Let's try this again! Mermaid momo tail attempt 2! Hybrid tail

[LouLouBelle]

That headdress is gorgeous. ❤️ It goes perfectly with tail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Momo]

So I have new photos of the tail, and I have learned a lot about it and about making partial silicone tails.

1) Don't make the scales too thick. Because mine were so thick, the stretch factor decreased and it cracked a lot when I tried to turn it down to get into the tail. Now I have various cracks all over the tail (I was going to fix them at first, but now I'm not even going bother because I'm going to retire this tail by next year and just make another one because I know that when I repair it, it'll just crack again.)

2) Make the neoprene skin longer than you anticipate needing it to be. Because of how thick I did my scales it's hard to stretch the tail to get it over my but and because of this my tail sits very low and is also baggy on the legs because it doesn't sit where it should.

3) Find a way to make sure you keep the drainage holes open. I do have a few still open (1 only that I can see) so my tail doesn't balloon up, but it does hold in air so I tail fart when I submerge after coming up out of the water, and it creates a lot of drag. While i love my fluke with a passion, I wish I didn't accidentally close my drainage
holes

4) The gold pigment is wonderful, it shimmers like fairy dust and in the sun looks like I'm a pot of gold haha.

Please ignore the horrible editing job on these, I'm a noob at photoshop and did my best with low quality photos. (photos from our pod meetup)
38055
38053
38054

[PearlieMae]

Lovely and wonderful! Even with its flaws, it is still a very beautiful piece of art! Well done!

Now that you've cut your teeth on this one, are you going to start another?

[Mermaid Momo]

Lovely and wonderful! Even with its flaws, it is still a very beautiful piece of art! Well done!

Now that you've cut your teeth on this one, are you going to start another?

Thank you very much! and yep! I'm already butchering my old tail skin from my old failed sequin tail to make another one (this one cotton candy colors but like with the one I have now, I might not even follow that plan)

I won't be starting on actually scaling it or silicone- ing it for another year or so just because I don't want to keep dishing out money for tails because they're luxury items and I should treat them like that and not splurge on luxury items one after the other.

I also can't decide if I should give the large sequins from Cartwright a try and pair it with a silicone fluke and fins or go all silicone on the tail.

[merwandering]

Wow- I'm irritated because I have no time and I really want to go through this whole thread- that tail is beautiful and SO SHINY AND SPARKLY- awesome paint job! I always end up toward earthy or deeper colors, but the pink and purple are so perfect

[LouLouBelle]

Momo ~ you're so beautiful and your tail is absolutely stunning, even if there are cracks in it! For what it's worth, they don't show in the photos and I highly doubt anyone will see them when you're in the water and moving around. If any kids ever comment on them, you can always point out the skin creases at your wrist and finger joints and say it's the same sort of thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[merwandering]

LouLou is so right- really those things are apparent to YOU but the wow factor of the tail, I doubt kids would notice, and it looks great in pictures! At the same time- I know how you feel because when I make things, especially when they take a lot of time and turn out, in my opinion, *almost* perfect, it kind of drives me crazy, lol. Was thinking about it- if you wanted to sometime, is there a way to cut off the fluke and add to the bottom so that the tail could pull up all the way? I haven't looked through (and am not really familiar so I don't know exactly how these are constructed) but- there's gotta be a way to tweak it a little to get rid of the things that bother you? Maybe also a way figure out a quick surgical procedure to open some drainage holes?

[Mermaid Enora]

beautiful!!!!

[Mermaid Momo]

Thanks everyone! I probably will attempt to open the fluke and add some drainage holes. I'll also probably be maming my second tail thread soon. Even though i wont start immediately i plan on spacing out material purchases so that i use my budgeted recreational money only to buy materials. In the thread though i'll post my sketches and my test swatchs since i will be doing those (of both paint and the sequins if cartwright offers free samples)

sent from my shellphone using tapatalk

[merwandering]

Yay for surgery because- I love that tail:) and I can't wait to follow your sequin tail thread- I only just realized they were a thing and now I want one...but I need to just live vicariously through a thread and get some other work done, lol

[Mermaid Momo]

Update on this tail: I will be repairing it/ giving it the Frakenstein treatment! I will be cutting off the body and body fins , cutting open the fluke, then attaching a sequin body to it made from the parts of my first failed sequin tail. It will be the same color scheme as it is now, just in sequin. This project won't be done fast by any means, it's going to be a side project to spend my time on when I have nothing else to do and money to spare (mostly because it isn't a rush since I have a usable tail now anyways)

[Mermaid Oona]

Update on this tail: I will be repairing it/ giving it the Frakenstein treatment! I will be cutting off the body and body fins , cutting open the fluke, then attaching a sequin body to it made from the parts of my first failed sequin tail. It will be the same color scheme as it is now, just in sequin. This project won't be done fast by any means, it's going to be a side project to spend my time on when I have nothing else to do and money to spare (mostly because it isn't a rush since I have a usable tail now anyways)
Take your time you will do wonderfully I have high hopes for you good luck!

Sent from my SM-J320V using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)

[Mermaid Oona]

Thanks everyone! I probably will attempt to open the fluke and add some drainage holes. I'll also probably be maming my second tail thread soon. Even though i wont start immediately i plan on spacing out material purchases so that i use my budgeted recreational money only to buy materials. In the thread though i'll post my sketches and my test swatchs since i will be doing those (of both paint and the sequins if cartwright offers free samples)

sent from my shellphone using tapatalk
Omg your tail is swimmingly beautiful!!! And I want to thank you because your process for the neoprene is perfect not like how I was going to make mine and it makes it a lot easier for me and less expensive thank you!

I haven't been working on it since starting the scales (I ran out of silicone and need to buy more but haven't had the $$) so it's been sitting under my bed since then.

I can say I've put it on like 4 times and just sat around in it , and made my neighbor carry me around a few times. And this tail is so heavy! Now I really see why silicone isn't recommended for a first tail (thankfully this'll be me 4th tail) I'm hoping that once it's finished Paul will be able to carry me, and it won't be as hard to lift the fluke in the water as it is out

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk


Sent from my SM-J320V using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)