ALRIGHT, I'M GOING TO THE SALON

[knucklebrain1970]

What do I need to have done? What do I tell them? I tried this acrylic crap last night and the sh*t went on about 2mm thick. My fingas feel like they have weights on them. So help a fella out here? :lol:
Of course my only fear is that I'm gonna screw them up when I get home by filing them wrong.
Kevin

[Shroomy726]

Lol, just tell them you need a full manicure :wink:

[daniel711]

DON'T GO TO A SALON!!! :( I tried professional silk wraps, and here's the low down: 1)You have the expense and hassle of having to go every week for maintenance and/or new nails - and I guarantee you'll be the only male in there :oops: 2) The strong chemicals will destroy your natural nails (they'll turn thin and rubbery) 3) The technicans usually don't speak english, and it's hard to get them to shape the nail the way you want. 4) There's a much easier, cheaper, and healthy alternative - just use fake plastic nails that you can buy at any drugstore. If they break or wear out, just pop them off and put on a new one.

I've used them for about two years now, so does my teacher, and I can't imagine playing without them.

[knucklebrain1970]

I've tried those man, they
A. Look ridiculous
B. Fall off constantly
C. They never come in the proper shape for my nails

This was of course years ago when I did this.

Kevin

[daniel711]

Ok, well, a) sittting in a nail salon looks AND feels ridiculous b) you have to shape any nail you put on no matter who puts it on, c) when wraps pop off it costs time and money!

Anyway, good luck - let us know how it goes :lol:

[knucklebrain1970]

Yeah, I know, I'm the last one that wants to sit in a nail salon.
:roll:

[Pepe Vergara]

Try garlic

[keith]

hey knucklebrain/head; go to c.v.s. or osco, buy some nail polish remover, soak your nails in it and this should remove most of the gunk--you may have to do a little scrubbing (an old toothbrush may do the trick). be sure not to smoke or have any open flames nearby--you might want to do this with your head near an open window. acetone is very very flammable. and whatever you do, do not try to use a styrofoam container--it will dissolve in front of your eyes.

once the gunk is removed and your nails are dry, give them a few days of open air and little stress (remember, you just stressed them out). come back to the forum and look for a posts in the past that address nail conditioners, etc.--there are many solutions. the turtle shell conditioner may be a good one. but whatever you do, stay away from things that are intended to glued or globbed on for extended periods of timel--they are nail killers.

and please do yourself a favor and go over to union music and talk to the owner who is a classical guitarist. i am sure he can help you out.

[brian richardson]

knuckle,

do as pepe the honest has said,"garlic, garlic, garlic!"

[dap22]

Hey,
the best and easiest method is one nobody seems to have mentioned. Sure, silk wraps and the Savarez nail kit and nail contitioning kits work well, but over time, they require much maintenance, time, hassle, and MONEY!
The best and easiest method that is using Ping-Pong Balls. Go out to your local sporting goods store, they usually come in packs of six. They are only a dollar or two, then you need some cuticle scissors, file supplies, and superglue. You cut out the pingpong ball to the shape of a nail (make it bigger so you have plenty of room to work with and shape.) Then with superglue, you glue the fake plastic nail UNDER your fingernail. One ping pong ball makes about 6 nails...sometimes more, sometimes less, depends on how efficient you are with cutting them out and the size of you nails. You do not want to glue the ping pong ball on top of you nail, this way it will look bad and will not stay on your nail for very long. If you glue it under the nail between the flesh and nail, it looks great, regardless of how lightly or hard you play with it, it won't break off, you can easily mold it to the contour of you fingernail, you can remove it easily (after about one or two weeks it will be brittle enough for you to pull it off and replace it) or you can just dip you fingernails in nail polish remover and then easily remove it.
The ping-pong method is very reliable, very durable, easy to replace, replaces very fast, and....AND.....AND....ok, heres the big one:
YOU GET GREAT TONE!
Save your money from going to the salon and save yourself the time, money, and hassle of silk wraps. The other nice thing about ping-ping pong balls is they are white...so your nails pretty much always look clean. Also, a ping pong ball is almost a perfect sphere so you have a great curve to your nail which sounds great on strings. Your nails will glide like butter on the strings. Bounce all over thsoe scales with ping pong balls!

Doug.

[knucklebrain1970]

Well my fingernails don't even reach the tip of my fingers hardly so how much fingernail do you need to glue them on? They don't look weird, having a white thing protruding from under your nail? Do you have a camera to post a pic? Or you can email it to me and I'll host it. I'd be interested to see what it looks like. Kevin

[nicco812]

Ping pong balls? Nail salon acrylics? Plastic nails? Garlic??

Wow,...the pain and suffering guitarists go through for the love of the instrument apparently has no limits.

[brian richardson]

nicco,

i don't know about the other suggestions but, rubbing garlic on
your fingernails once a month isn't soo tough :lol:

actually i saw a girl at a party do something with ping-pong balls that
looked like it might cause some pain and suffering but i guess she was
a pro (and well paid!!) :twisted:

[ryan86corolla]

What is the deal with garlic? I've heard something about that before, but I'm not sure what you are referring to. Please explain your method for "garlic enhanced" nails.

[brian richardson]

ryan,
sorry i was editing... see above.

[dap22]

Hey Kevin,
you do not need (or want) very much fingernail to glue the ping-pong balls on. Since you are gluing them UNDER the fingernail, you will actually push them in a bit that it goes past the main flesh curve. Obviously, do not push them in to the point that it hurts you or is even uncomfortable. Being so light, the ping-pong balls feels very natural and comfortable...but I hardly notice they are there unless filing or replacing.
They do not look wierd at all, since your nail color looksl ike it changes when it grows past the flesh (it is almost a whitish color past the flesh, and a beige color above the flesh...of course this is just due to the fact of the nail touching the skin causing a slightly darker tone.) I do not have any close up pictures of the ping-pong balls glued under my fingers. This is a rather common technique though. I found a picture of my guitar professor (who has had ping-pong balls as fake fingernails since the late 70's or early 80s). It is not a picture of only his hands, but it is a big and clear enough picture that you can alook and see the pingpong balls under his fingernails. The link is: http://www.stephenaron.net/presskit/stephanaron_print.jpg
his website is www.stephenaron.net, you might find some more pictures there, but I assumed the press kit photo is probably the biggest. There might be some website showing exactly how to put on a ping-pong ball, but it is really simple and self explanatory. You just cut it out to the shape of your skin and nail, slide it under to make sure it fits well, and then glue it. If you do not glue it well under the nail and it is too far out (which whill happen as your nail gets longer) then if it is cut out poorly and glued on protruding too far, then of course the string will hook on this and you will need to replace it. It shouldn't take very long, the more you do it the faster and easier it gets. Also, get some tweezers, so that once you have glued the nail on, you can use the tweezers to create pressure so that they work as a clamp and firmly glue the nail in place.
Good luck!

Doug.

[ryan86corolla]

Where do you get the garlic at?

[brian richardson]

ryan,
just normal cloves of garlic. supermarket ect...
peel and dig nails into cloves or cut and rub the oil on nails, let it soak in (hour or so) and repeat. that's it. once a month works for me and
mine get like claws.

[Jubilee Valence]

:?: ...... :shock: .... :!: ...... :twisted: ..... :P .. :lol: :o :( :) :D :shock: :? :x :P :oops: :cry: :lol: :roll: :evil: :twisted: :evil: :twisted: :P .. :wink:....... 8)---JUBI--SAN

[brian richardson]

:twisted: yup!!

[knucklebrain1970]

:?: ...... :shock: .... :!: ...... :twisted: ..... :P .. :lol: :o :( :) :D :shock: :? :x :P :oops: :cry: :lol: :roll: :evil: :twisted: :evil: :twisted: :P .. :wink:....... 8)---JUBI--SAN

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, well luckily enough I found a remote deserted nail salon run by a chinese woman that can barely speak English and I went there when it was dark out and there was not a soul in sight.

Hmm, I wonder what Brians initial post said :shock:
Last edited by brian richardson on Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:12 pm; edited 1 time in total

[knucklebrain1970]

Thanks for the info Doug, that pic of that guy, your teacher, those don't look bad at all. After these acrylics wear out, or if they don't work out, I'll try the ping pong ball trick. I'm pretty handy with that crap. I got all kinds of attachments for my dremel tool as well. :evil:

Kevin

[dap22]

Your welcome. I am glad I was able to help. Your new nails look great, tell the lady at the salon she did a nice job! Yeah, do try out the ping pong balls once you need replacements on the acrylics. In the other thread (new nails, new guitar) read what I wrote about using tape in pr actice to prevent wearing down the nails. You can find the info and pic at www.davidrussellguitar.com and its in 'tips of the season.'
If you want to hear the great tone you can achieve from using ping-pong balls, that same website link I sent you, www.stephenaron.net, if you go to the 'products' part, there are a bunch of clips from some of his CDs. Be sure to listen to his arrangements of the Chopin Mazurkas (first complete transcription of all the Mazurkas!) Stephen Aron's arangements on the Chopin Mazurkas are the best and he plays them better than anyone out there and they are great for illustrating tone color...many of them are mighty difficult though!
Good luck,
Doug

[Jubilee Valence]

:twisted: yup!! :idea: ..'Ya know--- our hosts, in their eternal wisdom & loving graces,etc,and so forth,& so on, & on,will , at some point,and soon I feel,open up ...ahem...for intellectual discourses....straying from ...oh, say,....an additional ......"forum" 8)

[brian richardson]

:twisted: thanks!! i'm feeling much better...but forgot my place...
ooppss~there it is :lol:

darn snow... should i say darn wis-guided/mis-corrected/weather or not person...gotta go shovel~ya' know what that cold does to guitar finger ends..yeah well(honestly-couldn't be happier)no need for ice cubes and none uf them mosquitos drinkin' mich trocken(me dry). here i go stoli moli!!!!!!
sorry :oops: :twisted:

[Faya]

DUDESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

The super deluxe nail formula is Turtle shell conditioner mixed with Garlic!!!!

There ain't nothin' better than haven' Garlic smelling Turtles growing from your finger tips!!!!!


:mrgreen:

[Jubilee Valence]

:oops: I saw that the timing of my post droppin' in like that was --RANK!! I edited title quick to help w/ confusion....pretty dangerous place to be in middle: Mad Evil Twin on one coast & Mad Latin who makes musical ash trays on the other--BOTH on "garlic"....no way out!! "El Ka-bong"....Ouch!! That's two for today!! I'd ask what's up w/ the tape?..but 2's enuff...Hasta-- :twisted:

[Pepe Vergara]

The best and easiest method that is using Ping-Pong Balls.


I learned this from Frederik Noad, when I was studying with him via the TV. It looks really awful, however, it works. But, when your nail grows, there is a space left between the flesh and the pinpong ball material that it is very nice food for bacteria.

[Jubilee Valence]

DUDESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

The super deluxe nail formula is Turtle shell conditioner mixed with Garlic!!!!

There ain't nothin' better than haven' Garlic smelling Turtles growing from your finger tips!!!!!


:mrgreen: :shock: "super deluxe????" NO! ..You didn't get that from where I think you did,DID YOU??? :twisted: :P :lol: Can I post that one in 'da PIT'??? I'd be BANNED!!! LOL... garlic smellin' turtles...LOL...GROWING...LOL

[Jubilee Valence]

The best and easiest method that is using Ping-Pong Balls.


I learned this from Frederik Noad, when I was studying with him via the TV. It looks really awful, however, it works. But, when your nail grows, there is a space left between the flesh and the pinpong ball material that it is very nice food for bacteria. :shock: ..es "peligra" por guárdese de mi amigo que él se llama mago, y es malo muy...ay chi........Hombre sin Nombre

[Faya]

Yo Jubi.....,Go ahead and use it man :lol:


:mrgreen:

[Pepe Vergara]

pepe the honest

Thanks

[Jubilee Valence]

:oops: y usted pensó que mi inglés es malo...ay chi! :roll: --- felip'

[daniel711]

:shock: A new form of torture - pushing cut-up ping-pong balls up your fingernails......mercy!!!! :cry:

[dap22]

Hello again,
wow, I see the ping pong method isn't liked very much on this forum...just funny how many of the worlds greatest guitarists use that. Well, different strokes for different folks. Although, I must assure you, it is not torture, and it is definitely not new! It has been used successfully for decades. As far as the space for bacteria to grow, if you wash your hands and file under the nails, it is cleaned out easily, and no, it doesn't look gross at all and isn't unhealthy. Just look back at the link to the picture and website I posted somewhere on the second page of this forum to have a look yourself...and then listen to some of the soundclips on the website to hear how good they actually sound.
Jubi-Nice job on the spanish. Didn't know you spoke spanish. Where did you learn? Have you lived overseas? I am interested, it would be nice to speak some spanish maybe in a different topic with other spanish speaking members on this board. I lived in Mexico City (Distrito Federal) for 8 years and and Buenos Aires, Argentina for 4 years, and a few months in Venezuela. Here in Ohio there aren't too many people to speak with in spanish, so it would be WAY cool talking about guitar in spanish! If you start another topic, I would love to continue it in spanish.

Well, whatever your choice, be it silk wraps, ping-pong balls, natural nails, or whatever else is out there, stick with one and find a substitute, because nails tend to crack or break, and if its concert night and your nail breaks...always have a backup!

Doug.

[Jubilee Valence]

:shock: Quantos..(alla,en su cabeza!)Quiz' tienes del "reunion" en " 'da pit" Usted lo
"encontrara", yo esta-tengo- por seguro... uno(de tu/usted) o todos Y tambien..."preferamundo"--el presto,....o manipulacion a dimensional? ...curioso sola...y ahora,por favor---vives "z-ohd-ar-reh" "z-ohd-aht-zeh" W'ere w'ayye :twisted:

[dap22]

Jubi-Ay ay ay! My cabeza esta en nudos ahorita! no entiendo tu ultimo mensaje :(
Una pregunta-Como le pones los acentos a las letras idividuales. Tienes una programa especial, o hay un metodo especial de cual lo haces?

Muchas gracias!

Doug.

[knucklebrain1970]

HELP, MY THREAD'S BEEN
http://www.makebelieve.to/costpics/pimp72.jpg
ED

[Guillermo Rosado]

Doug:
OCHO AÑOS en el D.F. !!!, WOW !!!, cómo aguantaste tanto tiempo ??.
Qué hacías allí ??
Como verás soy Mexicano. Me parece excelente la idea de poder comunicarnos en español. Y vaya que me consta que en Ohio nó hay quien hable español !!, cuando visité Toledo hace 3 años para el famoso show de Aeromodelismo (uno de mis hobbies) sólo los mexicanos hablabamos español (e inglés por supuesto).
Ah !!, Yó tampoco entendí el mensaje de Jubi !!.
Un abrazo
Guillermo

[dbeau]

Pepe V (Dr Ajo)
I'm blessed with cracking, hooked, flat nails (posted B4 in old thread) but took up your advice about 10 days ago - using garlic. This thread has mention of using garlic only 1x/month - I've been doing it about 2-3x/week. What's your advise on how often to apply and how long to leave it on? My italian wife hasn't noticed my pillaging of her supply as I've been able to use the sprouting cloves.

As to the smell, we are coffee geeks, and I've found that just washing will NOT eliminate the odor, but if, after washing, I dig my fingers/nails into the spent coffee grounds used making expresso that this pretty much kills the garlic odor.

[dap22]

Hola Guillermo,
Me da muchisimo gusto tener la oportunidad para hablar contigo. Yo estaba en el DF por 8 anos por el trabajo de mi papa, el trabajaba con Goodyear, entonces, por eso tuve la oportunidad para vivir en Mexico. A mi me encanta Mexico, es un paiz bellisimo y la gente es muy amistable. Realizo la problema de crimen, pobreza, y pollucion alli, pero de todos modos, nunca olvidare las experiencias y memorias maravillosas de Mexico. My email es dap22@uakron.com, si quieres continuar hablando, mandame un email en espanol. Mucho gusto conocerte y tener esta oportunidad para hablar con ti! Ahora donde vives?
Buena suerte amigo!

Doug.

[Jubilee Valence]

HELP, MY THREAD'S BEEN
http://www.makebelieve.to/costpics/pimp72.jpg
ED I thought I got rid of all my pimpin' portraits...You get that from Doug?

[knucklebrain1970]

El E'speakae da English pleaso.

Kevin

[Jubilee Valence]

so ya' get the 4:30 am "..'splain..Lucy!.."---PLAIN ENGLISH but w/ "Spanish spelling"...Hey boss, is that like my "Spanish guitar playing"?..don't like translation programs for most...Don Guillermo,Lo siento por mi Espanol mal,pero es por ..broma de sarcasma con nuestro amigo joven, "el aprendiz de los sorceror". Y tambien,todo el mundo,si,no comprende Jubi! Doug-have some fun this weekend!! knuclebrain1970 tsk,tsk, I just remembered--you're a regular linguist anyway, COMPRENDO?? GUTEN NACHT!!!!!MORGEN??? :twisted:

[knucklebrain1970]

Javol, Javol

[Pepe Vergara]

Pepe V (Dr Ajo) This thread has mention of using garlic only 1x/month - I've been doing it about 2-3x/week. What's your advise on how often to apply and how long to leave it on? My italian wife hasn't noticed my pillaging of her supply as I've been able to use the sprouting cloves.

Twice a week for two weeks, then once every month. Do not wash your hands for an hour or two after application. Smell last for almost a week after applied. Dr. Ajo, that is a good one.