Nail filing convert?

[Sporky]

Here is a recent discovery for me that may be of interest?
I always carry my tiny Victorinox Classic knife and a few years ago I stopped using nail 'clippers' altogether. I think that the tiny scissors are great for cutting nails.
I've never used a proper nail file before, and when my nails get a splinter/start catching on clothing, I cringe and pull out my Classic and do a little touch up, use the tiny nail file a bit.
Googling this I saw Brad Bordessa's video on shaping nails with a glass file and decided to give it a go. I ordered a Mont Bleu file from Amazon. Apparently many cheap ones use a 'spray' grit on top of glass which wears off, but these are true etched glass. The result has been great and I don't want to be without in the future. My nails have not caught on anything/splintered in the 3 weeks since I got it. No need to use scissors even really, the glass file is enough to keep them at the desired length.
I'm still experimenting with right hand nail shape but keeping them super short and smooth on my fretting fingers has been A++.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

A few years back I became aware that nail length was an issue for Uke players. Basically they need to be near zero length in the fretting hand and nicely shaped on the strumming / plucking hand - level with finger tips seems about right. I started using a traditional metal nail file and now I use emery type boards ... it feels an unnatural thing for a guy to be doing but maybe I’m too old fashioned.

I’m told that the glass files are the way to go but they’re not cheap, I’m tight fisted and emery boards aren’t expensive. Who’d have thought it, nail care matters when you play a Uke.

Edit. Maybe the prices have changed over the last couple of years? A visit to eBay brings up many glass nail files that are ‘dirt cheap’ but quite what will arrive I’m not so sure of.

 

[clear]

I'm a convert too.
But I mainly file my right hand for finger style. I find that the nails have to be either long or short and can't be middle length. So I keep them short.

I use Revlon emery board files with corse and fine sides. Each one lasts a little over a month of use... so a pack will last me over 2 years. BTW, apparently there's a right way to file nails to produce a smooth nail edge; I didn't know any of this until I started to file a few months ago.

 

[peanuts56]

I usually use a metal file on my right hand. If the nails get too long I clip a small amount off and then file. Got to be careful when using the nail clipper and I've screwed up a few times early on.

 

[wqking]

Any one used some China made files? Here in China I can't find many high quality files, most are under 1 or 2 dollars, which I don't trust.
How about Mr.Green metal file? A German brand made in China. It's about $5~$6 here, far cheaper than the one OP mentioned, but it's already the expensive one here...
I have a metal file which is included in a suite that I think is low quality and I can't like it.

 

[Canada Jim]

. . . it feels an unnatural thing for a guy to be doing but maybe I’m too old fashioned.

I’m told that the glass files are the way to go but they’re not cheap, I’m tight fisted and emery boards aren’t expensive. Who’d have thought it, nail care matters when you play a Uke.

I visit the nail salon regularly and get my right index, bird and ring fingernails done in acrylic (or I did prior to COVID). I also play guitar and clawhammer banjo and my nails are very weak, so when I discovered acrylic nails a couple of decades ago, I started getting them done. In some ways I am probably old fashioned (I'm 77 after all), but for a musician to look after his or her nails does not at all seem an unnatural thing for a guy or gal to be doing.
I buy my emery boards from the nail salon.

 

[Steedy]

Many years ago, while studying classical guitar at university, I learned to file my nails to get a good tone. I still file and/or buff the nails on my picking hand almost every day.

I use glass nail files and Oasis nail shapers from Strings By Mail. The glass files last a long time, but the Oasis nail shapers wear out pretty quickly, so I mostly use cheap nail buffers from the supermarket to buff my nails until the edges are nice and smooth.

 

[ripock]

I'm with Mike $. I keep my picking hand nails short. In my case I do it because I do not like the feeling of my nails getting caught on things. I've ripped off too many nails while working with my hands to feel good about having my nails catch on the strings. Oh, and the timbre as well

 

[Brad Bordessa]

How about Mr.Green metal file? A German brand made in China. It's about $5~$6 here, far cheaper than the one OP mentioned, but it's already the expensive one here...
I have a metal file which is included in a suite that I think is low quality and I can't like it.

I have never seen a metal file that doesn't leave a ragged edge. You can use fine grit sandpaper too if that's easier to find.

 

[wqking]

I have never seen a metal file that doesn't leave a ragged edge. You can use fine grit sandpaper too if that's easier to find.

Ragged edge is what I experimented with metal file. I will look for sandpaper and glass file.

 

[anthonyg]

I use nail files (cheap ones) to do the rough shaping and then use nail buffers from the salon to buff the edges smooth. These buffers are a small foam block that has 3 different grades of sandpaper on 3 different faces. I also get my nails reenforced with acrylic on a regular basis at a nail salon.

 

[Blank Williams]

I used to bite my nails and it took concerted effort to quit. Now I use those lever type of clippers and keep them short, because I hate the sound of fingernails against the strings, it sounds to plastic, or plucky. I love the warm sound that picking with the skin brings. I find that I don't need to file them because I don't use them to pick.

That pretty much describes me as well. Though I’ll use the tops on my nails sometimes for strumming.

 

[VegasGeorge]

Glass files all the way for me. Once I discovered them, I never looked back. I clip with tweezerman clippers, then use the glass files. You can get the glass files in varying grits for shaping and smoothing.

 

[Jan D]

I bought my glass file 15 years ago and it’s still going strong. A quick rinse under running water after each use keeps it looking and functioning like new. Decent ones can be found at a very reasonable price, often at local drugstores, grocery stores, and department stores. The only use I have for a metal file is to dig dirt out from under my fingernails. Using one to actually file my nails feels like trying to fine-sand a piece of wood with a scouring pad.

 

[Luke Plays Uke]

For years I used the file on my Swiss Army knife and it would do good enough, but getting a real file with different grits was a game changer. Now I just need to worry about breaking them on random things (my day job gets rough on the hands sometimes), or picking them off which is a habit I’ve had since I was old enough to put my hands together. It takes a lot to remember NOT to pick my fingernails SUPER short and I’m usually okay, but when stressful things happen, they’re toast. My wife knows exactly what I mean if I text her that my fingernails are gone. ;-)

 

[necessaryrooster]

I've noticed that even when I grow the nails out on my picking hand I still pluck the strings with my fingertips. I think I need the tactile response.

 

[Sporky]

I've noticed that even when I grow the nails out on my picking hand I still pluck the strings with my fingertips. I think I need the tactile response.

I kinda feel the same way about plucking. That's why I'm still experimenting. I really like the connection with the strings and the sound. It may not be ideal for performance, I don't know since I only play at home. But the filing on my right has nevertheless improved my quality of life And really helps with fretting fingers.

 

[wqking]

I get a glass file and just tried it. It's much much better than metal file.

 

[bacchettadavid]

Frets Halligan (Charlie Rancke) taught me to keep an all-in-one nail shaper/filer/buffer/polisher in the uke case. I have since graduated to glass files and fine sandpaper for my nail care, but I’m definitely a file convert.

Another trick Frets taught me was to lubricate my nails with a little oil/sebum from my hair roots/scalp. This can help with speed and reduce nail noise even further when necessary.

 

[Mo So]

My thumbnails have a tendancy to rip right at the nail/skin join, starting in the corner. I've tried superglue (VERY temporary), clear nail polish (nah). I was thinking that what I need is micro-scale fiberglass cloth (or similar) - a tight weave that I could lay over the split and then superglue down. The nails on my index and middle finger are fine and I can't use my ring finger or pinkie on my right hand because of damage from a bicycling accident that happened decades ago.