Ma cosa facciamo con le unghie tagliate?

"Fingernail recycling. The very topic may be unseemly to some, understandably enough. I can see how the very thought of collecting your old grungy fingernails could be off-putting to even the most ardent environmentalist. But it's just like any other natural body byproduct, really?just a little heavier on the keratin. And they need to be recycled too. So I say it's time to forge a bold new frontier?and we start reusing our fingernail clippings.

Here are the best ways to reuse your fingernail clippings:

1. Nail your compost pile: 

Alla fine, il corpo umano ha tantissimi nutrienti per la terra,

le unghie sono una fonte dei minerali per le piante. 

Believe it or not, fingernail clippings are entirely compostable. Just make sure your nails are polish-free, and you can throw your protein-rich nail clippings right on into your compost pile. Probably the easiest way to reuse your clippings, most of us should be able to stomach carrying out.

2. Use nail clippings to make a pot scrubber:

Per essere solide, ma non troppo, le unghie fanno un eccellente pulitore 

per i piati e pentole.

Run out of steel wool, but still have pots and pans encrusted with impossibly hardened food bits? No matter—create your own pot scrubber by collecting your fingernail clips and emptying them into the foot of some discarded pantyhose. Tie it off, and Voila! An instant, free, only mildly repulsive pot scrubber is yours.

3. Turn them into fine art: 

Sculture fatte solo di unghie, da Tim Hawkinson

Do as Tim Hawkinson did and create avante garde sculptures with your fingernail clippings. You never know, your body-byproduct art might land you with an opening at the Whitney—Hawkinson's bird skeleton and egg pieces made entirely out of fingernails did.

If all else fails, you can always send them to this one guy, who's, let's say, atypical hobby has gathered him fingernail clippings from 4,200 different people."

"3 Reuses for Fingernail Clippings?". MERCHANT, Bryan. 10 Gennaio 2012. HowStuffWorks.com

Articolo originale: "3 reuses for fingernail clippings"

Affilare il tagliaunghie

"Nail clippers are a common grooming tool found in most households. Unfortunately, nail clippers easily become dull through normal use. After the blades have dulled, they can crush nails rather than cut them. Instead of purchasing a replacement pair, sharpen your nail clippers at home. Sharpening can be done quickly and spares you the expense of purchasing a new set.

Step 1

Rotate the actuating lever of the nail clippers 90 degrees, until it no longer sits on top of the two pieces that make up the jaws of the clippers. Squeeze the jaws together tightly using your fingers or a set of pliers. Hold the clippers on a horizontal plane. The pin holding the actuating lever should fall away from the clippers, allowing you to easily remove the actuating lever.

Step 2

Insert a screw into the hole that the actuating lever has fallen from. Tighten the screw with a nut until the two jaws of the clippers are touching or nearly touching. If you're using pliers, remove them from the clippers at this time.

Step 3

Hold the sharpening stone, or a handheld rotary tool equipped with an aluminum oxide grinding stone accessory against the edge of the jaws of the nail clippers. Move the sharpening stone across the surface of the jaws until all nicks, scratches and dents have been removed from the metal surface.

Step 4

Remove the nut and screw from the clippers. Reinsert the pin that held the actuating lever. Squeeze the jaws together using the pliers or your fingers, and reattach the actuating lever.

Step 5

Wash any filings away from the nail clippers by rinsing them under running water. "


"Do it Yourself: Sharpening Nail Clippers". BUSSE, Melissa. 2011

Articolo originale: "Do it yourself: Sharpening nail clippers"

L'importanza d'un buon tagliaunghie

"One usually doesn’t ponder nail clippers too often, but alas, at one point or another this thought may come to mind. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a high quality and a low quality nail clipper? If you haven't then you haven’t tried Seki Edge’s Stainless Steel Fingernail and Toenail Clippers yet! They are rated #1 on Amazon.com for starters and the reviews are amazing but they really just demonstrate that people really do appreciate quality and are willing to pay a little extra for it. It makes sense as your satisfaction and contentment with good quality products keep you happy for a long time and you will be running back for more.

So what defines a quality nail clipper and how do they compare to the low quality nail clippers you get at your local drugstore? I’m sure you have experienced the jagged edges and dull cuts that nail clippers can leave. Or what about those nail clipper that fall apart? Ever experienced one of those? Just think about what it would be like to own a high quality nail clipper. A high quality tweezer has a precise sharp cutting edge, a great style and fantastic workmanship. They are made of stainless steel and have an ergonomically friendly grip made in a country that produces high quality products. They last forever and you will never buy another nail clipper again. And if you do, it will be another one of the same. How would that feel? Pretty darn good right?

Esempio del modelo "Seki Edge" 

Acciaio inossidabile

If you haven’t experienced quality nail clippers and are tired of the cheapie ones, Seki Edge has the right nail clipper for you. Both the Seki Edge Stainless Steel Fingernail Clipper and the Stainless Steel Toenail Clipper are rated #1 on Amazon.com for nail clippers. Go there yourself and read the reviews. If you are ready for the ultimate nail cutting experience, try the Seki Edge nail clippers. It will be an experience you will appreciate. Heck, there are people who have the nail clippers and hide them from their loved ones because they don’t want them to use them! How much better can it get? Probably not much."

"What a Quality Nail Clipper Can Do For You". SEKIEDGEBLOG. 2011

Articolo originale: "what a quality nail clipper can do for you"

Come tagliarci le unghie

Un Piccolo video istruttivo.

Video: istruttivo "How to clip your own nails?"

Da "Howcast" (2010)

"Alcuni consigli (tips):

• There are special nail cutters made just for toenails. While a normal nail cutter is slightly curved, a toenail cutter goes straight across so as to reduce the likelihood of ingrown toenails.
• Massage in a cuticle cream to keep cuticles healthy and moisturized.
• Apply hand cream every time you wash your hands. The oils in the cream will seal moisture into your nails.
• To keep mud and dirt from getting into nails during gardening or messy work, drag your nails over a bar of soap. The undersides of your nails will fill up with soap, which means dirt won't be able to get in.
• A great, cheap alternative to nourishing oil is a tiny drop of olive oil.
• Using a cotton swab with a pointed end, clean under your nails - it's gentler than scrubbing with a nail brush.
• If you have very weak nails, try painting your base coat and nail polish under the tip of your nails to give them extra strength.
• Every evening, smooth your nails with a nourishing oil or conditioning cream. This well help to seal moisture into your nails and prevent them from flaking and splitting.
• Wear rubber gloves when doing the dishes. The main cause of soft nails is exposure to water. If your nails are wet and soft, be careful with them until they dry out.
• The ideal length that suits most hands is just over the fingertip.
• Buff nails to make them shiny smooth.

[...]"

"How to Cut Your Fingernails and Toenails". WIKIHOW. 

Leggi l'articolo intero: "How to Cut Your Fingernails and Toenails"

Perché tagliamoci le unghie?

"Taking proper care of your body includes attending to the small, easy-to-forget areas, such as fingernails and toenails. After all, these small parts play an important role in protecting your sensitive fingertips and toes from injuries. So keeping them properly trimmed is one of the best ways to avoid major nail problems, such as jagged edges or hangnails, which can keep them from doing their protective duties.

But how often do your nails need to be cut? The answer depends on what kind of tasks you use your hands for. [...] "


"How Often Should I Cut My Nails?" FISHER, Gina. 20, Augusto, 2009.

Leggi l'articolo intero: "How often should I cut my nails? "

Gli animali: parte 2

Le unghie degli animali hanno una struttura interna diversa, cioè 

si devono tagliare da un professionale e con precauzione.

"Just like human nails, dog's nails grow constantly. How often a dog’s nails need to be cut will depend on the dog’s breed and also lifestyle, which can change with age.

Many dogs naturally wear their nails down by walking and play, especially if the walk involves hard surfaces. An inactive dog may not wear their nails down. Similarly an older dog will often favour grass and softer ground and will prefer not to walk on hard surfaces, so their nails will not naturally wear down as much either.

It is therefore important to keep your dog’s nails well trimmed at the correct length. If a dog’s nails get too long it can put pain and pressure on the dog’s toes and paws, which will ultimately put strain on their legs. Long claws are also prone to splitting and infection. [...]"



Leggi l'articolo intero: "When and How to Cut Your Dog's Nails"

"Interesting uses of nail clippers"

" Here are some novel uses of nail clippers:

□ Remove burnt spot from carpet – "Use a good pair of scissors or a pair of nail clippers to cut the carpet fiber being careful only to remove the damaged section."
□ Cut pills for desired dosage – "People have also used razors, Exacto knives, and nail clippers to make really small doses."
□ Opening difficult bottles – "Childless DIYer Kyle describes how to use a thumbtack, a spoon and nail clippers to disarm difficult-to-open bottles of three varieties--the squeeze and turn, the push down and turn and the push tab and turn kinds."
□ Open pill packages – " Just today I had to use a nail clipper to open a pair of cold remedy pills, because instead of using the "easy" way to tamper-proof a pill (plastic shell, peel-off paper backing, then push out the pill) they decided to put two non-peelable layers to seal the plastic bubble, then expect you to be able to cut the pack in half just because there's a 1/8" pre-cut in the plastic." 
□ Prove virginity – "Rodriguez uses nail clippers to draw blood from her own fingertip, swipes her blood on a cloth (without anyone but the bride seeing) and the bride presents the red-specked kerchief to everyone waiting - saving her reputation and marriage." 
□ Trimming candle wicks – "Use toe nail clippers to trim wicks in jars in which scissors won't fit." 
□ Trimming lashes uniformly – "I've also heard that a pair of baby-sized nail clippers is the best way to trim the lashes to a uniform length and curvature." 
[...]"

"Interesting Uses of Nail Clippers" OSOFSKY, Michael. 2008


Leggi l'articolo Intero "Interesting uses of nail clippers"

"We've been trimming our nails wrong for more than 100 years"

"Trimming your nails sucks, and it's not your digits' fault. Technology is to blame. Nail clippers. Blech. With a one size fits all design, it's impossible to get your whole nail in one clip. And curling over the bathroom bin doesn't make us any more likely to keep the floor clean of our cast offs.

And yet, for more than a century, we've been keeping our nails under control using the same little imperfect machine. How is it that this crummy design won us over?

Tagliaunghie clasico, TWEEZERMAN

The device started wriggling its way into our hands and hearts in the late 19th century. Early clippers looked like fat tweezers and worked when you squeezed them. Well that sounds convenient! Inventors started improving: in a patent from 1881, the mechanical nail-biter gets a lever to add vim to your trim. Fancy! This same device also worked as a glove-buttoner and was designed to be dangled from a belt or watch chain as if clipping your nails was something that didn't gross out other people. 

But the nail clippers didn't go gangbusters at the time. Part of the reason was that manufacturing them was expensive. So production never really got far off the ground.

Patente Originale

The nail clipper's heyday really came in the 1940s when William E. Bassett of Connecticut made the apparatus cheaper and a bit easier to use. Improved manufacturing techniques, gleaned from when his company was making artillery components for the Army, allowed Bassett to produce a clipper on the cheap. And some tiny design tweaks make it easier on the user. Those two little nubs that keep the arm from swinging out of place while folded? That was a Bassett addition. He also gave the lever a little ripple designed to better catch the thumb. People picked up that design and haven't put it down since.

Today they're so cheap they're almost disposable. Bassett's TRIM clippers—or some other nearly identical model—will set you back only about a buck or two. Perhaps our problems with nail clippers pass with the action, or perhaps they're so cheap that we don't feel like we have the right to complain. Whatever it is, the nail clipper could still stand to do a better job.

Maniera più comune di tagliarsi le unghie. 

In questo modo, le unghie vano in giro per tutta la stanza

Instead of spraying shards of cast off nail, they should trap the shrapnel, or deposit it neatly somewhere. According to Andrew Johnston, the owner of Klhip, a company that recently reimagined nail clipper, the key to proper cutting is sharpness. The cutting edge of the traditional model "crushes and snaps" the nail. He likens the process to chopping carrots. "If you apply pressure with a dull blade, the carrot goes flying," says Johnston. "But if you have a sharp knife, the carrot slices either stick to the knife or fall on the cutting board." Storing the average clipper next to the sink or at the bottom of a makeup bag will cause its blade to quickly dull.

Scopri il Klhip

The clipper's thin profile also contributes to its unenthusiastic chopping technique. The reason is that the slim parts—designed so that the clipper is not a burden to carry around—have a lot of give, so the jaws don't meet with quite as much oomph as if the parts were more rigid.

Johnston has solved this problem by making his nail clipper out of injection-molded stainless steel that's been heat treated to make it extra hard. The blade on his clipper stays sharper for longer and it doesn't have nearly as much bend. But in order to get better performance, you're going to have to shell out $50. Sure, Johnston's model is a better ergonomic design, with the arm connection kicked to the back and extending forward, but the price point is too high for most of us to even consider.

What we really need is the 2012 version of a Bassett moment—give us all the nail-cutting good stuff, but at a price that will work for the masses.”" 

Leggi l'articolo originale