Making fake nails

[LadyStitch]

I need to put fake finger nails onto a pair of gloves.  The thing is that I don't want the person wearing them to scratch anyone with them. (They are to partisipate in fight chorgraphy)

I originally thought of buying fake nails and just using them, but those were causing serious damage.  So far the best recomendation I have gotten us putting dowel's in the fingers of the glove, then putting apoxy onto a spoon, setting that on the "finger".  Once dry popping the spoon off, and shaping the soft nail, and then painting it.

Has any one else done this?  Any other suggestions?

[Master James]

Frankly having done fights before, you really don't want anything on the outside of the glove.  No matter how hard you try, you can still possibly hurt someone pretty bad.  Accidents do happen with even the best choreographed and practiced fights.  If you absolutely HAVE to have "fingernails" on the glove, I'd go with a simple nail polish and paint them on.  Remember its the illusion you are looking for not the reality.  An audience member will not know that they are simply painted on, they will only see what looks like fingernails.  Good luck.

[Elennare]

What sort of fight choreography is the person going to be involved in?  If they're supposed to be throwing punches, keep in mind you can't make a proper fist with long nails.

What sort of damage were the store bought nails causing?  To the glove, or to people?

I think painting them on sounds like a pretty good idea.  If you must have longer nails, maybe try getting some sold for little kids and using a multi-purpose glue to hold them on the glove?  That way, they can still look like fancy nails, but won't be very long.

...

Just had another thought.  Are they supposed to be more like claws, that the person will be scratching at others with them in the fight?  Is that why you're worried about them hurting someone?  In that case, then, perhaps softer nails would be the way to go if you can't do the paint (I have no idea how soft hardened epoxy is), but your actors should not be making contact with each other for something like that, nor should they be close enough to do so.

[LadyStitch]

The idea is that they are fighting with their "claws".  It is suppose to be a creature, and a guy battleing.
The other two creatures are just wearing them for character purposes. They don't actually participate in the fight.  As for damage, it is just bad scratches.

One girl did say there is a way to make the nails using thick foam, but the last time I saw that done it didn't stay on that well, but it didn't harm anyone.

[Auryn]

My suggestion was going to be to carve them out of closed cell foam- you can get it at the craft store.

hardened epoxy is like glass- can cause a lot of damage if the 'claws' have any sharp ends or edges.

Closed cell foam is easy to carve with an exacto knife and you can glue it on with super glue

[Anna Iram]

Hmm...maybe make them out of thick felt. That way you could sew them on.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

When I worked at the costume shop years ago, I made claws from plastic milk cartons. Cleaned out of course. Using a Glover Leather needle, I was able to sew the claws onto a Bear paw glove.

[LadyStitch]

I'll look in to the closed cell foam.  That sounds like our best bet.  However I'll run the other ways past my co hort in crime. 

Another person told me to try poluymer clay.  You know the stuff you fashion jewelry out of.  How breakable is that? 

[GirlChris]

Thin pieces of polymer clay actually has a bit of bend to it, but like most things if you bend it too far it will snap. It can even be sanded with wet/dry sandpaper.

I love polymer clay!

[Lady Rebecca]

Do you have access to rubber? I happen to know a certain place with lots of furries that uses rubber for their nails.

[operafantomet]

Cut out "nails" from a dish glove or similar soft rubber, and glue them on? They're cheap and comes in all ranges of colours.

[Elennare]

The idea is that they are fighting with their "claws".  [...] As for damage, it is just bad scratches.

That should not be happening.  Either the choreography needs to change, or the actors need better training/more practice.  It is very possible to write/perform a fight in such a manner that no (or very limited, done is such a way that no injury will occur) contact is made yet still looks good and like they are hitting each other.  Your director should be having a talk with the fight director if you've got actors getting hurt during the fight.  If that is not an option, then you definately need to make soft claws.  Sewed on foam sounds like a pretty good idea.

[Adriana Rose]

Try the foam that the pool noodles are made out of its stiff and it holds shape fairly well. I think you can find some at a hardwear store in grey or black, its used to insulate pipes in the winter. It should paint up with acrylic in a jiff if there is no black.

You could have a pair of gloves for the fight and a pair for every thing else.

[McGuinness]

In my combat training, most "hits" and damages don't actually come in contact with the recipient of the damage. I'd think anything extending beyond the finger is risky in a fight. Even with the best choreography, accidents can happen. I would say the same thing as Master James and paint the "claws" or "nails" onto the gloves. Like Adriana Rose said, maybe you could have another pair of identical gloves with real, longer claws that the actor wears throughout the day and changes into the "stunt gloves" right before the fight? The actor could hype up how strong and sharp and lethal they are pre-fight so the audience is primed and expects them to hurt the victim. Audiences generally know that stage stuff isn't real and will go along with what they are told to believe, IME.

[LadyStitch]

Most of the scratches were't happening when they were rehearsing it was when they would be be back stage getting ready in cramped quaters, or being idiots.    (They have been talked to about goofing around.)

We ended up trying the apoy nails, and so far they are working.  We are going to see how they hold up under rehearsal and go from there.

[LadyStitch]

We ended up doing the apoxy nails. Shaped them over my own nails so they were  maybe a 1/4-3/8" long,  while wearing plastic gloves, then laid them on the gloves to try.  After an hour I could sand them smooth, and then painted them with acrylic paint. The apoxy took the paint well, but it don't have the right sheen to them. We ended up putting a coat of regular cheap nail polish over the acrylic paint.  They look great, and are not sharp at all, yet look quite lethal from 3 feet away.

The only thing is , I wish I had a dremel tool.  That would have made the polishing and finishing look so much better.

[Elennare]

Glad to hear they're working!   Also glad to hear the scratches and whatnot aren't from the fight, but goofing around.  No amount of choreography or practice can deal with that.

If you want something a little more durable than cheap nailpolish that will still be shiny, go to a hobby store and pick up some varnish (make sure it's not the matte clear coat).  Comes in a little pot, so you won't end up with a ton of stuff you'll never use sitting around, and it's designed to protect the paint on models if they get dropped (in addition to being shiny), so it should hold up well.

[LadyStitch]

I suggested that to our director, but he didn't want it.  Got to do what the boss says, but yeah they are working.