Two-tailed project! One fabric, one silicone

[Dancing Fish]

Since you all are so incredibly helpful, I decided to start my own thread here. I'm working on two tails: one for my daughter, and one for me.

You can read about the adventure I've had trying to make Rowan's tail over here (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?9050-painting-lycra-with-jacquard-paints-help!)...the body's all painted and now I'm working on the fluke. I'm very lucky I have a little girl with a sense of humor, who thinks it'll all be just fine even though I goofed up the pattern so dreadfully. :$ Her fluke's mono fin is lexan, with some cheap Target pool shoes glued on with poly-zap. Although it went very well in our test run last weekend, I'm thinking she'll probably need bigger shoes come summertime. And the bottoms of the shoes aren't really the best for being glued anyway, so I'll have to come up with something else (probably the zoomers + glue method).

27141 Rowan's tail will be awesome! :)

For my tail, I'm going to use individual scales over power mesh. We just don't have the room for a scale sheet in our house. Not sure what I'll use for my mono fin. I've got a fin fun fin, but after training on a Finis Rapid for the last four months for exercise, then trying the lexan again, I found it unbearably floppy! But I hate the thought of cutting into my Rapid. Has anyone tried doubling up on lexan sheets for a stiffer fin, or trying thicker sheets than one can get in Home Depot/Lowes? I do like the clear look, but I also like the serious power of a real fin. Decisions, decisions...

Because I'm a biologist, and also because I don't want to straight out copy all the marvelous shell-scale patterns, and because I'm too lazy to make small scales, I'm going to sculpt bigger, flatter, more fishy-looking scales. Today, just for fun, I whipped out some old pottery clay and the leftover Dragon Skin from the summer, made a couple of molds, and tried the pigment-in-the-silicone method. I'm curious to see if I can get away with just sculpting scales in clay directly, instead of making molds. (Probably not). We're on a tight budget this year, and clay's cheap. I also am not putting all that much detail into the scales, since I'll be painting them too. I haven't had a painting class for 20 years now, so this should be interesting!



Project Two Tails is complete! For the record, here are the materials we used and some final thoughts.

Individual tail materials:
Sculpts: Van Aken Plastilina clay, Michaels brand plastilina clay, and gumpaste tools from Wilton (long story...)
Resin: Smooth Cast 300 from Smooth On
Silicone: Dragon skin 10 slow from Smooth On
Pigments: Pearl-X pigments from Jacquard. One jar of each color was sufficient for the entire tail, with tons left over. I used antique copper, super copper, aztec gold, turquoise, pink gold, and sparkle gold
Dummy: shopping bags, packing tape, stuffing
Body lined with: powermesh from Jo Ann
Monofin: Lexan from Lowe's, cut with a jigsaw using a plexiglass blade, edges sanded smooth. Feet secured with Pearlie Mae's soon-to-be patented method (contact her for permission and details)

Final thoughts:

1. TAKE THE DUCT TAPE DUMMY SERIOUSLY. Have someone help you. I did it by myself, did it quickly and shoddily. Now I have a small but noticable lump in my tail's shin. I thought, "hey, it'll stretch out when I'm wearing it" but nope...it doesn't. Also, bring in the waistline of the dummy by an inch or two (I haven't actually done this, but I should have) to avoid gapping waistlines.
2. More on duct tape dummies: I used plastic shopping bags to protect my skin, and packing tape instead of duct tape. Duct tape will stretch out, but packing tape won't.
3. Make more scales than you need. Then make some more. http://mernetwork.com/index/images/smilies/smile.png
4. You might as well buy an extra bucket of silicone, too.
5. Wet silicone doesn't come out of clothing. Or carpets.
6. Cats are attracted to silicone. Seriously. Protect them and your project by keeping an eye on both, or better yet, having a project room with a door. http://mernetwork.com/index/images/smilies/smile.png (Cat hair in your silicone is inevitable. Think of it as their artistic contribution.)
7. Nobody notices the clear drips and blobs that inevitably happen when you miss a drippy spot when gluing things together. Trim off the easier, drippier-looking ones with nail scissors, and ignore the rest. Nobody else has noticed them. In fact, they look just like more water drops on a tail already covered by water drops.
8. As mentioned by several people: ankle creases are inevitable too.
9. If you've ever worked with glitter in your life, or have an eight-year-old kid, you WILL have glitter in your tail. (sigh)
10. Dusting over silicone with powdered Pearl-X pigments will give you an amazing luminous, lustrous metallic sheen that as far as I can tell cannot be replicated with other methods (I haven't tried airbrushing yet). But it will make the silicone top coat unable to effectively adhere to the pigmented layer beneath. I don't care because my scales are all tinted under the paint. It's only the tips that will wear away, which is OK for me because I'm going for a more organic look. I love the wear patterns that are starting to show already. So tint your underlying silicone the color you want to show when the paint starts rubbing off. as it inevitably will.
11. Don't go with wooden sticks for leaving drainage holes, even wrapped with saran wrap...they're an absolute bitch to pull out later. Next time I'll try something metallic that (1) I can grip with pliers and (2) won't break midway through the process. Sheesh.
12. Lexan from Lowe's is sufficient for a lovely stiff monofin. Mine has more propulsion than my Finis Rapid. Whoooosh!


Painted spandex tail materials:
Spandex: royal blue, forest green, and silver from Jo Ann
Paints: Jaquard lumiere and opaque paints (don't remember exact colors)
Monofin: lexan from Lowes, feet secured with pool shoes from Target glued on with Poly Zap glue.
Silicone on body: dragon skin FX, fast
Silcone on fin: dragon skin 10, slow

Final Thoughts (after 10 or so swims):
1. You really have to use a lot of layers if you want true colors on dark colored spandex. Yellow/gold and green were particularly difficult to get looking nice on blue.
2. Silicone won't grab painted areas if the paint is too thick.
3. Areas that are too thick will chip, even if (1) you painted them while the fabric was stretched, and (2) you protect them with a layer of silicone.
4. That said, silicone makes an excellent protective barrier for spandex in the pool. The body of the tail still looks like dynamite, even in the areas (knees, heels) that usually get wear.
5. Also, a layer of silicone will make fabric look permanently wet (i.e., darker), which can really bring out the contrast of a lighter paint job.
6. Wear on silicone-covered spandex shows up as white scarring. You lose the opacity inherent in the silicone.
7. Paint beads on the surface of spandex, making it very difficult to blend nicely. I'm no expert, but I'd go with an airbrush next time if I wanted to make more subtle scales. With spandex, a bold pattern is probably better. Neoprene seems to be easier to paint.
8. Putting silicone on spandex drastically reduces its ability to stretch!

[Dancing Fish]

First couple of practice scales turned out cool, though. So the answer is yes, you can cast your silicone directly into wet clay and it peels out beautifully. But...unless I want this tail to take months, I'm going to have to make sturdy molds with multiple scales or I'll go insane. Also saw recommended multiple times, use oil-based clay or it'll crack as it dries. (Or pour while it's still wet? Might as well get the Plastilina that Pearlie Mae uses, 'cause there's a store here that has it relatively cheap, and it's half the price of Monster).

Rowan is so stoked-- she says she's going to take all the practice scales and make a fashion belt. :) After reading zillions of posts on the subject, it looks like Lowes is the place to go for resin. There's all these little details I want to ask about- what surface do you all put under your clay? Does the resin interact with or eat certain materials? Can I get away with a cheap sheet of plastic? Would a layer of saran wrap over wood also work? If the clay is not oily do I have to seal it? I'll just try it and see what I can get away with...

For reference, here is some good advice (I swear I've seen every post, and then I type in new key words, and...)
Tips for using fiberglass resin (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3502-Silicon-tail-making-Pro-tips&highlight=fiberglass+resin+mold)
Fiberglass resin can be removed with acetone, good to know. Sealing the clay with paint/acrylic first is also a good idea. Good stuff here!
Recommended brand: Bondo fiberglass resin, with or without fiberglass matting or cloth (not necessary, unless you need strength)
Mermaid Oshun recommends letting the fiberglass cure for a week then wiping down with acetone before use. If there's still a problem with inhibition of silicone curing, a single coat of clear acrylic lacquer will help.

[Dancing Fish]

Progress! I've been in "gather as much info as possible because I'm too scared to screw up" mode and thought, heck with that noise, time to dive in. First run will be heel fins. Although after spending a few hours crafting this, I wonder if they're not going to be too big. Bigger is better?
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OK, here's the part where you tell me that fiberglass resin or smooth on will eat the saran wrap under my fin sculpture... ;) The clay's Plastalina.

I am hoping that by making the attachment point curved, I'll get a small bit of a ruffly effect on the ends. Does anyone know another way to get that beta-fish ruffly end look?
.

[Yulia]

I don't think it's too big. Since it's longer it's more like a heel dorsal. :)

Here you can see tails with different heel fins.
https://mermaidtailcollection.wordpress.com/category/fins/ankle/

[Dancing Fish]

Oh, wow! Thanks for the link! Hmm, a heel dorsal, I like that. I'd been thinking of doing two fins, but actually one might be better given its size. I'll have to doodle it. Would also remind me not to stand on the fluke in the pool!

...and I also see I'm not the first to come up with a copper/teal color scheme, either. Mine's a bit stripier, though. ;)

[Dancing Fish]

aaand I found my fishy tail shape for fluke inspiration, finally! Isn't she a beauty?
http://aqua.glover.it/aqua-btr/images/pic/image4.jpeg

[Dancing Fish]

This is SO. Much. Fun! Going to try pouring a mold tomorrow! I can't believe how well these turned out!

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[OceanWhisper]

I love the shape of those!!! The whole tattered thing is so realistic! :D

[Mermaid Alea]

They definitely did turn out well! Did you get to pour the mold today?

[Dancing Fish]

Nah, didn't make it over to Lowe's today. My daughter and I did go swimming, though, and tried out her new underwater camera. I'm so proud of her, she saved her allowance and Christmas money, and sold her old books for months to save up enough for it.

I think I finished my fluke pattern. I found a gorgeous unicorn tang for inspiration. It'll be a pretty wide fluke! Looks like I'll need a custom monofin after all.
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It looks a little like a butterfly tail after all! Maybe the next tail will be a blue morpho tail. (The NEXT tail...? :rolleyes: Finish this one first, woman!)

[Mermaid Alea]

Wow great tail inspiration! I know how you feel I am already thinking of future tail designs and I have yet to stop being lazy and order more paint for my fabric tail. :p

Congrats to your Daughter for saving up for an underwater camera! I might have to get one eventually too.

[Dancing Fish]

Working on enlarging that bitty little fluke into a full-size one. Kitty thinks it's great. Hubby thinks I should reduce to about 80%.

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I dunno....this seems awfully big to me. I can swim with the Finis Rapid, which is HUGE...but also not as floppy as my little Fin Fun (shown for scale). This tail will have one or two layers of lexan inside. And pictures of other folks' tails seem to have nice huge flukes. I'm not worried about safety, just..unweildyness. And thwacking people. :)

This is the point where I wish I'd actually SEEN a mermaid's silicone tail in person before I started this project...

[Dancing Fish]

Paused for a couple of days to make a swimsuit for the kid. Since most local pools don't allow the tail or even the fin, she wanted a way to be a mermaid anyway. She found this scaly foil in my craft bin and claimed it, and designed a skirt. So yeah, I'm not the world's greatest seamstress, and lycra hates me, but she thinks it's great!

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As for the resin, I've got the materials but it's been so stupid cold outside the past few days and I just can't take it long enough to pour the molds down in my garage. Yes, I'm a wuss.

[Dancing Fish]

Oh holy mackerel, does Bondo resin STIIIIINK.

So I poured it about half an inch thick, and just when it was starting to gel, we had to banish it to the garage because resin stank was seeping upstairs to the second floor. So, uh...do you suppose freezing temperatures will interfere with curing too much? It's nicely hardened as of today. I was going to wait until tomorrow to start messing with it, but since it's a chemical reaction (I think) that relies on oxidation (I think!), and chemical reactions are slower in cold temps, should I give it a few more days or even weeks before I try unmolding?

GAH. Not doing any more resin until temps go up in the spring. STIIIINKYYYY! And I have cats that are far too curious for their own good, another reason I banished it to the garage quickly.

Apart from the stink factor, everything went pretty well. :) Mixing/pouring it was very straightforward. It looks like it'll be a nice mold when it's done.

[Dancing Fish]

Well, hell. A quick online search says (1) don't do it in the cold (ideal temps 60-70 F) and (2) if you do, use more hardener. I used less because the can said to do that if you mix big quantities.

I probably didn't need to pour it so thickly either. Meh. Eh, well. Worst comes to worst, I wasted a bunch of resin and a pretty dorsal mold, but I can do that again.

[Dancing Fish]

I ordered my silicone today! Duuuude! :yay::dance:So excited!

Tried some "Amazing" casting resin from Michaels to make a scale mold, and it's wonderful. Cured in ten minutes, and no stink! It's probably the same liquid urethane stuff you can get from a bunch of places, and much easier to mix. I stuck a sample of Smooth Cast 300 in my order to see if it's the same thing. All my small-scale scale molds are going to be made of this stuff. I turned over the El-Stinko dorsal fiberglass resin mold and it proceeded to stink up the place again, but at least it is hard. I'm going to let the weather warm up and then let the thing de-gas for a good long while before seeing if I have to redo it. It's OK if I do, I'm still in prototype mode anyway. Not sure I still like the look of those dorsals anyway, given how tidy-looking the fluke is at the moment.

[Ashton]

those are some very beautiful sculpts!

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks! :$

[Dancing Fish]

Eeeee! Scales!! No idea how these are going to turn out...
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Going for copper and gold, nice and wide and flat. It's turning out more brown than copper, so far...

[Dancing Fish]

Well....here's round 1.
Interesting! I'm no Pearlie, but they're almost what I've been envisioning. So far I have two sizes, but I experimented with trimming to create a third. I think I need to standardize the stripe on the tip somehow, or at least make it a little smaller. Painting with this stuff is harder than I thought! The colors, on the other hand, are perfect. I deliberately tried to vary the brown tones a little, adding more pink to some and more yellow to others.

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[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Throw the smelly mold outside. Once it cures its weather resistant.
I like the scale tips. Looks more realistic.

[Dancing Fish]

There, I think I've worked out how to paint these... I really love this last batch!

[Dancing Fish]

Throw the smelly mold outside. Once it cures its weather resistant.
I like the scale tips. Looks more realistic.

And now that the weathers finally above freezing, I'll do that. I hope it's really cured and I don't have to resculpt that fin. On the other hand, the sculpting process is nice and relaxing. :)

[Mermaid Alea]

Great job! :) You definitely seem to have gotten the hang of painting the scales.

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

It should be cured in 24 hours at the most. Offgassing can take a week or two. Once its cured it can be subjected to cold temps. Canadian winters cant hurt them it seems :) I left my botched mold out there to see what would happen. Since bondo brand is meant for autobody work its pretty darn durable! The smell doesnt bother me. I grew up with it. If it werent for my family id probably do it inside my house.

[Dancing Fish]

Amazing the random tidbits you learn just browsing around here... Apparently it matters if you add pigment to part A vs. part B?! Wow. I was totally not paying attention.

Tomorrow I'm going to mess with thinners! I have to lock in that shiny top layer somehow.

[Dancing Fish]

It should be cured in 24 hours at the most. Offgassing can take a week or two. Once its cured it can be subjected to cold temps. Canadian winters cant hurt them it seems :) I left my botched mold out there to see what would happen. Since bondo brand is meant for autobody work its pretty darn durable! The smell doesnt bother me. I grew up with it. If it werent for my family id probably do it inside my house.

Well, I poked it, and it seems hard... I'm just worried that it didn't completely cure in that 24 hours, because I banished it to freezing temps while it was still gelling. I hope it's salvageable!

[Mermaid Alea]

Amazing the random tidbits you learn just browsing around here... Apparently it matters if you add pigment to part A vs. part B?! Wow. I was totally not paying attention.

Tomorrow I'm going to mess with thinners! I have to lock in that shiny top layer somehow.

Yeah I just recently read that to and thought that was interesting. With all of the info contained on this site, I worry that I will miss something! I figure I have many years before I could even think about seriously making a silicone tail though (if by then I would still be interested in the idea and have the funds) but all of the process just fascinates me. More and more I have become interested with working with more 3D art forms and since the show Face Off has been on TV, I have been very curious about special FX stuff, etc.

Good luck with your tail!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

How did I miss those scales? They are beautiful!

It gets rock hard. I never had an issue with cold and not curing. It just takes alot longer which sucks whole bunches.

What color is the resin?

[OceanWhisper]

There, I think I've worked out how to paint these... I really love this last batch! They're a beautiful color! The shape of them too is stunning :D

[Rebekah.fish]

Beautiful scales!

[JamesGunnels]

I cannot wait to see more progress! Beautiful work.

[PearlieMae]

Nicely done! I can't wait to see how it comes out!

I mix both A and B parts and the pigment all at the same time. Haven't had a problem yet.

I bought thicker Lexan, and it's quite stiff. But it lets me make a smaller fin and still has a lot of push, so my bigger fluke has some flowy movement.

Gluing the Home Depot Lexan with Polyzap works, but it does cloud. It still lets light through, it's just not clear. KEEP ACETONE AWAY FROM LEXAN! It will cause it to split and fracture like crazy!

Good luck! :mermaid kiss:

[Dancing Fish]

Awesome, thanks for the advice! :)
Here's the latest progress! That weird multicolored bit is half a fluke, in technicolor! (Had to get different colors... And it looks like I'll need more!). I'm just loving this teal-copper combo so far!

[Dancing Fish]

Nicely done! I can't wait to see how it comes out!

I mix both A and B parts and the pigment all at the same time. Haven't had a problem yet.

I bought thicker Lexan, and it's quite stiff. But it lets me make a smaller fin and still has a lot of push, so my bigger fluke has some flowy movement.

Gluing the Home Depot Lexan with Polyzap works, but it does cloud. It still lets light through, it's just not clear. KEEP ACETONE AWAY FROM LEXAN! It will cause it to split and fracture like crazy!

Good luck! :mermaid kiss:

may I ask how thick is the lexan you're using?

[OceanWhisper]

those scales are so beautiful!

[PearlieMae]

I bought some 1/4" polycarbonate...makes a very stiff fin. I'm still testing shapes with the .093" stuff from Home Depot.

[Dancing Fish]

McMaster Carr has so many types and thicknesses of plastic sheets to choose from! I'm tempted to experiment with other materials, but then polycarbonate is probably the popular choice for a reason.

You did a slime coat, right? When you thin it, does it dry with the same texture? I'm finding that smooth on's thinner gives it a gummier, softer texture that's more easily dulled.

[Dancing Fish]

ARRGH. I'm putting the veins on the fluke sculpture, and now I'm worried that it's too small. I did reduce it to 80% from the previous drawing. But I keep seeing all these gorgeous and much bigger flukes on other mermaids. I won't have a professional monofin under it, so I have flexibiliy in shape. I hate to scrap what I've done and start over. Decisions, decisions.

[PearlieMae]

What are the dimensions? Personally, I don't care for the huge flukes. Some a stunningly gorgeous, but not for me.

Cut out a piece of paper the size of your fluke and play with it on your feet to see if you think it's truly too small. If it makes you unhappy, do the work to change the sculpt.

[Dancing Fish]

It's 36" x 20 not including the trailing ends. I'm petite and wanted it to look proportional. 28250

Good news, the stinky dorsal mold successfully cured enough to use, though it's still stinky. It deforms with heat, leading me to believe that it isn't 100% cured, but it'll do. Twenty minutes of scrubbing and I can see the pattern! 28251

[PearlieMae]

That should be perfect! I'd give the mold some more time, if it still stinks, the gases might inhibit curing. Test it with a couple of tablespoons of silicone, first, rather than a full pour.

[Dancing Fish]

Definitely testing first!
I got a ton of work done on this project over my spring break, but now it's back to the grind. I decided I'm leaving the fluke the size it is. It's finally finished, ready to pour the resin! :dance:

D'OH! Out of resin. Ordering more...

[Dancing Fish]

I'm so proud of the finished fluke! I had to take a picture of the multicolored goodness before it got coated in resin. LOL they didn't have enough of any single color for this project, so I was forced to buy a bunch of different blocks. I kinda dig the patchwork look, actually. And I'm totally going to ignore how that last rib on the left doesn't quiiite match that last rib on the right....(dammit)
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Since I didn't see it posted here anywhere, Van Aken brand plastalina clay is definitely sulfur free, and very easy to work with. The Craft Smart brand at Michaels is cheaper and has a much waxier texture, and developed a nice shine on it when smoothed. According to some other costuming forum, someone posted the answer from Michaels customer service stating that their brand is also sulfur free. Make of that what you will...I decided I was just going to try it. We'll find out if that was a bad idea.

EDITED to add: I have had ZERO difficulty getting my silicone to cure on the mold I made using Craft Smart clay. :) So I'd say Michaels brand plastilina is a win!

Smooth Cast 300 is, as far as I can tell, identical to the "Amazing" brand of white resin you can get at Michaels, and much, much cheaper in bulk. It hardened very nicely within about ten minutes, and the fumes while wet were a little eye-watering (not stinky, but noticeable), but it cured so dang quickly that it didn't matter. I'm using this stuff from now on! Bye-bye Bondo!

[Mermaid Sabie]

Looks so nice! I really love your scales btw... <3

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks!!
Gosh, I'm ready to pour my fluke and I'm terrified. Some potential color schemes (I just realized that I never posted the original concept art...oops)

And some sketches of potential fluke patterns:

[Meronica]

Love those scales! Also your tail designs remind me of the shells we find on the beach here in SoCal...lots of different oranges. (:

Don't worry about that one little rib, many things in nature are never fully symmetrical! This is going to turn out great!


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[Dancing Fish]

So the flukes are poured but not yet painted... And I made a new mold for hip fins that might double as heel fins because I like the stylized shape better than the raggedy look. So happy with how they came out!
I'm still using Smooth On's thinner. I love this company!

[Seraphina Suds]

Lovely! They almost look like angel wings~

[Dancing Fish]

Lol my friend said they look like peanut brittle. :thinks:

[Rett]

Lovely! They almost look like angel wings~
Haha, that was my first thought as well! :lol:

[Dancing Fish]

For a really sticky, floppy angel toy. :lol:

[JamesGunnels]

Okay, I have to ask. I have been trying pretty hard to get my clay to come out as amazingly smooth like that of your fluke. How are you doing it? I just can't see to get the hang of it. Sadly, I just had a total flop of a fluke. The Resin wouldn't release so I lost tons of fiberglass resin and an entire fluke mold -.-

[Dancing Fish]

Hi James! Oh, gosh, it's nowhere near as smooth as it looks. But I used a roller on it to try to get it somewhat even, and I was using plastilina, not monster clay (which I've heard is much less soft). I'm also kind of a perfectionist so I just kept shaving and scraping and rolling until I got it as even as I could. I've read others use paint scrapers but I don't know how that would work on plastilina. I'd ask Pearlie. (Pearlie knows all)

Oh, sorry to hear you lost your fluke mold!! I was worried that would happen to me and I tested the process first on a smaller fin. I'm still not sure how that one turned out because I can't get all the #%&@! clay out of it. I read somewhere on here that a thin layer of acryllic (?) or varnish (?) over the clay would help release the larger molds from the resin. But I switched over to the more expensive Smooth Cast and found that it's really amazing-- for the most part oil-based clay comes right off, so there's no need for a release. Can you salvage anything? I had to pull and scrape and scrub, but I could probably get the clay out with time and elbow grease. It was the curing I was worried about. (And the stink. It gave me such a headache)

[Dancing Fish]

One thing that eased my mind about the smoothness thing was taking a very close look at all the beautiful commercial flukes out there. Even at a short distance they look beautifully even, but get up close and you can see all the little uneven bits and finger marks from the sculpts. Silicone's very forgiving once you paint it!

[Dancing Fish]

FINALLY had a chance to do some more painting. Flukes are painted and so are scales! I had to put a few scales on to see how it's all coming together. WOW!
Next step: slime coat. Then duct tape dummy. Woooo!

[Mermaid Wesley]

sooo pretty! *bites nails*. I need to start mine again. Maybe ill get my fins in gear when im out of school

[Dancing Fish]

Aaaaaaah!!! Made my dummy today and pinned some scales willy-nilly just to see, and I'm totally freaking out over how neat this looks!! :rollover::rollover::rollover:It's all coming together! Except... Gonna need more scales...
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This is how the front of the fluke turned out. The back will still have the blue accents.

[Keiris]

DancingFish those colors are beautiful! I love the large scales. You're doing an awesome job!!!

[Seatan]

I ADORE THE BIG SCALES!!!!

[Yulia]

That colorscheme is so cool! Wow!

[Fifi Tigg]

Looking so beautiful! :swoon:

[PearlieMae]

Sweet! The big scales are awesome! It looks like an Arawona (sp?) fish! Nicely done!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh wow! I normally don't like huge scales but I really digging this!!


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[Dreadful Mermaids]

This is totally awesome. I love your creativity. The big scales make it more eye catching. I can't wait to see how you mix in the blue ones with it. So excited.

[Mermaid Alea]

I agree with Wesley those are some wonderful huge scales and I am usually iffy on the huge scales.

The colors are wonderful as well!

[Merman Arion]

oh fuck... THIS IS AMAZING!!! I'm blown away! :D

FINISH IT!!! I want to see more! :cheerleader:

[Rebekah.fish]

This is so awesome!!

[Mermaid Julianne]

I LOVE THE COLORS! It looks so cool, like nothing I've ever seen before. Can't wait to see it done!

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks guys! :$ There's no way I'd have kept up with this project without this forum and all the advice and your encouragement!

[PearlieMae]

I so didn't see your slime coat question!

I don't thin the topcoat at all! First, I wipe down the tail with 91% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol - I use the 91% because it has less water and dries faster, and it gets all the cat hair off of it), then I mix small amount of Dragonskin, about 2 oz at a time, and smear it on with my fingers, working it into the crevices. Comes out all nice and shiny! BUT it doesn't stay glass-like shiny for long, just using the tail will dull that shine a little, there's nothing you can do about that. But it seals everything together and you look very fishlike! Before adding the fluke, turn it inside out and coat the inside well, too, so you don't have any pockets for water to collect or mold to grow.

It looks awesome! These are the arawona fish I mentioned before:

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[Keiris]

Pearlie those fish are just GORGEOUS!!!!!

[Dancing Fish]

Oh, WOW. Now I wish I'd done a search for those fish before choosing my color scheme. On the other hand, I like my color scheme. ;)
Pearlie, your suggestion was brilliant-- I've been afraid to touch uncured silicone with my hands, but if you do it, then I'll do it too. It works great and there's no need for that weird thinner!

I ran into a weird problem today, though. For the first time EVER, I've got patches of my topcoat not curing properly. Now I am putting it on top of a layer of silicone covered with powdered pigment (the way Tigg colors her tails), but that's never been a problem before. All my scales and the other fluke's topcoats turned out fine. I have no idea what's causing it. The pearl-ex blue seems to be the culprit. But it cured just fine in most areas, even blue. I guess there's just a patch here and there of unmixed part A/B, like I didn't stir it enough. It's very irritating! I mostly fixed it up, but you can totally see the border where I had to scrub/peel that uncured layer off. Oh well!

[Yulia]

Fish have scrubs too! When it's done no one will notice. :)

[Dancing Fish]

I'll just tell everyone I'm recovering from Ich. :lol:
The repair didn't work-- it still failed to cure. I'm baffled. I've peeled off the affected area and will try again. Argh.
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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Maybe try wiping the area down with isopropyl alcohol? It often helps it bond better and may help remove any contaminants. That is super strange though!

[Ashe]

This is looking absolutely amazing! And the colors, oh wow :swoon: Actually used some of the same colors on my own tail! So be warned, the gold you're using may look very yellow in pictures with a lot of sun and underwater. I have a little album (http://mernetwork.com/index/album.php?albumid=1364)if you want to check it out :)

[PearlieMae]

Oh shit! I can't imagine why it's not curing! Mixing is the only thing I can think of, other than a pigment incompatibility.

You have to be careful applying a topcoat over powdered pigment, the pigment will act as a release! I had some beautiful scales that totally split into layers because the pigment didn't let the silicone bond to the lower layer! I had to cut out whole sections of scales and replace them! Now I am really careful to leave enough bare silicone around when I dry brush any pigment onto pieces, so the topcoat will adhere and seal together. I've also had topcoats peel like sunburn because I didn't clean the silicone with alcohol just before I topcoated it.

[Dancing Fish]

Oh shit! I can't imagine why it's not curing! Mixing is the only thing I can think of, other than a pigment incompatibility.

You have to be careful applying a topcoat over powdered pigment, the pigment will act as a release! I had some beautiful scales that totally split into layers because the pigment didn't let the silicone bond to the lower layer! I had to cut out whole sections of scales and replace them! Now I am really careful to leave enough bare silicone around when I dry brush any pigment onto pieces, so the topcoat will adhere and seal together. I've also had topcoats peel like sunburn because I didn't clean the silicone with alcohol just before I topcoated it.


Yeah, that's probably going to be a huge problem in the future. The scales are fine, but the fluke may peel eventually if I'm not careful with it. On the other hand, it looks so gorgeous! And I can't seem to get good pigmentation just by sticking it in the silicone, even for really thin coats. Oh, well, it's just a personal tail. I can always replace the fluke if needed. :)

[Keiris]

It's so beautiful, Dancing Fish! Once the problem areas are cleaned with alcohol, you can't paint on more pigmented silicone to get the blue you want?

[Rett]

:jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop: When I first read you were using gold/copper and blue I thought that there was no way they would look good. Boy was I wrong! You tail looks fantastic!!! And the colors look awesome together!!!! Love it!!!!

[Cordelia]

I love the look of the larger scales! Can't wait to see how it looks all together. :D

[Dancing Fish]

Taking a break from the problematic fluke to get Rowan's tail finished! She's decided to paint the fluke herself. So far, so good!

For anyone who wants to layer silicone on painted spandex...be aware that the spandex will lose 90% of its stretch and plan accordingly! This turned out a wee bit tighter than we planned.

[Dancing Fish]

Oh, argh. I stripped and scrubbed and scrubbed some more, then repainted with tinted silicone. That stupid patch in the middle left still didn't cure. I rubbed off the uncured bits and scrubbed again with alcohol, and tried again. Still. Won't. CURE!!! I give up. I will leave it brown, because that's the base color of the fluke, so it won't show too badly when peeling inevitably occurs. Now I'm just concerned because that's where I'll need to connect the fluke to the body. The scales might make a flappy loose section there. Perhaps a dab of silpoxy might help where the silicone itself isn't sufficient? I'll take any suggestions at this point... I do not want to have to repour this side!

One last possibility is that I'm using a newer batch of dragon skin. (Different lots not sticking together?). Has anyone had that issue? It's not the blue pigment after all, apparently.

So so here's the finished section... You can see the new shiny patch that I just redid. Again. Grr!

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[PearlieMae]

II wish I knew!!! Have you contacted Smooth-On's tech support? They might be able to help!

[Dancing Fish]

Yeah... They're baffled too. It was probably the cheap Michaels clay I used for the sculpt. Though I still can't figure out why it's only affecting that one spot. I looked at the pic of the sculpt and there are three different colors in that section... No smoking gun there! And the other fluke is fine.

[Dancing Fish]

I gave it one more shot today, after scrubbing with dish soap, then water, then alcohol... Still. Sticky.

I have to repour it. I can't take the risk that the scales won't stick. :cry: On the bright side, I can use the blue color after all! Just... What a waste of silicone! But at least the obvious peel line won't be there, and I can say that I did all I could to save it.

[Mermaid Wesley]

You can use it to slap people with when they make fun of mermaids :) or as something else I guess.


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

You could use it as a wall decoration perhaps? I would do that :p

[Dancing Fish]

LOL fish slap! Actually, my husband suggested the same thing! Rowan's been asking for a paint change. Maybe her wall needs a cool mermaid...or a sea serpent!

meanwhile, the new fluke has been poured, and so far no sticky spots. Woot! Back on track! To be honest I wasn't entirely satisfied with the blue side anyway. Now I can try something new! Hmm... :thinks:

[Dreadful Mermaids]

This kind if reminds me of another mer who had fluke curing issues when it came to painting. I don't remember the thread off the top of my head but she was doing it with her monofin in the fluke and the monofin was the culprit. May I ask which monofin you are using again? I've heard before too that sometimes items in your environment even if it's in the same room or surface can effect curing as well. Just a thought.

[Dancing Fish]

That's a great idea, but I'm just using a simple Lexan sheet for a monofin, and it's not in there yet. I'm doing all this on my bitty dining room table and haven't had any other curing issues other than this one. I've ruled out everything I can think of! For all I know it was something we ate there! I'm just going to forge ahead and hope for the best. :)

[Dancing Fish]

OK. I'm going to be puttling fluke halves together soon! I'm just using Lexan as the monofin, using the Fin Fun monofin (which just has your feet resting against the plastic with neoprene ankle cuffs to hold them in place) as my inspiration. So here's my question:
Since the silicone will be tighter than the spandex tails, effectively holding everything in place, do I have to put anything else in the fluke to keep my feet from sliding around? Or can I just make the fluke out of the two silicone halves, feet resting against the mesh-covered plastic, without any kind of extra molded foot pocket or water shoe or whatever glued to the flat monofin? Or do I really need ankle cuffs to keep the feet in place?

And I'm still trying to figure out how the powermesh (substitute for lace) is going to work. Just cover the whole plastic piece in power mesh? Perhaps the feet should go UNDER the powermesh in the foot pocket area? GAH, this stuff is complicated.

[PearlieMae]

I'm thinking your curing issue might have been a small pocket of silicone that didn't get mixed completely. Otherwise, I'm baffled.

[Dancing Fish]

Yeah, that part of the fluke remained unusually sticky, even after I scrubbed it with dish soap and alcohol. There was something embedded in that portion that was just...off. Ah, well. I'm about to paint the replacement. Wish me luck!

[PearlieMae]

Fins crossed!

[Dancing Fish]

I just found this again: my original color scheme collage! It's turning out far less orange than I'd originally intended...more like the pic at the top right.

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[PearlieMae]

Beautiful!!!

[Mermaid Clara]

I just found this again: my original color scheme collage! It's turning out far less orange than I'd originally intended...more like the pic at the top right.

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love the colors!

[Dreadful Mermaids]

I love this. :)

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks!

So we've hit another snag in the girl's tail...
(1) I didn't leave enough room to attach the fluke properly! Total fail. If the spandex could still stretch it wouldn't be an issue. For future tail makers, you'll probably want to make sure the fluke is attached *before* covering everything with silicone...
(2) If I do attach the fluke to the body, there's no way we'll be able to get this thing on. It has lost 90% of its stretch, and the water shoes in the fin have velcro straps. *headdesk*

Solution: it's going to have to stay in two pieces.

So I need a way to cover the join between body and fluke. Solution: ruffles! I was inspired by Mermaid Aine's beautiful purple tail (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1389-SHoW-Us-YoUR-TaiLS-THReAd!!!/page102). I ran the idea past Rowan and she loves it. She's currently coloring in the latest design drawing, and has also designed a top. I'm starting to hate this tail, but I don't want to let it show, because she's so excited about it! :) Here she is in the latest version, with a strip of green fabric where a ruffle is going to be. It will work. It *has* to work!

[MermaidAine]

It will look great! Sometimes mistakes turn into cuteness. The side stripes on my tail happened because we didn't leave enough seam allowance. I really love how the silicone looks on this!


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[Dancing Fish]

Here's her latest design (drawn by me, colored by her):

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[MermaidAine]

Very cute!


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[Dancing Fish]

It will look great! Sometimes mistakes turn into cuteness. The side stripes on my tail happened because we didn't leave enough seam allowance. I really love how the silicone looks on this!

Oops! Yeah, I've done that... I'm a totally self-taught seamstress and have made every ridiculous mistake one can make. :) But those shiny side-stripes are beautiful, too. So yup! The whole point of this is to create a fun design for the kid, and she's been excited about every step, mistakes and all. (Let's not talk about how awful a job I did putting silicone on the fluke...or the paint splotches she told me not to worry about...)

In other news, replacement fluke is painted and looks even better than the original, so go me! :dance::dance::dance: Cutting out the Lexan for the fluke tomorrow, then figuring out how I'm gonna secure my feet. I got some great advice about straps, but I might also just go the cheesy (cheating?) route and glue cheap water shoes to the Lexan with poly zap instead. I did this for Rowan's fluke and those babies are STUCK on there.

[MermaidAine]

What a sweetie. My daughter was that way when I used to make her bellydance costumes. Then she became a teenager. LOL.


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[Dancing Fish]

What a sweetie. My daughter was that way when I used to make her bellydance costumes. Then she became a teenager. LOL.

Awesome! I used to make my own bellydance costumes, too. And yeah, they never turned out quite the way I'd envisioned them, but they ended up looking gorgeous anyway. I want totally nuts with the sequins and beading. To be honest, with that experience I should have made a sequin tail...but the silicone and the sculpting totally called to me!

Do you dance too? I keep meaning to get back into it, but we moved and I just don't feel like I fit into the local dance community. (Sucks being super shy)

[MermaidAine]

Yes I do. Well I did. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis so after 12 years I finally had to give it up.


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[Dancing Fish]

Yay! Fluke is done! We're finally hitting the home stretch on her tail. Only two more ruffles and an elastic band!! Then that top. Ok maybe a few more days. Gah, I'm praying this thing lasts more than 2 swims...

[Dancing Fish]

Aaaaand we have ruffles! Just have to add some elastic to the top and she can take it out for a swim.
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[Mermaid Wesley]

Cute!


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[Dancing Fish]

We have a mermaid!!! We're off to the pool to try it out. WHEW! That was a stupid amount of work. :O_o::fallover::biting nails::cheerleader::cheerleader::cheerleader:

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[Dancing Fish]

Swim test: B+

So there are a few issues. First, we need an ankle strap to keep the %@& shoes on. But otherwise she was extremely comfortable swimming in it, and got many compliments!

The second issue isn't really a big deal for her tail, but may affect anyone who is considering putting silicone over painted spandex. We really slathered the paint on thick to get good sharp colors, and everywhere there's paint, the silicone doesn't grab the spandex. There are patches where the silicone has clearly separated from the tail underneath, most noticeably in the corners of the fluke where there was nothing for the silicone to grab. But those areas are lighter anyway, so it's not a big deal. The second issue is that the paint in one of these areas is already flaking! It's definitely a stress area that gets repeatedly stretched (over the top of her feet at the ankles, which is actually mostly covered by the ruffles) so I would recommend not putting paint in that area. The flakes are migrating to other areas under the silicone, too, drat it! Oh, well, live and learn. ;)

The body of the tail held up great even when she insisted on repeatedly hauling herself up to sit on the edge. It was easy to slide on and off, and noticeably more buoyant-- she had a harder time diving down until she got used to it. Overall she's a very happy mermaid, and I can't wait to finish my own tail and dive in there too!

[Dancing Fish]

Whipped up a new fabric tail for me, since the old one's falling apart and the new one's nowhere near done. I really like this pattern!
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And here's the happy little mermaid!
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[Dancing Fish]

Oh for the love of Pete! I thought I'd made enough scales!! Apparently not. Still, colors are flowing together nicely! and I got my mesh onto the dummy, and got the dummy mounted. Assembling the fluke tomorrow too...hopefully. All in all a good bit of progress for the weekend!

I wasn't certain about those blue scales, but now they have grown on me. They remind me of ancient Egyptian art. :)
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[Dancing Fish]

I don't know how you ladies doing the smaller scales have the patience. ;). Though perhaps if the scales weren't so big, I wouldn't have to spend so much time aligning them!

[PearlieMae]

I love the blue scales in there! Everything looks awesome!

And yeah, you ALWAYS need more scales.

[MermaidAine]

Oh my gosh I am in love with those big scales! The blue looks beautiful!


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[Dancing Fish]

Thanks!
Fluke sandwiching is going well! Only issue is that my powermesh is a little lumpy. It's making the fluke a bit less smooth, and also I fear there are some air bubbles trapped in there. I placed it back in the mold and then rolled it flat to try to get them out. I suppose one or two bubbles won't be too harmful, and I might be able to get them out by pricking the fluke with a pin here and there. I nearly forgot to add the drainage holes, eeek! Can't wait to try this sucker out tomorrow. I'm also rather astounded that my fluke turned out as symmetric as it did-- I only need a tiny bit of trimming here and there, and I might just not bother.

I also wanted to say that scrapbooking shears are awesome at cutting silicone if you don't want a smooth edge. I cut all my scale-ends with one of these instead of regular scissors for a more organic look, and it works wonderfully:
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[Dancing Fish]

Aaaand I have a fluke! Woohoo!! (And two very confused cats...)
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[MermaidAine]

Eeeeee you are getting so close!


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[Ashton]

Watching your progress is amazing, I am so falling behind! Seeing your progress is totally motivating me!

[Yulia]

Oh wow, those big scales are so cool!

[ShyMer]

Lovely job so far! I'm really into those large scales too. It looks really cool from a distance! I'm a big fan of blue and copper color schemes, too. So lovely <3

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks!! :blush:
Visiting the folks for a few days, so work is on hold. But look at what my mom dug out of the attic! Anyone else have one of these?
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[PearlieMae]

:yay:

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

*call upon the sea ponies when you're in distress*
*shoo be do shoo shoo be do*

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[Dancing Fish]

Back home again...now comes the terrifying prospect of gluing on all those scales. Yikes! I started a top but I've realized it's just me avoiding the next big step.

In other news, still haven't been able to try out the finished fluke due to THIS ENDLESS RAIN!!!

[IllynReaver]

That tail is gorgeous.

[Lotus the Mermaid]

Lol! Lunette introduced me to the Sea Ponies.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4TedkQP_hM

[Lotus the Mermaid]

Oh, and I absolutely LOVE your tail design!! I need to get to work on mine, but I'll have to buy all new materials because Texas decided it was going to throw the craziest weather ever on us all at once this year.

How did you do the fluke and scales so perfectly?? This is your first time, right? I'm so impressed!! <3

[Dancing Fish]

Hahahaha! Omg how cute, my daughter's going to make me find all those cartoons now...
and gosh, thanks, Lotus Blooming! It is looking really cool-- better than I'd hoped! I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I'm trying NOT to spend so much time getting everything perfect, or nothing will ever get finished. :) there are plenty of little lumps and drips and fingerprints and cat fur that show up when you get close, though. I'm sure it's the same with any tail!

[Dancing Fish]

I got a chance to swim with the new fluke! First thoughts: compared to a Fin Fun original, this thing is HEAVY, unwieldy, and surprisingly stiff. Clearly they were using a much thinner Lexan (I know they switched to something new-- we bought ours last year) than the kind you find at Lowes. But I've also been training on a Finis Rapid, and it's comparable in stiffness to this crazy thing I've created. Bonus! I get massive propulsion in this thing! Zooom! After about ten minutes I felt perfectly comfortable swimming in it. It looks phenomenal in the sunlight!!

Downside: I apparently have bony feet. I nearly gave myself blisters where my own feet were rubbing together. And I probably made the Lexan part too big, so there's not enough, well, flop. It's extremely stiff, apart from the flowy ends. Those flowy ends save it from being entirely too stiff, I think, but I would've liked the whole fin to be a little more floppy in the water. But thank goodness I listened to my husband when he advised me to make the whole thing smaller. :)

So, for the next fin: smaller Lexan, separate foot pockets. And smoother powermesh pocket; there's lumps of air inside my fin that I can't get rid of. But for my first tail, this is all going, dare I say it, quite swimmingly! ;)

[Dancing Fish]

Here we go! Final scale placement!
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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Looks gorgeous! Are you going to stick the whole scale down, or just the base? The 3D effect of the scales that aren't fully stuck down is cool, although I imagine a lot more drag in the water!

[Mermaid Sabie]

I love LOVE your scales! You're doing such an amazing job!


Mermaid at <3

[Dancing Fish]

Looks gorgeous! Are you going to stick the whole scale down, or just the base? The 3D effect of the scales that aren't fully stuck down is cool, although I imagine a lot more drag in the water!

Thanks! I did consider that, but some of the scales tend to curl up a little awkwardly. I'm going to glue them all the way down. The colored tips dilineate the scales at a distance, and their edges are clear up close. Besides, biological fish scales are rather sleek looking. I might be candy-colored but I was going for a fishier look. :)

Thanks, Sabie! :)

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Fair enough! Can't wait to see it finished!

[Ashton]

That is beautiful


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[Seraphina Suds]

It's so prettyyyy! I'd love to see you make a betta fish inspired tail with those big scales!

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[Lotus the Mermaid]

It's so cool! It reminds me of a traditional style painting of a Japanese koi.

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[Mermaid Bailey]

Those big scales are so lovely!

[SIF]

I just found my box full of the old MLP ponies the other day...

[MermaidAine]

Looks great!


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[JamesGunnels]

Your silicone tail is fabulous. Cannot wait to see it finished. Absolutely beautiful work.

[Dancing Fish]

Me today: 31446

Body is done! And WOW does it sparkle and shine in the sun.
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I wrestled the thing off the dummy, rolled it up, crammed my feet in...and was promptly impaled by four pins that I'd missed. OWOWOWOWOW. After removing the little devils, I tried again. THE SUCKER FITS ME. OMG. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS. EVERYTHING IS ACTUALLY WORKING. I am literally bouncing around like a crazy person and now I must share with the world my joy. MY JOY! HAVE SOME!

(Tempered with the realization that my belly really IS that big. Sigh.)

It's not perfect-- it's not high enough on or snug enough around my waist for my taste, so I really do need to extend it a bit on all sides. I expected that I would. It's going to be just simple flat powermesh covered with skin-tone silicone from here on up, without any attempt at blending, because I kind of like how the top turned out. Well...MAYBE a second layer of the little scales. 'cause they're cute. Aw, heck, I dunno. I'm too amazed that it all came together so brilliantly! And I can easily roll it down enough to reach the heel straps (the benefits of being a wider woman, I suppose) so I don't have to worry about never being able to tighten the monofin.

Next step: slime coat, inside and out....then attach the fluke!

But, seriously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKWpGJ4Xhw8

[Dancing Fish]

And I'm ultimately extremely happy I added the blue, because otherwise my butt would resemble a very shiny pine cone. *giggle* Thanks again for all the compliments, guys! :) I would *love* to do a betta fish inspired tail with these big scales. :)

Now with fluke! Woohoo!
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[Mermaid Freyja]

It's so beautiful!!!!! :swoon:

[PearlieMae]

Me today: 31446

Body is done! And WOW does it sparkle and shine in the sun.
31447

I wrestled the thing off the dummy, rolled it up, crammed my feet in...and was promptly impaled by four pins that I'd missed. OWOWOWOWOW. After removing the little devils, I tried again. THE SUCKER FITS ME. OMG. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS. EVERYTHING IS ACTUALLY WORKING. I am literally bouncing around like a crazy person and now I must share with the world my joy. MY JOY! HAVE SOME!

(Tempered with the realization that my belly really IS that big. Sigh.)

It's not perfect-- it's not high enough on or snug enough around my waist for my taste, so I really do need to extend it a bit on all sides. I expected that I would. It's going to be just simple flat powermesh covered with skin-tone silicone from here on up, without any attempt at blending, because I kind of like how the top turned out. Well...MAYBE a second layer of the little scales. 'cause they're cute. Aw, heck, I dunno. I'm too amazed that it all came together so brilliantly! And I can easily roll it down enough to reach the heel straps (the benefits of being a wider woman, I suppose) so I don't have to worry about never being able to tighten the monofin.

Next step: slime coat, inside and out....then attach the fluke!

But, seriously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKWpGJ4Xhw8

WOW!!!! WOWEE WOW!!! :swoon::swoon::swoon::swoon::swoon::swoon:

Ouch, too! I should have mentioned somewhere to go over your tail with a magnet to make sure you got all the pins!!!

This is WONDERFUL! I am so excited for you!

When you extend the top, make it tight so it holds in...stuff! I did mine to fit me initially, then went back and snugged it up and I'm SO glad I did! Built in girdle and no muffin top! No mer-crack, either!

When you do the slime coat inside, seal it all generously so there's no place for mold to hide, but don't push it so much that it oozes out the front between the scales...you'll seal all that when you do the outer top coat.

I LOVE YOUR COPPER AND LAPIS LAZULI TAIL!

PS: I don't know about you, but every time I see my mannequin hanging in the studio, I still groan over the size of my massive ass! :fallover:

[Dancing Fish]

WOW!!!! WOWEE WOW!!! :swoon::swoon::swoon::swoon::swoon::swoon:

Ouch, too! I should have mentioned somewhere to go over your tail with a magnet to make sure you got all the pins!!!

This is WONDERFUL! I am so excited for you!

When you extend the top, make it tight so it holds in...stuff! I did mine to fit me initially, then went back and snugged it up and I'm SO glad I did! Built in girdle and no muffin top! No mer-crack, either!

When you do the slime coat inside, seal it all generously so there's no place for mold to hide, but don't push it so much that it oozes out the front between the scales...you'll seal all that when you do the outer top coat.

I LOVE YOUR COPPER AND LAPIS LAZULI TAIL!

PS: I don't know about you, but every time I see my mannequin hanging in the studio, I still groan over the size of my massive ass! :fallover:

I don't know if the magnet would've found them-- they were well sealed-in, supporting one of the side fins at the bottom. I had to make a small cut in the mesh to get them out. (Bonehead)
Thanks, will do!

I don't mind the big ass...it's the big belly that gets me down. Next tail will definitely have a tighter waistline. On the other hand, this tail is extremely comfortable, light, stretchy, and I managed to get into it without using lube. I can even still bend my knees! (I engineered in a slightly bent knee just in case, as you can see). Hopefully it's not TOO loose!

Question: did you add more scales to cover the heel region than you used on top? Or did you just rely on stretchiness? I had my daughter take a bunch of pics of the region and I think I'll be adding more scales to compensate for bendy heels. There's no way I can swim in this thing without occasionally standing up in it, and I don't want to stress the heel region too much.

ETA: also on my third bucket of silicone. Yikes! This took far more than I thought it would!

[Mermaid Alea]

So are you/have you attached the fluke or are you going to have it removable? This has been a wonderful tail making thread to follow. I just love your colors and design and I think your tail is my favorite tail with big scales.

You have been such an inspiration! :hug:

[Dancing Fish]

So are you/have you attached the fluke or are you going to have it removable? This has been a wonderful tail making thread to follow. I just love your colors and design and I think your tail is my favorite tail with big scales.

You have been such an inspiration! :hug:

Thanks! I do plan to attach it. I need to make even more scales first... :doh:

[Seraphina Suds]

Fantastic!! Can't wait to see you have your first swim in it!

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[MermaidAine]

OMG it is sooooo pretty!!!! :jawdrop::swoon:

[IllynReaver]

But you make such a lovely shiney pinecone! make all the boy pinecones go WAAAAAAAHH!

in all seriousness, your tail is absolutely amazing! I'm so happy for you that it's turning out the way you want. :)

[jvry8c]

Very awesome. Normally im not a big fan of large scales but you did a mind blowingly good job with this tail where they look believable. The tail Reminds me of a koi but I'm guessing that's what you were going for. :D

[Merman Lir]

It's magnificent!

[PearlieMae]

Question: did you add more scales to cover the heel region than you used on top? Or did you just rely on stretchiness? I had my daughter take a bunch of pics of the region and I think I'll be adding more scales to compensate for bendy heels. There's no way I can swim in this thing without occasionally standing up in it, and I don't want to stress the heel region too much.


Not any more than what I needed to bridge the gap between tailbody and fluke. I had a bunch there initially to compensate for standing, but it looked bunchy, so I took out about half. what I DID do was reinforce the area on the inside with a couple extra layers of powermesh and silicone!

[Lotus the Mermaid]

OMG. This tail is so glorious. :'D It's just so beautiful. You're seriously talented, Dancing! Omg. I can't stop staring at it! Seriously! GORGEOUS!!! I can't wait for your first swim video!!! Omg. :'D LOVE IT!!!

[Dancing Fish]

Well, argh. My lovely girl's glitter project exploded all over my tail. Hmm. Water isn't washing it off, and neither is alcohol. Anyone know a better way to deglitterify silicone? LOL. I'd also love the secret to washing off cat hair. Should've vacuumed before flipping all over the floor!

And that's another great suggestion Pearlie! You have literally saved me tons of time and grief!

[Jeronposted]

Well, argh. My lovely girl's glitter project exploded all over my tail. Hmm. Water isn't washing it off, and neither is alcohol. Anyone know a better way to deglitterify silicone? LOL. I'd also love the secret to washing off cat hair. Should've vacuumed before flipping all over the floor!

And that's another great suggestion Pearlie! You have literally saved me tons of time and grief!

Try tape maybe?

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Wow, your tail is absolutely gorgeous! Amazing job!!
For cat hair I wash mine in the bathtub with water and dish soap, scrubbing gently with a nail brush. Most of the cat hair floats I've found!

[Theobromine]

Don't use tape!! The adhesive in the tape could potentially inhibit the curing of any more silicone you try to add (this has happened to me with duct tape).

Blue Dawn dish soap (thanks Pearlie for that tip!) is the best thing to wash your tail with. I've gotten glitter on my tail before too, and I had to wash it with soap and scrub gently with a washcloth. Fuck glitter >:(

This tail looks amazing!

[Dancing Fish]

Well, most of the glitter came off with water and a washcloth. Whew! Inner and outer slime coat is done, and now it's a LOT heavier! Overall I did an ok job, but there are a couple of big obvious globs and drips here and there. I tried trimming some, but gave up. From three feet away I only see them when the light hits those particular scales. Fluke attachment tomorrow, then it's swim time! I want to see how bad the top gaps before I mess with it.

Rowan has already started pestering me for her next tail. Lol! She's picked out her color scheme: green and purple! My favorite colors!

[PearlieMae]

Green and purple (purple first, always!) is my fave combo!

As for glitter and cat hair, lots of suds and a bath puff, have someone holds it up while you rinse it from the waist down. Don't try to avoid cat hair, it's a losing battle. Accept defeat now.

As for the globs, remember what my mom says..."couldn't see it from a galloping horse!"

[Theobromine]

I've found eensy weensy nail scissors (cuticle scissors? I dunno, someone gave them to me) to be very useful for trimming tiny bits of extra silicone.

[Dancing Fish]

Oooh, those are a fab idea. Would you bother trying to fix a spot if you had a large (quarter-sized) flat glob? Or just shrug and leave it? :) I've managed to trim off most of the sites where it made an obvious 3D drip mark.

[PearlieMae]

I'd leave it, if it's flat. I trim drops off all the time with a small pair of embroidery scissors (they look like mini haircutting scissors).

[Theobromine]

I'd probably trim it off, personally, but I am 1. anal :P and 2. the tiny little critters I make are small enough that I kinda have to be anal about the tiny details. Might not be such a big deal with a tail if it's not super obvious. You could try shaving it off with a wide flat super-sharp razor blade, then do a thin clear coat over it again, that's probably what I'd try.

[Dancing Fish]

So there's probably an easy way to attach a flat fluke to a cylindrical ankle hole... but I haven't discovered it yet. Tomorrow I will either find that the dorsal side is beautifully attached, or I will find that I have spent six months creating a very elaborate silicone thneed. Hoping for the former!!

If all goes well I might get to try it this week! Eeeeeeeeee!!!!

oh, and I decided to leave the splotches for now. meh. Will call 'em beauty marks. ;)

[Dancing Fish]

ZOMG. It's DONE. :phew::fallover::cheerleader::cheerleader:

i could fuss with the waistline a bit more but as of this moment it's complete.

And of course I got nailed with a cold, so not sure when I can test it...just my luck! I'm too exhausted and feverish to try it on!

I also started a top...and found that the cups have shrunk from the beads. Now it's too small! Argh. But compared to the rest of this project, beaded bras are easy so I'll just pull it apart and try again with a bigger cup size. All those years of belly dance costuming are coming in handy!

[PearlieMae]

:yay:

Feel better!

[MermaidSaph]

31543 This tail is so 20% cooler!

[Dancing Fish]

Gah. Last night my sinuses were so tender that I dreamed I was having accupuncture on my face. Today it's camping out in my ears and working into my lungs. And it's gorgeously sunny today, too, a perfect day for swimming. Argh! Summer colds are The Worst.

[Dancing Fish]

31543 This tail is so 20% cooler!
ROFL!! Thanks!

[MermaidAine]

Oh dear, I hope you feel better soon!


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[Dancing Fish]

Pics! Pics! Pics!!!
I'm still wearing it as I post this. I don't want to take it off! I'm a freakin' mermaid on Christmas Day!! Someone draw me a bath, quick!

3156231563

imma bask in this moment for awhile before I start talking about stuff that needs fixin'....

[Dancing Fish]

Although is there a tailmaker out there whose first silicone tail did NOT have a gapping waist?!

[Theobromine]

That looks amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing! :eyepop:

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh my gosh, it's so gorgeous! You've done an amazing job!! I hope you feel better soon so you can go for a swim!

[Mermaid Mystery]

oh my god it's too much for my virgin eyes

[Keiris]

Dancing fish that looks fantastic! The unmitigated glee in that first pic just makes me smile!!!!!!!!

[MermaidAine]

Fabulous!!!!


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[AnnaAbyss]

I WANT TO CRY AT THE BEAUTY :jawdrop:

[Luna Dreamtide]

Absolutely gorgeous. And those colours are perfect for you. You've done such a great job! Can't wait to see how it swims.

[Ashton]

It looks great!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

This tail is such an achievement. I love everything about it, especially the proportions, the large primordial-looking scales, and the color scheme. Just gorgeous.

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks so much everyone!!! :blush:

So how does one avoid the ugly ankle crease? I suppose it's inevitable, but on mine it's pretty bad unless toes are perfectly pointed. 31579

Also, I'm not sure I'll be able to adjust the monofin straps after all. Eek! Hopefully I'll still get good propulsion since my toes are still secured, but I don't like the feeling of my heels slipping off the board. Hmmm. Feeling much better today so we might get to try it out...but I really need to get serious about planning our vacation starting this weekend! I'm just excited that I got this project done before hand.

[JamesGunnels]

Absolutely one of the coolest tails I've ever seen!

[Ariel-Starfish]

3156231563


Omgaaaaawd!!!! :swoon:

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

Ankle wrinkles are always pretty bad unless your toes are pointed.

My finfolk does exactly the same thing your lovely tail does.

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[PearlieMae]

Pics! Pics! Pics!!!
I'm still wearing it as I post this. I don't want to take it off! I'm a freakin' mermaid on Christmas Day!! Someone draw me a bath, quick!

3156231563

imma bask in this moment for awhile before I start talking about stuff that needs fixin'....

YOUR TAIL IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! It looks so great! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!



Although is there a tailmaker out there whose first silicone tail did NOT have a gapping waist?!

Me! (humblebrag)

[Mermaid Clara]

Pics! Pics! Pics!!!
I'm still wearing it as I post this. I don't want to take it off! I'm a freakin' mermaid on Christmas Day!! Someone draw me a bath, quick!

3156231563

imma bask in this moment for awhile before I start talking about stuff that needs fixin'....

Oh my scales! That is beautiful!


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[Yulia]

So beautiful! The large scales are so fantastic! :D

[Seraphina Suds]

You look amazing!!

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[PaolaMF]

is magic !! is a real gold fish !! :)

[Dancing Fish]

32034

Camping for two weeks in the woods, not allowed to swim in the lake... What's a mermaid to do? Work on her top, of course! We're packing it all up this weekend...hoping to try out the tail this Sunday. Woot!

[MermaidAine]

I am in love with that top!!!


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[Calizaire]

Wow, your tail turned out spectacular!!

[Dancing Fish]

32093

It worked! Swims beautifully! As suspected I need to tighten up the waist, though. :)

Got lots of compliments, but I don't think anyone believed I made it myself. Hell, *I* still can't believe it.

32094

[PearlieMae]

Stunning! Congratulations! You look incredible! :yay:

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks! I couldn't have done it without your epic tutorial.
:hail::mermaid kiss:

[Fifi Tigg]

Love! It looks great! I can't wait to see a video of you and your tail in action :D

[Ashe]

It's an absolute masterpiece! Definitely a new inspiration for me and my future tailmaking endeavors :)

[Keiris]

It looks FANTASTIC!!! You must be so proud!

[Freshwater_Nim]

That is So beautiful! Well done! I only wish I could pull off warm colours like you do. :)

[Sherielle]

I am so in love with your tail. THis is the closest style I've seen yet that fits what my dream tail and colors could be. If you start making them, I would love to be your first customer.

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks everyone! :D

Sherielle, I'd bet Pearlie would be happy to make you a big-scale tail if you asked her! This took me six months...I doubt I'll be making them for anyone else any time soon. I just don't have the time! And my kid's next on the list. Her current tail is starting to fail. Of course, she wants silicone...

ETA: though I'm happy to make a similar beaded top to match anyone's tail, if you're not in love with the silicone bra look. :) I love beading!

[Mermaid Alea]

I think I can say that you have been written in my mental book of inspirational people. You have made the whole process of making a silicone tail look so effortless even though I know it is a lot of hard work. You did a wonderful job for sure! I think I might re-read this thread...

[Sherielle]

How many sizes of scales did you end up using and how wide are the largest scales?

[Dancing Fish]

I just had two, though if I had to do it over again I'd make a smaller one for some of the awkward transitions. I had 11 different molds that I sculpted individually so they wouldn't have a totally uniform look, and I trimmed each scale with scrapbook scissors to give them ragged-looking edges.

32220

and wow, thanks so much, mermaid Alea! :)

[Mermaid Sabie]

You look so beautiful! I am in love with your big scales!

[Sherielle]

I just had two, though if I had to do it over again I'd make a smaller one for some of the awkward transitions. I had 11 different molds that I sculpted individually so they wouldn't have a totally uniform look, and I trimmed each scale with scrapbook scissors to give them ragged-looking edges.

and wow, thanks so much, mermaid Alea! :)Thank you! I told my husband about how much I love your tail and he said, "Well get yourself to sculpting, lady!". He better realize that I'm going to take that as a okey dokey for me to start getting my supplies together.

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks, Mermaid Sabie!

[Dancing Fish]

Awesome, Sherielle! It was So. Much. Fun to do this. Just keep at it a little at a time. When it all comes together you'll be so amazed that this beautiful creation came from your own hands! :)

[Dancing Fish]

Next project: a hybrid tail for Rowan! Silicone flukes and fins, painted silicone body. AWESOME!!

[Mermaid Alea]

Okay first of all thank you soo much for giving your final thoughts on this project! Right now I am compiling a list of everything you do when making a silicone tail. I doubt I will be able to make one anytime soon, but I know eventually I want to give it a go and I might as well start researching now so that by the time I can make one I should be fairly confident in starting.

I have maybe 2 questions for you though:

This one confused me a little:

10. Dusting over silicone with powdered Pearl-X pigments will give you an amazing luminous, lustrous metallic sheen that as far as I can tell cannot be replicated with other methods (I haven't tried airbrushing yet). But it will make the silicone top coat unable to effectively adhere to the pigmented layer beneath. I don't care because my scales are all tinted under the paint. It's only the tips that will wear away, which is OK for me because I'm going for a more organic look. I love the wear patterns that are starting to show already. So tint your underlying silicone the color you want to show when the paint starts rubbing off. as it inevitably will.

- So basically, if you tint the underlying silicone it makes the top coat of tinted silicone not stick? I just found that confusing because I thought a lot of tailmakers tint the silicone and then paint over it with more tinted silicone without problems. My idea if I were to go with the individual scale method would be to make the scales and then paint a little bit over them so that would wear off? Does that mean the pretty painting you did on your fluke is going to eventually rub off? Oh wait or are you just saying you dust the silicone with just pure pearl ex not mixed into silicone and that is why it rubs off? I am guessing that is what you meant and I didn't read it right lol.

Okay my other question is how hard was it to attach the fluke to the body? I noticed that people don't really talk about it much in their tailmaking threads. It just seems like they show the body and the fluke separate and then ta da there is an update with both parts together. To me that is the most daunting sounding part getting it to line up right, making sure your length is correct, etc.

[Dancing Fish]

FYI to anyone else: I moved the "final thoughts" to the first post, along with all the materials I used. :)

The pigmenting: After I cast my scales, I cleaned them with water, then used powdered pigment to give them that lovely sheen. I really rubbed it into the silicone surface, making it smooth and lustrous. It looks phenomenal! I then sealed it with a topcoat of clear silicone. But since there is a layer of powder between the two layers of silicone, the top coat doesn't grip very well, and it's separating in some areas (particularly the edges that I trimmed). I also think that many tailmakers have found that over-pigmenting the silicone they are painting with gives them a similar issue.

And attaching the fluke...Hmm, I don't have any pics, but I'll try to describe the process in another post. Right now I'm off to Michaels for airbrush paints! yay!

[Mermaid Alea]

Oh okay thank you! :)

[Sherielle]

Okay my other question is how hard was it to attach the fluke to the body? I noticed that people don't really talk about it much in their tailmaking threads. It just seems like they show the body and the fluke separate and then ta da there is an update with both parts together. To me that is the most daunting sounding part getting it to line up right, making sure your length is correct, etc.I, too, am curious about this.

[Dancing Fish]

I assume you're familiar with the "fluke sandwich" using powermesh to secure the silicone to lexan or whatever monofin you're using? If not, that method's fairly simple...cover the foot pocket region with saran wrap, then use poly zap (for lexan) or some other appropriate glue to secure fabric to the fin. Pearlie suggested crumpling the fabric a little to give the silicone something to grab, but I found that made my fin lumpy (I probably overdid it) and I ended up with some air pockets inside my fluke. Make sure the saran covers anything that will inhibit silicone (especially if you are using a commercial monofin with rubber foot pockets), and try to squeeze out all the air pockets before the silicone cures completely. I got a few out by piercing them with pins afterward, but when I try this again I'll just use a flat sheet of power mesh. Don't forget to leave drainage holes! (I used big popsicle sticks wrapped in saran wrap. Mistake! Nearly impossible to remove afterwards.)

When I made my duct tape dummy, I created it all the way down to the heels. That gave me a good idea how long to make the body. I already deleted the few pics I took, but basically once the fluke was complete, and the body was complete, I put both on and took pics of the missing portion of the ankle region with toes pointed and flexed. I used those pics as a guide to determine how many scales were needed to reach across the divide. Then I built up, adding scales from the fluke to the ankle region. I did the dorsal side first so I could add in another couple of layers of power mesh over the heel join inside while I could still reach it. I didn't bother to reinforce the ventral (top of ankles) join, figuring that region gets less stress. Don't forget to stick in something into the body to keep the front and back halves of the ankle region from getting accidentally glued together since you don't have a dummy behind them (I used a magazine covered in saran wrap).

There was quite a lot of luck involved in this whole process...I'm very happy I judged the distance right the first time. :)

OH! And I should mention that I drew a vertical line all down my dummy in the front and back in black sharpie, so I knew exactly where the center line was as I was pinning scales. By the time I glued the scales down it was pretty clear where the center line was, but that's really important to do!

[Mermaid Alea]

Thank you soo much for talking about how you put your fluke on. It sounds like you just have to go for it (carefully haha). Those are all very good tips you mentioned!

Once again I think you have done a lovely job!

[Dancing Fish]

Everything came together, including a new battery for the camera, and a willing photographer. (Thanks, honey!) I've changed my mind about the fluke being too stiff. It's *perfect.* :) You can see both tails in action here! (My daughter refuses to let me fix that awful heel on her tail...so that's that!) I haven't adjusted the waistband either, so that's just a big spandex sash tied round the waist. It's OK for a temporary solution.


https://youtu.be/0DdCLJ2CpYY

We are, of course, working on our next tails. I've decided that while it LOOKS utterly beautiful, I'm not actually all that comfortable swimming in a full silicone tail. I honestly prefer spandex. But I *must* have that gorgeous realistic fluke, so I'm working on a hybrid.

[PearlieMae]

It moves so beautifully! And your daughter cracks me up! Great work! Give the silicone a little more time to grow on ya...you'll get the hang of it!

[Keiris]

It really does look beautiful in the water, Dancing Fish! Good luck on the Hybrid!

[Dancing Fish]

Thanks, Pearlie and Keris! :) BTW, I love how your hybrid tail turned out!

My daughter really wants me to try something weird with her next spandex tail-- airbrushing through a mesh, but with silicone instead of paint to get color and texture. We'll see how that turns out...maybe she's onto something!

But I'm using a paintgun instead. I've decided that airbrushing with a wee little artist airbrush using silicone is a big ol' waste of my time. YIKES!

[SireNaia]

Thanks! I couldn't have done it without your epic tutorial.
:hail::mermaid kiss:


I realize this is not a recent thread, yet I am gathering all the possible information and educating myself about techniques on individual scales attached to a power mesh fabric.

First of all a big thank you for your very much contributive and detailed information. AWESOME! Sharing all your process is so generous from you!

I believe Pearlie Mae was the pioneer in this technique, but as much as I look for it I cannot find the detailed tutorial you mention here.
I have found her original (epic 80 something pages long thread) but looks like she has edited or removed most of her posts there (excuse me if I am wrong).
So, please, if anyone could point me in the right direction on an step by step tutorial (epic tutorial? :p) or any other detailed and technical info I would be very grateful.
I have performed all sorts of research over google and mernetwork... so please, bear in mind, I am doing my homework, just overwhelmed by so much information and frustrated to not be able to find the right one everybody seems to know, but me!

Thanks in advance and again congrats on a wonderful job!

[Dancing Fish]

Hi! Yeah, Pearlie took down most of her details about her process since she is now selling her gorgeous tails, but there are so many folks doing similar tails now (gluing scales to a powermesh body stretched over a tape dummy) that you should be able to pick up the basics. I'd start a new thread for your tail and post questions you have as they come up. Most folks are happy to answer specific questions, but I don't think there are any specific detailed tutorials out there covering this method (out of respect for Pearlie).