The Ping Pong Ball Reinforcement Technique for Guitar Players 

Followed the process in this video, my tips: The nail glue based on cyanoacrylate is and behaves just like superglue. You have about 2 seconds after touching your nail to adjust before it attaches. Readjusting after that will tear the layer of glue apart. Don’t push too much against the nail base or it will hurt the next day after glueing. After that the nail grows enough and the reinforcement won’t push on the nail base. Great video btw, feels pleasantly oldschool because it is short, no BS, straight to the point.

Hi Will, sorted my right hand after the Martin Taylor Zoom last week. An extra tip, no pun intended, is to add a line of superglue into the “step” between existing nail and falsie. Then dab that superglue line into some baking soda. This makes an instant hard filler that can be filed down.

Fantastic idea!

Thanks Will! This is has made a big different to my playing. I'm having way more fun playing guitar and getting a really nice consistent tone. It's great not having to deal with nails wearing down or hooking over. I feel much more confident to dig in and not worry about wearing down my nails. Have you come across ping pong balls that don't adhere properly? I've tried 2 brands of ping pong balls, one stuck very well, and the other just didn't adhere.

When I started guitar playing back when I was 6, I certainly didn't think this video was what I'd end up doing! 😅 Do let me know in the comments if you've ever tried this, or if you do any other kind of nail-reinforcement to help your playing 💅🤙

This is very informative. I've heard of such a way to reinforce your nails. I'll definitely give it a try! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Will, What a great idea, Iv'e always used a guitar pick (tusk) but I also use my idex finger-nail but if your playing for a while it (in my case) it won't stand up to it OR it breaks, so what a brilliant way to strengthen that nail. Iv'e been playing guitar for 55 years now and just gotta say thanks 😮 for the idea, I'm on my Wife's tablet (SUSAN) regards Don from Hamilton NZ 😊

To misquote someone much more famous than I - and sorry I can't remember who - "we start playing the guitar to get the girls, and thirty years later we find ourselves talking to other middle-aged men about doing our nails...".

Bravo!

Very interesting love this creativity

Thanks so much for posting this! I would have never guessed how to do this properly. I play steel string exclusively and I recently started playing dreadnoughts with medium gauge strings and I have noticed they are much tougher on my nails. Many years ago I had the opportunity to speak with John Renbourn backstage just before he was going on and he was hurriedly repairing a broken finger nail and he was using a ping pong ball! I thought he was mad! But he swore by this broken fingernail fix. Many years later I also heard Clive Carroll talking about this same approach as you mentioned. I am going to give this a try!

Well done video, very informative. I was surprised to see how long you keep your nails. Are the nails just for strength or do you find they also improve your tone?

Hi Will, super video. I was shown this by Clive Carroll who I know you know! How long do you find this lasts will showering in the morning or do you protect against water ingress?

Hi Will, Great video.....and great playing in your other videos! I did pongs for about 15 years but have had them off for the last 3-4 years originally taking a break from playing and pursing another career but now Im back, can't be away from playing. Trying to grow real nails and they are getting there but I have very thin fingers and not much "surface to my nail" so Im very much toying with going back to pongs. It aways added surface area and a controllable more "flat" surface to contact the string. I would occasionally break or rip off real nails being careless with applying and taking off pongs ......I think Im going to make a strong effort to keep the real nail strong and healthy to avoid this. Your real nails look great....do you use anything on them? And what's your take on removing the pongs safely as to not rip off real nail? Thanks!

Gonna try this again .. saw with Clive too , but it didn't get right, i missed some details, i think. I play nylon and still my nails are not strong enough for it nowadays What about the thumb / pinky , do you use something to get stronger nails? And how long does it take to renew the ping pong nails? Thanks for the video !

Hi Will... great video - Thanks!.. What happens as the nail grows out though?..

Well I'll be!

Nail painting when?

But how often do you have to do this? I mean, as the finger nail grows out, at some point you will reach the end of the old installed ping pong ball. But at that point, won't you lack enough original nail to do it again?

What do you do as your nails start to grow?

Found my way here looking for methods to repair a bad split across my thumbnail. Interesting! …but in my particular situation this isn’t going to help unfortunately. For one thing the split on my thumbnail is below the thumb edge. This is more of a preemptive reinforcement than a post accident repair you’re doing here. I don’t often crack a thumbnail but I don’t have my nails as long as yours so less flex in my case and perhaps therefore less chance of splits. Clearly it works but I am surprised that it doesn’t put more stress on the nail at the picking side edge point where the nail reinforced with the ping pong ball borders the natural nail and thereby make it more vulnerable to splits.

What about the thumb nail Will? Don't you need to reinforce that as well?