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Nail Problems "BE GONE"
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Patrick
Posts: 1189
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon
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 Nail Problems "BE GONE"
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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.
I am one happy rose-fisher-flamenco-dude.
Here is the web site: http://www.lumenails.com/
Pat
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Date Sep. 8 2003 19:30:41
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Phil
Posts: 382
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Rota, Spain
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RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Patrick)
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quote:
Maybe I need to change my name to Tom!
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.
Phil
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Date Sep. 9 2003 0:34:02
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Guest
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RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Thomas Whiteley)
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Pat,
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.
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Date Sep. 9 2003 1:24:15
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Guest
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RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Patrick)
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Ola!
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.
Thank you,
 Michael Rogers
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Date Sep. 9 2003 6:51:08
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gerundino63
Posts: 1743
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
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RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to TANúñez)
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Hi nailbracking frends,
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.
have a nice day, Peter.
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Date Sep. 9 2003 8:50:08
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Escribano
Posts: 6417
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
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RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Guest)
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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 
A photo of the label would help.
_____________________________
Foro Flamenco founder and Admin
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Date Sep. 9 2003 11:29:38
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Guest
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RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Escribano)
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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!
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Date Sep. 10 2003 18:05:45
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Ron.M
Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland
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RE: Nail Problems "BE GONE" (in reply to Escribano)
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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.
cheers
Ron
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Date Sep. 10 2003 20:43:16
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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. 
