Cutting Monofins

[Aradia]

Alright, so i'm wanting to take the plunge and cut my competitor to a more acceptable fluke shape. So far my idea has been to find a place that deals with fiberglass and ask them nicely if they would cut it for me and hope they don't laugh at me too much when they actually cut it.

Who has cut their monofin/what did you use to cut it? Do I have to think about ways of blunting the cut edge so I don't slice a little child open with my tail?
INFORM ME MERS!

[Artisankatie]

Clark Rubber might do it. Other than that maybe a jigsaw? Ask Bertram, he likes challenges and he cuts things for a living.

[Capt Nemo]

If you have a Dremel tool and cutoff disc, you can use that. Do wear safety glasses and dust mask for cutting the fiberglass.

[happyguava]

Your competitor arrived!!! We are going swimming soon, Aradia :P

[HBMermaid_Angela]

My husband has cut THREE competitor monofins, into a fluke shape...he uses a dremel and sandpaper...I draw the outline on it first and then he cuts it

[SireniaSolaris]

The dremel is definitely the way to go with a carbon fiber monofin. lol... I remember the first time I attempted to cut one... using an exacto knife. Man... it barely made a scratch! I felt so silly. There was a lot of trial and error that went into that. The CLEANEST cut by FAR came from using a dremel with grinding disks. I didn't need to sand paper the edge or anything. Perfectly clean cut. You can find an entire set at harbor frieght for $10. Comes with like 30 disks and everything. It's nothing hardcore, but it works for taking care of monofin cutting. That's more or less what mine is dedicated to.

[MermaidAiera]

With out a doubt a Dremel ;)
Here is mine after cutting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjdHVyPYb0Y

[Moonflower]

I just cut and sanded mine with a Dremel using a sanding disc. As long as you go slow and test it on an area being cut off first, it should be quite easy.

[DoubleOSix]

After you cut it did you notice a change in the effectiveness of the fins speed or power?

[MermanJV]

guys, what bit do i add to a dremel to cut lexan, or fiber glass? I'm having serious issues....

[Naiad Rose]

Could anyone please clarify what Dremel attachments they have used to cut a Finis Competitor Monofin? Did the regular cutting wheels work, or did you need to look for some kind of special sawblade? Did you use the sanding wheels? Polishing stones? Go from one grit of anything to another grit? I'd really like to know, I want to try cutting mine but I can't afford to screw it up (took a long time to snag an ebay auction I could afford). I'd really like to know exactly what it takes before I start. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[MerCat]

With out a doubt a Dremel ;)
Here is mine after cutting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjdHVyPYb0Y

Mermaid Aiera, what attachment for the dremel did you use to cut your monofin? I just got my dremel kit in today (yaay!) and there are so many attachments I don't know what to do with them all!

[Naiad Rose]

Maybe my info can help.

I have some video from my first test swim with the Finis Competitor that I cut here: http://youtu.be/TE3-1cYl95Q

And I have some photos up at my Facebook page, where I tried to explain how I did the cutting: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=534580876582538 http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=534530816587544

"I used a standard Dremel cutting wheel going through from front to back, essentially tracing my outline by making a dotted line with the cutting wheel, except that the dots needed to connect. A standard Dremel kit came with 2 grits of sanding rounds in a 1/2" diameter. I used the coarser grit for some final shaping, & the finer to smooth it out. Ended off with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper, used by hand."

[MerCat]

That sets me in the right direction, thanks a bunch!

[MerCat]

I have finally gotten around to cutting my competitor monofin, and I'm still in the process, I've been cutting for the past 30 minutes and i'm almost finished! The dremel is definitely the way to go when cutting fiberglass. It glides along and makes everything so easy! I will post before and after pictures :)

[MerAnthony]

guys, what bit do i add to a dremel to cut lexan, or fiber glass? I'm having serious issues....

You can use a scroll saw to cut lexan. That is what I used to cut my home made one. Or a jig saw with a fine tooth blade.

[Little_Orca]

Mr Orca cut mine easily with a Dremel. After the cut, I tested it and it has the same propulsion and speed even with a minor tweaking.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff176/Little_Orca/My%20Mermaid%20Tail/8ee1917f-cc02-4c56-a06f-8fa18f07bc63_zps5800c5bd.jpg

[Echidna]

The less you cut out, the less performance loss you get ;)

As the pic above shows; there is hardly anything cut off, just enough to make the shape look great.

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