GuitarPlayerNails

Instant Nail material and methods of application are the result of much experimentation
and formulation. The end result is a durable nail that has the qualities and diversity
of tone of a natural fingernail. They're easy to work with, apply, and to remove.
Once you gain a little experience, average time of application is less than 10 minutes.

Here are step by step instructions
of how to apply Instant Nails.

Please make sure to also read the written instructions

that go along with these pictures before applying.

Also be sure to check out the real time video at the bottom of this page.

(1) (a) (b)

Instant Nails have a (a) lightly textured side, and a (b) non textured side.

You want to apply the Instant Nail with the textured side down.

That's the side that will be glued to your nail plate.

(2) (a) (b)

The first step is to cut yourself a piece of the Instant Nail material a bit
longer than needed, and a bit wider than your nail. Since Instant nails
are applied to only half your nail, the length will be determined by measuring
from approximately the middle of your nail plate.

(3) (a) (b)

(a) Measure the Instant Nail against your nail. Be sure to bend

the Instant Nail a bit to the contour of your nail while doing so.

(b) Cut off any excess material a little bit at a time until it's the
same width as your nail.

(4) (a) (b)

Next you want to put a curve in the Instant Nail that will match the contour

of your nail. To do this, press the textured side of the Instant Nail against
the manicure stick, and then roll it back and forth to create the curve.
Get the curve to match the shape of your natural nail as close as possible.

(5) (a) (b)

If needed, you can use some nail clippers to lightly hold the Instant Nail,

then bend down the sides to match the contour of your nail plate. (b) Do

any final adjusting to match the shape of your nail as close as possible.

(6) (a) (b)

(a) Next, you want to get some glue into the pipette. To do this,
dispense a good size drop of thin super glue on a non-porous surface,
(b) then squeeze the pipette to siphon in the glue.

(7) (a) (b)

(a) Next, dry fit the Instant Nail. You're going to apply it to the front
half of your nail plate only. You want to apply the nail so that it has a
slight downward angle. Doing so will make the back of the Instant Nail

come up off your nail plate a bit, that's o.k., you'll be trimming it off later.

(b) Next, add a thin layer of super glue to the front half of the nail. Don't
apply too much glue. You will be adding more glue by "back filling" a little
later, (step 9 b). Use the pipette to evenly spread the glue.

(8) (a) (b)

(a) Then lightly apply the Instant Nail covering about 1/2 of your nail plate.
Make sure it's positioned correctly with a slight downward angle. (See 7a).

In addition to other advantages, doing so will assure that the Instant Nail is adhering to the front of your natural nail plate, and there will be no gaps where they meet. The back of the Instant Nail will come up off your nail plate a bit. (b) Then hold in place for about 30 seconds or so until dry. Using your thumbs to
hold the Instant Nail in place works well. Hold down with medium pressure.

(9) (a) (b)

(a) At this point you can do a rough trim of the nail tip. (b) Then do a
rough trim of the excess material that's up off the back of the nail.
Don't trim the back of the nail "flush" at this point, you'll be doing
that at the end of 10b.

(10) (a) (b)

(a) Then add a small amount of thin super glue behind the seam line, it will fill
in where it's needed. You'll be able to see the glue as it is applied. Stop when the glue has filled in behind the nail. (b) Then you can spray some mild nail glue dryer to quickly seal and dry the glue. (Or you can let it dry on its own). Next with nail clippers, trim the nail as flush as you can to the nail plate. (Same as 9b only flush).

(11) (a) (b)

Next, you're going to taper the Instant Nail into your natural nail plate.
(a) A course grit, emery board type file works well to start with. Then
you can finish with lighter grits. (Our 4 way file works well for this).
(b) However, the fastest and best results will be obtained using an
automatic rotary nail file with a good carbide bit. There are many
other bits to choose from, most of them work pretty well. Carbide

bits work the best for tapering..

(12) (a) (b)

(a) With a rotary file you can monitor your filing as you're doing so. Together

with a good carbide bit, it's quick, precise, and builds up very little heat friction.

With it you can precisely taper the entire nail in about a minute. If you don't have
a rotary file, you can use a 4 way file starting with the coarse grit, and end with
the finer grit. It takes a little longer, and is a little harder to achieve a smooth taper,
but with a little patience you can do a pretty good job.( If Instant Nails work well for you, get yourself a rotary file). Then use some 1500 grit sandpaper to finish. (b) End result is a perfectly smooth, tapered nail, with no natural nail removed.

(13) (a) (b)

(a) At this point, you can file and shape the Instant Nail to your preference,

then taper underneath, (see17a) and you're done. Or (b) you can add
some fiberglass wrap for extra strength. If this is your first time using Instant Nails, try them without any fiberglass wrap first, as they're very durable without it. You can also just add super glue without the wrap to the nail,
and then spray with some Nail glue dryer. This method only takes a few seconds. Use thin coats of super glue when using nail glue dryer to prevent excess heat. Build up enough layers of glue to be strong and not brittle.

(14) (a) (b)

(a) If you decide to use some wrap, make sure you leave the Instant Nail a
little long, then cut yourself a piece just a bit longer and wider than your nail.
It's self adhering . Simply peel off, then adhere it to the top of the Instant Nail.
(b) Next trim the fiberglass wrap all around so that it's the same shape as the
nail. You don't need to be perfect. Get as close as you can.

(15) (a) (b)

(a) Next, apply some super glue to the fiberglass wrap. (b) Have some Kleenex handy if you want to blot any excess glue. Blot quickly to remove excess glue and to avoid sticking the Kleenex to the nail. You can add
more layers if desired. It's recommended that you don't use too thin a
coat of super glue. With super glue there's a fine line between strength
and brittleness. You want it thick enough to be strong, but not too thick
to effect the tone adversely. With a little experience you'll find the right
balance. Any problems that arise during this step are easy to remedy.

(16) (a) (b)

(a) Next, you can spray a little mild nail glue dryer, or let it dry on its own.
When using nail glue dryer on super glue, the more glue you use, the more
heat is produced, so start with a thinner coat if you've never used it before.
You can have a spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol to spray the nail if it gets a
bit too hot. Next smooth and finish the top of the nail with a fine rotary nail bit
or file, and some 1500 grit sandpaper. (b) After this, you can taper the nail
from underneath. You can use the end of an emery board type file, but the
most efficient way is to use a rotary file with an "under the nail" bit. There are different styles of under the nail bits to choose from. They also work well for removing any glue that can get under the nail.

(17) (a) (b)

(a) When tapering underneath the nail, the idea is not to file off the natural nail underneath, but to taper it smooth into the Instant Nail above it. The
result is an incredibly smooth nail, that will give you a very pure sound.
A little filing goes a long way. Try out your nail on a guitar string to test.
(b) Then you can also use the end of a fine grit file and some 1500 grit sandpaper folded a couple of times with a curve, to finish underneath the nail..

(18) (a) (b)

(a) The end result is a durable, great sounding nail that feels like your own. It's also a nail you don't have to worry about. If something happens to it, you can remove it and apply another one in a few minutes. Always file the Instant Nail off to remove, it only takes a minute or two.. Never peel or try to soak it off with chemicals. Because of our methods of application, and because you're only applying the Instant Nail to the front half of the nail plate, they're very safe to use on a regular basis. In four years and over 3,000 customers, there have been no nail problems reported of any kind. (b) The same finished nail with a little commercial nail polish/hardener applied.

Click here to see an Instant Nail applied in real
time from start to finish. It follows the above steps. .

If you have any questions, or if any problems arise, don't hesitate to contact us!
We have lots of experience with any situations that might occur. If you don't achieve the exact
tone and performance that you want from our nails, give us a call or e-mail us. We'll make sure you do.

916-631-4219

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