Hot Glue Tail

[Nicoseamus]

Hi! I wanted to make a new, more realistic tail than my fabric one, but wanted to steer clear of the cost of a silicone or Neoprene tail. I was thinking and long story short, I started playing around with hot glue. I wondered if this had been done before, or if anyone had any tips, comments or suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them. Which of the three methods do you like the best, or should I go in a new direction? Thanks for reading!27584

[Dancing Fish]

I was reading the Accessories FAQ (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?6472-%26%239733%3B-The-Accessory-Making-FAQ-%26%239733%3B) this morning and I think I recall Iona saying that hot glue tends to break down and start peeling after repeated submersions, so it wasn't recommended for glueing decorations onto accessories. But if it's not actually glueing anything together but itself, maybe it would work? I like your scale tests! Gorgeous colors!

[Fun123joker]

test it out. i hope it works because that might be my route if it works

[Little_Orca]

Is this going to be a wet or dry tail?

In my experience, hot glue holds up not so well in water. I used it to help hold shells and greens and other bits to a bra in the past. While it will not turn liquid or anything in the water, the hold did not last long or well in water. I think it only took one swim for one of the shells from my abalone bra to fall off; while I was performing at Faerieworlds! Thankfully, I had thread and sewed it on to keep it in place before I could get it home and fix it. (The hot glue had been made to hold the shell in place for the gluing, then the gorilla glue was to really hold it, but it didn't expand enough to grasp the shell.)

If this is going to be a dry tail, one for photos or performing and not swimming, it may hold up.

The scales do look lovely. :)

[Nicoseamus]

Thanks! I had left it submerged in the water for a while. The glue stayed bonded to the fabric, but not to the other glue scales. This could be due to the Lumiere paint, I will experiment further through the process. The scales themselves handled well, and showed no signs of deterioration. I might experiment with different supplemental adhesives down the line to make sure the bond is really strong, however. I would like it to be wet, but I'd be ok if it ends up being a Dry tail.

[Little_Orca]

Hot glue is also not super flexible when it is a lot of it. It will bend and not break, but I don't think it will have a smooth feel for swimming; it may be a little difficult. I am hoping I am wrong. :) It will be interesting to see.

[Usagi]

I've tried this and it just seems too stiff, to me. Yes, it bends, but I don't think it would be very comfortable to wear. I did make a fluke out of it, but never tested it because the body of the tail ended up being too small for me.

[Nicoseamus]

Hi! I noticed that the hot glue didn't have as much flexibility as something like Latex or Silicone, and that's one of the things I would like to combat. WHen you made yours, was it individual scales, or just all hot glue? I was figuring that if there were each individual scales, the fabric between them would allow for more flexibility than if it was just a continuous puddle of hot glue.

[Usagi]

Oh sorry, I wasn't very clear haha I made a small patch of scales with hot glue. If I find them, I will post a picture. I didn't like the way they felt or, so I scrapped the idea. I use hot glue for a lot of stuff because it's decently cheap haha I feel like the fluke would work well in water, but I guess I'll never know lol if the back of your hot glue item is stringy, you can put some vaseline on your finger and smooth it out while it's still goopy. If you're brave, you can do it right after squeezing it out, while it's still burning hot :P also, if you have the patience, you can melt down the glue sticks like you would melt down chocolate. I think it's called the double boiler method or something. Put water in a pot and turn on the heat. Put your stuff to be melted in a metal bowl and place it on top of the pot of boiling water. I haven't tried it with real kitchen wares, though, because my mother would kill me lol I tried it in a metal can over the stove fire, but it burned the can and released an awful smell into the air. I also tried a smaller version in a tea light tin over a candle, and it worked, but it took a while.

[Nicoseamus]

Thanks! Those are some really great ideas, I will try it out!

[Ashton]

I am really curious to see the completed outcome! It sounds like a good idea, I have never even thought of hot glue as a tail making product.

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