Frequently asked questions
Does Chisel make a liquid monomer?
Not one that ND stocks. The Chisel liquids listed here are the dip bottles: Prep 1 Bonder, Base 2, and Top, in 0.5 fl oz working sizes and 2 oz refills. Because Chisel powder is a 2-in-1, it will still sculpt as acrylic, so a tech who wants beadwork pairs the jar with an EMA monomer from a line ND restocks year-round and uses the Chisel bonder as the prep step. The monomers, primers, and dehydrators sit on the liquid monomer and preps page.
Why EMA monomer rather than the cheaper alternative?
Ethyl methacrylate is the chemistry professional acrylic systems are built on. It gives the working time a tech needs to place and shape a bead, and the finished enhancement can be soaked off in acetone. The older MMA chemistry is not used in professional nail services because it cures far harder than the natural nail, resists removal, and takes plate with it when it separates. Any monomer bought for a salon should say EMA on the label.
How do I prep a nail so a dip or acrylic set does not lift?
Push the cuticle back, break the shine with a buffer, remove the dust, then dehydrate, in that order, because dehydrating before buffing leaves the oil that buffing releases. Apply Prep 1 Bonder to the plate only and let it flash off. Do not touch the plate again, hold the finger by the sidewalls, and keep every layer of product a hair short of the cuticle line. Product on skin has nothing to bond to and peels the edge back within days.
Can one jar of powder serve the dip table and the acrylic table?
Yes, that is what 2-in-1 means, but keep two physical jars. A drop of monomer in a dip jar clumps the powder permanently, and a brush that has been in dip base is no longer usable for beadwork. Dip suits shorter nails and a quick appointment with no lamp; sculpted acrylic on a size 10 to 20 brush suits length and clients who are hard on their hands, because a bead is denser than a dipped layer and holds an apex.
What Chisel lists in liquids, and what it does not
The Chisel liquid line stocked at ND is four bottles: Prep 1 Bonder, Base 2, Liquid Top, and Top 4, in 0.5 fl oz (15 mL) working bottles and 2 oz refills, all marked professional use only. Those are dip liquids. Chisel does not have an acrylic liquid monomer listed at ND, so a tech who wants to sculpt with Chisel powder buys the monomer from another line and uses the Chisel bonder as the prep step. That is worth saying plainly, because Chisel powder is a 2-in-1: the same jar that dips will also take a bead, and the only missing piece is the monomer.
The prep step, which is the part both services share
Dip and acrylic part company at the liquid, but they start the same way. The plate is pushed back, the shine is broken with a buffer, the dust is removed, and the nail is dehydrated. Prep 1 Bonder goes on the bare plate after that, never on skin, and is left to flash off before anything else touches the nail. Everything a salon loses to lifting in the first week is usually decided in those four movements: shine left behind, oil from hand cream or from the tech's own fingers, product carried onto the cuticle line, or a bonder applied while the plate is still damp.
- Dehydrate after buffing, not before. Buffing releases dust and oil that a dehydrator applied early will not remove.
- Bonder on the plate only. A bonder that wicks onto skin lifts the edge back within days.
- Do not re-touch the nail. Once the bonder is on, the plate is handled by the sidewalls.
- One plate at a time. A bonder that sits too long before the first bead or the first dip stops doing its job.
Choosing a monomer for Chisel powder
Buy EMA. Ethyl methacrylate is the monomer professional acrylic systems are built on; the older MMA chemistry is not used in professional nail services because it sets far harder than the natural nail and takes plate with it when it comes off. An EMA monomer is what gives a bead the working time a tech needs to place and shape it, and it is what allows the enhancement to be soaked off rather than pried.
| Choice | What it changes | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| EMA monomer, standard set | Normal working time, forgiving under the brush | Most salons, most sets |
| EMA monomer, fast set | Sets quickly, less time to move the bead | Seasoned techs, high-volume stations, cool rooms |
| Monomer with added inhibitor for warm rooms | Holds working time when the station is warm | Salons that run hot in summer |
| Size 10 to 12 brush | Small beads, detail, short nails | Fill work and natural-length sets |
| Size 14 to 20 brush | Large beads, fewer passes, length | Sculpted extensions on forms |
Running Chisel powder as acrylic
- Prep and bonder. As above, and a primer on the plate if the client is prone to lifting.
- Form or tip. Fit the form under the free edge or size and blend the tip before any product goes on.
- Pick up the bead. Dip the brush in monomer, wipe one side, touch the powder, and wait the half second it takes for the bead to lose its wet shine.
- Place, do not stroke. Set the bead at the apex, press it out toward the sidewalls, and let the brush float rather than drag.
- Build the structure. A second bead for the free edge, a third at the cuticle area, thin at both ends and thickest at the apex.
- File and finish. Shape once the set is hard, buff to one plane, then top with gel or lacquer as the service requires.
The ratio is the whole skill. A bead that runs off the brush is wet and will shrink and lift; a bead that drags and leaves ridges is dry and will be brittle. The one that holds a dome while it still moves under the brush is right. A warm station sets the bead before it can be placed, which is why summer sets feel harder to control than winter ones.
Dip or sculpt, on the same jar
- Dip suits shorter nails and a short appointment: liquids, no lamp, no monomer smell at the table.
- Sculpted acrylic suits length and clients who are hard on their hands, because a bead is denser than a dipped layer and holds an apex a dipped layer cannot.
- Keep two jars of a shade used in both services. One drop of monomer in a dip jar clumps the powder for good.
- Keep the brushes apart. A brush that has been in dip base is finished for beadwork.
- Ventilate the acrylic station. Monomer belongs at a table with extraction or airflow, and the lid stays on the dappen dish between beads.
Storing and replacing the liquids
Bonder, base, and top all thicken on contact with air, so the cap goes back on between nails rather than between clients. Wipe the neck before capping, because dried product on the thread stops the cap seating and thickens the whole bottle within a week. Store upright, away from the acetone shelf, and out of direct sun. A working bottle is replaced rather than topped up once its brush has cured product in it, since fresh liquid poured onto a stiff brush contaminates the refill as well. Monomer is kept in its own bottle with the dappen dish emptied at the end of the day, never poured back.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
The Chisel liquids ship at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day. EMA monomer, primers, and dehydrators from the lines ND restocks year-round sit on the liquid monomer and preps page, and the Chisel color powders sit on the Chisel acrylic and dipping powder page, most of that range on clearance and sold until gone.