Smoothing callous

[Kip Carter]

My callous is coming along fairly well but I'm getting snagging (best term I can come up with) from the rough surface of my left hands finger tips. Anyone have a tip for smoothing them out but maintaining a good callous. Sanding???

Thanks,
Kip...

[Pipeous]

my dear old mother handed me an emery board a few weeks ago to sand my tips. I hate long finger nails and keep them short. the calous was starting to lift my finger nail ... pain. I was going to use clippers and trim some but I also had the edges lifting and snagging like you. sanding made a huge difference

[Brent Hutto]

Yep, something like 220-grit sandpaper for half a minute or so on each fingertip once a day will keep the edges feathered off.

[Mike Bunting]

my dear old mother handed me an emery board a few weeks ago to sand my tips. I hate long finger nails and keep them short. the calous was starting to lift my finger nail ... pain. I was going to use clippers and trim some but I also had the edges lifting and snagging like you. sanding made a huge difference

What are you doing to get a callus that will lift your fingernail? I can't imagine it, you must be ripping the strings off the mandolin.

[pglasse]

If you're snagging the edges of your callouses while playing it sounds like the callouses are too dried out. I used to think that was a good thing -- not so.

Rock climbers, who also depend on finger and hand callouses, call those callouses with edges "flappers." They don't want that condition because flappers can get torn off.

At any rate, as I've posted elsewhere, the Climb On Bar is your friend for callous care. Here's a link....

Many climbing or outdoor storres carry it, including REI, Backwoods, etc...

This is not like regular pharmacy hand lotion. It will not degrade your callouses. It helps keep them conditioned and strong. Basically, it's very high quality food for your skin, without any questionable chemicals. I keep a bar in the car and apply it to my finger tips after gigs -- feels great and really works.

Disclaimer: my wife invented the product -- now sold in 25 countries.

All the best,

[Kip Carter]

Really Paul your wife invented this? Kewl... well I will check it out for sure I was able to sand it down with an emery and it is fine at the moment but this sounds like something that might keep things in better shape not requiring emery as much or at all. I'll check it out!
Kip...

[Paul Busman]

Look for a 4 in 1 emery board in the fingernail section of your big box store. One board, 4 different grits of black sandpaper. You can start rough, then work down to very fine.
I used the same thing last night to reshape a too-pointy pick too, BTW

[Bertram Henze]

Sanding off will do until you pass on to phase 2 calluses - they look smooth and fine just like normal skin but are hard as rock and need no maintenance.

[Mike Bunting]

This might be of interest to folks who get callus'
http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/c...ink/#more-2091

[greg_tsam]

I had some flappers today and couldn't find an emery board and my nail file wasn't cuttin' it so I put a fine grit diamond bit in my Dremel and now they're really nice. and smooth. But I have callus's on my callus' callus and square tips.

[Bertram Henze]

I had some flappers today and couldn't find an emery board and my nail file wasn't cuttin' it so I put a fine grit diamond bit in my Dremel and now they're really nice. and smooth. But I have callus's on my callus' callus and square tips.

Looks like this was made for your nail clipping...

[greg_tsam]

I broke those ones already.

[JeffD]

Sanding off will do until you pass on to phase 2 calluses - they look smooth and fine just like normal skin but are hard as rock and need no maintenance.

Eventually you get a hat like this.

[greg_tsam]

Oooooooooooooo. I want!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I don't smooth mine off too much,as they're the driving force behind my 'pull-offs'. If they get a bit ragged,i'll clip the bits off with a fingernail clipper,
Ivan