Method for manufacturing leather nail tip

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a method for manufacturing a nail tip that improves adhesion to a nail, prevents damage to a person or an object due to a long nail tip, is made of a flexible material, makes it possible to utilize characteristics of the material and an impression imparted to a user while sufficiently utilizing design variations specific to the nail, reduces the manufacturing cost, and is environmentally friendly. [Solution] In a leather nail tip 01 according to the present invention, animal leather 02 is placed between a cutting plate 15 and a press member 16, and the nail tip is placed on the animal leather 02 in a state in which the cutting edge 09 of a mold 03 of the nail tip is directed downward. When a lever 17 is tilted in a lever rotation direction 18, the press member 16 is lowered in a pressing direction 19, the cutting edge 09 of the mold 03 of the nail tip can uniformly and firmly press the animal leather 02, and a flat-plate-form nail tip 04 can be extracted from the animal leather 02.

Description

Manufacturing method for leather nail tips

[0001] This invention relates to a method for manufacturing nail tips, which are made from a raw material chip base, processed and decorated to match the shape of the natural nail to be attached, and then detachably attached to the surface of the natural nail.

[0002] Since nail tips are generally not meant to be reused for extended periods, it's common to select mass-produced tip bases in various shapes and have them decorated and applied at a nail salon, or to hand-make and apply them yourself, including the decoration. Therefore, instead of purchasing tip bases that perfectly match the shape of your fingertips, it's necessary to purchase mass-produced tip bases that are closest to the shape of your natural nails and then modify them as needed to adjust the size and other dimensions.

[0003] Furthermore, the tip base material is mainly made of synthetic resin, and it is common to use plastic with the same hardness as nails. Because it has the same hardness as nails, an elastic force acts when it is bent, so as a way to deal with the case when the curve of the inner part of the nail tip does not match the curve of the natural nail, a method is known described in the specification

[0008] of Patent Document 1, which "can be reliably filled with a filler 8 in the gap between the surface of the natural nail 2 and the back surface of the tip base 6, and can accommodate the curvature of the natural nail 2, which varies greatly from person to person (and from finger to finger) (curvature in the left-right direction and curvature in the longitudinal direction of the finger)." However, it is most desirable to be able to match the curvature of the natural nail without using such a filler.

[0004] Furthermore, if the synthetic resin has the same hardness as nails, when a nail tip that protrudes from the fingertip is attached, the tip of the nail tip is likely to catch on objects or a person's skin, etc., and may damage the object or person, so it has a problem in terms of safety. If the material of the chip base is changed to a flexible material, conversely, due to the flexibility, there will be problems such as difficulty in cutting during processing to fit the size of the nail, and bending due to weight when performing decorations, etc. In addition, since the synthetic resin generally used as a nail tip has no breathability, it is also a problem that it is a factor causing damage to the surface of the nail or roughness or pricking of the part in contact with the skin when worn.

[0005] In recent years, it has become common to apply materials to the surface of the chip base for decoration, such as applying gel nails to the chip base to enjoy variations in designs such as complex art, or applying manicure to give color and gloss. As a method for manufacturing a nail tip with gel nails applied, Patent Document 2 is known. On the other hand, with these methods of applying materials to the surface of the chip base, it can be said that only the gloss and color characteristics of the applied gel nails or manicure are enjoyed, and the characteristics of the chip base material on the side to be applied are lost. That is, if the chip base itself has "characteristics of the material" such as hygroscopicity or "characteristics of the impression given to the user" such as a sense of luxury, it can be said that the existence value as a fashion item can be further enhanced by making use of those characteristics.

[0006] And since nail tips are currently known as fashion items (accessories) that are generally disposable, from the perspective of SDGs, it is desirable to have a configuration that takes into account the environment to a certain extent.

[0007] JP-A-2008-200837 JP-A-2012-196292

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a nail tip that enhances adhesion to the nail, prevents damage to people and objects caused by long fingertips, is made of a flexible material, fully utilizes the design variations unique to nails, makes use of the material's properties and the impression it gives to the user, reduces manufacturing costs, and has an environmentally friendly construction.

[0009] To solve the aforementioned problems, the method for manufacturing leather nail tips according to the present invention is characterized by pressing the blade of a nail tip-shaped die onto the animal hide to extract a nail tip-shaped leather nail tip from the animal hide, cutting and / or polishing the cut surface of the leather nail tip, and blowing away the chips generated during cutting and / or polishing. In addition to the above features, the method is characterized by applying a fragrance to the blade of the nail tip-shaped die and pressing the blade of the nail tip-shaped die onto the animal hide to allow the fragrance to penetrate the cut surface of the extracted nail tip-shaped leather nail tip. Furthermore, in addition to the above features, the method is characterized by coloring the animal hide with a dye or processing its surface by tanning before die-cutting. The nail tip according to the present invention is characterized by dyeing or coloring the animal hide or processing its surface by tanning, and impregnating the cut surface of the nail tip with fragrance.

[0010] Nail tips manufactured by the method according to the present invention are made from animal hide, and therefore possess flexibility and moderate hardness. Even when wearing nail tips that extend beyond the fingertips, the tips of the nail tips will not catch on objects or people's skin and cause injury, making them highly safe. As a result, the occasions in which they can be worn can be greatly increased, such as incorporating them as part of an accessory when going out with children. Furthermore, their flexibility and moderate hardness make it easy to process the purchased nail tips to match the shape of the natural nail, and they can be curved to conform to the shape of the nail, allowing them to be molded into a shape that adheres closely to the nail without the use of fillers or other materials. The desired shape can then be easily maintained by applying an enamel coating or nail polish to the surface. Furthermore, by combining processing techniques that take advantage of the characteristics of animal leather—such as its hygroscopic properties allowing for the incorporation of fragrances like essential oils, its breathability reducing damage to nails and skin, the ability to create a glossy and luxurious texture through tanning, and the ability to color it by impregnating it with dyes not found in synthetic resins—a wide variety of nail tips can be offered. Moreover, since heat treatment is not required for die-cutting and processing the cut edges when manufacturing nail tips, it contributes to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, because the tips are small, the materials used in their manufacture can be easily recycled, such as scraps left over from the production of cowhide products like bags, which would otherwise be discarded. Therefore, changing the material of nail tips, which are often disposable because they are attached to the nails with adhesive, from synthetic resin to animal leather can be considered an invention that contributes to the realization of a sustainable world (SDGs).

[0011] (a) Top view and (b) Front view of a nail tip mold. (a) Top view and (b) Front view of animal leather after it has been die-cut using a nail tip mold. (a) Top view, (b) Front view and (c) Side view of animal leather after it has been molded for nail tip attachment. Cross-sectional view of a die-cutting method using a transparent vinyl sheet. Perspective view of a commercially available hand press machine. Side view of the nail tip being worn according to the present invention.

[0012] (Regarding Example (1) of the Method for Manufacturing Leather Nail Tips According to the Present Invention) Example (1) of the method for manufacturing leather nail tips according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The method for manufacturing leather nail tips according to this embodiment involves pressing a nail tip mold 03 onto an animal hide 02, pressing the blade of the nail tip mold 03, which is a general method for die-cutting leather products, onto the animal hide 02 to extract a flat-shaped nail tip 04 from the animal hide 02, cutting and / or polishing the cut surface of the flat-shaped nail tip 04 through this die-cutting process, and further removing the chips generated during the cutting and / or polishing of the cut surface to manufacture a leather nail tip 01.

[0013] (Regarding animal leather) The animal leather 02 used in the method for manufacturing leather nail tips according to the present invention preferably uses leather that has properties such as heat retention, moisture absorption, and flexibility, which are commonly traded as leather products, including cow, horse, goat, sheep, pig, and deer. However, there are no restrictions on the selection of animal leather, including materials from reptiles, etc. Furthermore, since the size of one nail tip cut out from the animal leather is very small, it is desirable to use environmentally friendly materials, such as using scraps that were not used in the manufacture of other leather products, or recycling good-condition parts of discarded bags, baseball gloves, balls, etc., rather than preparing new animal leather to manufacture nail tips.

[0014] (Regarding the nail tip mold and die-cut animal leather) Figure 1 shows the nail tip mold 03, Figure 2 shows the shape of the animal leather 02 after it has been die-cut by the nail tip mold 03, and Figure 3 shows the shape of the animal leather 02 after it has been molded for attaching the nail tip. In each left figure (1), an example of a standard shape or a shape that will result in a square toenail, and in each right figure (2), an example of a shape that will result in an oval toenail. In each figure, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. However, in Figures 1 and 2, the side view (c) is omitted. The nail tip mold 03 is a die-cutting mold that is commonly used in leather crafting and has a blade on one side for die-cutting, and a mold with a shape that matches the type of nail tip is prepared. Furthermore, since animal leather 02 is flexible, the shape of the nail tip mold 03 is determined with the assumption that the flat nail tip 04 shown in each center figure will be curved to the shape of the nail tip 05 shown in each right figure after being attached to a person's nail. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, when curving the nail tip, a three-dimensional shape can be created by curving not only in the short direction but also in the long direction, but there are no limitations on the shape for cutting out the mold or the shape for molding the nail tip 05 when attached.

[0015] (Regarding the die-cutting method) As shown in Figure 4, the general method for die-cutting involves positioning the cutting edge 09 of the nail tip mold 03 upwards, placing the animal leather 02 on top of the cutting edge 09 of the nail tip mold 03, placing a transparent vinyl plate 10 on top of the animal leather 02, and while holding down the transparent vinyl plate 10 with one hand, striking the transparent vinyl plate 10 with a hammer 11 with enough force to ensure that the cutting edge 09 of the nail tip mold 03 sufficiently presses against the animal leather 02 to cut out the shape. However, because the nail tip mold 03 is small, there is a high possibility that it will shift position during die-cutting, so it is preferable to use a commercially available hand press machine 14. One example is shown in Figure 5. The animal hide 02 is set between the cutting board 15 and the press member 16. The cutting edge 09 of the nail tip mold 03 is set on the animal hide 02 with the tip facing downwards. When the lever 17 is tilted in the lever rotation direction 18, the press member 16 descends in the pressing direction 19, allowing the cutting edge 09 of the nail tip mold 03 to apply even and strong pressure to the animal hide 02, and the flat-shaped nail tip 04 can be extracted from the animal hide 02. There are many other methods of die-cutting, such as using a handgrip, but these are not limited to this.

[0016] (Regarding the processing of the cut surface) It is desirable to perform edge finishing on the cut surface of the die-cut flat nail tip 04. This is because, in order to achieve the purpose of nail tips to beautifully decorate nails, this edge finishing not only creates a beautiful appearance, such as a luxurious impression that is difficult to create with synthetic leather, but also because if the cut surface is not treated, the cut surface will easily fray, causing the nail tip to be damaged from the side and lose durability. One example of edge finishing is to (1) use an edge beveler to shave off the edge of the flat nail tip 04 and round it off, (2) apply edge finishing paint, (3) polish using a coarse dresser, (4) polish using a fine sanding stick, or (5) apply edge finishing paint again. However, the impression to be finished is a matter of preference, and there are no limits to the tools and procedures used for the finishing.

[0017] (Regarding the use of leather nail tips) As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the leather nail tip 01 according to the present invention is used by fixing the natural nail and the base surface 06 with adhesive or double-sided tape so that the epidermis 07 becomes the surface. As mentioned above, animal leather 02 is flexible, and it is easy to adjust its shape without using fillers, etc., and to make it adhere closely to the curved shape of the natural nail. Furthermore, by applying enamel processing, it is possible to fix it in a shape that adheres closely to the natural nail. Moreover, this flexibility means that even if the leather nail tip 01, which is longer than the fingertip as shown in Figure 6, comes into contact with an obstacle (wall surface 20 in the figure), the "bending and returning to its original shape" property of the flexibility prevents injury to objects or people. This flexibility can be maintained even after applying enamel processing, so it can be said that this nail tip has both aesthetic appeal and safety at the same time. Furthermore, you can polish the surface of the leather (07) and apply nail polish or similar to enjoy the texture of the leather itself, or you can apply coloring and decoration to the surface of the leather, similar to synthetic resin nail tips.

[0018] (Regarding the effects of the nail tips manufactured by Example (1)) The nail tips manufactured by the method according to this example are made from animal leather, and therefore possess flexibility and appropriate hardness. Even when wearing nail tips that extend beyond the fingertips, the tips of the nail tips will not catch on objects or people's skin and cause injury, making them highly safe. Therefore, the occasions in which they can be worn can be greatly increased, such as incorporating them as part of an accessory when going out with children. Furthermore, their flexibility and appropriate hardness make it easy to process the purchased nail tips to match the shape of the natural nails, and they can be curved to conform to the shape of the nail, so they can be molded into a shape that adheres closely to the nail without the use of fillers or the like. And by applying enamel or nail polish to the surface, the desired shape can be easily maintained. Furthermore, since heat treatment is not required for die-cutting or processing the cut edges when manufacturing nail tips, it contributes to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Also, because the tips are small, the materials used in their manufacture can be easily recycled, such as scraps left over from the production of cowhide products like bags, which would otherwise be discarded. Therefore, changing the material of nail tips, which are often disposable because they are attached to the nails with adhesive, from synthetic resin to animal leather can be said to be an invention that contributes to the realization of a sustainable world (SDGs).

[0019] (Regarding another embodiment (2) of the leather nail tip according to the present invention) Another embodiment (2) of the method for manufacturing a leather nail tip according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The manufacturing method according to this embodiment involves impregnating the blade 09 of the nail tip mold 03 with fragrance, pressing the nail tip mold 03 onto the animal leather 02, pressing the blade of the nail tip mold 03, which is a general method for die-cutting leather products, onto the animal leather 02 to allow the fragrance to penetrate from the cut surface of the animal leather 02, removing the flat-shaped nail tip 04 from the animal leather 02, cutting and / or polishing the cut surface of the flat-shaped nail tip 04, and removing the chips generated during the cutting and / or polishing of the cut surface to manufacture a leather nail tip 01.

[0020] (Regarding the method of impregnating with fragrance) Animal leather has the property of being hygroscopic, and this property tends to be particularly strong in the flesh surface 06 and cut surface 08 shown in Figures 2 and 3. The flesh surface 06 is generally the adhesive surface when nail tips are attached, and since the flesh surface 06 is sealed with adhesive, it is desirable to allow the fragrance to be absorbed from the cut surface 08 and to produce an aromatic effect from the cut surface 08. An efficient and effective method for this is to apply a liquid fragrance with aromatic properties, such as aroma oil, to the nail tip mold 03, press it onto the animal leather 02 to cut it out, and allow the liquid fragrance with aromatic properties to penetrate into the animal leather 02 from the cut surface 08 which has fine irregularities before edge treatment. However, there are no limits to this, such as further enhancing the aromatic effect by applying fragrance to the tip of a tool with multiple pointed ends, like a kenzan (flower arranging pin holder), and stamping it onto the flesh surface to impregnate the animal leather 02 with fragrance.

[0021] (Regarding another embodiment (3) of the leather nail tip according to the present invention) Another embodiment (3) of the method for manufacturing a leather nail tip according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The method for manufacturing a nail tip according to this embodiment involves dyeing or coloring the raw material, animal hide, or processing the surface by tanning, before die-cutting with the nail tip mold 03, pressing the nail tip mold 03 onto the processed animal hide 02, pressing the blade of the nail tip mold 03, which is a general method for die-cutting leather products, onto the animal hide 02 to extract a flat-shaped nail tip 04 from the animal hide 02, cutting and / or polishing the cut surface of the flat-shaped nail tip 04, and further removing the chips generated during the cutting and / or polishing of the cut surface to manufacture a leather nail tip 01.

[0022] (Regarding the processing of animal leather) Because nail tips are small, dyeing and tanning after die-cutting is extremely time-consuming, so it is preferable to process them before die-cutting. Also, if the base color is decided, it is possible to improve work efficiency by die-cutting after coloring rather than coloring the 10 nail tips for both hands separately. There are no limits to the methods of coloring the raw material, animal leather, such as coloring by covering the surface with pigment or soaking the leather with dye. Similarly, there are no limits to the tanning methods, such as increasing flexibility and durability through chrome tanning.

[0023] (Regarding the effects of Examples (2) and (3)) In addition to the effects of Example (1), Examples (2) and (3) offer several advantages: the hygroscopic properties of animal leather allow for the incorporation of fragrances such as essential oils; breathability reduces damage to nails and skin; tanning creates a glossy surface and a luxurious texture; and dyes, which are not available in synthetic resins, can be impregnated for coloring. By combining these with processing techniques that utilize the unique properties of animal leather, a wide variety of nail tips can be provided.

[0024] 01 Leather nail tip 02 Animal leather 03 Nail tip metal fitting 04 Flat-shaped nail tip 05 Nail tip when worn 06 Epidermis 07 Flesh surface 08 Cut surface 09 Blade tip of nail tip metal fitting 10 Transparent vinyl sheet 11 Hammer 12 Cushioned base 13 Table board 14 Hand press machine 15 Cutting board 16 Pressing member 17 Lever 18 Lever rotation direction 19 Pressing direction 20 Wall surface

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing nail tips, characterized by pressing a nail tip-shaped die blade onto animal leather to extract a nail tip-shaped leather nail tip from the animal leather, cutting and / or polishing the cut surface of the leather nail tip, and blowing away the chips generated during cutting and / or polishing.

2. The method for manufacturing a nail tip according to claim 1, characterized by applying a fragrance to the blade of a nail tip-shaped die and pressing the blade of the nail tip-shaped die onto animal leather, thereby allowing the fragrance to penetrate the cut surface of the extracted nail tip-shaped leather nail tip.

3. A method for manufacturing nail tips according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the animal hide before die-cutting is dyed or colored, or the surface is processed by tanning.

4. Nail tips characterized by having animal leather colored with dyes or processed on the surface by tanning, and having fragrance impregnated into the cut edges of the nail tips.

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