Nail lacquer?

thomasross20 · November 2022

As part of a song I'm learning, I need to repeatedly thwack down on the strings with my nails and it's worn them low to the point of hurting. Does anybody use any sort of lacquer to strengthen the nails? Oo-er missus lol

bertie · November 2022

Barielle cream - paid about £8 on Amazon

Image: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51stCnkOWNL._AC_UL320_.jpg

BillDL · November 2022

Just keep doing what you are doing and it will eventually expose the bone of your Distal Phalanges, then you won't need to worry about your nails

thomasross20 · November 2022

Haha no thanks!

Bertie thanks for that, will check it out !!

BillDL · November 2022

Are you smacking the back of your nails down onto the strings like a rasgueado technique, or like a West Indian calypso thing? If so, I doubt you will find any lacquer that wouldn't wear through or chip quite rapidly. Even something rock hard like 2-part epoxy resin of some nature would probably wear through, but the danger of something that hard is if you catch your nail in a downward move on the edge of something it could be so hard it would tear your whole nail right off rather than breaking it at the quick. This happened to me years ago when I used thin tissue and hard lacquer to thicken and strengthen my nails when I was learning a lot of acoustic guitar. It ripped the nail right up out of the bed and I had it taped down for months to try and heal it. the nail never grew the same again and has an odd shaped corner now.

DartmoorHedgehog · November 2022

I play with nails all the time (even for heavy stuff on electric - I know I'm a weirdo but I can't get on with using plectrums). I spread superglue on the backs of the first two fingers of the right hand. It lasts long enough for a gig or band practice, then needs redoing (clean off with acetone and repaint). Otherwise I'd wear through the nails every gig.

Tannin · November 2022

@thomasross20 ; simply go to a nail salon and get them to do the required number of fingers with acrylic. They will buff a little for a clean surface contact, paint on a layer of varnish, then dip your finger in acrylic powder. They will do this four or five times, then paint on a hard, smooth surface layer. Takes 10 or 15 minutes, costs about ten pounds, works brilliantly!

(Plus hanging around in a nail salon with all those women is never unpleasant.)

(An alternative method is to use a brush dipped in varnish first, then in the powder. This only needs one layer, but it then needs to be polished down a bit for a good surface. This works fine too. Just go with whatever method your nail lady is comfortable with.)

PS: do not get the plastic extensions. You don't need them and they sound horrible. Just varnish and acrylic powder. Any nail salon can do it for you.)

guitars4you · November 2022

Years ago there was an old blues based player in the Derby area who always joked that he just used Super Glue - just spread thin as required

DartmoorHedgehog · November 2022

guitars4you said:

Years ago there was an old blues based player in the Derby area who always joked that he just used Super Glue - just spread thin as required

I put it on fairly thickly. Thin (as in runny) superglue, blob on the nail and sort of "flowed" out with a scrap of paper. It dries like a layer of varnish. It wears through after a few hours' playing (quicker with lots of heavy strumming), but easy enough to reapply. When it gets really chipped and is still a mess after being "touched up" with new glue, clean it off with acetone. I've been doing it for years and haven't died of cyanide or acetone poisoning yet.

bertie · November 2022

Ive read but dont know for sure, that using the acrylic / false nail route for any length of time will severely weaken the nail

back in the old days Ive heard of people gluing "falsies" cut from ping-pong balls

DartmoorHedgehog · November 2022

bertie said:

Ive read but dont know for sure, that using the acrylic / false nail route for any length of time will severely weaken the nail

back in the old days Ive heard of people gluing "falsies" cut from ping-pong balls

I've not had any side-effects from using superglue - but I do have quite thick strong nails anyway. I've used the ping-pong ball method a couple of times when I've broken a nail too soon before a gig to grow it back, but recently I've pinched actual false nails from my daughter

Tannin · November 2022

bertie said:

Ive read but dont know for sure, that using the acrylic / false nail route for any length of time will severely weaken the nail

back in the old days Ive heard of people gluing "falsies" cut from ping-pong balls

I understand that this is true, @bertie. However I have had acrylic applied permanently for a couple of years now with no ill-effects at all. I think it must vary from one person to another. I have naturally weak nails, by the way.

As for the ping pong ball thing, you can get some seriously bad tone that way. With a falsie, after a bit of playing you start to get delamination. The natural nail grows, all three layers wear at different rates, and it sounds awful.

bertie · November 2022

@tanin ; - gotcha

thomasross20 · November 2022

Sorry guys, been busy but will reply properly when can

Tannin · November 2022

I know, I know. You've been out having your nails done.

ToneControl · November 2022

bertie said:

Barielle cream - paid about £8 on Amazon

this stuff is amazing
costed me more than that last time

ToneControl · November 2022

I tried acrylic
It can make the end of the nail thicker, which changes the tone
You can make the ends thinner, which helps

Overall I don't like them, but if you were playing live every night, probably essential to make it work

GTC · November 2022

Another vote for Barielle - brilliant

Snags · November 2022

Another vote for the Barielle stuff here.

My nails used to get to an OK length, and then tear along the edge of the white bit. Following recommendations on here got some Barielle and used it twice a day for a few weeks (tiny amounts at a time) and it's not been a problem since. Noticeable imporvement after only 3 weeks or so of using it. Now I just put it on once or twice a week, a bit more if I'm doing more finger-picking.

Stuff lasts for ages too (unless Mrs Snags gets hold of it. I have no idea what she does with it, but she's fucking demolished the current pot in the space of a fortnight).

bertie · November 2022

@snags @ToneControl ;; -

been using it about 6 - 8 weeks now, once or twice a day (if I remember) they are certainly a bit stronger, but what I have just noticed, its fixed a week spot on my middle finger, that used to get to 2 or 3 mm, then split about 1/3 of the way in, "vertical" split back towards the quick but only along the external/protruding bit - I guess there was a weakness somewhere along back to the quick as it always split in the same place . Id had it for about 3 years..............and it looks to have gone now - just, about a week or so ago

Im assuming its "helping" back at the quick, and massaging it in is helping promote new "un broken" nail growth

Ive also got a weak spot developed on the thumb nail, its an angled split, so the "top" is 1/3 away from thumb edge but is angled back to the same edge so closer to the edge "under the nail" - if that makes sense - but this isnt "yet" fixed -

Snags · November 2022

@bertie I mostly use a pick, but use fingers for the odd song where my picking dexterity isn't up to it, or there are awkward splits (my hybrid picking is non-existent). So my nails don't get too much abuse, but they do get a bit.

I can tell now when I've forgotten to use it for too long.

The other thing I did at the same time to improve matters was get Mrs Snags to sort me out with a decent quality glass nail file, which I use regularly.

bertie · November 2022

@snags ;;; - quite literally got some glass files couple of week back - massively better/finer than anything "sand or metal" based Ive used previously.

under a tenner on Amazon - pack of 3 small/med/large (large is about 5" )

ah ere ya go - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08YK1CPN6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1

ToneControl · November 2022

bertie said:

@snags @ToneControl ;; -

been using it about 6 - 8 weeks now, once or twice a day (if I remember) they are certainly a bit stronger, but what I have just noticed, its fixed a week spot on my middle finger, that used to get to 2 or 3 mm, then split about 1/3 of the way in, "vertical" split back towards the quick but only along the external/protruding bit - I guess there was a weakness somewhere along back to the quick as it always split in the same place . Id had it for about 3 years..............and it looks to have gone now - just, about a week or so ago

Im assuming its "helping" back at the quick, and massaging it in is helping promote new "un broken" nail growth

Ive also got a weak spot developed on the thumb nail, its an angled split, so the "top" is 1/3 away from thumb edge but is angled back to the same edge so closer to the edge "under the nail" - if that makes sense - but this isnt "yet" fixed -

what I also do is file them smooth with a very fine glass nail shaper, then smooth with very very fine nail blocks- those ones intended to smooth the surface of nails, then use the "shine / buff" surface, which is a polishing surface. i.e. very fine abrasives
Once very fine (check with a magnifying glass to see the difference), my nails rarely split or tear

Mellish · November 2022

Ive weak nails so I've sent off for Barrielle after reading this thread.

Thanks @bertie ;

GTC · November 2022

It should be mentioned that Barielle is brilliant (I am a regular user) - but it is not an instant hardening lacquer. It is a very good nail strengthening cream which needs a little time to start having effect (I noticed positive results in the first week with the recommended initial twice-a-day application).

Also, as has been said, elsewhere, examine your nails regularly and, at the least sign of uneveness, splitting or cracking, then file and buff them out.

It is a bit ironic that fingerstyle guitarists spend a lot of time and money experimenting with different strings, nut/beidge materials and even bridge pins whilst neglecting fingernails - which can have such a major impact on tone. I'm as guilty as anyone.

thomasross20 · September 2023

Just got my barielle (thanks for all recommendations) - tiny pot so hope it lasts. Will report back in some months..

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