Back from the dead...

[Ashe]

My goodness it has been a while! Maybe a year since I've been here? Ugh... I lost all the mermaid in my soul for a while, but here I am once again!
As my title implies - things are coming back from the dead! Not only myself, but a certain tail as well...

Anyways... For those of you who knew me back in the day you might remember my blue neoprene tail - the first tail I ever made!

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Oh gosh, my design was terrible xD I used the heck out of her and kept on adding more paint and designs (I was so naive when it came to paint back then, looks like a elementary-schooler's art project!) But I loved this tail dearly. Flash forward to three years later and I have found the mermaid inside me once again! Looking at this tail stuffed up in the garage, I realize that I will probably never swim in it again... or so I thought.

So here's what's going on now:

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Pretty gnarly, right?

At the waistline, the foam inside the neoprene has come apart from the two layers of fabric and has ripped. You can see my bs attempt at trying to hide this by covering it with decorative green netting. Oh, the creative joys of a twelve year old... *cringe*

Around the heel and knee creases, the blue fabric has detached from the foam and is puckering.

My plan: I can reattach the area around the waist. I am also getting a... wait for it... Finis Competitor monofin!!! Woohoo! I plan on scrapping the current fluke as it was lopsided and way too heavy and create a whole new fluke using lighter and stretchier spandex. I have enough to make an entire tail actually :P
Ya'll also know of Tulip's 3-d fabric paint? I really want to put scales using that all over. I have done countless tests using this method and it actually looks, feels, and just works really super well. Just a thought though.
As far as a new design goes, I'm thinking of a wide fluke (kind of have to with that Competitor, NO WAY am I cutting that). I also like the thought of adding deep reds and golds to it.

Here's where I need your guys' help.
Basically I need tips ideas, and for you all to supervise me and make sure I don't do anything too stupid. Haven't made a tail in ages.

So... yeah? I think that pretty much covers it. I don't know how active I will be on this project... I have a big cosplay I am working on for a convention in the summer and a lot of this will be planning for a while. But for the time being, please send me your ideas and help!


Thanks a bunch!
Kalani

[Mermaid Wesley]

The tulip paint does work ;) 28468


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ashe]

Gorgeous! I love that stuff so much. I'm nearly certain I'll use it, now it's a question of covering the whole thing like a silicone/latex tail (risky), or do a spread apart scale shape such as yours... I imagine doing individual scales would work best, but try to squeeze them close enough together that tt will give a solid effect but still retain it's stretchiness.

[Ashe]

I know that trying to sew the ripped neoprene foam back together would be a big no no. So what kinds of glues would you all suggest? Does neoprene melt when used with certain glues? I swear by E6000 but haven't used it on a neoprene tail yet so I don't want to look to that just yet.

[Mermaid Wesley]

There are some specific glues for neoprene.

[AptaMer]

Hey Kalani, E6000 will not work for neoprene (at least, not for very long) Rubber cement won't work either.

I've fixed a lot of neoprene things, and the only thing I've found that works in the long run is real neoprene glue, Like Mermaid Wesley says.

You can buy small cans or tubes of it in any dive shop. At least, they all seem to carry it in my area. You can also buy it online eg:

http://www.scubastore.com/scuba-diving/cressi-glue-neoprene/4743/p

even Amazon sells it

http://www.amazon.com/Neoprene-Queen-Wetsuit-Repair-Glue/dp/B003IS2BB2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427228296&sr=8-3&keywords=neoprene+glue

Make sure you buy the kind sold for wetsuit repair. It glues foam neoprene effectively. There are glues for neoprene seals, but they're for solid neoprene.

[malinghi]

Welcome back! That's cool that you'll be using a competitor. What shape do you want to make the fluke? Are you planning to cut the monofin or extend it somehow so the fluke doesn't have a straight edge?

[Ashe]

Thank you very much AptaMer, I'll definitely look for that :)

Aha, there is no way I'm risking cutting that monster, Malinghi :P I have a fluke design planned out already which features an extension and allows me to take the monofin out when needed. I am going to post my design shortly.

[Ashton]

Welcome back, I too have had lost the mermaid in me before, so I totally understand.

[Ashe]

Welcome back, I too have had lost the mermaid in me before, so I totally understand.

It's been tough! I relapsed once or twice but it was only for a couple of days at a time before I lost it again. But this time, I realize that this is truly what makes me happy and I will always be a mermaid at heart :)

I've also been hearing a lot about your silicone tail project - good luck!

[Ashton]

It's been tough! I relapsed once or twice but it was only for a couple of days at a time before I lost it again. But this time, I realize that this is truly what makes me happy and I will always be a mermaid at heart :)

I've also been hearing a lot about your silicone tail project - good luck!


I think it happens to everyone every once in a while.

[Ashe]

Updates!!
I was able to get a lot of work done today! I took a trip to my craft store and bought a couple of bottles of Tulip metallic gold dimensional paint and a zipper. I also found a wonderful little dive shop near my home and got neoprene glue that worked like a charm, and the people working there were very nice to talk to about monofins!

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I scrapped all of the blue material on top of the neoprene as it was just falling apart and simply useless. The blue spots running down the tail were left over from a ridge-like design I did a while ago, but the paint went through the first layer of fabric and fused with the foam rubber underneath (good to know!) I will put scales over that later ;) I then patched up all the rips in the foam rubber with the glue that AptaMer suggested.

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I added a zipper on the back of my calves. I assume that competitor mono fins are a bxtch to get on when inside of a tail, so hopefully this will alleviate some of that frustration :P The blue goop around the zipper acts as a sealant as I feared that two lines of sewing wouldn't hold it...
Even when the tail isn't inside out and you can barely see the zipper, I will be hiding it all with a dorsal heel fin.

[Ashe]

As for the colors, I am thinking of a dark green, gold, and maroon...
Ages ago I had created one of those little Neptune's Daughter mermaids with this color scheme and I fell in love. Really starting to like the sound of it.

[Ashe]

Updates!!!

Just crawled out of my garage where I've been working on the tail for the past few hours (whew!) :phew:

Yesterday, I cut off the fluke. I knew I needed a new fluke for this tail, and I know that keeping it on any longer would make it extremely hard to work with. Afterwards, I started on the gold part of my tail. Using Tulip paints, smooth-painted nearly the entire front of the tail. I then allowed that to dry.
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This afternoon, however, the fun stuff started. I first traced on my scale shapes - it took FOREVER. And I went though a few different pens :fallover:
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I went over the pattern with solid lines of gold Tulip and endured a few hand cramps in the process.
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In the end, the effect was really nice!
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The 'scales' at the bottom of the tail were created with tight, swirling patterns and gradually grow into the full sized scales. I did this because I've seen this scale pattern on some fish, but also because on the backside the heel will be nearly indestructible when it comes to being pounded against hard rocks and scraped on concrete :D

So that's the progress I've made so far. It's actually a lot more than I expected as I was planning on doing this over the weekend. Now, I'll have to search for my dark green Tulip paint and start thinking about fins.

[Ashe]

Holy crap. Big big news.

My dad surprised me today by saying that he secretly ordered my Competitor, AND I'LL HAVE IT WHEN WE GO TO HAWAII NEXT WEEK. But it doesn't stop there, oh no.
If I finish my tail by Friday, my first swim with it will be in Hawaii. IN HAWAII.

I am freaking out for multiple reasons. It will be cutting it insanely close, but I think I will be able to get this tail done in that amount of time. I'm going to be working my ass off, I know that for sure. But gosh, how much better can this get?

[Mermaid Aika]

Holy crap. Big big news.

My dad surprised me today by saying that he secretly ordered my Competitor, AND I'LL HAVE IT WHEN WE GO TO HAWAII NEXT WEEK. But it doesn't stop there, oh no.
If I finish my tail by Friday, my first swim with it will be in Hawaii. IN HAWAII.

I am freaking out for multiple reasons. It will be cutting it insanely close, but I think I will be able to get this tail done in that amount of time. I'm going to be working my ass off, I know that for sure. But gosh, how much better can this get?

Yay! That so exciting. Good luck!
Oh, and I love the way this tail is turning out!:)

[Maethor]

Holy crap. Big big news.

My dad surprised me today by saying that he secretly ordered my Competitor, AND I'LL HAVE IT WHEN WE GO TO HAWAII NEXT WEEK. But it doesn't stop there, oh no.
If I finish my tail by Friday, my first swim with it will be in Hawaii. IN HAWAII.

I am freaking out for multiple reasons. It will be cutting it insanely close, but I think I will be able to get this tail done in that amount of time. I'm going to be working my ass off, I know that for sure. But gosh, how much better can this get?
THAT'S SO FANTASTIC! Your tail looks awesome! I can't wait to see more pictures!

[Rett]

Congratulations! That is so exciting! be sure to keep us updated along the way with lots of pics ;)

[Ashe]

So, Hawaii was a blast! I just posted on the photoshoot thread, but let me tell you what's going on here.

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Not done yet, not even close. For the purpose of the trip only, I threw on a fluke that I literally made overnight out of scrap fabric. It worked for the occasion but definitely not something I want to keep on there. I will be re-doing the entire fluke in time, but I might start on another tail project (ughhh I need a new hobby...)

As for the body, yup! Just about there. I need to work on the seams and some minor touch-ups along with fins. Getting there!

I found in Hawaii, however, that the tail was very hard to swim in. Keep in mind that it had a Competitor in there...
I think that it was because of the neoprene, I've never gotten good swims out of neoprene tails. My next tail will more than likely be using the same technique because I love how it looks, but I will use spandex.

Well, that's about it :)

[Rett]

Exciting! The body of your tail is so realistic looking it almost seems like silicone! Great job! :D