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un5trung - Posted - 03/09/2009: 06:35:28
Hi --
I've browsed the archives so I know the subject of nail strength has come up on a regular basis, but I still have a question. I have psoriasis (yes, the heartbreak of psoriasis  ) including nail psoriasis. Yes, there is such a thing. It deposits potholes in one's nails and makes them weak and crumbly. Fortunately it is not so bad for me, or I'd not be able to claw at all.
I've tried various things, but mostly just play with short fingernails. I find the nail hardener dulls the hardness of even my weak nails, removing the "ring" from striking a note.
Several people have written about using finger picks wrong way around by first trimming them. And in many cases the authors have described how they trim the finger picks. Maybe I have a poor imagination, but I'm not seeing the trimmed finger pick in my head and my own attempts have come to naught.
So, all you pick trimmers, can you all of us weak nailed folk the favor of posting pictures of your handiwork? Either on or off your fingers, or both. And if you describe your carving method maybe we of the crummy nails can benefit from your experience.
with thanks aforethought, Robert
shambles - Posted - 03/09/2009: 06:58:10
Robert,
Have you considered switching to gut strings. The might be better suited to your nails.
Mark.
un5trung - Posted - 03/09/2009: 07:50:26
John, I never imagined there were commercial solutions, although with the regularity the subject arises on this forum it's not surprising! Thanks for the URLs.
On another note, my psoriasis is not much of a problem, but the associated arthritis (yes, there is a rare form of arthritis associated with psoriasis) has been crippling. With medication, physical therapy, and joint replacement I am doing well, thank you. But it was heartwarming to the story about your personal experience with MS on your website. Your example gives us all hope.
Thanks, Robert
un5trung - Posted - 03/09/2009: 07:52:48
Shambles, I haven't tried gut strings yet as I'm not as big as fan of that plunky sound as is, say, Peggy Seeger. But it's worth a try, right? Thanks for the idea -- I might just string one of my 'jos with gut to see what happens.
Thanks, Robert
Ahern - Posted - 03/09/2009: 08:04:46
Robert,
Here's a solution that I like made from Lees 5/8" Aquarium:tubing (hard, thin clear plastic)
To make them: First cut off the 5/8" tube at roughly a 60 degree angle so you have a piece 1 inch long at the longest point. I use an Xacto hand back-saw. Saw tthrough the length of the piece at the underside of the pick. Be careful when sawing so you don't bend or distort the plastic much. The plastic is prone to fracture.
Use a Dremmel type grinder to carefully round-off the 4 sharp corners.
Heat a cup of water in the microwave oven (hot but not boiling).
Using tweezers, hold the pick by the tip and submerge it in the hot water for a few seconds. The plastic will soften and naturally open. Experiment a little to expand the pick to fit your finger. Avoid overheating the tip at the tweezers as this will cause the plastic tip to curve up.
The flare at the bottom is simply made by resubmerging that portion in
hot water. The plastic softens and expands creating the flare where it
was heated Use a Dremmel type grinder to thin the business end like a fingernail then polish the edges with the Dremmel buffing wheel tool.
I don't have a problem with the picks slipping or falling off, however one drawback is that they are not very tough. They crack with use and eventually break. They're cheap and easy to make so I just make several at a time and keep them in my case.
Paul
tfaux - Posted - 03/09/2009: 08:15:26
I use a large-size Dunlop fingerpick--about 75¢ at the music store here--snipped to about 7/8" with the needlenose in my banjo case. I clip off the round end first, then snip the corners to make half a hexagon. I then file the end to a rounded shape with an emory/ nail polishing board to roughly the configuration of my imagined perfect fingernail.
Sometimes they feel a bit tight right off the shelf, and in that case I hold it boiling water for a couple of seconds with a pair of tongs, then shape it to my finger.
I used to be very careful with sizing and surfacing, but over the years I've found that I sort of automatically adjust my hand for any irregularities in my shaping.
I tend to lose fingerpicks, and the Dunlops are infinitely and immediately replaceable.
Good luck!
Tom
edit: sorry about the size of the photo.
Edited by - tfaux on 03/09/2009 18:53:06
raybob - Posted - 03/09/2009: 09:06:00
(Pasting my post from last week on this subject)
I've tried most of the usual options. I tried the Johnson Celluloid pick a couple years ago, and after I get the bug and try something new I find myself going back to it. I like it better than the Dunlop picks mainly because it sounds more like a real nail and it doesn't have the 'bump' that is built into the Dunlops that some people try to straighten out (but I've not had much luck with getting a quality result). So the surface of the blade is smooth. You trim it to fit (I also thin the blade a bit then buff the sandpaper marks out gently), and you can size it by using hot water like a plastic pick. It seems a little more brittle than plastic (but not as hard as polycarbonate), and I think that's what gives it a better sound imo.
I get them from these people: http://www.fretstore.com/SearchResu...tegoryID=121
I know a set of picks is shown, but if you call them you can get just the finger picks.
Ray
"We learn from history that we do not learn from history." --G. Santayana
Chammer - Posted - 03/09/2009: 13:49:17
Here is what I do, and it works really well. First, get a regular Dunlop metal fingerpick, whatever thickness you like, but around .020 thickness is easy to work with. Put in on your finger for fit, see how much you want to cut off, then take some metal shears, whatever, and cut a piece off the pointy end of the pick, then a little on the sides, to whatever shape you want. Then, get your electric drill, insert a grinding stone and shape it. Once it's right, and you've ground off any sharp burrs, take a fine whetstone, or jewellers file, and smooth it up. Sorry I don't have any pictures to send you, but the whole process takes just a few minutes. One note: it you shape the pick end to conform with the general shape of the end of your fingernail, that is, more flat, than pointed, you'll get a little softer tone, and if you taper the tip to more of a point, you'll get a sharper tone. Good luck.
Andy
whyteman - Posted - 03/09/2009: 14:01:39
Go directly to the nail salon, do not pass go, pay $5.00 very few weeks, and play better than ever with your new, all natural acryllic nail. Do it once, and you'll be hooked.
Don.
Haul off your overcoat and roll up your sleeve.
rjanecek - Posted - 03/09/2009: 15:28:31
quote:
Go directly to the nail salon, do not pass go, pay $5.00 very few weeks, and play better than ever with your new, all natural acryllic nail. Do it once, and you'll be hooked.
nope, sorry, cant do it!!  Rick
retiredguy - Posted - 03/09/2009: 15:56:30
When I first started (11/08) I wore my fingernal off till it bled. I was simply striking the strings incorrectly. Someone on here recommended the ATOMIC FINGER PICK. I purchased one from one of the websites we see mentioned on here often (can't remember). I tried it and it worked great but a little inconvenient to put on and off as I pick 10 min and break then at it again. I learned how to properly strike the string. Now I go to the nail salon at walmart and have an OVERLAY, not artifical nail. The coat your fingernail with this overlay. It's strong and the same color as your nail and last for 2 weeks..... Works great for me..best regards
Love my banjo.. hope it will someday return the love
switzforge - Posted - 03/09/2009: 16:44:46
Tried the acrylic nail and mangade to break that as well. I don't break them picking. It's everything else in life thats so hard on your nails
Will play Banjo for food, will stop playing banjo for money.
John Switzer
Beulah, Colorado
www.blackbearforge.com
J-Walk - Posted - 03/09/2009: 17:04:41
quote:
nope, sorry, cant do it!!
I'm curious. Why can't you do that? An acrylic nail really is the best solution as far as I'm concerned. Tell the nail gal to lay it on really thick. It'll last 6-7 weeks, easily. I've been doing this for almost a year. Never broke one yet. It doesn't have to be real long. Keep it filed down, so it's just long enough.
Stoneface - Posted - 03/09/2009: 18:12:18
quote:
Originally posted by switzforge
Tried the acrylic nail and mangade to break that as well. I don't break them picking. It's everything else in life thats so hard on your nails
Will play Banjo for food, will stop playing banjo for money.
John Switzer
Beulah, Colorado
www.blackbearforge.com
This happened to me, too and after a few months with an acrylic nail, my original nail became thin as paper and hurted. It took over 6 months to let it grow out ! Now I protect my nail with a clear scotch tape when it starts to wear down. Sometimes I also use a very thin coat of superglue, but only on the weared spot. Btw, I realized that my nail doesn't wear off so fast as it did one year ago, when I started with the banjo. My nails are still the same, maybe my technique improved a bit... Oli "This is music from hardscrabble people who didn''t put a lot of sugar in their coffee, their lives, or their music." Oldwoodchuck
deuceswilde - Posted - 03/09/2009: 19:00:12
How about a 19th century style thimble?
-Joel
Success always comes to those who have the money to buy it.
-The Adventures of a Banjo Player, 1884 p.26
oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 03/09/2009: 19:03:49
I pretty much do as tfaux described, but I usually simply bend the sides out until they fit. I keep a bunch of them in my various banjo cases - unfortunately there never seems to be one in the case I'm using, so now I also keep one hung on my banjo hook.
One of them shows up in the Rocket Science Bano videos - but I dont' remember which one - which video, not which pick.
Download your free copy of Rocket Science Banjo - the Advanced Method For Beginning to Intermediate Clawhammer Players, at:
http://www.rocketsciencebanjo.com
Along with the full text in PDF you will also find the four current RSB videos and the "25 EZ Clawhammer tunes. - which are up to about 40 now.
Banjo Brad is still hosting "How To Mold A Mighty Pinky" and some other material at:
http://www.pricklypearmusic.net
A site full of interesting banjo material
whyteman - Posted - 03/10/2009: 15:09:42
I like the term "thimble" for any "pick" worn over the nail.
I ruined my first acrylic nail this past weekend while out fishing on a sandbar.
After work today, the nail lady put a FIBERGLASS strip on my real nail and then that powder filler stuff. We'll see. I am concerned about atrophy of the real nail under the salon nail. We'll see how that goes also.
Don.
Haul off your overcoat and roll up your sleeve.
BAZ - Posted - 03/11/2009: 16:41:54
Just broke my nail on Sunday. Very frustrating. I think I'm going to have to give the pick another try. I like the feel of my own nail on the string.
Joel, where did you get the 19th cent. thimbles? Did you make them? If so, please tell us how.
jbalch - Posted - 03/11/2009: 17:37:07
Here is another idea from Clarke Bueling. It is also detailed on my website. Clarke showed me how to modify ACRI brass fingerpicks for down-stroke playing. The advantage of this pick is that its wings are wide and large making it very comfortable to wear. I like brass picks on nylon or gut strings.
www.johnbalchmusic.com
www.myspace.com/johnbalch
Edited by - jbalch on 03/11/2009 17:40:52
un5trung - Posted - 03/12/2009: 05:47:49
I'd like to thank everyone who has rung in on this topic. I thought I was alone with this problem, but now I see I'm in good company!
Cheers, Robert
Clawdan - Posted - 03/12/2009: 06:55:50
quote:
Originally posted by J-Walk
quote:
nope, sorry, cant do it!!
I'm curious. Why can't you do that? An acrylic nail really is the best solution as far as I'm concerned. Tell the nail gal to lay it on really thick. It'll last 6-7 weeks, easily.
I've been doing this for almost a year. Never broke one yet. It doesn't have to be real long. Keep it filed down, so it's just long enough.
J, The base nail has to be strong enough to support the acrylic "add on" and most folks with soft nails (like me) just don't have the base. My solution has been to keep my nail pretty short, so I must be lucky enough to have a "just strong enough" nail to play with. BUT I have found that the JR Clawpick sounded the most natural to me when I have had to use something else. Play nice , Dan "Ain''t no bum-ditty" Levenson www.ClawhammerBanjo.usGet started right with Dan''s Clawhammer Banjo From Scratch - Book and DVD (Mel Bay Publications)
deuceswilde - Posted - 03/12/2009: 14:52:58
quote:
Originally posted by BAZ
Just broke my nail on Sunday. Very frustrating. I think I'm going to have to give the pick another try. I like the feel of my own nail on the string.
Joel, where did you get the 19th cent. thimbles? Did you make them? If so, please tell us how.
The template is from the Frank Converse "Green Book," 1865. Brass, tin-snips, sandpaper and a marker. I made up about 10 or so and thought about offering them here and on my website for $10 shipped to the US. Then I never followed up with it. I need to record me playing a "thimble march" or other stroke song with it. Yes, I like the term "thimble" also and try to use it all the time. -Joel Success always comes to those who have the money to buy it. -The Adventures of a Banjo Player, 1884 p.26
un5trung - Posted - 03/18/2009: 16:12:48
Hi all -- I’m grateful to all the people who wrote in to share their experiences with me, especially those who were able to send pictures! I’ve been trying the suggestions offered and, for what it’s worth, here is what I’ve found:
1. The commercial solution (claw hammer picks)
a. I couldn’t get the hang of the Alaska pick. It didn’t fit right on my finger and didn’t make the right sound when it hit the string. It might fit other fingers better than it did mine, but I’m afraid that plinky sound would still be an issue. It’s too bad it didn’t work out, as it cost about 1/5th of what the
b. Fred Kelly Freedom pick cost (ca. $5). Both are available at Elderly, by the way. The Freedom pick fit the finger better and made a nice sound. I’ll keep it around and use it when I don’t have other alternatives. The inestimable Dan Levenson suggested the
c. JR Clawpick, which looked good but is apparently no longer kept in stock at Elderly or anywhere else I looked.
2. Gut strings.
Gut sounds interesting, and when I first heard it here I thought back to the nylon strings of my first guitar. I like the sound of the metal strings in clawhammer, however, and have not investigated this avenue. Elderly has some nylon strings that have been treated to sound like gut, apparently. They probably should be played with a Fiberskyn head ;-). Sometime I will try gut or gut-like strings, less I think for my poor nails than to hear what they sound like!
3. Homemade solutions
These include the ingenious ping-pong ball, aquarium tubing, and flipping a plastic finger pick around and sanding it down. I’m just not clever enough to pull off the first two. All power to those of you who can make it work! I did buy a few plastic finger picks, cut ‘em, filed ‘em, flipped ‘em and tried to play with them. The first few steps were easier than I’d have guessed, but I couldn’t get the hang of playing with them. The pick stood out too far from my fingernail, and the timing was too far from what I’ve established even with my crummy nails. Finally the strum came out too loud, though I suppose if I could have worked with the gap between my fingernail and the pick I would eventually have mastered the right strum-pressure.
4. Metal picks
These look promising but I never got around to trying them because today I went to the nail shop, say w/ all the ladies getting their spring pedicures and got
5. Acrylic nails.
I had both the index and the middle fingers done, though I tend to be a middle-finger guy. I reasoned that I didn’t know what it was going to be like, so I might as well try both.
The process was interesting; I’d guessed they’d take a prepared plastic nail and glue it onto mine, but that wasn’t the case at all. After cleaning up my nail then roughing it up (for better adhesion, I’d guess) the gal plopped on some applesauce-like goo on my finger and carefully shaped it into a nail. Then while that was drying she clipped this, clopped that, and glopped stuff all over my hand. Really, I don’t see why some women have this done voluntarily.
In any event I’ve been playing since I got home from work and I really like it. I’ll have to see how it holds out – the gal suggested two weeks, which is just what people on this forum have said. Assuming it holds up on the banjo and assuming I don’t break them making a bed (or fishing on a sandbar) I think I have a solution!
Again, I appreciate everyone who weighed in on this issue. Cheers, Robert
J-Walk - Posted - 03/18/2009: 16:28:35
I'm off to get a new acrylic right now. The old one lasted 81 days! A new record.
jmkaay - Posted - 03/20/2009: 20:54:30
One more possibility, if anyone's interested: I begged a 6" strip of the silk they use for silk nails from a nail place.
It's about 1/2" wide, white and very very light and strong.
Cut a nail shaped piece and hold it on your nail with a toothpick, then apply a drop of thin superglue to the silk. The superglue immediately soaks through and the silk turns perfectly transparent and sticks to your nail. Only drawback: you need about three hands to do this.
Learned this from Tom Culbertson, at Gryphon Stringed Instruments.
John K.
"Music is not an escape; it presents a way to make it possible for life to go on."
John Cohen
abarten - Posted - 03/26/2009: 09:33:37
I'm going to get some nail pic guards pre-emptively.
Anyone have problems with their THUMB? I'm still learning this thing, but I appear to have overworked my thumb. The flesh is split just by the corner of the nail. I could use a temporary protector of some sort.
-- Al
BConk - Posted - 03/27/2009: 08:34:07
I'm rather fond of my home-grown solution..I think it's kind of elegant. Until recently I only used it when both of my frailing nails broke but recently I have been making lots of artisan breads and I got sick and tired of having my nails cut my other hand while kneading dough. So I trimmed my nails down.
I use old piano key ivory, cut it to shape roughly, then take out a socket from a wrench set - choosing the socket that most closely matches the arc of my nail. I lay the ivory lengthwise on the socket - wrap it good and tight with a stout rubber band, then drop the whole kit and kaboodle into a saucepan full of boiling water for 10 minutes or so. I let the ivory cool on the socket overnight with the rubber band still on it - then I take it off and refine the shape as needed with an emory board.
The resulting pick I hold on my nail with a 2-3" length of that tape they use when they put a piece of gauze on your arm after taking a blood test. I have bloodwork done every 6 months so I can always get another roll I prefer "Kendall Tenderskin" because you can take the pick off - leaving the tape on, park the pick by taping it to the 5th string tuner peg - then when you want to play again, remove the pick and put it back on your finger. The tape leaves no residue on the tuner button, it's very breathable so your fingertips don't prune up after wearing it - and it will readhere to your finger very nicely for several days and many reapplications. When it no long sticks - just cut off a new piece of tape.
This pick is so comfortable I've found I forget I'm wearing it...I also found there was virtually no learning curve involved in using it - I put it on and my playing sounded better instantly.
Here's the pics of the pick
Chi dorme, non piglia pesci
Edited by - BConk on 03/27/2009 08:35:12
BConk - Posted - 03/27/2009: 08:37:58
quote:
Originally posted by abarten
I'm going to get some nail pic guards pre-emptively.
Anyone have problems with their THUMB? I'm still learning this thing, but I appear to have overworked my thumb. The flesh is split just by the corner of the nail. I could use a temporary protector of some sort.
-- Al
Krazy Glue Chi dorme, non piglia pesci
un5trung - Posted - 03/27/2009: 09:15:53
Bconk -- Nice nail! And I like the Bart Reiter Special behind it . . .
un5trung - Posted - 03/27/2009: 16:46:49
<<Krazy Glue>>
I hope you're kidding! I don't think Krazy Glue is meant to be put on skin, is it?!
But I'm curious about this thumbnail thing. I keep my thumbnail trimmed and it doesn't come in contact with the fifth string. If you're not kidding about the split nail I'd be curious if you could post a picture of it and describe what you're doing to damage it.
Cheers, Robert
BConk - Posted - 03/27/2009: 21:38:57
quote:
Originally posted by raharris
Bconk -- Nice nail! And I like the Bart Reiter Special behind it . . .
tsk tsk...since when does Bart make Specials with that thin a rim? ...that's a Ramsey Student hangin there Chi dorme, non piglia pesci
BConk - Posted - 03/27/2009: 21:40:37
quote:
Originally posted by raharris
<<Krazy Glue>>
I hope you're kidding! I don't think Krazy Glue is meant to be put on skin, is it?!
Cheers, Robert
a little dab'll do ya. Chi dorme, non piglia pesci
un5trung - Posted - 03/28/2009: 17:46:05
<<tsk tsk...since when does Bart make Specials with that thin a rim? ...that's a Ramsey Student hangin there>>
Ach, mais oui! I surrender my banjo-recognizing credentials . . .
RAH
abarten - Posted - 03/28/2009: 22:09:37
It's not my thumbnail that's split, but the flesh by the corner of the nail. Probably dryness aggravated by the strumming. It's still winter here in the MA and the air is very dry (except when it snows, of course).
I assumed Krazy Glue was a joke - wouldn't want any of that stuff inside me.
-- Al
BConk - Posted - 03/29/2009: 07:50:14
quote:
Originally posted by abarten
It's not my thumbnail that's split, but the flesh by the corner of the nail. Probably dryness aggravated by the strumming. It's still winter here in the MA and the air is very dry (except when it snows, of course).
I assumed Krazy Glue was a joke - wouldn't want any of that stuff inside me.
-- Al
Actually - I was not joking. One of the first uses of Cyanoacrylate adhesives was to temporarily close wounds during the Vietnam war. They work very well for gluing skin cracks back together - small amounts do not typically irritate the skin. Chi dorme, non piglia pesci
Edited by - BConk on 03/29/2009 07:51:09
abarten - Posted - 03/29/2009: 11:25:42
Thanks for the clarification. I know there are some plastic types of remedies being used by athletes who get cut during a game and want ot be able to continue without bleeding. That's different from Krazy Glue, though - just interesting.
-- Al
un5trung - Posted - 03/31/2009: 06:52:09
No doubt many of you have seen this already, but here is another discussion which broaches the discussion of using glue on the skin:
http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/t...IC_ID=143555
I wonder what the Krazy Glue manufacturer has to say on the matter?
Cheers, Robert
jojo25 - Posted - 03/31/2009: 11:02:46
anyone have any bright ideas for protecting the thumb?
Don''t forget to play all of the quasihemidemisemiquavers!!
Drop thumbs, not bombs
Joe
un5trung - Posted - 05/08/2009: 06:20:30
Well, I'm the one who started this forum, and by looking though all the posts and trying some suggestions I settled on acrylic nails. And so far they've been very good to me.
This morning though I woke up to find a broken nail. I hope the picture below shows it -- if you look closely you can see a straight line where the nail broke off. I just had them done last week, but my regular gal was not around at the time.
Someone in another forum on this site -- titled Fingernails, if I'm not mistaken -- repeatedly notes that the real nail underneath an acrylic nail goes all soft and floppy, rendering clawhammer impossible. He's right -- I couldn't play like this. Except that I also have my index finger done, and can just switch to a different finger. Also I expect to have this cleared up in a few hours time
http://www.banjohangout.org/myhango...83&albumid=0
Cheers, Robert
Just breathe.
Edited by - un5trung on 05/08/2009 06:40:36
rinemb - Posted - 10/28/2009: 06:52:34
I have resurected this topic, because I have finally reached a definitive conclusion on what is the best "broken nail" substitute for me. And because of my weak nails I have tried about all of the homemade designs, picks and fake nails available. At this time, I have settled on a brass pro-pic cut down severly and rounded to slightly more than I would shape my real nail and wear it slightly shorter than I prefer my real nail. For some reason, the sound is surprisingly compatible to my ears with a real nail, and using the re-shaped brass propic at a gig I completely forgot it was on my finger. I did not tape it on, though now I carry a roll of stretchy flesh-toned baby skin or band-aid tape in my emergency kit.
Brad
You may be man enough to take my woman, but you'll never get my banjo.
May not the incidence of success, nor the pretense of retirement-
Lessen the want of enlightenment.
john fincher - Posted - 10/29/2009: 03:19:10
...........and I thought that I was alone with this problem.
I guess we should form a support group. After trying back to front picks, selotape and false nails I've come to a partial solution by playing quite gently, using lighter strings and tuning my banjo (which is an 'A' scale) down a tone and using a capo if necessary. This works ok even when playing in public.
Using false nails glued on did make my natural nails very soft so I wouldn't reccommend this as a long term solution. When I need more volume for playing in a session I use false nails temporarliy held on with Bluetack (thanks to Roger Young for that).
John Fincher
g-hog - Posted - 10/29/2009: 03:49:47
Glad the acrylic seems to be working. I hope it continues to work for you, but in case you have any further problems... just wanted to let you know Dwight Diller's advice to people if they begin to have nail problems is to use superglue on the nail just before playing... I suppose it must get worn off during the playing and has to be reapplied again before playing another day or something... I don't really know the details. But I believe superglue is supposed to be nontoxic, except for ingestion, of course... so it might be a potential thing to try if there are any other problems on down the road.
maxmax - Posted - 10/29/2009: 06:32:36
I only wear a pick when playing with other loud folks. I've tried all of the commercially available, clawhammer specific ones, without luck. But my favorite non-clawhammer specific ones are the Propik "Fingertone". They need no adjustment for me to use them comfortably.
And I've also followed John Balch's suggestion and made myself several Ping Pong picks with good result and some modified ACRI picks. The ACRI ones are comfortable too, but sound way to harsh for me on steel strings. But I've had good success with putting on a few layers of tape over them to dampen the tone. I also tried putting a fake nail on one. It didn't sound too good, but looks kinda funny. 
Best,
Max
majikgator - Posted - 10/29/2009: 08:50:58
i just hope that the use of the acrylic nails doen't further damage your nail as they tend to soften the natural nail underneath that you were already having problems with, good luck.
jk
devoall - Posted - 10/29/2009: 09:25:37
Someone on here mentioned a while back the Product "Hard As Nails". I went out and bought some of that stuff and it works great for me. It's just a clear acrylic nail polish basically and you just brush a few coats of it on over your nail and let it dry.
Make sure you let it dry good between coats and the whole nail overnight before playing, or it will scrape off easier.
it's like three dollars a bottle and will last forever. I find that i have been re-applying it about once a week, once it starts to chip off, but I have a job where I use my hands all day which probably leads to premature chipping.
I haven't noticed any nail weakening going on underneath either.
Try this stuff out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" Take it easy, but take it."--Woody Guthrie
pernicketylad - Posted - 10/29/2009: 11:23:00
A fella I met at Clifftop (whose sister is a manicurist) told me to always file my nails with an emry(spelling?) board and to use OPI nail hardener. Cutting with a scissors, he told me, damages nails.
Don't give up on the nylguts....I'm a recent convert. They're alot easier on the nails....have almost no effect. I didn't like the sound of them at the start but I love the sound of them on my fretless now and I'm going to try them on my fretted banjo next.
There are three types of people in the world.....those who can count and those who can't!
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