Ocoree
12-05-2017, 01:57 PM
Figured I oughta start posting since I have a ton of photos I've been sharing to my pod on Facebook!
I have a habit of setting steep learning curves as an artist when it comes to making anything new. This tail project isn't all that different, save for the whole, you know, water and swimming bit ;) Like with any project I endeavor to undertake, I do a ton of research both online, and in local material before initiating any plans to make sure that it meets my priorities of safety, comfort, and function.
That said, let's begin! Pardon the graininess of the photos - they are mostly by the phone at night.
I knew I would need to be cautious in picking my material for my monofin, since I can't afford the commercial ones, and only have the finis copycat from the Delfina tail I purchased a few months prior to reference off of. After picking the brains of both engineer friends, and the poor confused folks at Home Depot and Lowes, I discovered the neat material by the name of Plas-tex. After some more digging, I learned it meets the material criteria of the core I needed. Problem was it's a beast to handle a 1/8" thick sheet of 4'x8' sheet all the way home and up two flights of stairs into a cramped apartment shared by a roommate, two cats, two sugar gliders, and four budgies. I'm a stubborn butt, and found a way to make it work-
42587
The Delfina tail is placed there as a form of visual reference to the sheer bulk of the sheet.
From there, it was down to prototyping, prototyping, and MORE prototyping to make sure I'm making a very durable fin for my needs.
And where to start? By making a basic fin design!
42588
I had cut the template out of foam core for durability should I end up utilizing this design for a possible commissionable style.
42589
Two layers of Plas-tex sheared with some heavy duty scissors, as one layer was too flexible for what I was aiming for. I like going fast!
4259042591
All covered in duct tape, since I was just aiming to test the Plas-tex itself. The foot pocket was an interesting process, as I'd never made duct tape fabric before. Kinda fun!
The tail fin did work really well, and was comparable to the Delfina fin in performance, if a little bit more flexible with the sliding layers. I don't have a video of it right now in action, but hopefully soon I can give it another spin with my stepmom recording!
From there it was on to the real pursuit of making Sea Drake come to life!
42592
I designed the tail based on the available sequin colors from CCartwright.com -
42593 42594
Pics of the sequins laid over the black spandex fabric I'll be using.
I had done some research on how to get these guys properly secured, and after looking at several methods, came up with a hypothesis of my own -
Instead of zig-zag stitching through them, or risking the health of myself and the animals I'm responsible for by glueing them on, I'll instead punch two extra holes in a triangle fashion on the large sequins, and an extra on the smaller ones, and sew with doubled thread to secure similar to how the Mythic Scales are set up from Fin Folks.
The sequin on the far left is a really difficult one to capture, as it color shifts from lavendar, to green to orange.
42595
A couple work weeks later saw my template finally prepped to use. I plan on sewing in the foam rays here between spandex layers to give my fins form, texture, and a little rigidity so they're more likely to stand like a true fin. This is also to give me a guide for when I sew on the sequins later.
42596 42597 42598 42599
Some big learning curves here. First, the fin rays look awesome, but are actually impractical in working theory for the skin to go over it all.
That... and vinyl has its own issues as a cover material. It all seemed to work in my head, but... When you have an employee fold the material instead of rolling, it causes creases nearly impossible to remove. The hi temp glue works wonders for a durable seal, but adds a quarter inch to the bulk and made some details nearly impossible to work in the final form. The other peeve is that the shavings from drilling the holes gets trapped in the middle. So, this prototype will be mainly for testing the security of the foot pocket! I originally aimed for an open toe concept, until I learned that heeeeyyyy... that closed toe actually helps LIFT the darned fin! Ah-doi! It's one of my peeves with the Delfina fin - the spandex cover isn't all that snug, my big American stompers can't fit into tiny Finnish teen foot pockets, and my toes are very visible when I try to lift the tail. I had to cobble a security strap to keep it on my feet and reduce the toe-bump.
The final draft I'll just chop off the rays so the fin becomes closer in form to that of a trout. The fun foam inside the skin flaps will hopefully keep it rigid enough to hide the edges of the fin while in motion.
... I'll also use nylon fabric to make the fin cover... No more vinyl...
42600 42601
This was the most exciting part - actually seeing it starting to come together after almost a month of just being foam parts and templates, and a box of HEAVY spandex!
This is where another research theory is taking action. I read and watched single layer spandex become almost translucent. That was a yick factor for me, so I scratched my brain and came up with a two-layer method to reduce visibility. I know it's going to all be hidden behind the sequins, but it's also to provide comfort and security with the sewing process of the sequins. No black kitty debuting here this time!
42602
Apologies for the crazy blur on this one. Roommate snapped this on my phone without knowing how to use it as I was fit-testing the basting.
For the first time doing a major piece, and trying this basting technique - I'm thrilled at how close fitting I came. However, it fits like a pair of snug office pants, and it needs to fit like a pair of tights. So, I figure adding another quarter inch to the seams will help. I'll also extend the sleeve down another two inches for the velcro attachment between skin and monofin cover. May also shave off the calf-area too, since that fit the loosest with my slightly bowed legs from a youth of horseback riding.
Next stage - sewing the fins to add to the skin for assembly!
I have a habit of setting steep learning curves as an artist when it comes to making anything new. This tail project isn't all that different, save for the whole, you know, water and swimming bit ;) Like with any project I endeavor to undertake, I do a ton of research both online, and in local material before initiating any plans to make sure that it meets my priorities of safety, comfort, and function.
That said, let's begin! Pardon the graininess of the photos - they are mostly by the phone at night.
I knew I would need to be cautious in picking my material for my monofin, since I can't afford the commercial ones, and only have the finis copycat from the Delfina tail I purchased a few months prior to reference off of. After picking the brains of both engineer friends, and the poor confused folks at Home Depot and Lowes, I discovered the neat material by the name of Plas-tex. After some more digging, I learned it meets the material criteria of the core I needed. Problem was it's a beast to handle a 1/8" thick sheet of 4'x8' sheet all the way home and up two flights of stairs into a cramped apartment shared by a roommate, two cats, two sugar gliders, and four budgies. I'm a stubborn butt, and found a way to make it work-
42587
The Delfina tail is placed there as a form of visual reference to the sheer bulk of the sheet.
From there, it was down to prototyping, prototyping, and MORE prototyping to make sure I'm making a very durable fin for my needs.
And where to start? By making a basic fin design!
42588
I had cut the template out of foam core for durability should I end up utilizing this design for a possible commissionable style.
42589
Two layers of Plas-tex sheared with some heavy duty scissors, as one layer was too flexible for what I was aiming for. I like going fast!
4259042591
All covered in duct tape, since I was just aiming to test the Plas-tex itself. The foot pocket was an interesting process, as I'd never made duct tape fabric before. Kinda fun!
The tail fin did work really well, and was comparable to the Delfina fin in performance, if a little bit more flexible with the sliding layers. I don't have a video of it right now in action, but hopefully soon I can give it another spin with my stepmom recording!
From there it was on to the real pursuit of making Sea Drake come to life!
42592
I designed the tail based on the available sequin colors from CCartwright.com -
42593 42594
Pics of the sequins laid over the black spandex fabric I'll be using.
I had done some research on how to get these guys properly secured, and after looking at several methods, came up with a hypothesis of my own -
Instead of zig-zag stitching through them, or risking the health of myself and the animals I'm responsible for by glueing them on, I'll instead punch two extra holes in a triangle fashion on the large sequins, and an extra on the smaller ones, and sew with doubled thread to secure similar to how the Mythic Scales are set up from Fin Folks.
The sequin on the far left is a really difficult one to capture, as it color shifts from lavendar, to green to orange.
42595
A couple work weeks later saw my template finally prepped to use. I plan on sewing in the foam rays here between spandex layers to give my fins form, texture, and a little rigidity so they're more likely to stand like a true fin. This is also to give me a guide for when I sew on the sequins later.
42596 42597 42598 42599
Some big learning curves here. First, the fin rays look awesome, but are actually impractical in working theory for the skin to go over it all.
That... and vinyl has its own issues as a cover material. It all seemed to work in my head, but... When you have an employee fold the material instead of rolling, it causes creases nearly impossible to remove. The hi temp glue works wonders for a durable seal, but adds a quarter inch to the bulk and made some details nearly impossible to work in the final form. The other peeve is that the shavings from drilling the holes gets trapped in the middle. So, this prototype will be mainly for testing the security of the foot pocket! I originally aimed for an open toe concept, until I learned that heeeeyyyy... that closed toe actually helps LIFT the darned fin! Ah-doi! It's one of my peeves with the Delfina fin - the spandex cover isn't all that snug, my big American stompers can't fit into tiny Finnish teen foot pockets, and my toes are very visible when I try to lift the tail. I had to cobble a security strap to keep it on my feet and reduce the toe-bump.
The final draft I'll just chop off the rays so the fin becomes closer in form to that of a trout. The fun foam inside the skin flaps will hopefully keep it rigid enough to hide the edges of the fin while in motion.
... I'll also use nylon fabric to make the fin cover... No more vinyl...
42600 42601
This was the most exciting part - actually seeing it starting to come together after almost a month of just being foam parts and templates, and a box of HEAVY spandex!
This is where another research theory is taking action. I read and watched single layer spandex become almost translucent. That was a yick factor for me, so I scratched my brain and came up with a two-layer method to reduce visibility. I know it's going to all be hidden behind the sequins, but it's also to provide comfort and security with the sewing process of the sequins. No black kitty debuting here this time!
42602
Apologies for the crazy blur on this one. Roommate snapped this on my phone without knowing how to use it as I was fit-testing the basting.
For the first time doing a major piece, and trying this basting technique - I'm thrilled at how close fitting I came. However, it fits like a pair of snug office pants, and it needs to fit like a pair of tights. So, I figure adding another quarter inch to the seams will help. I'll also extend the sleeve down another two inches for the velcro attachment between skin and monofin cover. May also shave off the calf-area too, since that fit the loosest with my slightly bowed legs from a youth of horseback riding.
Next stage - sewing the fins to add to the skin for assembly!