Stumerchick
05-26-2016, 08:45 AM
Hi folks,
This information is probably in the forum somewhere, but there are an overwhelming number of subjects, and I wanted to show what I was up to, so I thought I'd just ask anew.
This is something I've been working on. I've noticed that the basic choices of a mertail are either a lycra tail in the $125 range or a full on silicone tail in the $3000 range--and not a whole lot in between. For someone like me, a backyard/swimming pool mermaid who just wants a pretty tail to swim around in and has no interest in performing or being a professional mermaid, a silicone is WAY out of my price range. BUT, as a costumer, I wasn't loving the simple spandex designs I was finding. I wanted to see if I could come up with a sort of hybrid that merged the two.
I made a lycra koi tail that was meant to work with the monofin partially exposed. Since I was doing fluttery fins anyway, the monofin doesn't show. I love the look, but it's not much for swimming very quickly--too much drag. However, it's awesome for fluttering around in a pool at fairy and costume conventions. After I made that one, I wondered if I could use the same method to make the tail, but remove all the fabric and sculpt a pretty silicone fluke over a monofin so that it would mimic the look of a full silicone tail for a fraction of the price.
Here's where I am as of today. The first photo is my lycra koi tail. The next two are my unpainted monofin prototype for swim-testing, created on a Suntail monofin. So far I'm delighted with how it's coming along. It looks good and there were very few issues with the molding process. Finally, here's my question. Since I am only doing the monofin and not a whole tail, it's imperative that I have an adhesive that will keep it firmly adhered to the fin. I used a silicone caulk, but it's really not bonding to the sculpted part. Has anyone found something that really gets the silicone to permanently glom onto a monofin? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
This information is probably in the forum somewhere, but there are an overwhelming number of subjects, and I wanted to show what I was up to, so I thought I'd just ask anew.
This is something I've been working on. I've noticed that the basic choices of a mertail are either a lycra tail in the $125 range or a full on silicone tail in the $3000 range--and not a whole lot in between. For someone like me, a backyard/swimming pool mermaid who just wants a pretty tail to swim around in and has no interest in performing or being a professional mermaid, a silicone is WAY out of my price range. BUT, as a costumer, I wasn't loving the simple spandex designs I was finding. I wanted to see if I could come up with a sort of hybrid that merged the two.
I made a lycra koi tail that was meant to work with the monofin partially exposed. Since I was doing fluttery fins anyway, the monofin doesn't show. I love the look, but it's not much for swimming very quickly--too much drag. However, it's awesome for fluttering around in a pool at fairy and costume conventions. After I made that one, I wondered if I could use the same method to make the tail, but remove all the fabric and sculpt a pretty silicone fluke over a monofin so that it would mimic the look of a full silicone tail for a fraction of the price.
Here's where I am as of today. The first photo is my lycra koi tail. The next two are my unpainted monofin prototype for swim-testing, created on a Suntail monofin. So far I'm delighted with how it's coming along. It looks good and there were very few issues with the molding process. Finally, here's my question. Since I am only doing the monofin and not a whole tail, it's imperative that I have an adhesive that will keep it firmly adhered to the fin. I used a silicone caulk, but it's really not bonding to the sculpted part. Has anyone found something that really gets the silicone to permanently glom onto a monofin? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.