callosed fingers won't slide

[Repent34]

I use the side of nose grease, works well but be careful. From a side view, it may appear that you're pickin' something other than your mandolin.

when, I ask, will the madness end??

[8STRINGR]

Ouch!... Ladies and Gentlemen, Please!.....

[8STRINGR]

I wouldn't know what to recommend using. The theory (or fact) of using "Forehead or Nose Grease" to me would be no different than sweat on your fingers which in turn (and time) would "dull" my strings therefore, causing me to keep replacing them. That's just my personal opinion.

I've been playing for twenty years. Often, the callose will build up to the point of falling off and the "new skin" on my fingertips are already toughened up enough that I don't feel anything as far as strings cutting into my fingers and it not hindering with any sliding I may do.

Please, let us know what resolutions you come up with. I'd be curious to know what works to pass this on to anyone I know who may have this problem. The "sand paper" method may be a good route to go.

Good Luck! #

[EdSherry]

I'd agree that "forehead grease" gets on the strings and can reduce string life. #That's why I try to clean my strings after playing (though I often forget). #"Smoothing out" the callouses (whether with sandpaper, superglue, or otherwise) does not have that disadvantage, but requires some degree of "advance preparation," in a way that running your fingertips over your forehead during the middle of a jam session or gig does not. #

I know people who will "strop" their fingerpicks or flatpicks on their instrument strap. #Might work for callouses too.

I'm not a real fan of using superglue on skin (that stuff is TOXIC!). #I have an autoharp-playing friend who used to use superglue and tissue paper to strengthen his nails, but he had to quit a while back because of an allergic reaction.

[Clyde Clevenger]

From personal experience, don't use a belt sander more than once.:O

[Ted Eschliman]

...more on silicone

<Naively expecting Pamela Anderson Lee Photoshop hoax>

Avoiding a shameless plug, but certain flatwound strings work great for my grossly caloused fingers.

[Flowerpot]

"I'm not a real fan of using superglue on skin (that stuff is TOXIC!). I have an autoharp-playing friend who used to use superglue and tissue paper to strengthen his nails, but he had to quit a while back because of an allergic reaction."

links for superglue toxicity and medical uses:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msuperglue.html

from the Wikipedia link,

"Cyanoacrylates bond skin and eyes in seconds. Studies have shown that methyl-2-cyanoacrylate (SuperGlue and KrazyGlue) degrade fairly rapidly upon contact with living tissue. This leads to the release of formaldehyde and a toxic response. 2-octyl cyanoacrylate degrades much slower due to its longer organic backbone which slows the degradation of the adhesive enough to remain below the threshold of tissue toxicity. Due to these toxicity issues, 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate is used for sutures."

I wonder if I should get some of the medically approved superglue for applying to my callouses -- but I bet the surface area is small enough, and it's all external to the blood stream, so I doubt it's a problem.

[EdSherry]

Re flowerpot's post: #I acknowledge at the outset that I am NOT medically qualified. #

I confess that I wasn't aware of the difference betwen "methy-2 cyanoacrylate" and "2-octyl cyanoacrylate" until seeing Flowerpot's post. #You live and learn ( ;-). #

As Flowerpot notes, "medical" (2-octyl) superglue is used for sutures, etc., in contexts where it is the best alternative (e.g. to trying to stitch the skin together, or the "battlefield" context cited in the Wikipedia article cited by Flowerpot, whee what matters is to stop the bleeding until better medical help is available). #That doesn't mean it's "safe."

But Flowerpot's suggestion that it's OK to use "medical" superglue for dealing with callouses because "the surface area is small enough" doesn't strike me as resolving the toxicity concern. #The same was true of my autoharp-playing friend (he "only" used superglue on his right-hand fingernails), but he ended up with health problems anyway). #

Maybe right-hand fingernails and left-hand callouses are different in this regard; I don't know. #But I'd be reluctant to find out the hard way.

[J.Albert]

To keep your strings slippery, and clean at the same time, I'd recommend Fast Fret. Really.

Great stuff, cheap, been using it for years, prolongs string life and gives them a smooth, slick feel. I wouldn't be without it.

- John

[newmoonkid]

On 2-octyl...

We use it in lots of surgical applications, especially in light trauma cases (someone gets an ear bitten in a fight) or in areas where we are concerned the patient might chew out his sutures. It is certainly safe for these applications, but these aren't frequent applications on an individual, so use caution.

By the way, never posted here since I usually have nothing useful to offer. I just got a chinese made pancake and can play 3 chords, Copperhead Road, O Solo Mio and a real simple bluegrass walk-in so far. I'm concentrating on scales and technique, the things i neglected for most of my guitar playing life.

Pax,

Franklin

[newmoonkid]

I guess I should add I am a tech in a small animal Vet Hospital, lest anyone get the idea we're working on maniacs who bite ears and chew out sutures.

[Lukas J]

I have been playing/practicing mando heavily (average of 2 hours a day), for about a year now after several years of rigorous acoustic guitar playing, and my well-established guitar calluses have been negated by mandolin (this could be just how much I play lately). My left fingertips feel sore and inflamed often, and it's the inflammation, NOT the calluses themselves, which cause my fingers to not slide on the strings. I went down to the local music store (not much in this town but a dive music store that's centered around cheap rocker guitars) but I asked him about string lubricants, and bought a thing called GHS Fast-Fret. I've found it also extends the life of my D'Addario phosphor bronze strings (they sound brighter longer and don't oxidize immediately anymore). I have to lubricate them a couple of times a night for a 3-hour show (I play old-time music in coffee shops around town), and it helps my fingers slide easier, but I'm still looking for a callus mitigation plan.

[Rob Gerety]

My experience with this very same problem is that after years of playing a lot it goes away and the callous becomes a non issue and turns into a smooth slightly off color pad that I hardly even notice any more - a perfect tool for playing a stringed instrument.