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I recently ran across a nail care product that I have found to be outstanding. If you are like me, I can’t keep a set of nails in shape. When you grow 120 rose bushes, fish two or three days and play ten to twenty hours per week, I need iron nails. Well, I found the next best thing.
I was surfing the net a couple of months ago and ran across a company called Lume’. What they produce is a nail gel that is the same type of plastic product used in dentistry. You apply a base coat and a topcoat that are set with a ultra-violet light. It is ultra easy to apply. The gels are self-leveling. You just apply the gel and let it set for a minute or so, then set it under the UV light for one minute. What you get is a somewhat flexible, hard as nails finish. What I do is buff off the gloss and you get a nail that looks almost exactly the same as your left hand. The gels are clear.
Having a salon apply acrylics will give you a similar result, but with drawbacks. Acrylics, like super glue will attack the nail surface. I have been using super glue and silk for moths. When I removed this mess, my nails were paper-thin. Acrylics do the same thing. Lume’ claims the gels don’t attack the nail bed, so your nail stays healthy.
The only thing I do different from the Lume’ instructions, is put two topcoats on. I have had them for a month and they look like the day I put them on. I jammed a finger into a door last week, which would have shattered any nail prep that I know of. Not only didn’t the nail break, I couldn’t find a mark on it!
OK here is the downside. It’s fairly expensive to start with. The starter kit runs about $125, which comes with a UV lamp. You will have enough gel for your wife and daughters as well, as they claim the shelf life on the gels is only about six month. If you keep light off from the gels, I think you can get about a year.
Patrick, they sound good, maybe I'll give it a try. One thing I don't understand is why so many people are scared of acrylics. Yes, it's true that the underlying nail will be very thin, but why does it matter? We don't play with the paper thin bottom nail, we play with the whole nail, which is thick and hard. The nail is continually growing normally; there is no damage to the finger itself....
You know guys I feel guilty from time to time ready post by many of you that have nail problems.
I have never ever had to use a single product on my nails. Ever. The only nail I've ever broken is my thumb nail. Twice in 2 1/2 years and both times it was due to trying to buckle my kid in his car seat.
Genetics? Maybe. I've spend a lot of time trying to figure this out. I'm wondering what the effects of diet have on the nails. I workout regularly and take supplements on a daily basis. Mainly, protein powders. Could added protein be a key to strong nails?
I agree with the thin nail issue with acrylics, but if I can get a do-it-yourself product that doesn't have the problem, then why not? What I have been looking for is a way to get the stength of acrylics , but be able to apply it and repair it without the salon route.
My daughter said you can do acrylics yourself, but it sounds like it's a pain. This system is ultra easy.
I have broken three nails in 45 years. I can tell you the day, month, year, time of day and where I was on each occasion! So far I have not used any product on my nails. As I have said before, choose the right parents and you need not use any such product!
That might be the secret! I really envy you people with good strong nails. I have the thinnest, flimmsiest nails known to man. I don't think diet or supplements have a significant effect. (I've tried everything.) It has to be genetics. My wife has the thickest, hardest, strongest nails I've ever seen, but my daughter seems to have inherited my weak nails. Strangely, she has extremely thick, lush hair, which I understand is essentially the same material.
This new material sounds very interesting. As you know, superglue is brittle and jamming a nail against something will usually cause it (the superglue, not necessarily the nail) to fracture. Unfortunately, there are so many other things I want to buy (like a Rode NT mic) athat I'll just have to continue using superglue for the time being. Thanks for the info, Patrick.
I agree with Michael Cho. Who cares if the underlying nail gets a little thinner? You're not going to play without the re-inforced nails anyway. But to reduce that problem, don't forcefully pull the superglue or acrylic off. Let it come loose naturally and then flick it off.
I'll take that challenge. With a few days a week in my yard, rough housing with my son, building guitars, and wrestling with the dog, I think my chances in a boat would be pretty good. Maybe the air up in OR. thin's the nails.
That product you mentioned sounds pretty good. Makes me want to try it even though I don't need it.
While we're on the subject of nails, I'd like to comment on nail length. Has anyone ever seen Parilla de Jerez, either live or on video? He has the longest nails I've ever seen! Moraito also has long nails. His thumbnail looks like an eagle's claw. I don't see how these guys with extremely long nails can even play. Watching Parilla is kind of interesting though. He has these incredibly long nails and a very very delicate touch (he's probably afraid of breaking a nail. ) So, the question is: do you have long nails or short nails?
Hola Phil. I only have two long nails and they are not really that long. My thumb nail is usually between 4 and 5mm. My pinky is 4 mm. and my i,m and a fingers are right at 2 mm.
I was watching Moraito's encuentro video the other day and noticed all his fingers are long. I've tried to grow mine longer but find it difficult to play cleanly. I like the tone that I get from where they are at right now.
I recently acquired a Spanish flamenco guitar called a "Garrido" from a person here in California. It also has the word Taurus on one of the ribs inside the body. The instrument appears to be of very good construction, plays well, and sounds very good. The entire instrument is made from solid woods, no laminates. The rosetta is a fine mosaic of very small pieces of wood, with a red, black and green motif. The company was located in Madrid, on Valverde. I estimate it to be from the 1950s or 1960s. The wood top has no pick guard, and is very well worn: this guitar has been played a great deal.
Could anyone tell me anything about this instrument. I would gladly send a picture if you are interested. This is a matter of curiosity to know something of the history of this instrument I now have for a while.
Perhaps a stupid question, but are you all pollishing your nails? little hooks are getting hairline cracks, that causes most of the braking. As soon as I feel a tiny hook, I polish it right away, and after filing, I polish them too.
I think you are allready doing that, but who don't, I think, that is the first thing to do avoiding braking nails.
Found a luthier called Garrido in Granada but not Madrid.
quote:
The rosetta is a fine mosaic of very small pieces of wood, with a red, black and green motif.
That is typical of a rosette.
quote:
entire instrument is made from solid woods, no laminates
Spanish guitars are made from solid woods, rosewood, cypress, spruce, cedar, ebony etc.
quote:
The wood top has no pick guard, and is very well worn: this guitar has been played a great deal.
A flamenco guitar will have a form of scratch plate known as a golpeador ('door knocker'), usually two of them above and below the soundhole.
They may be white or clear plastic. Without these, it is unlikely to be a flamenco guitar. A classical guitar without a golpeador, that has been played in the flamenco style, will be very well worn above and beneath the soundhole to the point of destruction. It is not recommended
Relatively short. In fact, when I first started he told me to trim down my tumb nail because the clicking sound was driving him crazy.
I just measured my nails and it's hard to really get an accurate measurement. I think posting photos would be much better, but not too practical for those without a digital camera. Anyway, my thumb is about 4mm, but I've recently been angling it on the string side. So it's really shorter and I turn my thumb when playing alzapua to use the longer part. (See why a photo would be better?) the other fingers are between 1 and 2 mm. I don't pay too much attention to my pinky, as I rarley consciously use it. Phil
Perhaps it is easier to measure the white upperpart, ( the part you supposed to keep clean from your mother, lol). without foto's, it is perhaps easyer to discuss.
Posts: 6448
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to gerundino63)
I've been watching this thread for a while and wondering why it wasn't grabbing me as it would have 6 months ago, then I realised that playing is not much more difficult when my nails are shorter, or broken a little and hey, I'm not recording or performing, so why worry? So I don't. In fact, it's rather nice to feel the strings with the tip of my fingers. Sort of feeling my way.
The result? One less thing to worry about.
Then, as my nails regrow, it gets a little easier and it sounds a little better, so a bonus.
RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Escribano)
I waver between obsessing about my nails and completely forgetting about them. Because I use acrylics, breakage is not an issue -- you'd have to hit them with a hammer to break them. But the shape and length have all given me problems, and at other times, I've ignored them. One thing I find very important is the thumbnail. Because I play with my wrist fairly flat, I need the nail long. I play with the side of the nail and it has to be quite long for this to work because of my particular geometry.
I think the truth of the matter is that if you meditate and practice enough on your technique, you will be able to control your body and the guitar to achieve the results you want, no matter what guitar or what condition your nails are in. You can tell I've been reading The Principles!
RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Escribano)
Andy,
I don't have an answer for the lifting on acrylics. Lume' sells two products that is to stop this with the Lume' system. I have not used it with the current application. When you file the nail it exposes the unprotected edge, which as you say, can lead to lifting.
I had just a little lifting at the tip of the nail with Lume' on two fingers. I floated a bit of super glue along the edge and that did the trick. I have had no lifting on the nail itself and they have been on for about a month.
RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Escribano)
Simon, For a lot of years I used fabric type elastoplast and "pegamento banda azul" as well as experimenting with various epoxy based stuff. Since stopping using all that stuff due to not playing for many years, my nails grew back from being paper thin to normal. OK I admit, I don't have the worry about playing anywhere. But now I've started playing again, what I try to do now is be conscious of my right hand when working.... doing any heavy or "chancy" stuff with my left hand...opening/closing car doors, pulling out electrical plugs (13A kind), grating cheese etc, etc.... It's always the silly things that you break nails doing in my experience! Also when playing, I always start off playing very quietly and letting the full volume and attack come naturally over a half hour or so. I do the same when practising any new technique. I think one of the worst things to do is to pick up the guitar and start practising something like a very loud p-up, m-down, p-down type rasgueado without warming up first.
I like to play with extremly long nails, it gives you more confidence when playing intricate right hand passages, tremelo I find impossable with short nails.
Michael, There is a trade off with long nails, but with picado, I find if you tilt your right hand to a more flat position to the sound board, that can compansate for the long nails, the main thing I have found is to avoid hooked nails by filing, I think Tomotito is another guitaist that plays with long nails.?
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I don't see how these guys with extremely long nails can even play. Watching Parilla is kind of interesting though. He has these incredibly long nails and a very very delicate touch (he's probably afraid of breaking a nail. 
) So, the question is: do you have long nails or short nails? 
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