WayneConrad - Posted - 03/11/2017:  14:09:33

Welcome to Conrad's Nail Salon.  Today I am going to show you how to reinforce a weak, broken or short clawhammer picking nail using fiberglass and superglue.  Yes, fiberglass--just like laying up a car body.  And superglue like you might use to build a model airplane.  This is not the dainty way to do your nails.

This is based on  a video by James Taylor, but modified for clawhammer.  James is an up-picker, so only reinforces the end of his nails.  That's fine for James, but it creates an edge that catches strings when down-picking.  So instead of just reinforcing the tip, we reinforce the entire nail to create a single, smooth surface.

The primary goal is a useful nail that plays well and sounds good.  Cosmetic appeal is secondary--those who know how to do nails properly will cringe at my barbaric technique and crude result.  However, crude as it is, it looks good enough to not catch anyone's attention in an office environment.  Nobody has ever looked twice at my nail, so don't worry about getting funny looks for your "glass" nail.  And it plays great.  You can have exactly the length and stiffness of nail you want, every time you play.

Taking off the old reinforcement

We're going to start by taking off the old nail.  No, not the fingernail itself--we're not that barbaric.  We'll just remove the previous reinforcement.  If you don't have a previous reinforcement, skip to the next section.

This reinforcement is a week old.  It has smudges from banjo strings, it's growing away from the cuticle, and it has started to separate from the nail (that's the white portion that extends from the cuticle to halfway down the nail).  Even though it's started to separate, it's still well attached and plays nicely.  Give it another week and it'll get loose enough to snag on something and just pop off.

Take a piece of cottonball, get it wet with acetone, and lay it on the nail:

Wrap the whole thing in a piece of foil:

Now wait a bit (5-15 minutes).  The old reinforcement should either come off, or come loose.  If needed, you can gently pry at it with an "orange stick":

Once the old reinforcement is off, use the acetoned-damped cottonball to clean any residual glue off of the nail.  Here's my bare nail, ready for a new treatment:

Adding the new reinforcement

You'll need a roll of Fiberglass Nail Wrap.  "Wrap" is the the fingernail-salon name for a fabric glued to a nail to reinforce it.  Just so we're clear, a wrap doesn't wrap anything.  I didn't name it, so don't blame me.

The fiberglass is stickied to a backing, so that when it's removed from the backing it will self-stick to your nail.  The instructions on the box will tell you to feed the tape through the box such that the tape peels off of the backing when you pull it from the box.  Don't do that.  This stuff is much easier to trim with the backing on.  So just get the tape out of the box, with the backing still attached.

Note: If you can't find fiberglass wraps, you can use silk wraps just as well.  They are thinner, so you will need at least two layers of them, whereas you can usually get away with one layer of fiberglass.

Cut a piece of the tape, with the backing on, into a strip as wide as your fingernail, then trim it to match the shape of the cuticle-end of your fingernail.  Don't worry about the far end of the nail--we're going to let the strip hang off the nail until we trim it to shape later.

Carefully remove the tape from its backing.  If you have a fine knife handy, it can help to get the backing away from the tape.  Align the fiberglass with your cuticle and then lay it down on the nail.  This is the hardest part, but fortunately it doesn't have to be perfect.  Here you can see that I've messed the fiberglass up in a few places, but it'll work fine.  The top-coats will smooth everything out.

Now it's time to hit it with superglue.  I've been using this stuff:

It's called "nail gel," but anyone who has ever built a model airplane will recognize it as medium "CA" (superglue).  The only difference from model cement is that this bottle has a handy brush applicator.

Lay a coat of the glue over the fiberglass.  Paint the glue on in stripes from the cuticle towards the tip.  Don't be sloppy with it, but be generous--the glue is soaking through the tape in order to adhere the tape to the nail.  Here's the nail after the glue has dried.  You can see that I've painted glue a bit past the end of the nail.

Let the glue dry.  It will only take a minute or two (it's superglue, after all).

Now you need to decide how many layers of "wrap" to put on.  If you are using silk wraps instead of fiberglass, or if you are doing this in order to extend your nail, add an additional layer, cutting it and gluing it on just as you did this first layer.  If you are just reinforcing your nail but not extending it, and are using fiberglass, one layer will do.

My underlying nail is a good length, so I'm not extending it and just needed one fiberglass layer.  Next, use a nail clipper or scissors to trim back some of the excess fiberglass.  I left a little fiberglass past the edge of my natural nail, to be filed back later:

Next is the top-coat.  I like this stuff, because it dries quickly and doesn't have a yellow tint like some top-coats do.  I usually end up with three coats of top-coat, so quick-drying is a plus.  Use relatively thin coats.  Thin coats dry quickly; thick coats don't.

After the first coat of top-coat has dried, you can still see the texture of the fiberglass.  We need to smooth over that texture, as it will scrape on the strings and make a nasty sound.

Hit the nail with as many coats of top-coat as you need to smooth over the fiberglass texture, wait a bit for it to dry well, and then dress the end of the nail with an emery board.  Here's the finished nail, shown with some untouched nails for comparison:

In profile, you can see the added thickness that the treatment added to the nail.

Learning how to "glass" my nails was a pivotal event in learning how to play.  My nails are thin and fragile, and even when unbroken don't make a good sound against the strings.  I found no pick that felt natural and made a good sound, but this nail treatment gives me nails that sound good and play well.  It takes about 30-40 minutes to complete a treatment, which I do once a week.  No one solution to the thin/broken/short nail problem will work for everyone, but this one worked for me and I hope it helps someone else.

Edited by - WayneConrad on 03/13/2017 12:26:13

Winged Words - Posted - 03/11/2017:  23:17:41

This is a standard repair procedure amongst classical guitarists and I can vouch for its effectiveness. If you browse on the Delcamp guitar forum there's a whole section on nail care and repair.

From what I've picked up there, perhaps I can add a caveat. This silk or fibreglass plus superglue is intended as, and the kits by Savarez the string people are sold as, a repair method not a permanent solution. I've read that standard superglue can weaken nails if used too frequently. Also that the superglue sold for nail repair is a different, safer, formulation. But that's web hearsay and I don't claim any authority either way.

Just one tip to add: rather than use a metal nail file or emery boards, get a glass/diamond/crystal nail file. They cut cleanly, rather than abrade, helping avoid leaving tiny snags. Add a 4 way nail buffer and you're well equipped.

Edited by - Winged Words on 03/11/2017 23:20:19

Lew H - Posted - 03/12/2017:  12:22:23

Thanks for this presentation.  I bought a kit with fiberglass and silk reinforcement patches, but the glue is very thin and tends to run all over rather than stay in place. My usual problems are horizontally cracked nails and broken off tips.  Can this work to extend the nail slightly, or only reinforce the nail?

Winged Words - Posted - 03/12/2017:  12:52:31

Lew, I use it primarily to mend horizontal breaks as long as part of the nail is still attached. I've never tried extending nails with it. It might work if you use multiple layers, but I'm a little dubious: I think it would be pretty brittle.
Wayne - I've only used silk. Would the fibreglass be tougher?

Edited by - Winged Words on 03/12/2017 12:58:12

Lew H - Posted - 03/12/2017:  14:52:57

Thanks,  I'll try a thicker (more viscous) glue next time I crack a nail.

WayneConrad - Posted - 03/13/2017:  09:23:20

Lew, This technique works for extending the nail.  When I first started doing my nail like this, my picking nail had been badly broken.  Using three or four layers of silk wraps, I built up a playable nail which extended the nail to a playable length.  I used it while the damaged nail underneath grew out..  After my nail was grown out and no longer needed extending, I used just two layers of silk wraps to reinforce it and prevent future breakage.  With the fiberglass, since it's thicker than the silk, I'm using just one layer for reinforcement, but if I were extending the nail I'd use two or three layers of fiberglass.  Probably just two unless I were extending the nail out quite a ways.

Winged, I can't tell any difference in toughness between the fiberglass and the silk.  I'm guessing that the fabric, whether fiberglass or silk, only provides tensile strength.  I'll bet that either has far more strength than is needed here.  Since the fiberglass is thicker, you need fewer layers of it, so get to spend less time doing your nail.

Lew H - Posted - 03/13/2017:  11:44:38

Thanks, Wayne.  Silk is as strong as steel, or so I've heard, but maybe that is match by weight.

hweinberg - Posted - 03/14/2017:  11:12:14

I use silk wrap material rather than fiberglass, but I strengthen the glue layer with "IBD 5-Second Nail Filler Powder".  No problem with strength or durability, and I play on medium gauge strings with a wound third.  Also, if the edge of the wrap starts to lift, I put on a coat of thin nail glue (superglue).  By using a fine file to keep the cuticle-facing edge of the glue smooth and flush with the nail, it doesn't catch the strings, and I can use it until it's grown out down to the last 25% or so. Looking back at what I've written, this sounds like a big production, but it's really not.

Lew H - Posted - 03/14/2017:  11:18:26

I think I have not looked hard enough for good nail products, but just bought crappy stuff at a local store.

Cleitus - Posted - 03/21/2017:  08:21:33

Heck of a lot better way of removing the old - my nail salon used to rip the old stuff off with a pair of miniature side cutters (I kid you not). In the end I stopped going as the underlying nail got very thin and weak. For me Yoghurt (tablespoon of natural a day) has improved them no end.

black flag - Posted - 03/22/2017:  10:57:14

I always had soft, easily broken nails, then two years ago I began adding two tsp of coconut oil to my morning protein drink and haven't broken a nail since then.

Chris

WayneConrad - Posted - 09/02/2017:  18:18:19

I no longer use the Revlon Quick-Dry Top Coat, as it yellows over time.  Instead, I use American Classics "Yellow Stopper" Top Coat.  It does not yellow.  It has a bit of a blue tint when out of doors (so it must fluoresce a bit), but it looks normal when indoors.

I also now put on two layers of fiberglass rather than one.  With two layers, and by gluing down lose edges when they occur, I can get two or three weeks out of a nail before needing to replace it.

bublnsqueak - Posted - 09/05/2017:  07:25:52

This is all very heavy duty.

I have had great success with a nail moisturizer (can't remember the brand now but will hunt it out if asked). Not cheap though!

The idea is that a more flexible nail will absorb the shocks and avoid the cracking brittle experience that people describe.

Works for me

Paul

Edited by - bublnsqueak on 09/05/2017 07:26:37

n1wr - Posted - 12/07/2017:  13:08:52

Or use picks ... Think I'll stick to bluegrass [smile]

Edited by - n1wr on 12/07/2017 13:10:23

Boadicea - Posted - 12/07/2017:  13:15:54

The superglue is definitely not enough WayneConrad. So I moved on to matt nail polish. It doesn't look like nail polish which is good.



I cannot type and use my finger for many things, including chord changes with pointer finger. If I use my pointer finger I get pain. So I am going to get much better at my rolls, and strumming.



My finger nail is cracked in two places on my left hand. This is my chord playing hand.



I have been putting layers of a matt nail polish on it to stop cracking it more.



So the first crack/wound is on the left hand side going along and under the nail.



The second crack goes across the nail, almost two thirds of the way across. I can't play chords without cracking the nail more.



I would like to know the brands of any items that you folks are using @bubInsqueak.

Edited by - Boadicea on 12/07/2017 13:26:21

WayneConrad - Posted - 12/07/2017:  13:47:25

Boadicea -- My experience with using superglue or polish alone to reinforce damaged nails is that the substance debonds or chips off fairly quickly. With fiberglass or silk added, the repair will last much longer. We don't have the same nails or use them the same way, however.

Boadicea - Posted - 12/12/2017:  14:23:17

Thanks for that WayneConrad!

Northl - Posted - 01/27/2018:  16:00:42

The tip from @wingedwords : "rather than use a metal nail file or emery boards, get a glass/diamond/crystal nail file. They cut cleanly, rather than abrade, helping avoid leaving tiny snags. Add a 4 way nail buffer and you're well equipped."



Is this how you do it @WayneConrad? My supplies have arrived ... nail in progress... need better pattern of nail bed next time. Thank you for the helpful instructions.

Edited by - Northl on 01/27/2018 16:16:09

Northl - Posted - 01/27/2018:  16:31:23

Do you leave thumb natural or glass it too? I am so used to short nails it will be very different to have these long things.