First mertail, in Black and Gold... partial silicone mermaid tail

[moniee]

Hi mers,

I have finally cleared off my craft to-do list to make space and time for a mermaid tail!

I’ve been toying with the idea of it for a good while now and I feel I’m finally prepared to dive in – I’m conscious this is probably going to be an experimental tail so I don’t by any means expect it to be great, but I’m the kind of person who likes to take action (after enough research which I like to think I’ve kinda managed thanks to this wonderful forum).

After I’ve discovered silicone tails, it popped into my mind straight away if silicone sealants could be a substitute for them – my father used to work in construction so in my childhood I’ve had a LOT of silicone sealants around me lol. I was so happy to find out with the help of this amazing forum that this is doable! It’s important for me as my tiny bedroom in London does not leave me get too crafty especially if it’s too large/stinky. I think I will be just about able to manage with the caulk method.

As for my plans, I was going to go with a very natural and ‘boring’ looking brownish-greyish fish for realistic looks, then it changed to a rainbow trout but then I sketched some more and came up with my (hopefully) final design:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/sajatfark_kis_zpstuc4hens.jpg

The colour is going to be golden with black accents. Colour inspiration:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/colourinspiration_zpsnuhcdzcs.jpg

And since I was thinking about it more and more I came up with some other overall outfit plans such as hair, accessories and bra plans. I would love to have my hair in two braids, using a very long hair extension in the same brown as my hair. This way I could stick some jewelry in my hair and neck without having to worry about tangling!
I also discovered I love the belly dancing tops for this look. I’ll also look into wrist cuffs that are somewhat water resistant.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/mersona%20sketck-2_kis_zpsdcytktyg.jpg

I've studied a lot of tails and I found the more riggidy raggedy, the more I like it.
I'm planning on going all out with extra fins as I LOVE them - and also considering torn fins and fluke. Appreciate this can tear further over use and time but as I said I'm happy to keep this tail as an experiment.

Wish me luck! :)

[LouLouBelle]

I can't wait to see this! I can see lots of gold glitter looking good here...

If you're ever really stuck for room, I'd be happy to share my little attic work space. I know it's a little bit of a journey from London which isn't hugely convenient, but the offer's there if you need it!



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[moniee]

Some experimenting I’ve been goofing around with...

Basically I would like to make a tail of neoprene and cover it with the caulk, as some of you lovely folks have managed to.

I’ve made some samples using metallic pigments and, which I found very amusing, I used pigments which I’ve shaved from my pastel chalks and dusted it in the silicone:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0561_zpskkouykgz.jpg

What I’m working on is to come up with a method where I can tint the silicone before I apply it.
So ideally I would mix the pigment in the silicone then put it back to a container from where it could be applied.

What I’ve tried is I’ve taken a stronger Ziploc bag, poured some silicone in it, added the chosen gold pigment and mixed it. I would then cut the corner of the bag and started applying the silicone from it:
(Please excuse the very poop quality of these scales, it was my very first try shaping the silicone and it takes a good while to get used to it that’s for sure)

Tools
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0745_zpsggqzb3mv.jpg

Poured silicone into ziploc bag
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0746_zpsjkihjj9f.jpg

Started mixing in pigment
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0747_zpsaq0zmz27.jpg


This hasn’t worked sadly as the side of the Ziploc bag, where pressure was applied, busted, letting the silicone out in one big blob.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0748_zpsqmjpdbfw.jpg



So my next idea is going to be that I’ll mix the silicone in a larger container (and since it’s not going to be airtight, I might mix some turpentine in it in order to prevent drying out) and put them in these bad boys:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/rBVaGVTustCAaCZGAACoH63_DEI359_zpss5x8qkdp.jpg

I count on you, icing bag!!

[moniee]

Wow thanks LouLouBelle! This is so generous from you - I can imagine a very fun craft day together! :)

[Mermaid Summerlilly]

I love your designs! This is going to be a beautiful tail!

[LouLouBelle]

A mermaid tail making day would be awesome! If you've ever got a day free over a weekend and fancy it, let me know!


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[Luna Dreamtide]

I love seeing the amount of planning you've put into this. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do.

[moniee]

Thank you so much for the lovely feedback guys, it's so encouraging! Lou, I will message you about this! :D

[Kait]

Gorgeous design, so keen to see your progress :)

[LouLouBelle]

Can't wait!

If the icing bags don't hold up, maybe make something similar using fabric? You could make a fabric bag then line it with the icing bag. That should prove a bit more difficult to burst!


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[Tolgarr]

I really like your concepts so far, and I can't wait to see how this turns out! :D

[moniee]

That's a wonderful idea, LouLou! Thanks! And thank you guys for the sweet comments!

I've been playing around with the cake decorating kit yesterday, and I'm so glad to say that it worked!! It didn't burst yet. I managed to draw some actual scale looking scales. I will post pictures soon, as in my great excitement I completely forgot to do so...

[Mermaid Lieke]

That's a wonderful idea, LouLou! Thanks!

I've been playing around with the cake decorating kit yesterday, and I'm so glad to say that it worked!! It didn't burst yet. I managed to draw some actual scale looking scales. I will post pictures soon, as in my great excitement I completely forgot to do so...
That's great news! Can't wait to see your experiment!

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[moniee]

Happy bunny dance! The cake decoration method worked!

However at first I tried something different: I’ve spread a bit of caulk on the fabric then covered it with cling film, smoothed out, and pressed a thimble in the sheet to form scales. Like this:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/press_zpsulkeohj8.jpg

Obviously, after I’ve pulled the film off, the scale pattern was ruined – I don’t even know how could I’ve thought this might work! But tests are your friend I guess.

Still, I might use this silicone spreading idea when working on large and flat areas which will pretty much be the fluke and fins!

So, back to the cake method - I’ve squeezed a bit of caulk into a glass jar, dusted some pigment in it and added a little bit of turpentine, then mixed. After that I’ve turned the cake decor pouch inside out and scooped the silicone in it as close to the nozzle as possible.

I’ve tested a few nozzles, and so far, the standard round (~3mm hole) piece is what worked best.
I squeezed a blob of silicone on the test fabric and flattened it out with a spatula!

Here is the result:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0763_zps1z0cgun7.jpg

Scales are a bit too long and ridge-y, so will need to refine them for sure. I will continue testing some different looking scales too, as I can already see that due to the shape of each scale it is going to be a nightmare to paint these things.

But, if nothing else works, I have a method to go with!! YAYYY

[moniee]

Sooo we are going to have next Monday off, so I will try and take advantage of that!
I will set the scale testing aside as I can do that after work, too. I will use my extra day off to start making the Lexan monofin!

I bought an 500X500mm polycarbonate sheet (Palram, which is supposed to be an another trade name for polycarbonate, such as Lexan) in 4mm thickness and to my surprise it looks extremely stiff:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/13274983_1135569139816041_436210165_o_zpswhuwkcgx. jpg

However I understand that there will be waaaaay much more power under water than what my floppy arms can produce so I’m not too bothered by that but it will certainly need a test swim!

So, to begin here is my design with approximate footie sizes:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/plan_zpseqq9yqpl.jpg

And here it is printed, me for scale (I have size UK6.5 EU40 footsies)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0767_zpsiz1ppthj.jpg


With the monofin shape pattern, positioned on top.
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/13228019_1135569273149361_426651463_n_zps67owgl2a. jpg

The monofin’s back is going to go all the way through to my heels. I was going to use an A3 sheet initially due to price differences and have the end of the back of the monofin end under the middle of my feet. But I understand from research that this makes your kick’s power come from the feet, rather than the legs and body so I extended it and now it will support both my feet all the way to my heels.

Originally I wanted a not so large fluke, and now that it’s printed I kinda find it hyyyuuuge so I will print a slightly more compact size and see how I like it.

As for the monofin shape though, do you think it will be alright? (It will probably stay around the same size even after I make the fluke design smaller)
Does it seem like it is long enough at the bottom to give me some propulsion?
Are the sides of it okay, or should I extend them to support the corners of the tail a bit more?

Many thanks :) :)

[Luna Dreamtide]

Looks like a pretty good shape to me. I've seen similar shapes before in both handmade monofins and bought ones. What do you plan on using for foot pockets or straps?

[moniee]

Yeah I had a very traditional fluke shape in mind, but funny enough, I liked my tiny sketch in my notepad so much that no matter how I tried to rescale it on the large packaging paper, ending up with just something similar, I just didn't like it, so I ended up scaling my initial tiny sketch up which I'm finally happy with. Now onto adjusting the size a bit and we're there!

I'm planning to get an old pair of fins, something that is possibly not silicone then removing the fin bits, leaving only the foot pockets and bolt them on. I was considering swimming shoes but my research showed they might stretch or just would not be strong enough for this lexan as it's too thick (4mm).

[LouLouBelle]

I have no idea about monofin shapes, but I think the fluke design looks brilliant. I don't think it looks too big at all. [emoji4]


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[moniee]

Thanks LouLou! I might make it just a tiny bit smaller though, so I feel comfy in it :D

[PearlieMae]

I think that's a great shape and size! And you want your fin to cover the bottom of your feet entirely...partial coverage hurts like hell!

You'll be surprised at how flexible that stiff piece of polycarbonate will be in the water :) It should give some nice propulsion, though...short and stubby fins are pretty robust!

[moniee]

Thanks Pearlie Mae! Is it really gonna be flexible? I think this is what I wanted to hear, thanks! :D I don't mind if my fluke is not overly flowy, but it would be nice if it would look a bit flexible rather than acting like a wooden tabletop. I'll look forward for a test swim! I also don't mind a stiffer fluke - my first monofin swim was with a Hydra and I loved it SO much. Was so happy I can finally get use of my extra robust but strong legs!

Also, would you extend the monofin's sides to go further under the fluke? My worry is that the part of the fluke where it has the monofin under is going to be stiff, and the sides where there's only the silicone and nothing under, are going to flop around so much you'll be able to tell where the monofin ends, and it will show. Or should I not worry?
Or one more thing I was thinking is using plastic zip ties to extend the monofin to support the silicone edges of the fluke, while remaining flexible.

[PearlieMae]

I wouldn't worry. Your fluke is close enough that it should be fine. And zip ties aren't that great at support and can be a pain. From what I see, it's a great shape for the fin, good size, and overall lovely design!

[moniee]

Thank you ever so much. This helps me stop worrying :D

[LouLouBelle]

I think we're going to need to organise another uk merpod meet up in the near future and get lots of new tail photos! Do you know yet whether you can make it to the splashmob?

I've got the bank holiday off, so if you fancy coming over a day this weekend (including Monday) let me know! I'm planning to spend the whole weekend playing with silicone. [emoji4]


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[moniee]

I'm gonna try my best to complete this before the splashmob! Fingers crossed! And thanks so much again LouLou <3

I'm starting to get a little annoyed as everything seems to get against me, when it comes to shopping for materials...Tried so hard to get swim fins or silicone in time for the long weekend without success. Gah. Anyway, I can still crack on cutting the lexan.

A little step forward, is that I managed to get a used wetsuit for a decent price. I've measured and the fabric is 2mm wide and is soooo warm when worn!
I've also double checked the tag and it says 'polychloroprene' which after a quick google, I found it should pass as neoprene. Basically it feels like it's rubber in the inside so I think I'm good to go with it!
It also has an extremely sturdy looking zipper on the back which I'm very happy for :)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/_86%201_zpsgsdthti8.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/_86%202_zpstoeecyai.jpg

[MermaidRaegan]

I love your tail design and all of your accessories! You're going to be stunning.

[Mermaid Marius]

Your art is absolutely amazing, I can't wait to see how the tail turns out.

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[moniee]

Thanks a lot mers! :$

Bloggie time! This is the boring bit so feel free to skip to the actual stuff :D


So there's a lot of things that makes it a bit harder for me to DIY much at home than before. But when you want something SO much for so long I really think you can find a way!


So, recently I started to cycle to work to save money and to shape up my bottomsos! I used to have a travelcard what I could travel in London with pretty much anywhere if I wanted.


Obviously I've gotten to starting on my monofin after I gave up my travelcard... and on a side note, I'm not very used to the London roads on a bike. There is a superb cycle lane from almost door to door to my work, so I ride that for a few days now but nothing else than going to work and back, on this special bike route.


Now, I started my monofin and didn't have a wetsuit and swim fins - shipping charges are sometimes ridiculous or are just about the same as travel costs. Annnd I would really like to save money especially because the whole reason of me on a bike is to save these travel costs.


So I took a deep breath and rode on ACTUAL roads, amongst cars, through Tower Bridgr and all, and after a puncture on the middle of my way home, and after a lot of miles and looking at the map, I managed to both pick up my neoprene suit and the next day my swim fins from Decathlon, on some of the busiest roads in the UK :) :) So I'm very proud! (Don't think I'm not a chicken tho - I always dismount on turns and use the pedestrian crossing XD and I'm overall very careful and started to learn the highway code too.)


Sooooo this is what it took me to crack on my project - some personal goals are always nice to achieve :)


Here are my preciouses:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0778_zpsl4hvuivb.jpg


Another question was, as already mentioned the workplace. I live in a houseshare with my landlady and 3 kids in it - I only have a bedroom and that's it. We have a garden but my landlady was asleep and I couldn't bear the thought of being stopped after all I achieved to get my fins at last!! So I locked myself away in here....


Such graceful, very style. I know. BUT ITS WORTH IT


http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0776_zpsctdq5cin.jpg


On a side note, I also lack any tools. I used to have everything when I was living home, or if not, my dad would have it and he would lent it to me. I really can't store any bought tools for a little while now so I was unsure how I will manage to DIY without having, or buying anything.


Then I sent out a mail to my friends and colleagues where I work, describing what I'm planning to make... and one of my colleagues was so sweet he got very excited about my project and literally lent me everything I need! Jigsaw, dremel tool, he even purchased some bolts and screws for me to try when I attah the foot pockets to the monofin. Everything seems to be on track again! IM SO HAPPY


So annnnyways, back to work! I used my borrowed handy little dremel tool and freed the fins from their foot pockets:


http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0779_zpsfuuu35bp.jpg


Now I only have one worry - the top of the fins are covered in the plastic and not the bottom. I have cut the fins off in a way I left a plastic frame around the rubber ends for support. But now it curves in a way it will be too hard to smooth it out so it blends to the fin! :(


http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0785_zpstojikcfy.jpg


http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0786_zpshhgwormx.jpg


Do you think I can cut the plastic frame off of the rubber, exposing it to my swimming? Will it not be too weak?
This way I'm hoping the frame of the foot pockets are going to be easier to blend in with the surface of the monofin :)
Thank you so much guys :)

[PearlieMae]

I think that you will be able to backfill that area once you get your footpockets attached. Since the top of your foot will be lifting away from the fluke anyway, a little creative padding will soften the transition. I wouldn't want you to compromise the structure of the footpocket, making it un-swimmable, just for aesthetics.

And if it doesn't look good, it's easier to subtract incrementally than to try and add material back.

How thick is the plastic under the ball of your foot? Is it possible to thin the sole (without going all the way through) to lower that profile a bit?

[moniee]

Thanks for the feedback Pearlie! I was only thinking about exposing the rubber bit after all, since I've seen quite a few fins that's rubber bit was not backed up with plastic, such as Merman Storm's here. (http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=36036&d=1457761481)

The sole is about 4mm, and has a non-slip rubber ribbon around the sole so that could be removed and maybe a bit of sanding it down is a good idea too so thanks! will have to be hand sanding though so not sure how much that will help.

Also, I've had a huge step forward as my Lexan is cut! Managed to sneak out to the garden today while we were home alone so very happy!
This is the monofin blade (sorry only the selfie camera is working on my phone...):

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0791_zpsxsu8aenx.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0791_zpsxsu8aenx.jpg.html)

And this is how it sits on the fluke design

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0783_zps14zmt21p.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0783_zps14zmt21p.jpg.html)

And this is the worrying part. There is not much room for the transition from the top of the toes till the edge of the fluke! :o
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0794_zpssggytnew.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0794_zpssggytnew.jpg.html)

[LouLouBelle]

It's such a shame the traveling isn't easier/cheaper between London and Tunbridge Wells! You're going to some really impressive lengths to get the tail done, though! I'm suddenly realising how easy I've got it! [emoji23]


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[PearlieMae]

Hmm, that is a short distance...

What if you continued the tail tip to the center of the fluke?

37101

[moniee]

Ooooh! That is a fantastic idea Pearlie - thank you so much! Really appreciate the little drawing too :) It would then be similar to the Mertailor basic silicone tail. Funny enough, I was seriously considering a removeable fluke purely because I doubt I'll have the space for storing the tail after a swim to fully dry and avoid mould.

Since I'll have a neoprene base I think I can get away sticking some industrial velcro on the inside of the foot pocket area of the tail skin, and the other half of the velcro placed on the top of the foot pockets of the fluke... Thanks again!

[moniee]

Haha thanks Louise! I really didn't mean to brag but it was just a kind of an achievement week with some actual results so indeed very happy :D

[moniee]

Thinking time...pondering about a removeable fluke.

So my tail will have a neoprene base and I'm planning to make the fluke halves in just full silicone.

I thought I could make a neoprene piece of fabric over the foot pockets, and glue it around the Lexan. This neoprene would have some industrial velcro halves sewn on it. Then, on top of the neoprene foot pocket cover comes the silicone fluke half, then I'll cover it with the caulk scales, leaving the velcro halves out.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/removeable%20fluke%201_zpsntfxntb3.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/removeable%20fluke%201_zpsntfxntb3.jpg.html)

The end of the tail body would attach to the velcro bits of the foot pockets precisely and would blend in to the foot pocket cover's scales.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/removeable%20fluke%202_zpsemtl7hzr.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/removeable%20fluke%202_zpsemtl7hzr.jpg.html)

Do you think this would work or can you see some possible flaws straight away please?

[merwandering]

WOW!! I just looked through this thread and I am so in love with the couture inspiration! Also excited about your ideas for making the fluke removable- I am going to take pause and really consider these ideas- they are fantastic!!

[moniee]

Thanks Merwandering! Feel free to experiment with the ideas :) I'm a bit of a chicken though, I'm afraid of messing up, but I think I'll give it a go anyway! I keep saying this is an experiment tail after all :P My silicone is due to arrive tomorrow or Friday - so excited! I need to prepare the neoprene tail base for it by then. I think I'll go bra shopping this evening :D

[merwandering]

I more meant consider it as far as brainstorming- I am just vicariously enthusiastic about your tail having these cool features! I will probably be finished with mine tomorrow and the point I'm at I can't really make any changes- but it is just so exciting watching other tails come together, and I have to tell you how very much respect I have for your process! There are so many reasons I wish I had really slowed down and taken my time, been a little bit more mindful of each aspect of each step, etc. Instead I just dove in to the project (I needed a serious stress relieving distraction was one reason) but with the time and expense that you invest in a tail, if I had spent a little more time on the planning and researching phase, I could have saved some mistakes and added a lot of cool features and it would have been so worth it! In the end I do love it and it's almost finished (after only a couple of weeks! But that's really not a good thing) but I think you are so smart going about it the way that you are, and it will make the process more fun and I absolutely can't wait to see the final tail!!!! It's going to be gorgeous.

[LouLouBelle]

Merwandering - I think everyone's first tail is a bit of an experiment. I remember reading something a while ago, can't remember the exact details... But basically they did a study with two groups of people. One group was told to make something (can't remember what!!) and to try to make it as high quality as possible. The other was told to just churn out as many as they could.

At the end of the study, the group that wasn't aiming for high quality was actually producing the better quality. They concluded that lots of practice worked better than spending ages agonising over a single project. Something to think about!


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[Mermaid Lieke]

Merwandering - I think everyone's first tail is a bit of an experiment. I remember reading something a while ago, can't remember the exact details... But basically they did a study with two groups of people. One group was told to make something (can't remember what!!) and to try to make it as high quality as possible. The other was told to just churn out as many as they could.

At the end of the study, the group that wasn't aiming for high quality was actually producing the better quality. They concluded that lots of practice worked better than spending ages agonising over a single project. Something to think about!


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That's interesting information, I'm also making my first tail and I love experimenting to learn as much as possible, but I'm keeping the design simple because it's my first tail, and as I go I'll learn more and be able to do more detailed work in the future [emoji41] for now I'm enjoying myself

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[Mira]

Your design is amazing (as is your artwork, pardon me while my art fanatic comes out and I silently flail a bit)! I really hope the end result turns out great!

[moniee]

Lou, that's a bit of a relief actually :) I switched into let's just go and see mode and got 3 pelvic fins almost done and I'm soooo happy with them! I'll post pics when I'm back to the UK which sadly won't be until Wednesday :I I want to work on my tail!!!

Ha Mira thank you! I used to draw a looot but historical costuming, BJDs and now mermaiding took over :)



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[moniee]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160604/890e66ffb652f2a9fcc87c93e0d59b6a.jpg

Excuse the drawing only update but since I can't work on the actual tail I was thinking about my mersona and tried to envisage with all the hairstyles and accessories I liked, to see how it looks. No biggie though but helped me kill some time with my delayed flight. :)

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[Reef Fish]

Gorgeous design :). I found when I was doing my own caulking hybrid tail that it used far more pigment to pigment before scaling than to scale in clear and paint on pigment after. You also have to make sure you get the exact same amounts each time you make a new batch or they will come out different colours. Did you know you can buy empty caulking gun tubes? I thought about trying this option, making batches and then piping on using a silicone gun but went away from it due to the two reasons above. That and they don't sell empty tubes anywhere in Australia at a good price that I could find.

[Reef Fish]

Oh and I see you're having a transparent fluke. Excellent :) I will give you the tip I learnt from making mine. To make it more durable/ longer lasting, use either powermesh or some other mesh with the silicone as the caulking if it gets a small tear tends to then crack and split really quickly. The mesh will protect it from ripping as far or as easy. It won't really be noticable through the fluke when the light is behind it if is uniform. Good luck! Can't wait to see this project progress.

[Dame Melusine]

Your tail is going to be so gorgeous! I love the design! I am actually working in a similar technique, but the tail will be in greens. I cant wait to see the final product!

[moniee]

Hey thanks Reef Fish! I've seen your thread and I have to say I'm quite amazed by your tail - now I'm speaking from experience that caulk is very difficult to shape as you want to and I have no idea how did you manage to shape such beautiful tiny scales but I simply love it.

I measure my silicone by squeezes, and my pigment in gramms (I have one set of those tiny spatulas with measurements on them) so this helps to ensure the colour is consistent. So far so good! I'll check out the empty caulk bottles too, thanks!!

Thank you for the mesh tip! But actually I'm not making a transparent fluke, I don't think I could with golds and blacks. I'm only using Lexan as it was recommended so much on this lovely forum. But I'm still planning to use the lace method to attach the silicone fluke to my lexan! I'm thinking I could use my net tulle fabrics I have laying around which would save me the wait/price of the power mesh. Do you think that would work?

Thanks for your helpful tips that is appreciated xx

Melusine thank you! Please post a thread of your process too I would love to see more tailmaking threads with this technique! :)

[LouLouBelle]

Love that little sketch. ❤️


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[Reef Fish]

Yeah I think any light weight mesh should work. It's purely to hold it together if it starts to crack or rip so that it doesn't split further. My fluke is purely caulking and has held up pretty well. The monofin did start to poke through at one corner though so I've put a mesh patch inside to protect it and that has been great since. Caulking is just not as elastic as dragonskin.

[moniee]

Thanks Lou :)

Thanks ReefFish, I'll make sure the fluke is properly netted underneath as I made the fins in full caulking too and plan to do the fluke the same way.

Update pics!

So I completed these pelvic fins by mixing the silicone in a container with the pigment, a little bit of turpentine and scooped it onto plastic foil then began to shape it.
After it ahs dried a little I dusted the black accents and spots in :)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0807_zpsypf4pm36.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0807_zpsypf4pm36.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0808_zpsaaoidcdn.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0808_zpsaaoidcdn.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0804_zps70fnbqph.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0804_zps70fnbqph.jpg.html)

This is how flexible it is:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0802_zpso7oi8k0r.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0802_zpso7oi8k0r.jpg.html)

I chose this caulking on purpose, there were cheaper ones that are 'low modulus' but this was labelled as something that stays flexible after curing, so my hopes are high!

I also had a little disaster - as you can see there are 3 pelvic fins completed, so I just tried to make the 4th one before I start the fluke. I don't exactly know what happened but it wouldn't let me shape it and it was just not holding itself up while I was trying to stroke it to create the bone structure, the whole section of the silicone was pulled from its place, and instead of letting me shape the surface, the whole thing just started to come with my spatula...

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0811_1_zps740yzpjn.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0811_1_zps740yzpjn.jpg.html)

I will try and not add any turpentinve this time. Maybe it was because it was a fresh tube of silicone and more turpentine made it too tender? Not sure but wih me luck! I don't want to waste a complete fluke's worth of silicone next time O_O

[LouLouBelle]

Those fins are absolutely gorgeous!

I can't wait to see this finished!


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[Hydra1337]

Everything looks awesome so far! I love your artwork too, by the way.

[moniee]

Thanks guys! Unfortunately my first fluke attempt didn't turn out too great ... As soon as I start working on a larger area, by the time I start texturing the surface it dries and starts to be clumped up... I tried to cover it with plastic until I smooth it out but somehow it wouldn't obey :(
Bit bummed now . Think I'll work on the neoprene base a bit until I figure out why is this happening g

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[Reef Fish]

Looking good on those little fins though moniee :) Could you ask someone to help apply while you shape?

[moniee]

Nope not really, but I've just seen your incredibly helpful video tutorial Reef Fish... I have no idea why working in layers never clicked to me while I prepared my pelvic fins by forming one side, and after curing, I applied more silicone to the back and shaped.
I even noticed how much easier was to form the veins on the silicone base! No idea why it never clicked.. Thank you so so much! I feel like I've got my groove back :)

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[Reef Fish]

Glad to have helped :)

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[moniee]

I've finally sewn my swimsuit nice and snug! Then started to build the scales up, I'm starting at the back so by the time I get to the front I'll have more experience :)

Some crappy light but excited late night photo:

37349

For some reason when I started off at the very bottom, my scales were much tidier than my latest ones are - what about experience!! I'm struggling to mimic them. But practice makes perfect I guess!

[MermaidClaudy]

Moniee, I have stupid , stupid question: How do you stick the scales to the swimsuit? I leave in a tiny London flat to and you inspired me to dry to do my tail :)

[moniee]

Hey Claudia! Yay for a fellow mermaid in London :) And yes, no matter how tiny your place is there's a way to make a tail! Only thing is, I beg you to wear a gas mask (not a dust mask!) when working in your room or in a less ventillated area. And, after you're done, do take your silicone caulk pieces outside to air dry then ventillate your room well. I leave my pieces in the kitchen on top of cupboards, on top of the fridge etc. I even left this body of the tail in the toilet XD That thing is super stinky and a possible hazard on your respiratory system if not used wisely that's the only thing why I'm a pedant about it!

Soooo to answer your question it is really easy - silicone caulk sticks to the neoprene! (And many, many other things!) You basivally squeeze it onto the surface and it's there for good :)

[MermaidClaudy]

Amazing!!! Thank you for your advises Moniee :)

[Reef Fish]

Looking good :) The acidic fumes are the worst part.

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[moniee]

I know!! I also paint dolls and use a matte spray, that stuff is super poisonous to your lungs. I once heard a record of a fellow doll painter girl who refused to wear anything and inhaled this stuff frequently. I still have nightmares when I remember the sound of her breathing... That's the day I ordered a super fine gas mask. You can't smell anything of the caulk when wearing it so thankfully it filters it quite well!

I also managed to drill holes to my fins and lexan - I didn't have wide enough drill heads, so I had to pierce the surface first with the very narrow drill head I had, then widening the hole little by little using the other sanding bits. It worked in the end!! But how I wish sometimes that I had the proper tools :D

Anyway I'm super happy! I got some more washers this morning and I'll assemble my custom homemeade monofin (EEEEE) today which means I can take it with me to a meetup this weekend! Not a tail, but it means a lot to me :)

[MermaidClaudy]

There is a meet up this week end?

[Lili]

I'm definitely following this thread, the fins and scales are looking marvelous so far !

[LouLouBelle]

There is a meet up this week end?

Yes! Clacton on Sea - meeting at Clacton pier at 2:30pm. All mers welcome - the more the merrier!

I highly doubt I'll have my tail finished in time either, and I don't want to rush and ruin it. Still, I do like my fabric tail, so it'll be nice to give it at least one trip to the seaside!


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[moniee]

Claudia I tagged you on FB so you can see the event details! Add me as your friend and I can invite you to the private event page too :)

[Spindrift]

Gorgeous work!!! Everything is so exciting. I can't wait for more updates!

[moniee]

Thank you Lili and Spindrift!

I FINISHED MY MONOFIN YEEEEEEEYYYYYS

And I took no pictures in my excitement! Oh well... I will later!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

You're making fabulous progress! Keep up the great work and you'll have a beautiful tail in no time!

[moniee]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160617/858a8bc2ce331379d48381caeb7d6485.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160617/35f1f5cab7c2aee2ded885c9b70bda07.jpg

Finished my monofin! Now onto the testy test in water *MWHAHAHA*

#onlymyselfiecameraisworkingsorry

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[moniee]

Thank you Lorelei I'll keep cracking on <3

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[Mermaid Lorelei]

Thank you Lorelei I'll keep cracking on <3

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<3

[merwandering]

Your drawings are mesmerizing. You should do a series, or illustrate a book or something! Very beautiful, and so much movement. It makes me really excited to see your glam couture tail come together, knowing what a vision you have. Congrats on your monofin!

[moniee]

Hey thanks Merwandering :) Actually it's my job, I'm a graphic designer :blush: Although it's more about shapes and colours, and typography, but I still get to draw an illustration every now and then, and there are my comissions out of work, I got to illustrate a whole pack of zombie RPG cards for example :) I also like to illustrate books so always out for the search for these project opportunities as well :)
Thanks so much about the compliments guys and since I got so many sweet feedbacks on the drawings, I htought I'd share my portfolio or at least a bit of it :)
http://monieeart.wix.com/moniee#!design--illustration/c11ij

[moniee]

Hey guys

So I went ahead and tried my monofin out in the pool. Bad news, it really didn't help me to swim that much - it was fine when I was stroking my legs backwards (knee bending) but when I was trying to propel forward, it would. not. doit. I could feel the material was so stiff there was not going to be any force to bend it and so I really struggled swimming in it, and had foot cramps all the way through. It basically felt I have a wooden tabletop attached to my feet.

I had the wonderful Mortisha and her partner with me though so they kindly let me swim in their Hydra monofin so I could compare the two togerher on site.

What I noticed was that the hydra was so much more flexible, when I stroked from the back to forward, it would flex soooo much, it would acrually bend and propel me in the water.

I'm thinking, have I gone for a too stiff Lexan (4mm) here? As my fluke design is fairly tiny, should I have gone for a thinner one, is it gonna solve this problem?

I'm thinking about getting either a 2mm or 3mm sheet and try again but I'm torn which one to go for. I'm also unsure on how the thin Lexan will handle holes pierced in it for the screws.

Any tips? :(

[LouLouBelle]

Oh no! I don't have a clue there, unfortunately. I figured going with a pre made monofin was easiest!

At least you discovered this before finishing off the tail. Hopefully someone who knows about making monofins can help!


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[moniee]

Thanks LouLou. Mainly my reasons for making my own monofin is because I have a funyn thing about cutting into something that costs ~£60 and because I wasn't sure it will be compatible with my design.

If everything goes well I'll have a video footage so I can show you guys

[LouLouBelle]

I can understand that - I've no intentions of touching my fin with a blade! I've made the fluke around the fin - I took the easy route!


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[moniee]

I just ordered 2mm Lexan instead of my original 4mm. Since my fluke design is really small I imagine it will be fine... hope I can still get away screwing the fins on it using holes though!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Hey thanks Merwandering :) Actually it's my job, I'm a graphic designer :blush: Although it's more about shapes and colours, and typography, but I still get to draw an illustration every now and then, and there are my comissions out of work, I got to illustrate a whole pack of zombie RPG cards for example :) I also like to illustrate books so always out for the search for these project opportunities as well :)
Thanks so much about the compliments guys and since I got so many sweet feedbacks on the drawings, I htought I'd share my portfolio or at least a bit of it :)
http://monieeart.wix.com/moniee#!design--illustration/c11ij

Holy glob, I didn't think I could fall in love with your art more than I already have! AND IS THAT A FREAKING HUMAN/LEOPARD/LIZARD TAUR CREATURE SWEET LAWD I LOVE IT!
http://monieeart.wix.com/moniee#!untitled/zoom/cv0h/image22sp
That's it. I'm officially commissioning you to illustrate my sci-fi novels. <3

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I just ordered 2mm Lexan instead of my original 4mm. Since my fluke design is really small I imagine it will be fine... hope I can still get away screwing the fins on it using holes though!

If you're worried that the 2mm won't be thick enough, you can reinforce a small portion of the blade (around your footsies) with another layer of lexan.

[Lili]

Aw I hope it works out...this is all a learning process, and your art is gorgeous

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[merwandering]

Mine is 2mm- I know I read someone was using 4... I don't remember who, but I swear it was someone making multiple tails, so probably Pearlie Mae? I do wonder if the larger flukes have more resistance bending them in the water, or if it is just a personal preference. The 2 works for me. I loved using the lexan because it makes it impossible(ish) to see the fin, and you can customize it so much. It seems really easy to put the fluke together in a way that holds well.
I'm so sorry it didn't work:/ But excited that you ordered the 2, and glad you tried it before it was a tail!
(and yes this is shamelessly self serving because I am excited about your tail but) don't let it slow you down:) the tail that is waiting to be is too amazing for me to stand, lol

[moniee]

Holy glob, I didn't think I could fall in love with your art more than I already have! AND IS THAT A FREAKING HUMAN/LEOPARD/LIZARD TAUR CREATURE SWEET LAWD I LOVE IT!
http://monieeart.wix.com/moniee#!untitled/zoom/cv0h/image22sp
That's it. I'm officially commissioning you to illustrate my sci-fi novels. <3

Haha thanks so much Lorelei! I can't take credit for that creature thoguh as it's an illustration from a japanese novel! :) And I'm always happy to illustrate novels :D

*

Thanks for the encouragement and for the tips guys! I've gottem myself through the bum-time and am now awaiting for my Lexan, ready at the doorstep waiting for the delivery guy with my jigsaw in my hand. I'm sure he's gonna be happy to hand my package over.

I'm really relieved to know you're using 2mm for your tail Merwandering! I was worried it will be too thing for silicone. I'll also reinforce it around the footsies as Lorelei advised. This could work after all :)

So thanks again guys you are all too lovely and supportive <3

[merwandering]

Hope all is well!!! (and that you didn't get arrested for greeting a delivery guy with a saw, lol)
If so, I don't mind bailing you out!

[carouselclover]

Wow! I'm super new here, though I've been ghosting around the forums for a while, and can I just say - I'm so excited to see how your tail turns out! I'm hoping to make my own tail one day when funds aren't quite so low and I can finalize a design. Your work here is really inspiring moniee. Keep up the great work ^-^

[Mermaid Tami]

I used a 4 mil Lexan and finally finished my tail! I'm planning to try it out this weekend!


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[LouLouBelle]

Hope all is well!!! (and that you didn't get arrested for greeting a delivery guy with a saw, lol)
If so, I don't mind bailing you out!

It's been a few days of silence now. Should we be worried???

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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[moniee]

Haha no, nope, no police forces involved thankfully!
Thanks for the comments guys! I was just not able to work on my tail at all - if my partner is at home (he finishes earlier than me) I can't work in my room even with my gas mask on as he's gonna have a bad time smelling it. It's very frustrating but I'm hoping I can progress little by little.

I actually have a little update though. I got my new sheet of 2mm lexan and cut a new monofin shape of it, with elongated foot pocket support so the foot pockets won't sit so low on the fluke:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/DSC_1127_zpsncwlkfar.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/DSC_1127_zpsncwlkfar.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/DSC_1129_zpsawmg8xdn.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/DSC_1129_zpsawmg8xdn.jpg.html)

I would say this is definitely a small fluke design, so a thinner 2mm sheet will be fine. However because of the shape of it under the foot pockets I wonder if I should double the lexan underneath them?

The only problem is with that, is I didn't have enough lexan :I And what I've done is, I cut two halves of the planned support panel and glued them together with specific plastic superglue:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/DSC_1131_zpspfffiotb.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/DSC_1131_zpspfffiotb.jpg.html)

Hoping you can work out the edges?
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/DSC_1132_zpsqn3wkkjr.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/DSC_1132_zpsqn3wkkjr.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/DSC_1133_zpskdjgnnyu.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/DSC_1133_zpskdjgnnyu.jpg.html)

So do you think I should go ahead with this glued support panel? Will it be sufficent like this, glued together?
Or should I just go without it?

[LouLouBelle]

As it's just for support and not actually the main functional part of the fin, I would imagine it should be fine. BUT I'm not sure on that so hopefully someone else can be a bit more helpful than me??




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[PearlieMae]

I use a footplate like that on my fins, it helps ease the stress at the most vulnerable part of the fin...right in the toe area. I've also had success with a few pairs of holes around the edge of the footplate, using zip ties (cable/wire ties) to hold the two pieces together. Using PolyZap will make your polycarbonate brittle and break! The two plates held together with zip ties are able to support each other and still move independently some. Only thing you need to do is cover the connector part of the tie with a blob of an epoxy putty (be sure to test for cure inhibition, first!) so it doesn't wear a hole through your silicone fluke.

[moniee]

Thanks guys!

I will screw the foot pockets through the two panels - the fin and the foot support - so that should keep it in place, but I will stay away from polyzap from now on.
Too bad I wanted to use the lace method and that requires using polyzap! :(

I have an another issue as well if it's not already enoguh - sorry for moaning!
But this happened and it's annoying me a lot.

So basically I have this golden pigment colour, as you can see, it's quite bright:
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=37713&stc=1

The problem is, after it is applied, it starts to turn very dark, even greenish!!
I have tried mixing it in the silicone before application. I have tried to dab it in dry with a brush after application. With, and without using turpentine.

This is how it looks now: (the sides and the ankle area is supposed to be darker, but the greenish areas were BRIGHT golden when I applied!)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/DSC_1137_zps34tgbgxk.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/DSC_1137_zps34tgbgxk.jpg.html)

This, at the very bottom is where the colour is left as it should look really:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/DSC_1140_zpsq011fghg.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/DSC_1140_zpsq011fghg.jpg.html)

When I apply it it's fine but then it just turns dark.. I don't mind being a muddy mermaid but it's far away from my gold and black concept! :(

Do you have any ideas what could be the matter?

[PearlieMae]

It's real copper and zinc, and it could be oxidizing and turning dark.

Brilliant Gold and Sparkle Gold are very bright gold like your pigment pictured above, and they don't tarnish.

http://www.jacquardproducts.com/pearl-ex-pigments.html

[LouLouBelle]

You can get the pearl ex pigments on the uk Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pearl-Pigment-75-Brilliant-Gold/dp/B000AP54AQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1467302678&sr=8-4&keywords=Gold+pearl+ex+pigment

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacquard-Pearl-Powdered-Pigments-sparkle/dp/B000AP1IRY/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1467302678&sr=8-8&keywords=Gold+pearl+ex+pigment

[emoji4]


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[PearlieMae]

Oops! I forgot you were part of the Euro Pod! :doh:

[PearlieMae]

Haha thanks so much Lorelei! I can't take credit for that creature thoguh as it's an illustration from a japanese novel! :) And I'm always happy to illustrate novels :D

*

Thanks for the encouragement and for the tips guys! I've gottem myself through the bum-time and am now awaiting for my Lexan, ready at the doorstep waiting for the delivery guy with my jigsaw in my hand. I'm sure he's gonna be happy to hand my package over.

I'm really relieved to know you're using 2mm for your tail Merwandering! I was worried it will be too thing for silicone. I'll also reinforce it around the footsies as Lorelei advised. This could work after all :)

So thanks again guys you are all too lovely and supportive <3

Also, be sure to make your fluke THIN if you are using a 2mm polycarbonate...it can't support the weight of a thick fluke and may snap your Lexan, and/or it will pronate your ankles, turning your heels inward, and that hurts!

[moniee]

Thanks guys...again. I'm so pissed off about the pigment. I have researched so much to get some golden pigments from my home country - it was slightly cheaper and I also like to spend my money in there if I have the chance to help the small businesses who sell these. I have waited 2 weeks before I got home and finally picked this pigment up. Now after all the fuss it turns out to be not even correct... I could rip my hair out.
But since, I went ahead and ordered Jacquard pigments in sunset gold. And also had a weekend away from mermaiding (couldn't work on it without the pigments so I thought best thing is to turn my focus away from it). Hopefully I'll have a free weekend with my pigments arrived so we'll see!

[LouLouBelle]

And welcome to the world of tail making! [emoji23]

You'll hopefully find that the break will do you good, and you'll feel a bit more enthusiastic when you start again. It'll all be worth it in the end!


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[merwandering]

Moniee- I'm SO SORRY!!!! I know how frustrating that must be:( I didn;t realize all of this, and I'm glad you found another product but
that sucks:(
though looking at it- omg I am soooo excited to see this happen.
Do you plan to thin it and paint over, or redo?
It's going to be gorgeous

[PearlieMae]

Think of it this way, with your original pigments as an undercoat, your tail is going to have SO much depth to it's color now! Like a renaissance painting! It's going to be stunning!

[moniee]

Thanks guys for your constant support - you're the best!
I had to take a little break from my project as with constant failures and the approaching of summer I wanted to enjoy a little rest and sunshine.
I got some golden pigment that hopefully won't tarnish (gah!) and worked on my tail body. almost finished he back, only the top left bit is left.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg1_zpspwmxaz4n.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg1_zpspwmxaz4n.jpg.html)

i was also busy resurrecting my long lost digital painting skills as I want to get back into game development. This is a piece I'm proud of at the mo :)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg2_zpspw2p8tzm.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg2_zpspw2p8tzm.jpg.html)

[Celaeno]

It's looking so great! As a fellow Art Deco mer, I adore your inspiration pics.

I can't wait to see how it looks all finished. Pearlie is completely right, it's going to have such gorgeous depth to the color. 😍

[Lili]

I'm so excited to see you back on track with the project, I love how it looks in the picture so far!! I've been wondering what happened to this thread, taking a break is honestly necessary when it comes to tailmaking, it's a frustrating process at some points. I cannot wait to see it finished :D

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[Hydra1337]

The gold is seriously beautiful.

[merwandering]

YAY!!! I'm so excited that you're back:) How had I not seen your dolls before??
Can't wait to see this tail keep moving forward!

[Elle Dee]

Your tail looks beautiful it will be stunning when it's finished, out of curiosity how did you adapt the wetsuit? Is it a case of cutting the inside leg and stitching up like a skirt?

[moniee]

Haha yep I'm pretty much back - I'm about to finish my monofin in the garden! Fins crossed! Thanks so much for your inspiring comments guys!!!!
Elle, that is exactly how I did it - stitched up with hand stitching as my sweing machine said 'NO F-ING WAY' :D

This morning was pretty productive - I'm so pleased I could work on 2 continous hours on my tail before the demons of doom landlady's kids came home!

I managed to finish the back of my tail body:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg2_zpstplee0ox.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg2_zpstplee0ox.jpg.html)


Annnnnd dun dun duuuun - a nearly done fluke half! It will still have two black veins down its sides, but I'm pretty happy with the paintjob and wanted to show you guys!
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg1_zpsw8agxioh.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg1_zpsw8agxioh.jpg.html)

Out now, have to be prepred for Monday's test swim of my monofin I hope to finish tonight!
Thanks so much for your inspiring words xxxxxxxx

[Lili]

This is looking so marvelous, I just love what you've done with the colors :O

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[PearlieMae]

Holy carp! Your going to look like a real fish! That is wonderful!

[AnnaAbyss]

Omg it's so beautiful and realistic! Can't wait to see it finished and swam in!

[Celaeno]

That fluke is stunning!!! Oh, I can't wait to see it in action. 😍

[moniee]

Thank youuuu! I hope I can be a realistic fishy, I always imagined myself as a not so vibrant in colour, but more earth-coloured or desaturated to resemble freshwater fishies.
I think I can safely say now I'm a freshwater mermaid!

Major success on the monofin part - after my first try with the 4mm, that wouldn't propel me ahead, the second time was a total success, I'm so happy!
Used 2mm and reinforced it below the feet area. I swam really fast in it and kinda effortlessly too! I'm so pleased. All the failures worth it xx

[moniee]

I was also thinking a lot about my mersona, and apart from going for a tribal gypsy kinda look, I have to admit when I think mermaid, I always imagine a freshwater naiad with a bare top. Everything else is too Disney for me but I have no choice unless I'm happy to let the girls hang around...

so so this was bugging me so much I think I actually want to try this idea of mine out. I want to use nude skin coloured scales on top of a mesh top, only to cover the boobie area, and you won't need straps!

i hope it will work
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boutique-for-love-lemons-style-bralet-lace-crop-top-bralet-celeb-Nude-Mesh-6-/201513250813?hash=item2eeb202ffd&nma=true&si=4ZfGfXt%252BA%252F5h6dlZN8MlcZOrva4%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[AelianaNympha]

That's very creative!! I can't wait to see it!


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[moniee]

I used a 4 mil Lexan and finally finished my tail! I'm planning to try it out this weekend!


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Tami how did you monofin work out?

[moniee]

That's very creative!! I can't wait to see it!


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Tahnks Aeliana I hope it does work out :)

[moniee]

Moniee- I'm SO SORRY!!!! I know how frustrating that must be:( I didn;t realize all of this, and I'm glad you found another product but
that sucks:(
though looking at it- omg I am soooo excited to see this happen.
Do you plan to thin it and paint over, or redo?
It's going to be gorgeous

Hmm do you know what, I kinda like the moss green area it caused around the calf. It makes it a bit more realistic - it's a nice gradient between the black and bright golden! Maybe it's not that bad that I had that pigment after all :)


It's looking so great! As a fellow Art Deco mer, I adore your inspiration pics.

I can't wait to see how it looks all finished. Pearlie is completely right, it's going to have such gorgeous depth to the color. 

Thanks! Actually my inspiration for colours happened to be portrayed on Art Deco pics, but I imagine myself as a mermaid in two ways - A tribal/gypsy mermaid with the long braids on my drawing, or the second, a freshwater mermaid with a bare top and pearls, lots of pearls. Both with a fishy, slightly desaturated colour schemed tail (so not tropical bright. Lots of greys, browns, duller greens and gold!)


YAY!!! I'm so excited that you're back:) How had I not seen your dolls before??
Can't wait to see this tail keep moving forward!
Aaah the dollies yes! I hope you liked them! I have a project atm, I'm redoing an Elsa doll as a 1920 lady with short brown bob hair :)

[Mermaid Tami]

Tami how did you monofin work out?

https://vimeo.com/177478952
It swims very well! I was in the water for hours with it! No issues! I can go pretty quickly too! It's pretty big so I was worried but 0 issues. I've used it several times!
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160803/2853e76c63c147096f07a0a0c5c9419d.jpg



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[moniee]

Ah good for you! I'm pretty sure my failure was that my fluke is so small. It doesn't get to bend enough being so little, so it didn't flex enough to propel me well. 2mm worked wonders for my fluke size :)

[Rett]

Wow you tail looks fantastic so far! I love it! The gold is so striking!

And omg, what dolls do you repaint? I collect dolls and I just adore repaints. I've never been very good at them myself (I can never get watercolor pencils to cooperate with me and I always mess up with paint :sweat drop: ) but I love looking at others repaints. It's nice to meet another doll loving mer :D

[moniee]

Rett, oh my gosh you don't want me to start on that! :D I'm a doll lover too and I do quite a few of them. I collect and paint BJDs, I repaint Monster High, Disney and other dolls, making doll clothes and accessories such as feather wings for them, and I sculpt figures, too...so quite intense I must say! However lately I've been more into historical costuming so that took over for a little while.

So the dollies are on my website and on my Flickr because I'm a lazy bum to put them all at one place...:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/monieeart/

http://monieeart.wix.com/moniee#!dolls-by-moniee/c1rnk

My most recent repaint with selfmade clothing:

https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8627/28148570764_a1ee97a196_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JToMpA)Disney Animator Rapunzel before after (https://flic.kr/p/JToMpA) by Monika Tönköl (https://www.flickr.com/photos/monieeart/), on Flickr

[Lili]

That's adorable moniee !

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[moniee]

Thank you! :$

[merwandering]

I was also thinking a lot about my mersona, and apart from going for a tribal gypsy kinda look, I have to admit when I think mermaid, I always imagine a freshwater naiad with a bare top. Everything else is too Disney for me but I have no choice unless I'm happy to let the girls hang around...

so so this was bugging me so much I think I actually want to try this idea of mine out. I want to use nude skin coloured scales on top of a mesh top, only to cover the boobie area, and you won't need straps!

i hope it will work
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boutique-for-love-lemons-style-bralet-lace-crop-top-bralet-celeb-Nude-Mesh-6-/201513250813?hash=item2eeb202ffd&nma=true&si=4ZfGfXt%252BA%252F5h6dlZN8MlcZOrva4%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I think it will be beautiful! It made me laugh so much, because once again- the contrast to my approach:/ lol
The tails we just made are more freshwater looking, and my daughters is white and gold and black, (she did actually sketch before she created, though) and she keeps trying to come up with a unique top, where I just glued some shells and pearls and whatnot together, and then made a crown to match. We were swimming in a creek yesterday, and took some pictures, and there is a picture of me making a face- and it is because in that moment I realized how incongruent it was to have a seashell crown and flop around in a creek:( haha I was so disappointed! While I suppose it is reasonable that mermaids could be trading goods and services, I don't love the idea, lol back to the drawing board...

[moniee]

I love your tail Merwandering!

I'll need to see if this top idea is anything that can work for me though - I won't say I'm upset about my size, because I love my girls - but when it comes to mermaid tops or an idea like this, I really don't know if I can pull it off. I will seek some ideas about the topic of fighting gravity, then try myself at aking a top like this...

[MermaidClaudy]

Haha yep I'm pretty much back - I'm about to finish my monofin in the garden! Fins crossed! Thanks so much for your inspiring comments guys!!!!
Elle, that is exactly how I did it - stitched up with hand stitching as my sweing machine said 'NO F-ING WAY' :D

This morning was pretty productive - I'm so pleased I could work on 2 continous hours on my tail before the demons of doom landlady's kidscame home!

I managed to finish the back of my tail body:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg2_zpstplee0ox.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg2_zpstplee0ox.jpg.html)


Annnnnd dun dun duuuun - a nearly done fluke half! It will still have two black veins down its sides, but I'm pretty happy with the paintjob and wanted to show you guys!
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg1_zpsw8agxioh.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg1_zpsw8agxioh.jpg.html)

Out now, have to be prepred for Monday's test swim of my monofin I hope to finish tonight!
Thanks so much for your inspiring words xxxxxxxx




OMG!!!! THIS IS SO BEAUTIFULL!!!

[LouLouBelle]

I just can't get over how gorgeously realistic this is looking. You can't be far from the end now!


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[Mermaid Livou]

So I just started to read the tread from the beginning and saw the awsome drawings about your design but I got even more excited to see the notes on the design so had to rush here to ask: are You Moniee, by any chance, magyar? :)))

[Mermaid Livou]

now I read the full thread :D
Your tail will be awe-sommmm-mmeee, me too I like more natural look ^^ and during my process, when i made my tail, at a point when I really couldnt figure out how to attache the fluke and had safety concerns, I was also thinking of deattachable monofin-fluke from the body, but then I dropped the idea :))
About that golden colour u first ordered from home, I used the same and it worked very well :/ I guess difference in silicone materials itself can couse (or not) the oxidation :/ ( I used dragon skin and I mixed into the thing)
And, let me appreciate You, and creative AND ACTIVE minds like You, holy moly you have so many projects and still having time to create a tail.. I will never understand or learn how people can manage their time like this.. I made my tail for a year (and still couldnt document it properly to show others, so big thank You for this too, very inspiring) and I even didnt have a job beside.. guess im a slow sloth XD I have so many ideas but i just cant pull them trough, I donno..
Back to You: RESPECT :) cant wait to see the final succes :)

[moniee]

Claudia, haha thanks a lot!

Loulou - Thanks - I really hope so! My landlady and the family will have a holiday for 3 weeks so you know what that means... THE GARDEN IS MINE AND MINE ALONE

Marmaid Livou - I AM! OMG a fellow Hungarian Mer! Keblemre!! :D
Ah shucks, stop it you! I'm not really that great with time management actually but I jsut can't choose between my hobbies... so I do them all! Thank you so much for the lovely compliments it really means a lot to me when people think my work is worth checking out! Muhuhuhu I also stalked your mermaid pages BECAUSE YOUR TAIL IS A DREAM I want to touchie touch so bad! You are a natural talent!!!
ps. Yeah I know the difference must have been in the silicone, I used caulk so it must have been that! But now I'm left with 250gramms of golden pigments I can't use which makes me weep!

Ahh I love this forum so much guys, not even just because of the mermaid aspect but there are so many great and talented people in here ... *group hug*

[Mermaid Livou]

Yeeey Keblemre :DD yess, thats what im talking about, except im the opposit: I have so many hobbies i cant choose between them, so I do nothing XD nothing or everything :D so by now im sticking to mermaid thingies :)) AWWSSH thanks for Your compliment and likes too <3 ^^

[moniee]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/036f138a33b722caffa19ddb94a1fdbd.jpg

Picturus verius crappyus, from the Ido tevenknowwhyipostthispictureohwell species.
Getting tired. Waiting for the silicone to cure enough for painting. Tis a long day.
Monika out

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[moniee]

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg1_zpsermgutzu.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg1_zpsermgutzu.jpg.html)

both fluke halves done minus final coat

[merwandering]

OMG!!!!!! YAY I'm so excited!!!! Where are you at with the rest of the tail? Did the new pigments hold up their shiny glitteryness and not oxidize?

[moniee]

Yep the new pigments have done their job! I'm very pleased about it. However now I have to repaint all of my pelvic fins which really is a pain in my bum as they were all done and dusted before and I liked them too - now they need to be repainted again so that will need a deep breath.

As for the rest of the tail body, I have only finished the back of it, which I want to seal before I turn it over to work on the front, I believe. I'll see I might just skip on scaling the front tonight!
I'm a bit confused as to how will I attach the fluke to the body but I thinkI'll figure it out as I go. It's a bit confusing working without a tape dummy, and with a makeshifted swimsuit other than a pre-tailored tail skin base. But I'll be there shortly!

[Rett]

Wow! Your repaints are quite impressive! I love how you paint the eyes, they are so beautiful! And I love seeing your tail unfold! It looks so organic and amazing!

[moniee]

Aw thank you so much for your kind words, Rett! I need to get back to dollie painting once I finish my tail!

Update time! My tail is slowly progressing but I need to finish it in a couple of days. My landlady and her family is not home and I have the house all for myself! :O
So I was a very busy bee whenever I could find time for it.

I started to scale the front of the body:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg1_zpsq4vge56f.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg1_zpsq4vge56f.jpg.html)

Aaand I've also fnished the two black veins down the sides of my fluke, but since I'm a genius I laid it out on a black bin bag instead of one of the transparent ones so you can't really work the photos out. :(
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg2_zps1ybcuwnx.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg2_zps1ybcuwnx.jpg.html)

So excited now!

[merwandering]

I'm excited you have the house to yourself- I have been so excited about this tail!
What did you figure out for a top? Did you order the mesh thing?

[PearlieMae]

That is so awesome. I want to make myself a realistic fish tail now!

[Hydra1337]

Looking good!

[merwandering]

So- were you able to work on the tail this weekend? Hope all is well!

[moniee]

Yep I was!
I managed to make the two fluke halves identical so they lay nicely on top of each other.
I also made my mind up which fluke half I want as my front one!
Put a final coat on my back fluke half.
Painted an another layer on my front fluke half - I love it so much more now!
I also repainted all 4 pelvic fins as they turned green and were not pretty. I was happier with how they looked before, but the green and general darkening really ruined them. Now they're okay.
The tail body has seen some significant progress too, which I am a happy bunny about!

My silicone backup order should be due soon then I can finish off the fluke coats, and sandwich my monofin between them.
I also just realised that my heel fins and dorsal fins are to be made too D: Way to go then I guess...

As for the mesh top, nope, I don't want to order that one but to make it myself. I have some leftover tulle fromt he ballgown I made a few months ago and I want to dye it to match my skin colour. Then I want to mix caulk with some foundation powder (the makeup thingy powder you smash on your face not sure about the right name) and cover the boobsie area on the mesh. I want to reinforce it with some additional fabric from inside.

My only problem is, why I'm a bit drawn aback is I don't know how to reinforce the boobhsies. :(

Thanks for the comments guys!

[moniee]

I have a question:

As I'm close to finishing my fluke I'm getting more worried by the day about the thickness of the fluke halves. I thought I was very careful when I was making them but somehow they came out thinck I hink! :( Since I'm using 2mm Lexan I'm worried about it giving up. I hope I won't slice my feet up... How thick is too thick do you think?

[PearlieMae]

Since your fluke is relatively short, thickness might not be too much of an issue. If you had a long, flowing fluke, the stress on the thin lexan might be worse, even if the fluke was thin. It's kind of relative.

[moniee]

Thanks Pearlie! I'm relieved now. I hope I can manage swimming in it as well then I'm gonna be a happy bunny!

[merwandering]

My fluke is too thick and I cut the monofin too small. My daughters fluke is even bigger in comparison to her fin, and very long. She has multiple times swam without her feet in the pockets at all, which puts way too much stress in the very center of the fin instead of distributing it evenly and keeping it flat. We used the dreaded polyzap. But so far have swam over and over with no break- I wondered if the thickness of the fluke actually is lending some support to the lexan, but I don't know. Only time will tell, but with how ridiculously large our flukes and how disproportionate to the fin, and how well mine still works(and hers when she uses it correctly, but we used a smaller fin specifically because she wanted it extremely flowy) I think your fluke will be both much more durable and have much better propulsion, without having a ton of silicone pulling it in another direction

[moniee]

That's great news Merwandering - I'm so glad it holds up so nicely! I'm very much counting on my Lexan hero, too. My fluke is very short and stubby and yeah not sure if it will be flowy at all but we'll see! I'm very happy with how it's progressing, I love how the black veins turned out down the sides. I'll post a decent image soon, I'm planning on working on it today! Getting veeeeeeery excited!

[moniee]

Fixed the paint job and coated half of fluke (ran out of silicone :( )

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg1_zps8axq7zl8.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg1_zps8axq7zl8.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg2_zpswptqmtey.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg2_zpswptqmtey.jpg.html)

[Mermaid Summerlilly]

OOOOooo nice!

[Lili]

Ahh it looks so pretty in natural lighting

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[merwandering]

Yay!!!!! It's so close! And so shiny!!

[moniee]

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/image.jpg1_zps7wx1zg1w.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/image.jpg1_zps7wx1zg1w.jpg.html)

[moniee]

GUYS I ASSEMBLED THE FLUKE
Omg now I can really feel I'm so close!!!

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[Mermaid Livou]

cuuutie fluuke oh its finshed soooon soon :))

[moniee]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160828/5f7bd8b998b5cbf0cc33d7a7318abc2f.jpg

I know ! So close to offishially become a mermaid!

Now I have to figure out how will I attach the fluke to the body. I don't have space for a duct tape dummy and it makes measuring ten times harder! I need to make an extension to my tail then figure out a way to attach the two. Aaah!

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[merwandering]

OMGOMGOMG!!!!I'm so excited for you!!!! Yay!
Really, finding someone to pin it in place would be better than a dummy anyway- if I were a bit closer I'd offer! Lol
it really looks beautiful!

[moniee]

Haha thanks merwandering! I would love if you could help too! Right now iim waiting for the top coat to dry on the back of the tail.

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[moniee]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160830/d1d9ad6a830368d3fa36e5c15835f335.jpg

I can't believe I'm this lucky! My landlady and the family are still away so I had the chance to cover the ffirst half of the tail body with the top coat, too!

It takes DAYS for the thinned caulk to dry though, but that's the easier part to manage. From now I just hope no-one sits on it while it's drying in the toilet! Oh the joys of house sharing with little kids

I'm now busy repainting my colour-busted pelvic fins and I also want to make some heel fins, a pair of dorsal fins and some waist fins.



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[moniee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekmJe8V9N4M

My monofin wiggle! It moves like a silicone fluke - so happy!

[The Water Phoenix]

Love it! :)

[merwandering]

THE GOLD IS SO BEAUTIFUL OMG IM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Moniee!!!! Hooray! Yoyu did it!!

[Mermaid Aria]

It's so shiny and gorgeous!

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[moniee]

Meep! Thank you guys! I'm nearly there :phew:

I've accomplished a new milestone yesterday. I was very not looking forward for the next step - attaching the fluke to the tail body. Having no friends close enough and having a boyfriend who is not very blessed with creativity, it was hard for me to figure out how will I manage to cut and stretch the tail body's fabric out, so it connects to the fluke in a way it's not gonna be too short, or too long when I put it on.
So after a lot of thinking I've decided to approximately lay it out and try it, check if the fit is good and then connecting the two together. When I was sewing this wold be done in pins and all, no problemo - but a thick silicone fluke? So I figured out a way of how can I mark the line of the connection and how can I keep it in the position so it stays like that until I try it out!

First, I laid out the tail body and the fluke together in a way I thought the connection would be just about right. Then, I took a white pastel chalk and drew the outline of the end of the tail body onto both sides of the fluke - so I can see the test connection.
Then I put some safety pins in both sides of the end of the tail body and literally tied it around the fluke, making sure that it stays in the same position as how it's drawn on the fluke.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0849_zpsigxvzwpf.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0849_zpsigxvzwpf.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0851_zpsgqgncoia.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0851_zpsgqgncoia.jpg.html)

Then I tried it on - tada! Not too short, and not too long so it doesn't wrinkle around my ankle! Just snug enough for a smooth silhouettel. After a little bit of a celebration and confettis that it has finally worked, I took off the tail and was very careful not to smudge the white pastel chalk out line I drew before. This was my guideline as to where to attach the two together precisely!

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0854_zpsfehyjrdi.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0854_zpsfehyjrdi.jpg.html)

So if anymer out there is in the same situation I can recommend this method! The pastel chalk washes out even if you just smudge it with your hand :)

Now onto scaling the connector part, finishing the waistline and adding the pelvic fins *.*

[LouLouBelle]

So close now!! I can't wait to see you in this - you're going to look scarily real!!


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[merwandering]

So smart a solution- perfect:) glad it worked! This is such a fishy tail, and the gold is beautiful!

[Freshwater_Nim]

This is going to be super helpful, thanks Moniee! I was just dreading this step myself. :)

[moniee]

Thank you guys I'm very happy to hear feedback about the method!

Nim, I'm so glad you found this helpful! Obviously you need to be really careful with the safety pins if your tail body is made of silicone but I'm quite sure you figured it (mine is neoprene so I can tear it however I like it's really durable).

Louise, Merwandering - thanks so much fishies! Yes that was my intention. Rather than a mermaid I wanted to achieve a realistic fishy look, something that resembles antique painitngs. This is why I would love to go topless, too - but that's not gonna happen :D

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=38987&stc=1

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=38988&stc=1

[Freshwater_Nim]

(...)

Nim, I'm so glad you found this helpful! Obviously you need to be really careful with the safety pins if your tail body is made of silicone but I'm quite sure you figured it (mine is neoprene so I can tear it however I like it's really durable).

Louise, Merwandering - thanks so much fishies! Yes that was my intention. Rather than a mermaid I wanted to achieve a realistic fishy look, something that resembles antique painitngs. This is why I would love to go topless, too - but that's not gonna happen :D



Good point! I incorporated swimsuit netting fabric into my tailbody, hoping to avoid actual tears too. I'll see if it works!

And I totally hear you, I'ms till trying to figure out how to make stick-on shell tops so at least my back could be bare :).

[LouLouBelle]

You could always get a bra and just cover it with nude coloured scales...


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[moniee]

Yeah that's something I've considered but the straps would give it away so easily. I have to figure out a way as I can't wear a strapless bra because I need loads, loads of support. :/

[Mermaid Livou]

oiiigoii we think soo alike Moniee, if i can say that ^^ having a folder named "alterego" on my pc filled with antique pics like these hehe xD
Your fluke. just perfect wiggle :jawdrop:

[merwandering]

I wish you were not an ocean away- I would so love to take your photograph!!!! It is so perfect- and as far as the top, for the purpose of photography at least, water is pretty supportive, lol, and positioning works out of the water...
I am so curious to see how the mesh top idea works- I think you could really figure something out that way, and that the mesh could be fairly invisible. I hear you on the support though:/ I know, however, that if you did the mesh, there are taping devices and techniques they use in things like aerial performances to give a natural aesthetic but also support- I will ask a friend if she has ideas.

[SIF]

Updates?

[Mermaid Tami]

Yeah that's something I've considered but the straps would give it away so easily. I have to figure out a way as I can't wear a strapless bra because I need loads, loads of support. :/

Try the sticky bra tape! It hold up really well


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[moniee]

Does it, Tami? The ones on eBay ? Have you tried it in water too? I would love if it worked!

Merwandering aww I know! I wish plane tickets weren't so crazy!!! Yes please if you could ask your friend that would be amazeballs!

Livou, haha I know! These antique picturings of merpeople were always very charming to me!

SIF, I finished covering one side of the ankle extension, tomorrow I'll finish the other side. Some ankle fins and a blended waistband are also in the works! I'll post pictures tomorrow :)


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[moniee]

I finally attached the fluke to the tail body and covered the extension in scales, then coloured them and put a final coat on!

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/IMAG0859_zpsvyvhazd4.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/IMAG0859_zpsvyvhazd4.jpg.html)

I will finish the waistband today if everything goes well - I need to attach the blended waist *.*

I also have a pair of heel fins in the making!

[moniee]

I also just found this very handy article on boobie lift method reviews, and got the number 3. tape from eBay - hope it will work and will be waterproof!

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/reviews/a54147/sticky-bra-reviews/

[moniee]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160914/830dac51d35c3922b84eb790eb592301.jpg

Not a happy fish. Just tried my tail on.
The back is fine

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[moniee]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160914/bcc336ae9a4c2f7bdb00ac2ef3ee95ad.jpg

...but the front has a big, fat, ugly bulge... :(

I'm really annoyed as this was the exact reason why I was thinking about so Much of an idea where I can test my fitting and I did.

Now, after all the tricky fitting it has not even a small, but a ducking (used a d for a reason here) enormous bulge :( :( :(

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[merwandering]

Oh no:(
Definitely first I have to say that overall, it is so gorgeous and so well evokes what you were going for and looks incredible- those scales turned out great and teh fluke is SO FISHY and it is fantqastic!!!
The wrinkles- DAMNIT:/ I'm so sorry. I would have had trouble refraining from using proper spelling. Absolutely it still looks wonderful, but I can imagine the frustration. How difficult is surgery?
HOLY COW I SCROLLED BACK UP FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BULGE BUT WAS DISTRACTED BY HOW GREAT IT IS!!! So realistic! YAY!
And boo:( That sucks- but I just don't understand- the method seemed perfect. Is the photo of it on, or propped up?
If on- How does it feel and fit? Is it hard to get into?

[moniee]

Aw thanks merwandering! You never fail to uplift me with your sweet comments! :)

I managed to finish the surgery and cut the tail open then overlapped the top part on a lower point of the cuts bottom.
Surgery wip:
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160918/2eaca23f184600ac51ef2acc1a1f993f.jpg

The pics are taken with me wearing the tail. It felt just fine!
But then I tried it on 2 days ago... And the zip broke. I don't know how. It fitted just fine! Tried really hard but couldn't fix zipper so I had to sew ir close with two hooks at the waist part because I'm taking her to her maiden swim today! Yaaayyy!

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[PearlieMae]

Fins crossed that it goes perfectly! Good luck! I can't wait to see it move!

[LouLouBelle]

I can't wait either!! I'm sure it'll be fine - I'll have a couple of dressing gown ties to hold my foot straps when I'm wriggling into mine - you can always have them to tie your tail on if needs be. [emoji23]


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[moniee]

Guys guys guys!! I had my first swim in my tail - and it was amazing! I'm so happy about how the first phase has turned out - there are definitely a lot of things to improve (waist closure, a bit of extra width needed around the bum area - oops!) but for the first test it was perfect!

It had a very, very good kick, it felt really easy to swim in. I could move really slowly, rocking a slooow and graceful dolphin kick movement through my body, and still going relatively fast. I loved how the fluke and fins moved under water. They were very realistic and the fluke had just the right amount of stiffness in it.

I was very happy with how the golden looked as well. It wasn't too gold then it wasn't too mud-coloured either - actually looked quite realistic which gives me butterflies in my tummy!

I had broken the zipper, had half of my bum sticking out of the tail but who cares? :D

[Mermaid Summerlilly]

YAYYY!! Did you get any pictures? I'm so excited to see this tail! :)

[moniee]

Yes I did! I'm just gonna have to wait for them to be sent to me :)

[LouLouBelle]

It really did look amazing! It's just so incredibly realistic. You looked like a very real fishy!

We need to do that again soon!!


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[merwandering]

I CANNOT WAIT TO SEEEEEEEEE
And I'm just so excited for you:) Yay!!! Just beautiful!
And half your bum sticking out = charge extra, lolll
Really I'm thrilled that you got to swim! And that the gold worked out. Yay! Congrats!
And waaaaaait a minute- did you and Lou swim together??
If so- I am insanely jealous. Those two works of art in the same place at the same time is just too much.
Fabulous!!

[moniee]

Merwandering - yep sure we did! I was luckyto see Lou's tail in action and I have to say I'm in awe!!!

Until I'm waiting for the pictures of the event here's a crappy indoor pic of the (semi) finished tail. There will be added ankle and dorsal fins, I need to fix the waist and bum, but it's swimmable! <3

I call her Triteia :)

39137

[Hydra1337]

It turned out really good. :)

[PearlieMae]

Stunning!

[Lili]

Oh my gosh moniee this looks absolutely magnificent I love it!!

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[merwandering]

that photo really shows off the gold- it's even shinier than I realized!
Seeing the completed tail not only am I in love all over again with the double hip fins, but it really seems as though you waved a wand and brought your sketch to life
The fact that you and Lou went swimming together is JUST TOO MUCH gorgeous artistic tail for one venue
fantastic.

[Mermaid Livou]

Yeeeeah so uniq :O I already see in front of my eyes the accesoriesed vintage-gypsy-silentfilm-mystic result, whatever You will do with it will be awesome ^^

[LouLouBelle]

Very pretty name! Does it mean anything?

Once you're back and you've got her fixed up, we need another swim and photo shoot!


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[The Water Phoenix]

It's soooooo pretty!!! ❤️[emoji7]


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[Princess Kae-Leah]

Wow, it looks really nice!! Congrats on your new tail, enjoy it!

[moniee]

We've finally got pictures!!

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/4_zpsgrfduzjx.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/4_zpsgrfduzjx.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/3_zpszasucdcg.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/3_zpszasucdcg.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/5_zpsafh65cfh.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/5_zpsafh65cfh.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/2_zpsirc4z1by.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/2_zpsirc4z1by.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/1_zpswcse6pug.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/1_zpswcse6pug.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/20080002_zps3lpxsqjx.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/20080002_zps3lpxsqjx.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/19480008_zpsb2fimhzk.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/19480008_zpsb2fimhzk.jpg.html)

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/therealmoniee/19470004_zpsara65usj.jpg (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/therealmoniee/media/19470004_zpsara65usj.jpg.html)

[moniee]

And my maiden swim :dance::dance::dance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PEGI3G08LQ&amp;feature=youtu.be

[Mermaid Livou]

And my maiden swim :dance::dance::dance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PEGI3G08LQ&amp;feature=youtu.be


aaaaahh SZUPER ^^ :dance:

[moniee]

Thanks for the super sweet comments guys!

Lou, it means 'daughter of Triton' according to the interwebz, so I'm not sure I can trust the source but I feel it suits the tail very much.

Merwandering yay thank you! <3 I'm planning to take a photo in a similar pose that I have on the drawing and put them side by side!

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[moniee]

39625
Making some adjustments as sadly, even though I cycle 18 kms every single weekday, I started to gain weight :(

[LouLouBelle]

Oh dear... I hope you've got her swimmable for tomorrow!!


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[moniee]

Hey guys

I don't think I ever posted a full pic of the actual tail all done so here it goes :)
39688

[Miyu]

Holy moss balls that is SO GORGEOUS ♥ :fallover:

[PearlieMae]

Hey guys

I don't think I ever posted a full pic of the actual tail all done so here it goes :)
39688

That is absolutely stunning! Congratulations on a job beautifully done!

[Mermaid Momo]

What type of plastic did you use to make the fluke portions? I'm trying to find a sheet big enough to make my fluke on.

[moniee]

Hey Momo do you mean the big sheets I used to lay my fluke on, like this?
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=39704&stc=1

These are actually paper, and were slides from a presentation that was held for my company. It's like a light but thick foamy paper, with proper nice paper covering on both sides. It is A2 sized. They were going to bin it but then I came in the picture mwhahaha

[Neerai]

I find your work lovely and inspiring! I wanted to make my first tail with the same method...

Finally did you painted over the caulking or how you did the paint job?

[PearlieMae]

I make my flukes on top of an acrylic poster frame...hope it helps!

[Dame Melusine]

Your tail is GORGEOUS!!!!!

[LouLouBelle]

I've taken to painting my tails on a waterproof mattress protector shiny-side-up... on my bed... (It's a lot more comfortable than the floor!)


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[Moonchild]

OMG THIS TAIL! I just read the whole thread and I'm suddenly super inspired to do my own partial silicone tail! I love how it looks underwater, so flowy :jawdrop: :heart:
Do you by any chance, remember what brand of silicone you used? (and how many tubes?) I'm also pretty lost about the pigment thing... I've never used any of these materials so I don't know if a little goes a long way or I'd better order a big batch.
Moniee, I'm a fan <3

[Mermaid Alea]

Wow I love the shine it has and the blended waist. Your color scheme is wonderful too!

[moniee]

Moonchild, I'm very glad you find my work inspiring! I can only recommend this method :) It does stay very flowy, and in my opinion it is very close to the experience of a real silicone tail. I love it!

I have roughly used 20 tubes of these in transparent and black:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOUDAL-MARINE-SILICONE-AQUARIUM-WATER-TANK-SEALANT-AQUARIA-FISH-SAFE-/140938448875?var=&hash=item0

I chose this as it is fish safe and as it says in the description, it stays flexible after it's cured which is true. It's not Platinum silicone flexible, but it's pretty good still!

As for pigments, make sure you use one without copper or zinc, as these turned green on my tail (they have worked for Platinum silicone my friend made though!)
I used a 30ml black pigment which was JUST enough and I would recommend more for this design.
For gold I used Pearl Ex in 'sunset gold' and it was a 21g bottle.


Mermaid Alea, thank you so much for your lovely comment! You guys made my day <3

[Moonchild]

thank you so much! I'm trying to find a second-hand neoprene suit that fits me but I'm dying to try this method:swoon:

[moniee]

@Moonchild haha I know the feeling! I couldn't get a swimsuit in my size so I just got one which was 2 sizes smaller, but since it was a full body suit I used up the extra fabirc from the chest area for my generous sized bum and it worked haha. Also remember you will be sewing the legs shut so you don't need the suit to completely cover your legs when tried on still as trousers!

[moniee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMseveH0d34

New video :)

[Moonchild]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMseveH0d34

New video :)
Omg I love it!!![emoji7] [emoji7] [emoji7] it's very flowy!


Enviado desde mi Aquaris X5 mediante Tapatalk

[Lili]

I love it!!!

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[Rebela Hunter]

Gorgeous! <3

[Mermaid Livou]

aww yisss the vid finally <3

[Neerai]

Ohhhhh the feels! I love it!! And your style is so boho!

[Moonchild]

Hello Moniee!
I don't have a neoprene suit yet... the ones I saw were too short or too expensive, even the second-hand ones:sad eyes::sad eyes: so I gave up for a while but now I've got a job (finally!) and I'm on the search again!! I've been thinking a lot about this method (trying to solve every problem before I even start) and I realised I still have no idea how to actually attach the fluke part to the rest of the tail! I saw you kept both parts together for a while but how did you glue it? more silicone?

[moniee]

Hey Moonchild,

So there is no trick there, the basic idea we are working with is that the neoprene swimsuit sticks to the aquarium silicone.
So when your fluke is done, take the end of your tail body and make sure there fluke and your tail body has an overlapping space which you can glue together with more silicone!
See it here:
http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?13239-First-mertail-in-Black-and-Gold-partial-silicone-mermaid-tail&p=263239&viewfull=1#post263239

Good luck with your job! I'm sure you can very soon purchase and used swimsuit and start cracking! :)

[moniee]

Hey guys,

So I had a question about how I made my fluke exactly, so I thought I'd share away here for anyone to see!

So one thing I learned when working with caulk, is that you work in layers. Once I tried the following:
I smoothed a layer of silicone out roughly in the shape of my fluke, so I get an even thickness of 'sheet' that I can work from. (By the way I used a see through piece of plastic which could be peeled off the silicone after it's cured).
This is where you stop and let it dry!!!!!

But, on my early attempts I went ahead and tried to texturise the surface while it was still wet and this happened:

"I also had a little disaster - as you can see there are 3 pelvic fins completed, so I just tried to make the 4th one before I start the fluke. I don't exactly know what happened but it wouldn't let me shape it and it was just not holding itself up while I was trying to stroke it to create the bone structure, the whole section of the silicone was pulled from its place, and instead of letting me shape the surface, the whole thing just started to come with my spatula..."

40660

So, for the next few fins and most importantly, my fluke, what I did was:

I had my drawing of my fluke laid out on paper
I had a see through sheet of plastic over the drawing
I squeezed silicone onto the plastic and started to spread it with a knife
Shaped the puddle of my silicone within the shape of my fluke
LET DRY COMPLETELY. Do not pigment.
After it's been cured, go back on it and squeeze some more silicone, and spread it in a much, much thinner layer than what was your foundation's thickness
Begin making the pattern and bone structure
After around 5-10 min, apply pigment and let cure!
After silicone has cured, peeled off plastic film from the back of the fluke half.


Hope this helps :)

[mermaidrobynn]

Hey guys,

So I had a question about how I made my fluke exactly, so I thought I'd share away here for anyone to see!

So one thing I learned when working with caulk, is that you work in layers. Once I tried the following:
I smoothed a layer of silicone out roughly in the shape of my fluke, so I get an even thickness of 'sheet' that I can work from. (By the way I used a see through piece of plastic which could be peeled off the silicone after it's cured).
This is where you stop and let it dry!!!!!

But, on my early attempts I went ahead and tried to texturise the surface while it was still wet and this happened:

"I also had a little disaster - as you can see there are 3 pelvic fins completed, so I just tried to make the 4th one before I start the fluke. I don't exactly know what happened but it wouldn't let me shape it and it was just not holding itself up while I was trying to stroke it to create the bone structure, the whole section of the silicone was pulled from its place, and instead of letting me shape the surface, the whole thing just started to come with my spatula..."

40660

So, for the next few fins and most importantly, my fluke, what I did was:

I had my drawing of my fluke laid out on paper
I had a see through sheet of plastic over the drawing
I squeezed silicone onto the plastic and started to spread it with a knife
Shaped the puddle of my silicone within the shape of my fluke
LET DRY COMPLETELY. Do not pigment.
After it's been cured, go back on it and squeeze some more silicone, and spread it in a much, much thinner layer than what was your foundation's thickness
Begin making the pattern and bone structure
After around 5-10 min, apply pigment and let cure!
After silicone has cured, peeled off plastic film from the back of the fluke half.


Hope this helps :)

That is awesome, thank you so much ^-^ I have 2 questions though, how many bottles of caulk did you use on just the fluke? And after you apply the pigment and let it cure, do you apply a coat on top of it? I lied, I have ANOTHER question, how much pigment do you think is needed for just the fluke in grammes?

[moniee]

Hi, for tubes and pigment information, see my post here:
http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?13239-First-mertail-in-Black-and-Gold-partial-silicone-mermaid-tail&p=269817&viewfull=1#post269817

I cannot tell you how much pigment I used for just the fluke as I had the amounts of pigment I mention in the post above, and just worked from my container. I may not be accurate on the number of tubes used for just the fluke, but I would say probably 5-6 tubes?
After it cures, I clean the surface from extra pigment dust (otherwise it would act as a separator and you don't want that!), I mix the same clear silicone caulk with turpentine (which is a thinner) to the point where I get a consistency that is spreadable. Then I apply a thin coat of it on top of the tail and let cure :)

[moniee]

Hello all,
HAAAALLLLPPPP PLEASE!

I managed to snap my Lexan monofin. Not happy. Now it's bang in the middle of the summer I want a quick fix - I wanted to get a Hydra or similar but unfortunately these monofins are too wide at the foot pockets and the tail would need extensive surgery which I don't have the time for now.

I have seen people gluing silicone flippers to a sheet of Lexan with Polyzap but then I read from someone, probably @pearliemae that it makes Lexan brittle! :(

Now what do I do?
I don't want to go down the screw route again as it didn't work out quite well...

Many thanks!

[PearlieMae]

DON'T USE POLYZAP!

If you cut a piece of Lexan to size and a second piece as a footplate/support, you can drill a few small holes and use zip ties (wire/cable ties) to hold the whole thing together. I think you might be able to hold the foot pockets on with them as well, BUT I AM NOT CERTAIN THEY WON'T TEAR THE RUBBER.

PolyZap wouldn't have held the silicone flippers to the Lexan, and it does make it brittle - had to replace a monofin the night before a gig because of it!

[moniee]

Thanks Pearlie, I did remember you saying that. I will try the cable ties, I can't see how tight it can hold it though but I will try!
I have plastic foot pockets so the ties would be fine.

I also ordered a Finis Wave, which is a smaller one so I will see if that fits, I am crossing my fingers but I have a feeling I will have to stick to the home made monofin where this info comes in super handy.

Thanks for the input!!!

[PearlieMae]

Place the holes about an inch or two inches apart and tighten. Leave the ends long so it doesn't cut through the rubber.

[PearlieMae]

Did you delete a comment? It showed up in my email, but not this page.

Monofins should not be so tight that they make the balls of your feet hurt! I hate that! I make mine so they are actually a bit loose, and I'll tell you why...commercial monofins are built to stay on your feet with no other assistance than straps and foot pockets, because there is nothing else holding them on, and if they slip off, you lose your expensive monofin to Davy Jones' locker. Inside a mermaid tail, a fin has no place to go. You don't have to crush your feet. Pockets or straps to hold your foot to the fin is enough! If your foot slips out, you can slip it back in! Unless your entire tail falls off, your fin isn't going anywhere.

I ruined the rubber foot piece of my Rapid using lotion to get it on, the lotion ate up the rubber. I broke the plastic fin right across the balls of my feet because I tend to swim really hard and fast (without a tail).

Comfort should be very high on your priority list. Consider what you'll be doing while wearing your tail. Are you going to be swimming in the ocean like a tuna escaping the net, or are you going to swim around in pools and other calm waters being the ethereal creature you are?

You're far more likely to spend way more time in your tail than if you're just swimming sans tail for recreation. Why torture yourself with a fin that kills your feet?

[moniee]

I definitely haven't deleted anything, this is weird!
Ah, I will need to return the fin then. I will try and fasten my current foot pockets on a new lexan fin with the cable ties. Thank you Pearlie.

[PearlieMae]

Does what I said make sense? I'd hate to have you spend all that money on a fin that you hate!

[moniee]

Yes it does and thank you Pearlie! I am trying to get a pool just to try my monofin out - I would like to see how it swims while under water to see if I actually need that grab under water to prevent sliding off. But I am preparing myself to go down the DIY route again which I'm a bit upset for as I wanted a quick solution - it's summer after all and I need my tail to be ready, gah! But yeah I understand what you meant and I already have quite a few cable ties prepared for the monofin project.

[moniee]

Glad I got to swim yesterday. The monofin started off just okay, but then 10 mins in it became too much to handle. I've already posted it back and already ordered my new Lexan sheet... monofin making vol 2 and tail surgery coming up!

[PearlieMae]

It will go a lot faster now that you know what to do! Good luck!