Do you pinch?

[blossom]

Having read Martin John's article on pinching in Scratch a while ago, it got me thinking. What he said did make sense. But atm I don't pinch, I wasn't taught to.

So, who pinches and who doesn't and are there any reasons not to? If you do what do you use? If you don't is it cos you don't believe in it or cos it's abd for the nails (I'm ignorant on this one really) or cos you've not been shown how? If you were shown, would you? blah blah blah :lol:

 

[loubylou]

As a rule no i don't, but it is only because i haven't been shown how to so don't feel too confident to do it,
saying that though i did have a go after reading the article in scratch and it does make a world of difference, i did this on a client but she is also a friend so i told her if i was hurting her for her to let me know,
i didn't hurt her by the way lol
If i was shown how to properly in a class where they can tell us where we are going wrong then yes once mastered i would pinch all the time cos they did look nicer hth

 

[Cathie!]

I always pinch sculpts, it brings the hips and side walls in and also creates a lovely concave arc to your c curve......pinching tips in the salon doesn't really work imo as tips have memory and the pinch will pop back out unless you have filed the tips fag paper thin.

I've never had a poblem with doing this, I've never hurt a client or de-railed a nail plate or caused any damage.....knowing when to pinch is paramount as is knowing how to and how long for, you're best off being shown how to do it as going in gung ho with your thumbs could be a recipe for disaster :hug:

Pinching for comptitions is a totally different kettle of fish.

 

[BABSann]

As a rule no i don't, but it is only because i haven't been shown how to so don't feel too confident to do it,
saying that though i did have a go after reading the article in scratch and it does make a world of difference, i did this on a client but she is also a friend so i told her if i was hurting her for her to let me know,
i didn't hurt her by the way lol
If i was shown how to properly in a class where they can tell us where we are going wrong then yes once mastered i would pinch all the time cos they did look nicer hth

Yep same here,my old nail tech used to pinch all the time and they looked lovely and natural shaped rather than flat.

If I was shown properly I would definately do it.:green:

 

[loubylou]

I always pinch sculpts, it brings the hips and side walls in and also creates a lovely concave arc to your c curve......pinching tips in the salon doesn't really work imo as tips have memory and the pinch will pop back out unless you have filed the tips fag paper thin.

I've never had a poblem with doing this, I've never hurt a client or de-railed a nail plate or caused any damage.....knowing when to pinch is paramount as is knowing how to and how long for, you're best off being shown how to do it as going in gung ho with your thumbs could be a recipe for disaster :hug:

Pinching for comptitions is a totally different kettle of fish.

I did it with tips and yes i did file them till they were paper thin, it took ages lol

 

[geeg]

I never pinch.

I get the shape I want with good product placement.

I have never felt the need to pinch and my work would not look better for doing it either IMHO.

 

[blossom]

What would you do with a broad flat nail Geeg? As I see it, the pinching would visually narrow the nail slightly? Would there be a way to place product so that the nail appeared narrower?

 

[Peter Pan]

only time i have pinched is when i compete - so ill be doing it again at excel........... in march. (i think its march anyway), but generally i dont pinch. i find i get a decent enough c curve from sculpting and form placement flower.

blossom - if i were doing that flower, i would raise the stress area very slightly, and thin the side walls more, this will give the illusion of narrower nails - its worked for me in the past hunny - so maybe its just a case of more practicing im afraid - (try to imagine a triangle on the nail bed.........leave the point of the triangle just a tad higher than you would normally) that should do the trick flower, tho geeg may come back and totally blow that theory out the window, it worked for me

 

[geeg]

What would you do with a broad flat nail Geeg? As I see it, the pinching would visually narrow the nail slightly? Would there be a way to place product so that the nail appeared narrower?

All pinching does to the product is what Glynnis describes, apart from at the free edge where it curls the tip into a more exggerated arc. I think G. described it very well.

Place product higher down the middle of the nail and much thinner each side and you will get overall a slimmer look rather than just at the free edge of the nail. No ones natural nails grow in a 40% of a circle arc! This exaggerated look is what they ask for in competition nails (goodness only knows why!!) not necessary in the salon. IMO

The form is another thing. Choosing the most attractive form (outline) for the client with nails that are broad and flat ... A Square form looks ghastly on this type of nail and if you are trying to slim the look probably oval would look prettier. Trouble is that broad flat nails usually go hand in hand with broad masculine looking hands!!

YOu can only do what you can do ... can't make a silk purse ... etc. But you can improve the overall appearance.

 

[blossom]

All pinching does to the product is what Glynnis describes, apart from at the free edge where it curls the tip into a more exggerated arc. I think G. described it very well.

Place product higher down the middle of the nail and much thinner each side and you will get overall a slimmer look rather than just at the free edge of the nail. No ones natural nails grow in a 40% of a circle arc! This exaggerated look is what they ask for in competition nails (goodness only knows why!!) not necessary in the salon. IMO

The form is another thing. Choosing the most attractive form (outline) for the client with nails that are broad and flat ... A Square form looks ghastly on this type of nail and if you are trying to slim the look probably oval would look prettier. Trouble is that broad flat nails usually go hand in hand with broad masculine looking hands!!

YOu can only do what you can do ... can't make a silk purse ... etc. But you can improve the overall appearance.

Thanks Geeg for some great advice xx

 

['chelle]

Sorry I'm probably going to sound very dim now, but I'm new, can someone tell me what "pinching" is?

 

[geeg]

Just before the product sets you put pressure each side of the nail and pinch to make it curve more. Don't bother to learn how to do it .. it is a competition trick and not necessary in the salon ... imo

 

[blossom]

The article I read said that it makes nails a lot stronger? Is that untrue then? :hug:

 

[missvain]

Yes, I pinch and use c-curve stick for both acrylic sculpture and gel sculpture too. The client should not feel any discomfort at all

 

[blossom]

Yes, I pinch and use c-curve stick for both acrylic sculpture and gel sculpture too. The client should not feel any discomfort at all

How can you pinch gel???

 

[Sparklepink]

the pinching question has come up many times before...personally... im all for it if the tech knows what they are doing and they do not cause and stress to the nail or discomfort to the client...
pinching at the right time and in the right way is a must ... never go it alone with out some guidance from your educator first!

here are some threads before abt pinching... many agree, many dont.... i guess its up to you whether you want nails that have good structure and that are really strong??....

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/43909-pinching-nail.html
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/39302-pinch-not-pinch.html
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/20040-c-curve-sticks.html

hth

Jess
xox

 

[geeg]

i guess its up to you whether you want nails that have good structure and that are really strong??....

Are you saying that if you don't pinch the nails are not structured well and are not strong??

That is not true at all.

 

[blossom]

I have never pinched yet but have many clients who have nails which are well structured and strong.

The reason this article about pinching intrigued me is that I have a couple of heavy handed clients (by their own admission!) who, no matter what I do, always seem to chip/break 2 or 3 nails each time. I wondered whether to give pinching a go on these, as I seem to have tried everything else. I have switched from gel to l&p, tried building up the arch more, working with a drier mix, keeping the length quite short, nothing helps these two, they just bash 'em up lol!

I have no intention of giving all my clients a new "pinched" set! :lol: Just thinking of these two really. All my other clients have very little lifting or breaking so I think I must be working ok on the whole.

 

[becki x]

I honestly thought the sole purpose of pinching was to create a sleeker appearance,am i mistaken ?

 

[blossom]

Gosh, well according to this article in Scratch magazine, it went into great scientific detail as to why an arched nail is stronger than a flatter one, and it seemed logical. Certainly looks sleeker as well though