ive just got a soft touch fibre glass kit from aston and fincher, havent done it in years. but read the instruction and followed them to the letter, they look lush i love them!!

but i have noticed that the top two layers of gel wrap is lifting exposing the fibre glass it looks really white and dry, yet i saturated it is glue.
wondered if you could help me as its been a while.

also can i put a gel top coat over the top for a more permanent shine?

thank you for your help and knowledge

xx

It always makes me laugh when I read a post like yours .. they look lovely .. they look lush but they are lifting and exposing the fibreglass!! How can they look lovely or lush if they are doing that?

Anyway If there is lifting, you will have to remove it and re do the nail. There must be some barrier that has caused the adhesive resin to lift off. It's very important that you do not touch the fabric with your fingers ever!!!

Yes, you can add a gel top coat for permanent shine, or just an ordinary top coat of polish. If adding gel, the surface must not be smooth but roughened with a 180 grit file before you apply, or your gel will lift.

when i meant they are lifting its not literally straight away its taking 2/3 days and the one with a tip was a wk.

so what is the best tool/item to pat the fabric down? as this is what i have done wrong.

Most fabric of any quality is self adhesive these days.. is yours not? If not, then use some of the backing sheet from the fibreglass and use it to go over the resin and fibreglass to make sure it is well adhered to the surface. The backing paper will not stick to wet adhesive so you will find it works quite well.

yeah the fabric is sticky, what do you use to get the fabric lifted of the backing paper with out using your fingers? tweezers?

I use the points of my scissors to lift and place the fabric on the nail ... I never touch the fabric with my fingers at all .. I apply Minx in the same way.

cool thanks i shalt try this and see if it stops, as i have no lifting round the cuticle edge just free edge

How did you prep the nail? Did you do natural nail overlays or a tip? Did you make sure you edges were encased with the resin and no edges of the material hanging out? Did you file a lot along the edges when doing your finish filing? Have you tried silk?

P.S. I've always used my fingers in applying fiberglass and have had no problems with lifting from doing so. Of course limiting the amount of contact would be a good idea, but you don't have to be like a surgeon in handling fiberglass.....

i prepped like i always do with acrylic or gel

im rusty with fibreglass so probably making little silly mistakes.

i cut the fabric to nearly the length of the nail i made sure i encased the edges and then the finish filing was just to take the glue covered extra bits of fabric flush to the nail (if that makes sense) it was a natural overlay i did on a friend and a tip on my little finger.

i think i answered all your questions ha ha x

Prep for gel and acrylic is different than for fiberglass. Gel you need a bonder and acrylic you need a primer. You don't need either of those for fiberglass. So all you need to do is push back cuticle and buff off the shine of the nail.

Also for a natural nail overlay you need a thin coat of resin adhesive (dried) on the nail before laying the material on the nail. That isn't necessary when applying a tip.

You said "the top two layers of gel wrap is lifting exposing the fibre glass". Not sure I understand this. There is no gel in doing a wrap. Do you think it could be your gel topcoat is not adhereing to the wrap?
As Gigi stated before applying a gel topcoat you will need to make sure that the surface of the finished nail is clean of all dust and wiped off with alcohol or a nail prep.

Fiberglass is not always easy to hide the material. You might want to try silk wrap. It totally disappears.

hi ya i dont think i was quite with it yesterday as didnt explain myself properly.

i meant my prep work was the same, as in i do all the cuticle work and buff the shine off the nail (then take the next step with what method you had choosen i.e bonder for gel, primer for acrylic)

i did put a layer of resin on first, the resin in this kit is called (gel resin/wrap)

here is what i did:

cuticles prepped nails buffed to take shine off
scrub freshed 5seconds each nail
put a fine layer of resin on the nail
activated
put fabric on
saturated it in glue
activate (some geeks are saying activate some prefer not to)
layer or resin
activate
layer of resin
activate
finish filing (being careful not to expose the fabric)
3 way buffer or gel top coat
cuticle oil
finish

the overlay is lifting or seperating exposing the fabric it looks almost like its crystalised it looks like really dry. like the glue has dried to much, can you over saturate?

I cant speak for your system but it sounds like alot of activating.
I prep nails and dehydrate
apply resin and air dry
apply fibre/silk
resin
activate
resin across stress area n back into zone 3
activate
file and finish with spongy buffer - more resin in flat spots
buff with 3way

I'm glad you listed your steps, that makes it easier to figure out what the problem might be.

When applying tips you don't need a layer of resin on the nail first.

Using too much resin can result in lifting. You are better off to use several thin layers. You do need to activate before laying the material. You don't have to activate every time (not sure if that causes lifting) but it will save you time and money.

I stopped dehydrating the nail and haven't noticed any difference. When applying a tip you need the dust on the nail. When doing an overlay, the dust needs to be removed.

I use a sponge type buffer after I have applied all product on the nail. this ensures that I am not filing too much into the product.

To be honest, I have not had too much luck with overlays. I've tried everything and anything I can think and it just doesn't seem to last. It usually pulls away from the free edge.

Like I said before, try silk. It will disappear in the resin and still gives the strength.

Interesting thread.

I would adjust a few things.

Yes, often it is taught to apply a layer of resin before tips, it is called (basing) and it levels the nail surface and can create a protective layer when it comes time to buff in tips.

But after you "base" buff lightly to remove shine and as Geeg said, try not to touch the fiber with your fingers unless you use a small dish with a cotton ball in it dampened with alcohol, kinda like a stamp moistener (or one of those things at the checkout that looks more polite than licking your finger to open the plastic bags), this will remove oils from your fingertips .....make sure your finger is dry and roll over the fiber.

Also make sure your resin is drawn into the fiber to make it clear.

I completely agree with nailzoo. I always apply a base layer of resin before I tip. Touching the fibre with your fingers does leave a residue that then makes the fibrglass visible whereas if you do not then you can make it completely disappear and if you don't believe that then look at this untouched photo of some fibreglass wraps I did afew hundred years ago . http://www.salongeek.com/members/gee...hero-shot.html

Also there is no strength at all in silk. Being a natural fibre, it absorbs the resin and only adds a bit of flexibility.Strength is added with man made fibres such as fibreglass which do not absorb the resin and also aid flexibility as well. Both fabrics look beautiful.

The system is more crude and is not cross linked technology and the finished product is quite porous, prone to discolouration and product breakdown and needs to be renewed more often than its stronger cousins of gel and L&P.

More thin layers do aid in flexibility while using too much resin at one time can cause shattering of the finished nail.