Step 1

Make sure your nails are clean and dry before application.
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.

Step 2

All of our nails should be applied to only a bit more than 1/2, to 3/4 your nail plate. The length of the nail will be determined by measuring from approximately that point on your nail. Natural nails should be kept short.

Step 3

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

Step 4

Cut off any excess material a little bit at a time until it's the same width as your nail. If you cut off a bit too much, that's fine. Just make sure the short side is on the right (pinky) side of your nail plate.

Step 5

Next you want to put a curve in the Instant Nail that will match the curve of your natural nail. To do this, press the Instant Nail against the manicure stick, and then while pressing the nail against the stick, roll it back and forth from side to side to create the curve. If you're using our "Instant Nail ll", use the manicure stick (as shown), with the "Instant Nail llX" or "CLX", use the larger diameter dowel we include along with these nails. (See video clip here). Round nose pliers, also work really well to create a fast and accurate curve.

Step 6

Make sure that the curve of the Instant Nail matches the shape of your natural nail as close as possible.  You want to shape it so that when you dry fit the Instant Nail on top of your natural nail, it matches the shape of your natural nail as close as possible.

Step 7

Next you can use some round nose pliers (highly recommended), or nail clippers to bend the Instant Nail to match the curve of your natural nail. (As a note, we recommend using toenail clippers over fingernail clippers as they are stronger and work better.)

Step 8

Do any final adjusting to match the curve of your nail as close as possible. Round nose pliers work great for this, you can also use your fingers and nail clippers to bend the nail material. Do what's necessary to match the curves and shape of your natural nail as close as possible.

Step 9

Next, you can use a pipette to dispense the nail glue, (included in our kit). You can also dispense directly from the glue bottle. To use the pipette, dispense a good size drop of thin super glue on a non-porous surface.

Step 10

Then squeeze the pipette, put the tip into the glue, then "unsqueeze" the pipette to siphon in the glue.

Step 11

Dry fit the Instant Nail. You're going to apply all of our nails to only about  3/4 of the nail plate. That's all you need for good adherence. Apply so that there is no gap at the front of the nail. If the Instant Nail comes up off the back of the natural nail a bit, that's O.K. You can trim that off with some nail clippers. Make sure the nail is applied evenly, so that the left side of the nail is the same height as the right side, and it has good symmetry.

Step 12

Apply a thin layer of glue to your natural nail. Apply the Instant Nail so that there is no gap at the front of the nail. This will allow the nail to follow the curve of your natural nail.

Step 13

Apply the Instant Nail, and hold down for several seconds, to up to a minute or so, depending on how much glue you used and other factors. Hold with medium pressure. Hold until it sets. Make sure you apply pressure evenly during application so that you don't have one side that's too high. You want a nice, symmetric curve. If you'd like quicker adhesion, you can spray the Instant Nail with a small amount of nail glue dryer before application. (Don't spray your natural nail).

Step 14

After that sets, you can glue down the rest of the nail by "backfilling". This is an important step, as it allows the glue to wick into areas you may have missed, and this will also ensure that the nail is sealed at the seam. See a clip of backfilling here. While backfilling the nail, point your finger down, vertically towards the floor, so you have gravity on your side. Using one of our pipettes, a small diameter extender tip, or just the original glue dispenser, dispense some glue behind the nail. You only want to dispense a small amount of glue at a time, (especially if using nail glue dryer), as it can build up heat. So just add a little bit at a time when back filling. The glue will "wick" in behind the nail, and go where it needs to go. After backfilling you can spray a bit of nail glue dryer at the seam to dry and set the nail quickly. Or you can let it set on its own doesn't take long.

Step 15

You can use some mild nail glue dryer to quickly seal and dry the glue. The nail glue dryer will instantly seal the nail at the seam and hold it in place. If you're not using nail glue dryer at this point, wait a minute or two before going on to the next step.

Step 16

At this point, you can do a rough trim of the Instant Nail tip. You want to leave it a bit long for shaping and filing that you'll be doing a bit later.

Step 17

Trim any excess material that's up off the back of the nail. Get in behind the nail with some clippers, and remove as much of the nail that isn't glued down as you can.

Step 18

Next, you're going to taper the Instant Nail into your natural nail plate. A course or medium grit emery board type file works well to start. Then you can finish with lighter grits or sandpaper.

Step 19

However the fastest and best method for tapering the nail will be obtained by using a rotary nail file with a good bit. A flat barrel carbide bit works great for tapering and removing old nails. If you're a serious player and use any type of artificial nail or do nail repairs, we highly recommend getting a rotary nail file. If you have a Dremel tool, many of them can be used as a rotary nail file as well. The rotary file we carry works well, has variable speed, and works well at low speeds. Use your left thumb to stabilize the rotary file as you file the nail. (See clip of using rotary file here)

Step 20

With a rotary file you can monitor your filing as you're doing so. You can precisely taper the entire nail very quickly. (Note how the left thumb is used to stabalize the file). It will take longer with a manual file, but can also do a good job. If tapering with an emery board type file, it's best to leave the border edge a bit higher than flush, then add a little nail glue, or a thicker brush on nail glue or resin to finish the taper. When finished tapering, using the pipette, add a bit more thin glue along the border area you just tapered. This will further make sure the nail is sealed. Always make sure that the nail is sealed at the border where the Instant Nail meets the natural nail.

Step 21

Next as an option, you can spray the nail with a little nail glue dryer to speed up drying, or it will dry pretty quickly on its own. Use some 1500 grit sandpaper to finish. The end result is a perfectly smooth, tapered nail.

Step 22

At this point, you can file and shape the Instant Nail to your preference, taper underneath if needed (see Step 31) and you're done.

For extra strength, you can add some silk wrap...

Silk wrap is used to add a bit more strength and rigidity to the nail. Wrap is also used as a tool for customizing tone. This is a matter of personal preference whether to use wrap or not. It depends on which GuitarPlayerNail you're using, your individual playing style, and tone preferences.

Step 23

When using wrap, cut yourself a piece the length of, and a bit wider than the nail.
If you want to reinforce just the tip of the nail, you can cut a narrow strip of wrap and apply it just to the tip of the nail.

Step 24

Our wrap is self-adhering. Simply peel off and adhere it to the top of the nail.

Step 25

Trim the wrap all around so that it's the same shape as the nail. Using nail clippers works well for removing excess wrap. You don't have to be perfect, get as close as you can. You can leave the excess wrap on before applying the glue, and then trim off the excess with nail clippers after the glue has been applied.

Step 26

Apply some nail glue to the wrap. You want to apply enough glue to cover the fibers of the wrap completely, but not so much as to pool.

Step 27

Spray a little mild nail glue dryer, or let it dry on its own. The wrap dries pretty quickly on its own, but a bit faster with the dryer.. Then smooth and finish the top of the nail with a fine file and/or some 1500 grit sandpaper.

Step 28

File the nail from underneath with a rotary nail file. Using an under the nail bit, remove any excess natural nail or glue that is under the nail. If you don't have a rotary file, the end of an emery board type file will work.

Step 29

Just lightly file under the nail to remove excess material.

Step 30

You can also use the end of a fine grit emery board type file and some 1500 grit sandpaper folded a couple of times with a curve to finish underneath the nail.

Congratulations!

You've got a great new nail.

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.