Working on my first silicone tail - Mermaid Lieke

[Mermaid Lieke]

Hi everyone, in this thread I'll share the progress of my tail.

Step 1, getting a gazillion foam circles :)

Any tips and feedback are welcome along the way :)

Edit:
This is the design I have in mind
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160524/0359d945e116eb1be27c4ce9692c269b.jpg

[Mermaid Wesley]

Yay! Do you have a design in mind?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

I have a few ideas for the fluke. I'm not adding small fins or a dorsal find to keep it simple.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160427/c8561117a568b3d66447f5d205dd8898.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160427/637838ea787d641cd9e225c95c6f9512.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160427/86d2d063204b8418b3183b2bb376fbd8.jpg

[Mermaid Lieke]

Progress on my scale sheetihttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160427/e9ec0cefea6653289571e3a773178755.jpg http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160427/b9e72bf15c770d0dfec99deb63564bb4.jpg

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[Mermaid Summerlilly]

Ooh I'm excited! A new tail thread! :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Nice!


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[Mermaid Lieke]

Creating a scale sheet is more work then I expected. I thought gluing down the circles would be super fast. Luckely I have a short workday today. In about 6 hours I cn start glueing again

[Mermaid Lieke]

I got a mail that my silicone is on it's way, to the wrong country [emoji20] luckely it thier mistake and not mine cost wise but still. I was looking forward to make some tests this weekend


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[Mermaid Lieke]

Yay, after a few calls I could reach them and the order was still in the building, I'm so happy now. Let's hope the silicone will arrive tomorrow

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[Mermaid Keena]

ooh exciting! I shall be subscribing to see how you go! =D Enjoy!

[Mermaid Fenicia]

did you know that there is a shop in Amsterdam that sells Smooth-on- stuff? http://www.formx.nl/sfx-make-up/prosthetic-materials/index.php

[Mermaid Lieke]

That's where I ordered it. But they made a mistake in my adress. I don't have time to visit their shop, so hopefully it will arrive here tomorrow :)

[Mermaid Lieke]

Yihaa, my silicone arrived! Can't wait to make test sheets http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160503/8bffdb79893ca027f3a3611f49516253.jpg

[Mermaid Lieke]

Just poured my plaster over my test scales, whoop-whoop. If I'm lucky I can demold it after my climbing session. And while I'm typing this I'm realizing I forgot my mold release. Damn http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160503/d62e798e0e55ece621fdb2357f62c2fb.jpg http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160503/ec368ff20e99ef2515401c70ccd91132.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

And this is why you should never forget your mold release http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160503/8de2b3f3b313e55e3c2e2477bdc49de9.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160503/325fee67532b53a65140949ae86ce487.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

After some scrubbing I did manage to safe my test patch. So happy now! I'm going to let it dry a bit longer and then I can make a first cast. I can't wait to see it
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160503/9fa79a210227d99ef848d40b29957136.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

My first test looks great! And today I can go and get my extra foam sheets so I can continue working on my big sheet
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160504/bf4abe7aeecf5ce02802214f9a426df4.jpg

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[Ashton]

Your test pull looks very nice. keep up the good work.

[Mermaid Lieke]

My pigments are here 💕 can't wait to give it a go with these puppies
Ihttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160509/9cc9480ae8600df9e4f51f53f04bfa26.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

Next experiment, brushing the pigments on
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160509/0ddc564e18e5c3d71a674a1f374e32fe.jpg

And I was trying not to waist silicone, this is the result, way to few silicone, whoops
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160509/b96d60fd8afbbb6d7332a6c50406c49f.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

And this is the result, far from prefect, but at least I know now that I need to spread the colour more evenly, and that I should buy a soft brush to spread the pigments in the mould. But I really love the colours, so pretty http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160509/b8a12a682ae4b7f00413a90d4f509316.jpg


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[Mermaid Lieke]

Second try, i mixed the purple pigment into the silicone, the pink, green and gold pigments are brushed on, but lightly this time. It looks a lot better. Now I need to descide on the colours, just green or a combo with purple, gold, or pinkhttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160509/bee48d56a51894a7c2a6bb4f1c247dfa.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160510/634697c99382581b81c75437848ab8b0.jpg

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[Mermaid Summerlilly]

Your test pulls turned out really nice. I love the colours! The combo actually went together really well! :)

[Mermaid Pogo]

I can't wait to see whole tail painted, you choose so much colors, it's like a rainbow!

[Mermaid Lieke]

I can't wait to see whole tail painted, you choose so much colors, it's like a rainbow!
I still need to finish my scale sheet, I hope to finish it by the end of this week, but it will probably won't be done since I also have to spend time on my day job, the sad human reality 😂

And for the colours, I'll probably just use 2. Right now I'm experimenting with the different pigments I bought. I do really like the purple and pink so who knows, maybe I'll turn it into an ombre tail 😀

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[Mermaid Lieke]

So I made another test, with gold, green and lighter gold.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160510/5c0f3a495faa80498acb0566f128c207.jpg

I also tried to attach swimsuitlining to the back for a nice finish. It seems to adhere pretty well, I'm curious to see it in the morning

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160510/58e2b8221f04b29a0253a69971406aa5.jpg

Now I want to do one more test with power mesh, and then I did all the tests I wanted to do for this test patch. And then it's D-day for the colours. It's so hard!

Btw, I love this pic, a spoon full of magic 💕
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160510/8d25e546fc4f773014a3a57147599b4d.jpg

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[Mermaid Alea]

That really is magic! :swoon::drool:

[Mermaid Lieke]

This is the result, the fabric adhered really well. I did some quick pull tests and it holds up really well
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160511/5d8e0735f7b39b28b35d2fb6ed564a18.jpg

The picture I snapped this morning doesn't do it justice

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160511/7ef929746fe84a974f533cceb6322e75.jpg

With the left over silicone I made some decorations, but the gold in the decorations is really pretty, and the gold in the scales isn't. The scale mold is from plaster and I used mould release, the mold for the shell is from plastic and I didn't use mould release. Could that cause so much difference in the coulor? http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160511/47aeb153efa186718315b3e47b190466.jpg

These are so pretty but the scales are not :(
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160511/ed06166eed99f8b69bc2a20eebb3c2ba.jpg

Btw if I bush the pigments into the mould, should I add some protection on top to finish it? I did some water test and it doesn't seem to cause any problems. I'm going for a swim after work, so I'll be taking my patches along to see how they react in chlorine

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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

I find that if you use a plaster mould, the silicone comes out quite dull, compared to if you use a plastic or resin mould. Maybe try gloss coating your scales and see if that helps?

[Mermaid Lieke]

I find that if you use a plaster mould, the silicone comes out quite dull, compared to if you use a plastic or resin mould. Maybe try gloss coating your scales and see if that helps?
Thanks for the tips, I'll try using another mold, and I'll look up gloss coating, that's new to me.

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[Ashton]

looks good so far.

[Luna Dreamtide]

Gloss coating is just putting a thin layer of clear silicone on top of your coloured ones.

[Mermaid Lieke]

This is what I did, I was thinking about a way to seal the plaster. I did this by spraying varnish onto the mold.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160512/b4a1f911bae2ed709c12ce1d5d7a6549.jpg

I let it dry for 5 hours and then I made a new test.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160512/26b509eb1131b6563f8e0a138942f372.jpg

Now the front is as vibrant as the back.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160512/8bad5b1d6b9d8400b2b5071418e67cef.jpg

I'm so happy this idea worked out as I hoped. If it didn't I would buy smoothcast but that's another 150 euros investment which I wanted to avoid if possible. And my 6 euro idea worked! I'm so happy now.

I also added the powermesh I found, but it's a bit to powerful, now I can hardly move something wen I pull. I'm so happy I did so much testing.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160512/278fd4271294ce89206c1ffe6061b91c.jpg

Testing is fun yay

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[Mermaid Lieke]

Gloss coating is just putting a thin layer of clear silicone on top of your coloured ones.
Thanks for the explenation

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[Mermaid Lieke]

This will be my last test pull, i decided on thr colours, the middle will be green and the side will go from purple to pink in ombrestyle. Can't wait to finish my scalesheet so I can start making my tail <3

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160512/dc7f0c0a8a12e17ef31c4b99acb85ebe.jpg

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[MerChemi]

wow that looks great!!
and your colour scheme is really unique, i cant wait to see how your tail turns out!

[Mermaid Lieke]

wow that looks great!!
and your colour scheme is really unique, i cant wait to see how your tail turns out!
Thank you for the compliment [emoji7]

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[MerQueen Nerissa]

Your colors are very pretty! And I'm glad you found the varnish solution for the plaster problem! I'm using plaster for my fluke and side fin moulds and I was wondering how I'd make them not dull the silicone pulls. I'm going to do some testing with clear spray paint to see if it works the same way.

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[Mermaid Lieke]

Your colors are very pretty! And I'm glad you found the varnish solution for the plaster problem! I'm using plaster for my fluke and side fin moulds and I was wondering how I'd make them not dull the silicone pulls. I'm going to do some testing with clear spray paint to see if it works the same way.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
I really hope that my solution will work for you. I'm pretty sure paint will do the same as long as it adheres well to the plaster.

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[Mermaid Lieke]

No progress on my tail, but I made a sheet for individual scales to use for my top. Yay

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160516/af25d630593c8ed0e448737071fcd9bf.jpg

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[Luna Dreamtide]

That's a really good idea. :)

[Mermaid Lieke]

Not a fan of this

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160517/2e1523160090a6a6bc97949869217a5d.jpg

After rubbing for 30 minutes I got it out, and I got a blister as an extra surprise

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160517/128ade62f81e338838ffc09c591a90df.jpg

Yay, now the mold is drying, so hopefully it will be dry when I get home from my work so I can coat it, and maybe I can do a first pull from it tonight

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160517/34e89c7dda81d333069a83196ec90517.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

That's a really good idea. :)
Thanks, I think it's way easier then making a mold from an actual top

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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Try casting on top of alfoil, that way you can just peel it off the back and re-use it. Having to dig your mould out is no fun!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Try casting on top of alfoil, that way you can just peel it off the back and re-use it. Having to dig your mould out is no fun!
Thats a great tip! I'll try that next time. I want to duplicate my starfish mold so that's the first project I can try it on

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[Mermaid Lieke]

I finally managed to decide on my colours and the fluke. It still needs some work but I'm getting there yay

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160518/f891532876a75b408f6d512feefa63bd.jpg

I also made some pulls from my individual scale sheet, it looks great! I bought a bra to attach it too. Can't wait to play around

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[Mermaid Lieke]

Right now I trying to master the seaming. It's not simple. Luckely I have a day off next week so I can fully devote it to cleaning up the mess in my studio and making more mess

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[Mermaid Lieke]

A closer look at my fluke design
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160524/23a5f5ac2e9464d97efd644bcf3f00a6.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

Left overs are so great for these small embellishments

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160524/3da497ac9aae4292c40640b092e01c1b.jpg

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[Luna Dreamtide]

Aw I love the little crab!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Aw I love the little crab!

I also have a pink one with glitter [emoji177] http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/34a84edeb9b12444f3ae0acca56e38c3.jpg


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[Mermaid Lieke]

I ordered a leaderfin 'finswimmer' to put into my tail. Since I want to be able to practice in it without my tail, I bought a second one. I ordered a soft blade since I like a flowy tail in the water but for pictures I don't like a floppy tail, so I hope this is a good solution. I know it won't be as flowy as with a plastic or rubber fin, but that's fine. I hope to recieve the monofin somewhere next week.


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[Mermaid Lieke]

I started working on my top, this what I did in about an hour
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/397776b060a633cbc12391146b87f4a9.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/9d47923003861d6c6219be348fb6b1f9.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/a86e0cb73010e23ff5ddf547a9f61f96.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/b15f158857518c8a30e24218d995e353.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/bf57b07aa0ed127a3d392db3dd6eff47.jpg

Let's hope it works out as I have in.my head

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[Mermaid Lieke]

This is where I ended for today. I have cast more scales, (pink and green) and I hope to finish it this weekend. I still need to sew up my dress for a wedding on saturday, so that is the thing I'l be spending most of my time on tomorrow in the evening.


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/2783ee89fe50f2d6df0eb212e9f1d359.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/7647590a07d0581b51f7c24b4271f9fc.jpg

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[Kait]

Looking great lovely. Good luck with the dress for the wedding to :)

[Mermaid Pogo]

Wow, you have done a lot of great job!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Thank you for the compliments [emoji7]

I also did some first test for seams on my test patches. It doesn't look very neat, but I'm sure it will get better when I practise some more and when I make my pulls a lot thinner. They are way to thick. So I 'll have to make a few new ones to do some tests

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160527/52b0c4e810c116ee76a8e76bdf32dcb8.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160527/c66086e52a0eaddbfb136012ef462953.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160527/0818bfd5f17729e2247bfd9ab3ca0a68.jpg

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[Luna Dreamtide]

Pretty decent for your first try I think :) I quite like that greenish colour. It looks very natural.

[moniee]

Nice! I love the crop top length of the top. Keep up the good work!

[Mermaid Lieke]

My top is almost done, I need to finish the other boob, small part of the back and Ineed to glue down the pearls. I really like how they look. I'm so happy now! I really hope to finish it today. And then I hope that I get into it lol http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160529/cd0b1785206f3e087796c4e0c535fb58.jpg


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[Mermaid Lieke]

My top is done, not pefect, but I'm so happy!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160529/c62c859b8cb481d3e3c9669c5baab497.jpghttps://vimeo.com/168568141


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[Kait]

Great work on the top lovely :)

[Mermaid Lieke]

Great work on the top lovely :)
Thank you. I'm really happy with it, especially for the first time. I learned so much! And I'm sure the next one will be constructed in a different way

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[Mermaid Lieke]

My monovin arrived! I'm so happy! http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160601/226816c249a6da759437670543596484.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

Quick question, my silicone is fully cured put it keeps on feeling sticky, will that go away after a while? Or can I do something to keep it from feeling sticky


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[merwandering]

I had one batch of scales that a few scales continued to be sticky- I think they actually didn't cure properly. How thin is it? Because when I for example pull cured silicone from cups, if it is very thin it feels sticky, but I don't think it should if it is cured. One thing though, have you put a gloss coat over it? Sometimes it feels sticky to me if it is a little bit rough. I'm using a little of the the gloss novocs on my final coat and it feels really smooth, but thinking about it, the backs of the scales feel really smooth, where they were not against the mold (does that even make sense? I shouldn't be typing at 2am...)

[merwandering]

I think there are a couple things that could make it not feel sticky but first I would make really sure it cured well- if it is a problem through the material, it would compromise how well it stays together.

[Mermaid Lieke]

Thank you for thinking with me, they are properly cured, I tested the pouring in several mold, and all of them feel the same, they also feel they same as the left over silicone in my mixing pot, I did some test with silicone without adding pigment to make sure that the pigment isn't the problem.

I don't know if 'sticky' is the right term, but it is the best I can think of, is feels like the back of a mousepad, the kind that don't fly around your desk from back in the day when there was still a ball in the mouse :) So non-slip is maybe a better word?

I didn't gloss coat it. I didn't to is because I don't like the shiny look of it. But I'll give it a try :)

I received my top by Mermaid Hyli yesterday, the front doesn't stick at all, and the back feels the samen as my pulls.

By now I'm pretty sure curing isn't the problem.

I was wondering if the thinner Hyli used to airbrush it on could make the difference from making it feel sticky?

I checked smooth on's website and they say that you can use baby powder to make it less sticky, but I'm wondering, if I need to use baby powder after every swim it will be a ton of work.

I was also wondering if the use of psycho paint could be difference?

I also found a lot about slacker, and if would make the silicone more skin-like, maybe that's a solution?

The only batch I have that isn't 'sticky' is the batch where I brushed the pigment into the mold. I tried to 'wash' the pigment from the silicone when I was cured, but is doesn't move.

Right now I'm planning on experimenting with:
- thinner
- slacker
- psycho paint
- baby powder
- gloss coating

Let's hope one or more will do the trick.

I spended half the night researching some more, whoops :) Now I'm off to work :)

[merwandering]

I know exactly what you mean now. definitely don't make it glossy if you don't like that look- If you happen to have some of the novocs in matte, mixing that instead of the gloss but for a final coat could be worth a try, but if you have to order it it's really expensive (it actually isn't it's the shipping that's insane, something about hazardous handling) I use baby powder on something I have that is like that, it only takes the tiniest amount, but it can be a bit of a pain to get it even looking, better to coat with something permanent if you can find it- good luck!! I agree moving forward I think a little more 'a' is worth a try?

[Mermaid Lieke]

I found Novocs matte in Holland, so it will be pretty easy to get it to Belgium, yay! Let's hope that the shipping fee will also be nice

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[merwandering]

I went back and was looking at my scales- sadly I don't think a little extra of part a will help, I have been using more as a rule, and before I paint them (with dragon skin, novocs, and mica pigment)mine still have the texture you describe. Hope you find something that works- I look forward to hearing from those with experience! If you try the novocs I hope the shipping isn't too expensive- in my area because of something to do with the handling, shipping was well over what it was for my other entire order! (Which Included 2 gallon dragon skin orders, my resin, and some other supplies)

[Mermaid Lieke]

I e-mailadres back and forth with my supplier today, and a possible explanation for the problem is the releasing agent I'm using. So I'm going to clean my mold and try another one. My supplier will also send a bit of cured dragon skin fx with it so I can compaere them. They are great people 😇

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[Mermaid Lieke]

I ordered all of the needed supplies to do some more experimenting, I also bought an other releasing agent. Can't wait to try out some more things next weekend. It will probably take about a week for the supplies to arrive :)

[MerChemi]

aww your supplier seems like a great person.
fins crossed your next pulls turn out well! i hope everything goes smoothly for you.

[Mermaid Lieke]

aww your supplier seems like a great person.
fins crossed your next pulls turn out well! i hope everything goes smoothly for you.
Since they are getting part of my savings they have to be awesome 😇

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[Mermaid Lieke]

I got a great tip to prevent the stickyness, aparently it can help to add a bit more a then b while mixing silicone. I'm gone for a few days but I can't wait to test this when I get home.

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[Hydra1337]

I'm loving your progress so far.

[Mermaid Lieke]

Look what I found! I did some research and aparantly Fairt dishwash soap is called Dreft in Belgium. I'm so happy now!

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[Mermaid Lieke]

So I decided I really loved the individuel scale method that I used on my top. So I'll be using it too on my tail. I made 5 sizes of scales, the smallest being 2 cm, the biggest 6. So I can let them become bigger more gradually. I al ready pulled quite some scales. Tomorrow I'll make my base and start gluing them. I'm so excited!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Oh my, I ruined about half of my molds! I used spray paint to seal in the plaster. Which I did before. I used a different can now, and this one doesn't like silicone. This is such a huge bummer! But on a positive note, I managed to get a really good mold of a shell. I used it to practice using shell shock. I had to make a 3 times but now it turned out really well! Still some minor errors but I'm really pleased with it!

I don't have pictures of the first one, but it broke.

This is what the second try looked like http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160705/ecfcbdf3bc4f5453215887430bd5303c.jpg

And this is the third.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160705/3f5d47fda6c8525bccd74ab8e31a594b.jpg

I'm so happy with it! As we speak there is silicone curing in it. I really hope it will turn out well.

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[merwandering]

I love the shell!!! Can't wait to see your progress!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Ugh, the clay I used contains sulfer, somebody recommended it to me. She told me it was safe to use with silicone. But apparently it's not. I really hope that my Murphey day is over now. In the afternoon I'll go out to buy some plaster and do some tests. I'm so happy I made this mold as a test on how to work with shell shock and as a test for the clay. The shell still looks cute though http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160706/ee54a694b613dbb52a227fb99d14a95c.jpg

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[merwandering]

:(but the shell is perfect!!
I used, I think its called Plastelina, and it was really, really perfect with the resin. You can work on it for days with no drying or anything, just whenever you want to, and my too big fluke pulled out of the mold in less than a minute. It really worked great. Not sure what you are getting, but good luck! This tail is going to be so much fun!!!!

[Mermaid Lieke]

It's sad that I lost a nice mold. I did a test with other clay that I have. And this one seems to work great. I have 10 kilo of it, so let's hope that it will be enough. I'll be doing a test mold with this clay tonight to double check. But pooring the silicone on it straight seems to work perfectly.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160706/9e7b4e6d99801071bd8b331aedc792a7.jpg
Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Hydra1337]

Sucks you lost the mold. I'm glad you got new clay though.

[Mermaid Lieke]

Cleaning a few 100 scales. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160801/ac92dae9455701d7366a3be3f197d49c.jpg

[Sammi the Sleepy Mermaid]

This is confidential along nicely! :) I'm not doing mine with individual scales, but it looks like a lot of fun!

[Mermaid Lieke]

And done, all scales are cleaned. Let's hope I have enough of them

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160801/87e4b225aa2f07712f0970d1c0588339.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

I glued the front before I left on holiday a few weeks ago. I didn't have enough so I made extra pulls like crazy but I didn't had the time to work on my tail. I really hope to finish it this week.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160801/b0b659631334d48edb4084ce699d677b.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160801/ed2a3035f7157a217f69ed967decfb62.jpg

And I am making my flukes from different parts. It is comming alonge nicely. I need to add an extra layer of pigemented silicone to make the fluke a bit ticker

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160801/b72ec9e92bb2435090a41a6e4f908979.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160801/85b3c6cfc578cf1973a1469d92599f31.jpg

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[Mermaid Lieke]

I really hoped to finish my tail by now. But hey, I'm getting there. Slowly, but still getting there. Tonight I did some experiments on my monofin to find out if the sillicone willl cure on the rubber or not. And I'm testing the glue I will be using to glue the netting onto the monofin. I chose to use construction silicone that's safe for the water once dry. Since I won't get any direct contact with this silicone and my skin I'm pretty sure it's safe to use it this way.

Let's hope that all the test work out. Yay

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/dfd32193a96aa647eed7e52bcb24ce61.jpg

I marked the silicone with thumbs pointing in the right direction. That way I'll be able to find the test spots really easy tomorrow.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/81b85fec7163cf668b3d9f81bb7b09f2.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

So I did my tests, when I scratch on the silicone with my nail it loosens

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/1589863f867c3a44251d2c1963208ec5.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/ace74d13e132b14162f56c933b8d8a60.jpg

So I did a second test with fabric. It cured for 16h now, the full cure time is 24. But when I pull the fabic nothing moves. So I'm pretty confident this will be a good way to attach the mech to the monofin. I will be using dranage holes, so even if it loosens over time, it should still be fine.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/bb0779c9054c1749344de9f2e2fd9b13.jpg

Can't wait to clean up my studio tonight, right now I looks like a dump, and then I can continue working on my tail.

I'm considering to make fluke and body detachable with snaps. It seems like fun to be able to change the look once in a while.


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[Hydra1337]

I'm glad the test worked out well. I'd love to see a detachable tail and fluke. I don't think I've seen anyone do it besides Mertailor. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Becoming_A_Mermaid]

I love the top you made!!! I'm planning on making a top once I finish my tail and was just kinda curious how you got everything to stay so well on the bra?? And this may be a stupid question but how do you put it on or take it off? are the sales just not attached around the clasp??
I can't wait to see how your tail turns out!!!

[Mermaid Lieke]

I love the top you made!!! I'm planning on making a top once I finish my tail and was just kinda curious how you got everything to stay so well on the bra?? And this may be a stupid question but how do you put it on or take it off? are the sales just not attached around the clasp??
I can't wait to see how your tail turns out!!!

Thank you, I didn't attach the scales to the clasps, and I left it open for a few centimeters underneath it. That's the tric.

When I make a new top I would make it a bit smaller. I find this one a bit too big underneeth the bra part.

The tric to making the scales stick to the top is to work silicone into the fabric as a base. Afterwards you can start pinning and adding silicone to bond.

Can't wait to see your tail and top!



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[Mermaid Lieke]

Time to dry http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/0be67e7e6d2f256c4c1da99bb6e849fb.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

I'm glad the test worked out well. I'd love to see a detachable tail and fluke. I don't think I've seen anyone do it besides Mertailor. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Me neither but I really love the idea? Of swapping. I'm also planning on making a sequin tail for me with a silicone fluke. So it would be great to be able to use the fluke for both.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Hydra1337]

Very cool.

[Mermaid Lieke]

The next step, cutted the mesh diwn for a better fit. Next I drowned the mesh in pigmented silicone. To create a base for the fluke to hold on to. I pigmented it to prevent the black monofin from showing. Let's hope that it will work out

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Cleaning my fluke parts, so close now!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/a0a4e120f7db9b93cae41027ce41b8fd.jpg

Btw this is what the fluke looks like before I slap on a ton of silicone

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/6325cccce5e9d21439f6db3f08b44aa2.jpg

[Mermaid Lieke]

Damn, I made a mistake I need two more fluke pulls

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[J.Nigma]

I see a lot of people using the circle method for scales. Is that the easiest way to do it? Why not do rows with bump trim?

[Mermaid Lieke]

So close now http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/e222c3c01374d07a61f35d7b63aec12d.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Glueing the pieces of my fluke. The fluke should be done today. Or at least ready to dry before I go to bed. I still need to attach the scales to the back of the body. I will wash them before I go to bed so I can glue them tomorrow.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

I couldn't resist trying the tail on in the current state

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/2b71ca18be4aa6657b88dc02bce47c98.jpg

I will add the scales to the back next week.

The fluke will be covered with this beauty
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/eb389ecffc2adedcc2419ee998de7ff5.jpg

I still need to cut of the extra material. I wanted to glue the fluke to the monofin before going to bed, but I changed my mind. I want to do it with a fresh head. I really want to finish the fluke before we leave for the weekend.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/0ee65a3008f9a3ba2ee31969f99805d0.jpg

On this picture the colours are most accurate. It's impossible to get good pictures in the middle of the night.

Ps, sorry for the message overload. I was alone at home. So I needed to tell someone who understands lol. Now It's reallt time to take a nap

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[merwandering]

Yay! great job! so exciting!!!

[Sammi the Sleepy Mermaid]

Ahhhh! It's looking good!!!

[Mermaid Lieke]

We are away for the weekend. It's a bank holiday in Belgium on monday. The initial plan was to leave tomorrow, so I couldn't finish my fluke before we left. Now I have to wait 4 days. Luckily it will be some great days. My birhtday is on sunday, and everything what is going to happen this weekend is still.a secret, even where we are going. I only know that is 2.5 hours by train from Brussels. I love spending time is Brussels so I am really happy to spend the night here

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Yay! great job! so exciting!!!
Thank you! If it is half as pretty as yours I will be the happiest girl in the world

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Ahhhh! It's looking good!!!
Thanks! Can't wait to see how your tail turns out!

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[Lili]

This is looking so exciting!! I really like the way you designed your fluke, how it's in multiple pieces, it's so unique,
On a side note, I love Brussels, I lived there for a year :)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Oh god, this is going to happen tonight! So exciting!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160817/073dbf8fe2d54ccbbc170f429a57e1cb.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Lili]

You're so close!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Just had a set back, the silicone didn't attach to the monofin. I cleaned it. Tomorrow I will give it another go. First I need some sleep

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[merwandering]

I'm sorry it didn't attach:( But I'm excited you are so close!!!

[Mermaid Whisper]

I'm sorry it didn't attach:( But I'm excited you are so close!!!

YOURE ALIVEEEEE


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rett]

Silicone doesn't usually stick to anything but itself. The only tail maker that I know of that figured out how to stick silicone directly to the monofin is Raven of Merbellas, and she is keeping that trade secret under wraps. I think most people use the net technique where you glue a powermesh sleeve or sock to the monofin using glue and then stick the silicone to the powermesh (the silicone will inclose the mesh in itself and seal around it). If you can get it to stick directly to the monofin though that's awesome. Good luck!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Thank you for your input rett, I did the powermesh thing, the green monofin from the picture is tinted silicone ;-)

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Oh my, this is happining! Let's hope it will be fully attached when I wake up. I will seal the sides tomorrow. I didn't put the monofin perfectly in the middle. I thought I did, but now I need to trimm a bit on one side. Otherwise it will look funky! I can't wait to wake up! Btw, this fluke is super heavy! Damn! But so pretty!
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160818/73c8c71a5fce0d447a19ae27dc81901b.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

It's looking good! The only problem I noticed is that there are small dents where the clip were. Next time I will put some cardboard in between to prevent it


Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160819/e308aa43ebe2d0cd6518c2be4662eb83.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[merwandering]

It looks great!!! I can't wait to see it all put together!

[merwandering]

How is it going?

[Moonchild]

Omg it looks so good! Had you ever worked with silicone before?? I've been considering making my own silicone tail for a while but I'm sure I'd just spend a lot on supplies and then ruin it

Enviado desde mi Aquaris X5 mediante Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

How is it going?
I am working on it right now, hopefully I can share a happy pic in the morning

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Omg it looks so good! Had you ever worked with silicone before?? I've been considering making my own silicone tail for a while but I'm sure I'd just spend a lot on supplies and then ruin it

Enviado desde mi Aquaris X5 mediante Tapatalk
It is the first time. I spended a lot of time and money on getting to know the materials but it is so worth it. I love the process. If you love crafting and arts you should make your own tail. If you do not love the process you shouldn't do it because it is a ton of work and money

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Yay more progress, all the edges on every side of the fluke are glued. I used wonderclips and pins. I started with the downside of the fluke since this seemed the most tricky bit to let it all match, but Mermaid, what was I wrong. When I needed to start on the left and right side I realised that my clips won't fit on the sides. That was a big set back but I managed to do some logical thinking and I used pins on those sides. Worked like a charm but pins give a clear line so I had to add a few layers of silicone to conceal them and it worked pretty good

Before

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/724e7de147b17930dc9cbf1d65121f9b.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/dfb401637fb66bb2d9fda6a044154d91.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/81f22af3b2771593cbbb5a01da8f8a1f.jpg

After

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/d58e43b23c15a06980901fb86be1f3dd.jpg

Yay it looks so good

Now I waiting for the last side to dry. I want to conceal the edge before I go to bed so I can test the monofin in the morning.

Edit while typing the last few words I realised I had to check on the silicone and it was perfect to do the job

I will need to repeat it one or maybe to more time to get the same pretty result as on the other side.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/cb007e5da2ef0f5dc4dfaae11bc73f4c.jpg



I really can't wait!

I prepared my work for tomorrow, so I can dive right in after the test.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/c4a88354d6712d05d0966339718a0752.jpg

The fluke is really heavy so I'm a bit concerned about what it will do to me in the water. But I'll will be testing it in shallow water before I go deeper. And I practiced a lot on getting out of my final really fast. I should be fine.

So exciting!

Btw a small fun fact, I went freediven for the second time yesterday. They are really excited about my monofin. After the dive a few of them asked me if I wanted to teach them how to do it since my technique is better then the one from the instructor, 😅 side note, the instructor is not a fan of monofin. So that explains his technique I guess.

Back to my tail, I'm to excited to sleep! I can't wait to swim tomorrow. I hope to shoot some video so I get a good idea of how the fluke works. Yay

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[Mermaid Lieke]

The fluke isn't fully symmetrical so I had to improvise to make it as good as, I can get. It is really hard to glue the monofin to the fluke!

Btw I found some spots on the top of my fluke, I'm pretty sure it is silicone that wasn't mixed well with the pigment. It feels normal but I can feel that none of the spots adhered to the previous layer of silicone. I hope it won't cause trouble later on.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160825/2aa296426b1e2349f7aac9f6f8e84578.jpg

I am pointing a the spot but it is pretty impossible to get it on a picture.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Cleaning my scales one time too many

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160826/452b5ef5b7fa149176012a0a53f9f9d6.jpg

I really hope I have enough scales now

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

So close now, I want to stay in and continue working but going for a swim in a heatwave is also a good option

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160826/038117668a5d98f67ee4f131c5ebec4d.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Moonchild]

You're almost done!! 😍😍

Enviado desde mi Aquaris X5 mediante Tapatalk

[TheSaltySiren]

This is fantastic! Great work and I cannot wait to see the finished product!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Look at that happy face,

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160826/750f70c6a9919571121efa529f061272.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160826/c96c572763f04ebaee8f52cf56073169.jpg

the fluke is really really done. I didn't got to test it since it was impossible to see anything in the water. I'll do a test in the pool tomorrow.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Hydra1337]

It looks awesome! I can't wait to see it in action.

[merwandering]

I'm so excited!!!i hope you swam but I'm dying to see it all together:) yay!!

[Mermaid Lieke]

I'm so excited!!!i hope you swam but I'm dying to see it all together:) yay!!
Still no swimming, why is it so busy when I'm so close to finishing!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Look at that seam! Love it. I still need to cover about half of the front of my tail in scales, and 3 more rows on the back and then I am really really close yay!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160827/e2b71b1d0679f97646c9cad7afd3d141.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Wesley]

so nice!

[Mermaid Caspiana]

Just read through this thread and it's coming along beautifully! I was so hoping I'd be fortunate enough to read through and get to see it done since you're so close. Lol
But can't wait to see it all done and swimming! <3

[Mermaid Lieke]

Just read through this thread and it's coming along beautifully! I was so hoping I'd be fortunate enough to read through and get to see it done since you're so close. Lol
But can't wait to see it all done and swimming! <3
I was hoping with you. I have to few scales so I'm making some more. So very frustrating! I really hope that 2 more big batches will be enough.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160828/0667b46409aacc8b7cfdd67f81ec247c.jpg

I still need to do 2 pieces of the front and a few in the back.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160828/bb7f23b37cc188bf28680826caf1661b.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160828/4d2f61893e6ca1b3dbfd3821dd1f46f2.jpg

But I am so proud of my seams! They look great!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160828/3ecee0613b59899f3b3ee590c39c5c71.jpg

I took a nap and now it is time to continue working.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

I finished cutting off the excess silicone from my new scales. It takes up so much time. I cut the bits away with scissors. If any of you have other tips I'd love to hear them
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160828/9037ee1fdc4829df5dc9c7498f0b8c06.jpg

I really hope that these scales will do the trick. I want to swim in my tail so badly!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160828/93193d1a313fdb88a9ac07a722a06918.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Hydra1337]

Maybe using cuticle scissors instead of straight ones would help. I use them for non-silicone projects and they work great.

[merwandering]

It is such a time suck:/ I just got to the point of trying to be really exact when I pour so that there aren't any, but that just doesn't always work. You can carefully wipe the edges of the mild after pouring too- then sometimes there is just the tiniest film still along the edge but it tears off easily.
Congrats on almost being FINISHEd!!!! Yay!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Noooooooo still to few scales!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160829/18dfec32c66a7be391d1ce26d6bbdb65.jpg

And I still need a few for the seams too.

Oh well since I have to pour extra I'll make sure that I pour enough to make a matching top.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

One more time

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160830/74da70687469bfb56329c6bdff33c8da.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[merwandering]

OMG THAT DROVE ME SO CRAZY the one more pour and then one MORE pour and then REALLY ONLY ONE MORE POUR omg:/
but you aer almost htere!!!! Yay!

[Mermaid Lieke]

Yay the last seaming!
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160901/60fb1696653d85b7e33d791f5359c6c7.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

OMG THAT DROVE ME SO CRAZY the one more pour and then one MORE pour and then REALLY ONLY ONE MORE POUR omg:/
but you aer almost htere!!!! Yay!
It is so frustrating! But I managed to get enough scales yay!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[moniee]

You must be so excited Mermaid Lieke!! You are so close now - I can totally relate! When do you think you'll be able to swim?

[Mermaid Lieke]

You must be so excited Mermaid Lieke!! You are so close now - I can totally relate! When do you think you'll be able to swim?
Yes I am! The sad thing is that one of he scales on my waist moved and I didn't notice it. Tonight I'll be adhering the body to the fin with help of my boyfriend and tomorrow I will be able to swim in it. So excited!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Just one more coat on the inside and the tail is basic ready. I still have a ton of extra things that I want to do with it but that's for another time

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160902/222639346c20adc6fff4dedeb8b3a231.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[PearlieMae]

:yay:

[Moonchild]

👏👏👏👏👏

Enviado desde mi Aquaris X5 mediante Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Whiiii can't wait to go into the pool
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160903/2f221f224d9440d01ff779c6144dd644.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Moonchild]

Are you still making a top with the rest of the scales?? It would be so pretty!!😍

Enviado desde mi Aquaris X5 mediante Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Are you still making a top with the rest of the scales?? It would be so pretty!!😍

Enviado desde mi Aquaris X5 mediante Tapatalk

I have 5 scales left. So that would be a super tiny top lol. But I will probably make one in the future


Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

A snap from my tail in the poolhttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/0e166639e0a275484ddffb63eb89569f.jpg

I am so happy now! [emoji7]

But I still have some work to do. The body and the fin aren't connected just jet. I made a system so I can still get them off, but it didn't work out the way I planned it. So now I have to test another method.

So my tail is swimable. And with some extra work it will also be a tail that is really really done.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

And here is my first swim video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=EC4P10VKKzo

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[merwandering]

Yay!!!!!
Congratulations!!!
I will warn you that it can be very addictive, lol
You are BEAUTIFUL:)

[Mermaid Lieke]

Yay!!!!!
Congratulations!!!
I will warn you that it can be very addictive, lol
You are BEAUTIFUL:)
Thank you! And I completely get the addiction part. For both making tails and swimming in them. Love it!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

I started working on a matching top 💓

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160925/1af56a7e486bf3be991d5215fa44402f.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160925/d26e13c3cf7be1fc41c597ba29c68b88.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[PearlieMae]

Wouldn't it make sense for the scales to go the other way? They aren't hydrodynamic that way.

[Mermaid Lieke]

I'm just experimenting with the placing for now. I made my scales go the other way on my previous top. Now I wanted to try something different. This placement reminds me of flowers. I won't be glueing anything down for a couple of days. There is still some time for me to think about it :) Thank you for your input

[Mermaid Keena]

Time to dry http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/0be67e7e6d2f256c4c1da99bb6e849fb.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk
Just double checking - at this stage was your netting covered in the pigmented silicone?
Xxxx

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Just double checking - at this stage was your netting covered in the pigmented silicone?
Xxxx

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
No that is just the netting that is adhered.

Here you can see the pics of the netting covered with silicone

I couldn't resist trying the tail on in the current state <br />
<br />
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/2b71ca18be4aa6657b88dc02bce47c98.jpg<br />
<br />
I will add the scales to the back next week. <br />
<br />
The fluke will be covered with this beauty <br />
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/eb389ecffc2adedcc2419ee998de7ff5.jpg<br />
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I still need to cut of the extra material. I wanted to glue the fluke to the monofin before going to bed, but I changed my mind. I want to do it with a fresh head. I really want to finish the fluke before we leave for the weekend. <br />
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http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160811/0ee65a3008f9a3ba2ee31969f99805d0.jpg<br />
<br />
On this picture the colours are most accurate. It's impossible to get good pictures in the middle of the night. <br />
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Ps, sorry for the message overload. I was alone at home. So I needed to tell someone who understands lol. Now It's reallt time to take a nap <br />
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Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lieke]

Oh god, this is going to happen tonight! So exciting!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160817/073dbf8fe2d54ccbbc170f429a57e1cb.jpg

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk
Here is another pic with the silicone on the netting

Verstuurd vanaf mijn ALE-L21 met Tapatalk

[Mermaid Keena]

Aaaaah!!! Thanks! I was trying to figure out how you siliconed the netting by itself!! 😂 this does seem a bit neater haha

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