How would you affix the shell to this hairpiece??

[Mermaid Silverlilly]

Hey,

Just wondering if anyone could help me out with how to affix this shell to the hairpiece neoprene??

I was honestly thinking of sewing it and glueing it after resining it and gluing crystals on after sewing it down or whilst sewing the crystals down! Not quite sure how to do that either!

Help please??

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This is a pic I added 2 more pink leaf ferns into it and one more green silicone fern!

Thanks

P.S. some of the seaweed still has to be sewn on!

[Elle]

I've used loctite on a few of mine but I don't know if it's fish safe so I don't have any intention of wearing them in water where fish are present.

On another note, where did you get the netting??

[Mermaid Silverlilly]

I got the netting from Etsy :) Was the only stuff I found that I really liked shipping is a bit though depending on the amount of netting you get!

And thanks I will be using E6000 glue when it shows up in the post :) and after I have resined the shell then glue and sew the shell and somehow glue the Swarvoski Crystals on (orange/yellow) Color whilst I am sewing the beads down guess you just put the glue on them whilst you quickly sew through the shell multiple times?

[MerShellly]

I have no idea how, but just wanted to say I like the pink ferns. The hairpiece is very pretty!

[Mermaid Silverlilly]

Thanks hoping to sell things like this on my etsy site eventually :)

an updated pic of it with a couple more pink ferns added in :) Think it looks much more complete :)

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[Mermaid Galene]

I use Marine Goop glue, which is similar to E6000 but a little less stinky. For a piece like this, I would just glue everything in layers. Start by adhering whatever will directly touch the shell. Let it dry, then glue the next layer, etc.

If you want to be sure your pieces are fish-safe, use aquarium silicone sealant as the glue.

[Mermaid Silverlilly]

Thanks Mermaid Galene! Have E6000 in the mail and the seaweed well all of that is handsewn on still some more sewing to do with those but sure it will work out! Only thing for glue is extra reinforcement when I sew the shell down and to glue on the crystals otherwise it is resin for the shell and that is it :)

Thanks for the advice though!

[Winged Mermaid]

Do the ends of the seaweed bunch up enough to make contact with the underside of the shell? If so I'd use something like E6000 and CLAMP that sucker down so it bonds well!

If not, that shell doesn't have much surface area to be bonded. So you either need to make suface area or get the glue to fill the gap. I make surface area by gluing felt all down the inside curve of the shell and have little tabs that stick out so the tabs can be securely glued down. However since you've already attached the seaweed that may not be an option.

To get the glue to fill the gap, use gorilla glue (Be sure to read the directions) because it expands. I've filled gaps before. Just keep an eye on it as it's curing, as it can expand out of the shell a little if you use too much, and it cures yellow. If you catch it when it's still curing you can wipe off the excess. Otherwise you could always cover any of the yellow spots with some pearls or gems or something.

(See the accessory making faq (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?6472-%E2%98%85-The-Accessory-Making-FAQ-%E2%98%85) for more tips on gluing.)

[Mermaid Silverlilly]

Thanks winged Mermaid! Yes it does have seaweed poking up underneath! At least fo most of it anyway but thans a ton for the suggestions

[Mermaid Silverlilly]

Well I have finished sewing the base down plan to cover the back with spandex as there were a few places I had to go totally through the back cause otherwise I couldn't secure the seaweed down properly next is sorting out all the shell and getting holes drilled and it resined and then E6000 and sewing it on when the E6000 comes in the mail grrrrrrrrrrrr!

I can say though I am quite pleased with what I have done for my first ever hairpiece and hopefully will be able to add them onto my etsy store in the future etc! Plan on gluing crystals on as I sew the thread through them too :) So they are extra secure and since I have a new tail color may add in a little blue will see will at least be adding some really pretty orange/yellow (cant think of the name) Swarvoski Crystals onto the shell at the end and maybe some around the base too :) Will work it out :)

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