Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) Does anyone here have any experience of taking biotin suppliments or applying any kind of (clear) nail varnish/topcoat to strengthen their nails for fingerpicking guitar/ukulele? I'm playing my acoustic tenor guitar quite a lot and I want to improve my right hand technique and tone so I'm going to grow my nails on my right hand. Last time I grew them out for playing ukulele they split/cracked after just a few days so I think I will need to strengthen them this time. Any advice on the best way to make the nails less prone to cracking/spliting? Edited July 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Pickguard typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Cover them in epoxy resin - worked for jaco... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) When I played in a folk rock band the guitarists ate bags of jelly babies. They said the gelatin was good for strengthening their nails. Super glue is good for split nails, and I guess you could cover the whole nail with glue or varnish. Edited July 18, 2020 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFry Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Probably not a help to you, but I'll just throw a few related bits into the discussion. When I play ukulele, it's finger pickinging 50+% of the time. However I don't use the nail, but pick with the flesh. That works out OK and sounds good to my ears. When I play acoustic guitar, I occasionally finger pick... again with the flesh. It can make my fingers sore, so I limit how much I do it. It's only for my own entertainment, or a turn or two in a folk circle, so that works OK. The fingernail issue I do have is when I strum the steel-strung acoustic with fingernails... they gradually wear down /thin and I have to limit the time I do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) I don't eat meat, so jelly babies won't work for me. 🙁 the James Taylor video looks useful, particularly cleaning the nail with acetone and roughening it before adding anything. My mail uke is a tenor tuned DGBE with baritone strings so playing with nails brightens the tone & helps getting some volume. Edited July 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Pickguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) Go to a nail bar. They can build a thicker and harder casing on top of the original nail. I know an old-time banjo player who does this and it is very effective. Now they've got used to only having to do 2 of his fingers, it's all good. Edited July 19, 2020 by pete.young Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 My dad in law gets acrylic nails on his right hand for playing acoustic guitar. I use the boney bit of my finger tips to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 I used to use paint on nail strengthener from high street pharmacy. Does the job just fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brook_fan Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Many of my guitar playing friends have acrylic nails which they get done at their local nail bar. Ive always used my own natural nails, but don’t actually have them too long (not as long as a classical guitarist anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Clive Carroll sticks slivers of ping pong balls under his nail tips, with superglue, if I remember rightly. I don’t use nails any more, just finger tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Check out Martin Simpson; he uses silk wraps. It’s about 23:20 he mentions it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 A friend of mine (classical player) fixes his nails with superglue and glass fibres. This mixture makes his nails really like plectras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Johnny Hiland goes to his Nailbar, imagine you could check out your nearest reopened ones for their heavier duty options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 55 minutes ago, itu said: A friend of mine (classical player) fixes his nails with superglue and glass fibres. This mixture makes his nails really like plectras. Must admit I'm tempted to use Superglue, I grow my right hand nails to play acoustic and they then break the moment I start playing bass again. I wonder if there's any risks (although given Superglue was apparently developed for surgical purposes I'm guessing not, or at least low)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 22 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: I don't eat meat, so jelly babies won't work for me. 🙁 My solution was spinach. I love the stuff anyway but I committed to a fistful of the stuff every day and it really helped with the speed and quality of nail growth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 11 hours ago, songofthewind said: Clive Carroll sticks slivers of ping pong balls under his nail tips, with superglue, if I remember rightly. I don’t use nails any more, just finger tips. Gordon Giltrap uses the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 I used to eat bone meal tablets, believing that they would strengthen my nails. Obviously no good for veggies. Vegetable sources of calcium are, soy bean products, broccoli, cabbage, cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Re nutrition, given the complex and very wide ranging roles of protein in the body, if you were so deficient that your nails were weak you’d have a whole lot of more serious problems to deal with, despite what the internet might say. Like bones, hair, teeth etc, density varies from person to person, so if you’re at the low end, you probably need more help than extra protein. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 50 minutes ago, Beedster said: Re nutrition, given the complex and very wide ranging roles of protein in the body, if you were so deficient that your nails were weak you’d have a whole lot of more serious problems to deal with, despite what the internet might say. Like bones, hair, teeth etc, density varies from person to person, so if you’re at the low end, you probably need more help than extra protein. After I left uni I didn't eat very well for several months. My fingernails all fell off, followed a few weeks later by my toenails. No other apprent effects but I decided not to scrimp on food after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: After I left uni I didn't eat very well for several months. My fingernails all fell off, followed a few weeks later by my toenails. No other apprent effects but I decided not to scrimp on food after that. Sounds like a tendency towards poor nail health plus poor nutrition, most people's nails will survive poor nutrition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 2 hours ago, Beedster said: Sounds like a tendency towards poor nail health plus poor nutrition, most people's nails will survive poor nutrition I've never had any other nail issues. Apparently delaminatin of both finger and toenails without external cause can be a sign of iron deficiency, which would quite feasibly have been the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 many years ago when I played classical guitar, I used clear nail varnish, and always had an emery board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 When, as an old, bald, fat bloke, I enter the nail shop and ask them to do my long nails, nobody lifts an eyelid. I think my high heels and summer gown do this. Just a helpful hint. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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