Mermaid Russet's Silicone Tail ~ Another Adventure in Green!

[Mermaid Russet]

Hello all! After 5 years and 8 fabric/neoprene/partial-silicone tails, I'm officially starting my silicone tail project now that I work two jobs and finally have the money :lol: I'll be posting a sketch of the fluke design and color scheme a bit later (hopefully today), but right now I'm trying to order materials and am in a bit of a pickle! Any help would be much appreciated, especially from my tailmaking hero Pearlie Mae! :hail:


1) I'm trying to cast individual scales (a la the Pearlie Mae Method) and have found the perfect mold - a seashell! Can I cast this in shellshock resin and get a casting without damaging the shell? Or is there another way I could somehow get a perfect replica of this shell in clay and then make a mold from that? I could try to find another shell identical to it but it would be very difficult i'm afraid, it's quite unique and not native to the beach I live on. (I'm trying to preserve and not break this shell since it was a gift.) I'm trying to keep all the organic detail and I'm afraid I'm quite artistically challenged and won't be much use sculpting. Any suggestions or help?


2) I'm ordering pigments and have two colors I'm looking at getting. How many total jars of pearl-ex pigment should I purchase for one complete tail? I scoured threads and searched but couldn't get a ball park range and I don't want to buy too much!


Thank you friends, I look forward to sharing my progress (and probably mistakes) with all of you! :mermaid kiss:

[Mermaid Alea]

Good luck with your silicone tailmaking project!

So I am not an expert but I think PearlieMae mentioned that just a bit of pearl-ex goes a long way. You only need a little to pigment your scales - especially since too much can cause issues in curing.

As for the seashell I don't want to give you any advise on that since I have no idea. I did however Google how to cast fragile objects and stumbled upon a discussion about casting a fragile shell! Here it is: http://www.potters.org/subject16926.htm - It sounds like a mold rubber might work since it would be soft and easier to take the shell out of. They keep saying latex though and you don't want that since you cannot have latex anywhere around silicone. Hopefully someone on the forum here will come along with a better answer!

[Rett]

You might have issues with using a shell since it will be very tall and thick if casted normally. You would probably have to either make a replica and trim it down thinner in the back or press the top shell design into clay to capture the detail and then slightly pull the end (so it's less deep) and make a silicone or resin copy to use when making moulds. Unless you are very rough or it is extremely frigle, however, you shouldn't have issues with it breaking. It depends on the shell itself though, so if you want to keep it just be extra careful.

[Mermaid Russet]

Good luck with your silicone tailmaking project!

So I am not an expert but I think PearlieMae mentioned that just a bit of pearl-ex goes a long way. You only need a little to pigment your scales - especially since too much can cause issues in curing.

As for the seashell I don't want to give you any advise on that since I have no idea. I did however Google how to cast fragile objects and stumbled upon a discussion about casting a fragile shell! Here it is: http://www.potters.org/subject16926.htm - It sounds like a mold rubber might work since it would be soft and easier to take the shell out of. They keep saying latex though and you don't want that since you cannot have latex anywhere around silicone. Hopefully someone on the forum here will come along with a better answer!

Thank you so much, this is actually very very helpful!! I'll see what I can do to copy their method and keep my fins crossed that it turns out!! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! And I guess I'll start by ordering one jar of each color, that way I don't have any extra! Thanks so much Alea!

[Mermaid Russet]

You might have issues with using a shell since it will be very tall and thick if casted normally. You would probably have to either make a replica and trim it down thinner in the back or press the top shell design into clay to capture the detail and then slightly pull the end (so it's less deep) and make a silicone or resin copy to use when making moulds. Unless you are very rough or it is extremely frigle, however, you shouldn't have issues with it breaking. It depends on the shell itself though, so if you want to keep it just be extra careful.

That's the thing is it's quite hard, not fragile at all, but still flat and thin! I've never seen a shell like it before, and it being so flat was the inspiration for me to use it as a scale! Hopefully pressing it into the clay will work like you and Alea said! Thanks for replying!!

[Mermaid Russet]

Help y'all! Should I use ShellShock SLOW or Shellshock FAST for my molds?? I haven't read anything about what other people use. Thoughts? What were your experiences?

[Mermaid Russet]

I just ordered all the supplies for my tail!!!! Construction will begin around March 9th!!! *squeal*

[Slim]

You must be extremely excited

[Mermaid Wesley]

Did you go for slow or fast? I have found that "slow" is plenty fast for mold making!

[Rett]

Any updates? Im itching to see the concept art!

[Mermaid Shaylee]

Good luck! It will definitely be worth it! The feeling of your first silicone tail is amazing as well as something you'll never forget! I can't wait to see the design :)

[Mermaid Russet]

I found someone who suggested Slow, but I'm glad to get reassurance from you that I picked the correct one! :)

[Mermaid Russet]

And thank you Rett and Shaylee!! I'm so very excited, I'm hoping to finish up concept art tonight or tomorrow so that I can start when supplies get here! I'm going with green definitely, just have to finalize plans for my fluke shape!! Thanks again y'all, I'm so very excited to get started!! :D

[MeliPixie]

I'm excited to see this project get started! Good luck Mermaid Russet!

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[Mermaid Russet]

Thank you MeliPixie!! I just ordered my Finis Shooter Monofin which is the last thing I need to start construction. I have some ideas for a fluke shape and scale shape which I will post as soon as I can get the pictures to attach! :)

[MeliPixie]

Sounds great, can't wait!

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[Mermaid Russet]

Alright y'all! I'm officially starting construction on Wednesday!! I'm going to sculpt and cast the fluke Wednesday and Thursday and the first batch of scales!! I'm using Rogue Siren's wonderful tutorial (http://www.instructables.com/id/Silicone-Mermaid-Tail/ ) and just have two questions for anyone willing to answer!! I was wondering what I should sculpt my clay and cast on top of. Sheet plastic from Lowe's..? is the fiberglass matting mentioned what I use to strengthen the fiberglass (ShellShock) or is that what I'm casting on top of?? Thank you! I am trying to be as careful as possible!!

[Rett]

Sounds great! And I love that tutorial! I didnt know it existed! The only thing i disagree with is painting it afterwards. I personally think that coloring each scale individually when casting it in silicone gives a much more realistic and fishy look.

For your questions, you can really sculpt on top of anything. I know some people who just put down cling wrap and scultped on the floor! I know other mers sculpt on sheets of plastic though so that they can move the sculpt if needed. Its really up to you.

I think the matting is what you would do if using a fiberglass mould. You lay it across the back to help prevent the mould from cracking in half. If you use shellshock you wont need to worry about it. Shellshock is a rubbery plastic and so the moulds are much more durable and shouldnt crack at all.

[Mermaid Russet]

Sounds great! And I love that tutorial! I didnt know it existed! The only thing i disagree with is painting it afterwards. I personally think that coloring each scale individually when casting it in silicone gives a much more realistic and fishy look.

For your questions, you can really sculpt on top of anything. I know some people who just put down cling wrap and scultped on the floor! I know other mers sculpt on sheets of plastic though so that they can move the sculpt if needed. Its really up to you.

I think the matting is what you would do if using a fiberglass mould. You lay it across the back to help prevent the mould from cracking in half. If you use shellshock you wont need to worry about it. Shellshock is a rubbery plastic and so the moulds are much more durable and shouldnt crack at all.

Rett you and I are totally on the same page about the individual scale colors, I definitely agree!

Thank you SO MUCH for your help with my sculpting and casting questions, I really appreciate it! Can't wait to post my concept art and my progress photos!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Alright y'all! I'm officially starting construction on Wednesday!! I'm going to sculpt and cast the fluke Wednesday and Thursday and the first batch of scales!! I'm using Rogue Siren's wonderful tutorial (http://www.instructables.com/id/Silicone-Mermaid-Tail/ ) and just have two questions for anyone willing to answer!! I was wondering what I should sculpt my clay and cast on top of. Sheet plastic from Lowe's..? is the fiberglass matting mentioned what I use to strengthen the fiberglass (ShellShock) or is that what I'm casting on top of?? Thank you! I am trying to be as careful as possible!!

you can sculpt on a lot of things. I used plexiglass and my shell shock didn't stick to it, which is helpful! Also you can move your sculpt around if you need to. You can use plywood and a lot of mold release, you can use cardboard even (if you dont plan on moving anything), its up to you!

Shellshock doesnt need matting, but it probably wouldn't hurt if you wanted to use it

[Rett]

Rett you and I are totally on the same page about the individual scale colors, I definitely agree!

Thank you SO MUCH for your help with my sculpting and casting questions, I really appreciate it! Can't wait to post my concept art and my progress photos!!

No problem! Cant wait to see your design and progress! :D

[Mermaid Russet]

you can sculpt on a lot of things. I used plexiglass and my shell shock didn't stick to it, which is helpful! Also you can move your sculpt around if you need to. You can use plywood and a lot of mold release, you can use cardboard even (if you dont plan on moving anything), its up to you!

Shellshock doesnt need matting, but it probably wouldn't hurt if you wanted to use it


Thank you Wesley!! I ended up using a cardboard box lined with plastic, and I'm about to start sculpting!! Thank you so much for your help!! <3

[Mermaid Russet]

Help!! I've sculpted scales out of clay and am about to sculpt my fluke... but I can't figure out how to open part B of my Shell Shock!! It says "Cut Slots to Open" but i want to be able to close it up in case I don't use it all. Advice or knowledge?? Thanks y'all! <3

[Mermaid Wesley]

Don't worry , you will still be able to close it!

[Mermaid Russet]

Don't worry , you will still be able to close it!

What does it mean by cut slots?? I can't find anything in the instructions! Thank you Wesley!

[WaterDragon]

What does it mean by cut slots?? I can't find anything in the instructions! Thank you Wesley!

Here's a video from smooth-ons web site

https://www.smooth-on.com/tutorials/remove-lid-1-gallon-pail/

[Mermaid Russet]

Here's a video from smooth-ons web site

https://www.smooth-on.com/tutorials/remove-lid-1-gallon-pail/

Thank you SO MUCH water dragon!! The only help sections I found seemed to be tech support for the website! You're the best!!

[WaterDragon]

no problem, I had to look it up myself when I first ordered my dragon skin.

[Mermaid Russet]

Alright y'all! Just poured my second batch of scales and i'm almost done cleaning out the fluke mold! Pics to follow! :D

[Mermaid Russet]

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[Mermaid Russet]

Oh my goodness, the time is here!!! I've finished my tail!! :jawdrop:

[MeliPixie]

AH oh my gosh it's beautiful!!!

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[DancingJohari]

Pretty!

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[Slim]

I like your tail