/coating on my nails and it made the top a little bit soft. I mean, the coating itself, while protective, itself was a bit rubbery or gelatinous and adversely affected the tone. You couldn't really get it very smooth either. Any problems like that with Sally Hansen?
There is no magic solution for nails, unfortunately. If you use any nail polish, like Sally hansen, be carefull not to use an acetone based polish remover. Acetone dries the nails and makes the brittle, causing more damange then any gain you get from the polish... You have to use an acetone free polish remover.
I get the best results with nail glue and silk paper, but then again its personal. You need to try a few things to find what works for you. For me Sally Hansen just didn't do it.
That Miro dude, I wonder why they got him to speak again this year. Does it actually work? I've seen his 'Emergency nail repair kit' at Tomas Music, wasn't sure how it works though..
That Miro dude, I wonder why they got him to speak again this year. Does it actually work? I've seen his 'Emergency nail repair kit' at Tomas Music, wasn't sure how it works though..
I had that kit once, it just contains a small piece of silk paper and some so so nail resin. I got from a beuaty supply store on the internet enough silk paper supply and some good nail glue to last me a lifetime for less then the price of his kit.
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