Acrylic crumbling away, help!

[mary1981]

Hi geeks, hoping someone a bit more experienced can help me out with my problem!
I'm having problems when doing my own nails at zone 3. The acrylic gets that crystal like look to it and completely crumbles away when i file and refine. When i then buff to a shine you can see a semi circular shape where it has come away and obviously the finish is a little different. I am not having this problem with any clients. I am wondering if its because my hands are cold. I find that when im doing something with my hand, like my nail, or typing on the computer my fingers get very cold. I dont have poor circulation, in fact im normally really warm but as i say its just when using them for certain things. I have made sure the room is warm and no drafts, i have been extra careful with prep and mix ratio so im at a loss! I know crystallisation is uncommon really with good products and i look after everything properly. At first i thought it was because i was very new, but the better i get at everything else this is still happening.
Thanks all
Mary
xx

 

[fifitrix]

Hi Mary, Crystallistion occurs in when there is physical changes in your monomer, i.e. when the temperature drops below 8 degrees C, this when your monomer will begin to freeze and solidify. With crystallisation, the whole product has to be replaced as, as you said it crumbles.

However are you sure it's not frosting that you have got?, although with frosting it should be able to be buffed off, but as you mention it is only in zone 3, therefore you could be working too wet in that zone which leads to rapid evaporation and the possibility of frosting, with that possible combination you are buffing off the already too thin product?

I hope that makes sense, I know what I am trying to say!

 

[spn01]

I would revisit
(1) Mix Ratio - often when it is cooler we need to take a little bit more liquid out of our brush before making the bead - too wet or dry alters the product chemistry, which negatively affects the enhancement's properties.
(2) Your touch - gently press the product in zone 3 and watch that you are not injecting to much monomer from the belly of your brush - therefore making your mix ratio too wet.
(3) Bead size - ensure that you have the correct size bead - too small a bead will result in not enough product on the nail plate so when you file you are filing the product away
(4) Product Contact - ensure you press and smooth the product to assure complete contact.

Trust this helps
Andrea

 

[mary1981]

thanks for the ideas, i think i that yes it is most likely frosting, and i think that yes it could be little too wet when i start to press my bead and will try removing more liquid from the brush. The only other thing i wondered was could it be too much primer? no idea if it can make a difference bu just trying eliminate things lol!
xx

 

[geeg]

thanks for the ideas, i think i that yes it is most likely frosting, and i think that yes it could be little too wet when i start to press my bead and will try removing more liquid from the brush. The only other thing i wondered was could it be too much primer? no idea if it can make a difference bu just trying eliminate things lol!
xx

No it is not frosting ... it is crystallization with the product line you are using. Yes ... due to the coldness of your hands or the room you are working in or the product if it has been stored in cold conditions. All 3 of these things play a big part.

Crystallization causes the product to crumble because it has not fully polymerized due to the cold. You described it perfectly.

The remedies are simple ... warm your hands, or keep the monomer in a moderate temperature and work in a nice comfy temperature.

Suggestion: Some people rest their hand on a hot water bottle while working to keep the hand warm.

Some warm the monomer by placing the dappen dish in a dish of warm water.
____________________________________________________________

Note: Frosting only occurs with CND monomers .... frosting is caused by rapid evaporation and is only on the surface of the product. The product can be buffed and there is no crumbling. Frosting is a very rare occurrence.

 

[Barbiekc84]

I used to have this problem, it was bugging me for months as it never seemed to happen to my clients. Then it occured to me, I was keeping my nail boxes in my (rather cold) porch. By the time I had travelled out to a client or set up half hour before they had arrived the monomer must have settled to room temp (or car temp!) whereas when I was doing my own nails I would file and shape all my nails then grab my box from the porch (safest place to keep "little hands" away!) and used straight away - not giving the monomer chance to 'warm'. Also, as i'm working during the day, I often do my nails quite late in the evening when its also a lot colder.

Changing my storage seems to have corrected the problem for me! hth

Kelly x

 

[mary1981]

No it is not frosting ... it is crystallization with the product line you are using. Yes ... due to the coldness of your hands or the room you are working in or the product if it has been stored in cold conditions. All 3 of these things play a big part.

Crystallization causes the product to crumble because it has not fully polymerized due to the cold. You described it perfectly.

The remedies are simple ... warm your hands, or keep the monomer in a moderate temperature and work in a nice comfy temperature.

Suggestion: Some people rest their hand on a hot water bottle while working to keep the hand warm.

Some warm the monomer by placing the dappen dish in a dish of warm water.
____________________________________________________________

Note: Frosting only occurs with CND monomers .... frosting is caused by rapid evaporation and is only on the surface of the product. The product can be buffed and there is no crumbling. Frosting is a very rare occurrence.

Thank you very much for the help, im glad that there are reasons and solutions to go with it! I shall give the suggestions a try very soon as my nails do not look very pretty at the moment!