Inexpensive, fairly realistic practice hand

[Jeni Giles]

Once again it is that time of year, my Nail Technology only class is in session and we are always struggling to find a good practice hand that is fairly realistic, inexpensive and approved by our examining board. Well, this year thanks to some very creative folks we have one. So far other than an original trainer, this has been the best!! Very inexpensive too.

You will need one pair heavy duty kitchen gloves
1 bag muffin mix (we used corn muffin)
2 pounds uncooked rice
10 tips assorted sizes
adhesive

mix muffin mix with about 1/3 of the rice, fill the fingers of the gloves with this, fill the palm of the glove with rice about to the wrist. Secure with a rubber band or string. Attach your tips to the gloves with adhesive (we used gel bond) and there you have a fairly realistic, moveable hand that you can sculpt on or blend tips to. The only draw back we have found is that you can't soak their nails off, they must be filed. For a student however, this is great because they are learning appropriate filing techniques and bead placement. (the less they put on, the less they have to take off, it didn't take this bunch long to catch that...they've just about nailed placement and control in the first 3 weeks!!)

Hope this will help some aspiring artists, or save a model or two's fingers from soaking, if you file too deep or miss and hit the "skin" repeatedly, you leak muffin mix. If you do this to a client, well.....

 

[sc in canada]

Thanks for the idea!! I'll be sure to tell my students about this.

 

[JDs]

The only draw back we have found is that you can't soak their nails off, they must be filed. For a student however, this is great because they are learning appropriate filing techniques and bead placement. (the less they put on, the less they have to take off, it didn't take this bunch long to catch that...they've just about nailed placement and control in the first 3 weeks!!)

In order to soak them off, instead of using glue, could you use a Tack? Not the tack that you stick something to the wall with but the sticky stuff that you can place under say a vase to keep it from falling off the shelf when there is a earthquake? I don't know what the actual name of it is, but the stuff I buy for the salon is bright blue and it like playdoh but tacky sticky.
This way they could just untack the nail from the muffin mix hand and toss the nail tip in acetone.

 

[Anna Lee]

In order to soak them off, instead of using glue, could you use a Tack? Not the tack that you stick something to the wall with but the sticky stuff that you can place under say a vase to keep it from falling off the shelf when there is a earthquake? I don't know what the actual name of it is, but the stuff I buy for the salon is bright blue and it like playdoh but tacky sticky.This way they could just untack the nail from the muffin mix hand and toss the nail tip in acetone.

JD.. the sticky stuff you're recommending is called 'blue tack' ( how original.. ) in the UK...

very useful stuff......

 

[Jeni Giles]

I'll give the tack a try, I'm not certain the tack would be solid enough for sculpting or blending a tip to, but there's only one way to find out!! Will let you all know!