Patching and Plastering - metal corners

I need help attaching the metal corners. I have read that you attach them with nails, and I've also heard that you apply the mud first, push the metal strips on and then finish mudding. My corners are in pretty bad condition, and on some of them hav'nt much to nail to.
Any help is appreciated.

Metal corner bead should be nailed in place. There is a crimping tool but IMO nails are better. Would using a longer nail help? Even if the rock is ragged there should be a 2x behind it.

I have never used it there is a viny corner bead that is installed with adhesive.

Traditional metal corner bead maybe crimped, nailed, or even screwed into place. I haven't used that stuff in prolly 10 yrs, far superior product on the market is paper faced metal bead. It is indeed applied with mud, on large jobs it's run thru a hopper set-up called a slop box. Absolutely the best and fastest way to set bead in my opinion, I mean I can run an entire housebefore you get done crimpin half the place with traditional metal bead. Other option is the vinyl bead products as was posted ahead, which are initially stuck on with spray adhesive, but also should be mudded over.

another way to attach your metal corners is with a construction adhesive like PL Premium made by Bulldog Brand or something similar if thats not available where you live. you will need to be able to setup a jig to hold the metal in place for the 24 hrs it takes to dry but it will be on .also you need to make sure you dont leave blobs that will have to be cut off so that taping will be easier . i know that this is not the nornal way to attach corner bead but it would work in a situation like this. like they say desparate times call for deaparate measures.

Peter35, thats way too much work for a piece of bead when you can nail it on in 60 secs.