Making a H2O just add water mermaid tail

[Princess of the sea]

Heyyyy everyone!

Here I wanted to share the process of making my H2O just add water mermaid tail


The tail plan is to make a mold for the fluke and fill it with pigmented silicone.

And for the body I wanted to use neoprene, and paint it. And then glue scales to it with silicone.


So I started off with a mold.


But it broke...


So I bought stronger plaster and tried it again.


This is how it looks like

This time it did work
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190913/0354b53d68bcc495d11ec8ed254ab777.jpg

Then I filled it with colored silicone

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190913/2517a462f269bb335f2c4d65279ddbd3.jpg

And that’s how it looks like now!

The next step is to make the other side and start on the body :)

[Marinus Mortimer]

Love it! I follow you on IG and I'm loving the result!

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[Princess of the sea]

Love it! I follow you on IG and I'm loving the result!

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Thank you! :)


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[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190914/3b974a8f82a8140c164004e6d26b33a9.jpg

May the best cut out win [emoji23]

So this is pretty strong plastic. It’s actually meant for desk chairs. (To keep the floor from scratching)




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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Hey, I noticed the cuts are not equal on both sides.

On a large piece of paper, trace one side of the fluke/monofin that you think looks the best, then mark with dotted line where the middle is on the plastic sheet. Then using the paper, line it up against the dotted line and trace around for the other side of the fluke/monofin.

[Princess of the sea]

Hey, I noticed the cuts are not equal on both sides.

On a large piece of paper, trace one side of the fluke/monofin that you think looks the best, then mark with dotted line where the middle is on the plastic sheet. Then using the paper, line it up against the dotted line and trace around for the other side of the fluke/monofin.

Hi! I know the cuts aren’t equal, because I wasn’t done cutting them yet. First I took over the fin I made. That I cut, and later I will trace them with paper :) and cut them again. (It’s just to make sure it actually fits)

[Marinus Mortimer]

The paper tracing is supposed to be done before u even start sculpting the fluke/fin/scale.

Here's how I do it.
If in doing a fluke I either buy a bigg piece of paper or two and fold it mid way, I pick the side I'm best at drawing and with the paper folded in half draw one half of the fluke the entire thing the tattered edge the big spines. Then I trace it to the other side. This ensures both fluke halves are perfectly symmetrical and there be no need for ugly edges that look thick.
Hope this helps.

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[Princess of the sea]

The paper tracing is supposed to be done before u even start sculpting the fluke/fin/scale.

Here's how I do it.
If in doing a fluke I either buy a bigg piece of paper or two and fold it mid way, I pick the side I'm best at drawing and with the paper folded in half draw one half of the fluke the entire thing the tattered edge the big spines. Then I trace it to the other side. This ensures both fluke halves are perfectly symmetrical and there be no need for ugly edges that look thick.
Hope this helps.

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I DID trace it before I sculpted it. I did fold it and I did it on the plastic as well.


But thanks for the help you two :)

(If you don’t believe me here’s proof lol)

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/wMsmD14

[Princess of the sea]

Working on painting the neoprene :)

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/wMsmD14

[Marinus Mortimer]

I DID trace it before I sculpted it. I did fold it and I did it on the plastic as well.


But thanks for the help you two :)

(If you don’t believe me here’s proof lol)

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/wMsmD14I believe you lol. Just saying cause I read the last few messages and assumed you were having a symetry issue.

Keep it up [emoji817][emoji845][emoji7]

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[Princess of the sea]

I believe you lol. Just saying cause I read the last few messages and assumed you were having a symetry issue.

Keep it up [emoji817][emoji845][emoji7]

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Nope not anymore :)

Thank you!

[Marinus Mortimer]

R you using polycarbonate sheets for the monofin?

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[Princess of the sea]

R you using polycarbonate sheets for the monofin?

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No I’m using Polyurethane plastic, why? Is it better to use polycarbonate?
Would love a opinion from a more experienced tail maker :)

[Marinus Mortimer]

I honestly have no experience with polyurethane, but from my research and practice I can vouch polycarbonate (lexan) is the best for custom shape home made monofin blades it will not break. Many tail makers use this for their custom fins.

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[Princess of the sea]

I honestly have no experience with polyurethane, but from my research and practice I can vouch polycarbonate (lexan) is the best for custom shape home made monofin blades it will not break. Many tail makers use this for their custom fins.

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Okay thank you! I’ll keep it in mind, and see if I can get it near me (as long as it isn’t crazy expensive :)

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190915/4eac666211463261812f8e3f5b988127.jpg

Working on the paint, but I ran out [emoji58] so it’s not completely done yet. Guess I have to wait until my new paint comes in.

Also the scales and foam are on its way here. Until then there’s nothing left to do then wait...


^_^ happy swimming

[Marinus Mortimer]

Okay thank you! I’ll keep it in mind, and see if I can get it near me (as long as it isn’t crazy expensive :)Homedepo or custom cut online. Custom cut but not cut to fluke shape only square dimensions...

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[Marinus Mortimer]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190915/4eac666211463261812f8e3f5b988127.jpg

Working on the paint, but I ran out [emoji58] so it’s not completely done yet. Guess I have to wait until my new paint comes in.

Also the scales and foam are on its way here. Until then there’s nothing left to do then wait...


^_^ happy swimmingAre you using sequins? And what did u paint that base with? Acrylic does not bond with silicone.

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[Princess of the sea]

Are you using sequins? And what did u paint that base with? Acrylic does not bond with silicone.

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Yes I’m using clear sequins! The base is neoprene with fabric paint :)

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Oh you did?

Well don't mind me then. I'm quite OCD about uneven things!

[Princess of the sea]

Oh you did?

Well don't mind me then. I'm quite OCD about uneven things!

No problem! (Same here btw)


^_^ happy swimming

[Mermaid Clara]

I’ve been silently watching this thread and I just discovered your Instagram and followed.
Sorry to see that the scale/shell sequins you ordered weren’t clear, have you thought of buying in bulk directly from a manufacture? I was going to make a sequin tail a couple years ago (but ended up never sewing the sequins on so I sold them) and I bought directly from a manufacture in China... they have loads of colors and sizes, super friendly and helpful and depending on the size of the sequins you get at least 12,000 each bag!


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[Princess of the sea]

I’ve been silently watching this thread and I just discovered your Instagram and followed.
Sorry to see that the scale/shell sequins you ordered weren’t clear, have you thought of buying in bulk directly from a manufacture? I was going to make a sequin tail a couple years ago (but ended up never sewing the sequins on so I sold them) and I bought directly from a manufacture in China... they have loads of colors and sizes, super friendly and helpful and depending on the size of the sequins you get at least 12,000 each bag!


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Hey, thanks for the follow!

My idea exactly!

Yesterday I ordered a bulk from China the scales I ordered are clear/golden. I hope these are good :0 they said how much gram they were but how much scales there are. I’ll see when they arrive :)





^_^ happy swimming

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190926/81ccee81c374b1ce88dda0c5d7987f44.jpg


After a test swim with the monofin I realized it’s to floaty and I needed to remove a bunch of foam and use swim flippers. Does anyone know where I can get waterproof foam? The foam I used got filled up with water. And it took forever to dry :0


^_^ happy swimming

[The Water Phoenix]

You could try neoprene or silicone caulk to fill in the gaps.

[Princess of the sea]

You could try neoprene or silicone caulk to fill in the gaps.

Hey! I tried it with caulk and it worked! Thank you for the tip! :)

[The Water Phoenix]

Hey! I tried it with caulk and it worked! Thank you for the tip! :)

Awesome! Glad to hear that it worked out for you!

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191027/51acf0f722a949f0578d65663556f39f.jpg

Fabric and silicone are now attached to each other.

The scales I ordered for this tail were to yellow. So I ordered some new ones. (Several few ones actually) and when they arrive I will choose the best one and order a bulk of them.

So I’m kinda stuck on waiting for the scales.

Might work on the back fin while waiting :)


^_^ happy swimming

[MerEmma]

The fluke and the overall color is gorgeous!! Great job so far, can't wait to see how your scales look :)

[Mermaid Alea]

It is looking amazing!

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191108/d024069261fa66e525873d68769671f3.jpg

Scales arrived!!!!! Finally! Can’t wait to attach these to the tail :)

[Mermaid Selphy]

Oh my god! This is awesome! PLease pos new pics once you added all the sequins! :eyepop:

[Princess of the sea]

So apparently they don’t have the scales I used for the fin anymore.

These:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191126/957b7a263a52b680c78b809ff41128ae.jpg

So I luckily didn’t finish half the tail with these scales yet. And well, I can remove them. But it’s just such a waste of time ugh!

But on the pro side! The shop get new scales and they do have enough of these!
(And these might secretly be a little prettier as well :)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191126/9a75a9c9a627b5cf8ee5a15bf4a98baa.jpg
The previous scales had a greenish glow to them I didn’t really like and these new ones seem to be more orange/pink so I hope these will be perfect!

[Princess of the sea]

( I hope they’re not to bright orange though)


^_^ happy swimming

[Calisai]

Your H2O tail is coming along swimmingly! Even if your tail’s scale coloring ends up a bit different than the ones depicted in H2O, I have no doubt that it’ll turn out beautiful all the same.

[Princess of the sea]

So the scales arrived! And I was scared they were to orange but they’re actually really awesome. I also started to attach these to the tail. Mernetwork isn’t allowing me to post a picture so I might use a link later

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191210/69b279b9758b724acab143b7ed6e6157.jpg


The scales arrived and I started to use them right away!

It was that I ran out of silicone, or else I would have done more :)

Can’t wait to continue on!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191210/4c5a33445c551e87d10463f164894938.jpg


^_^ happy swimming

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191210/654b916aa1850584ccae4100c25da591.jpg

Here’s a little close up btw


^_^ happy swimming

[Calisai]

Everything looks gorgeous! Please keep going with this project so that we can see the end result! H20: Just Add Water is the best show. I’m thinking about putting on Spanish subtitles as I watch it again to practice my Spanish. :p

Yay, so it seems like MerNetwork is allowing pictures again! I observed that Cheydub could post pictures, too.

[Princess of the sea]

Everything looks gorgeous! Please keep going with this project so that we can see the end result! H20: Just Add Water is the best show. I’m thinking about putting on Spanish subtitles as I watch it again to practice my Spanish. :p

Yay, so it seems like MerNetwork is allowing pictures again! I observed that Cheydub could post pictures, too.



Thank you so much!
Oh good luck with your Spanish!

Yeah, sometimes I can post pictures but sometimes I can’t?

Will add a bunch more scales tomorrow!


^_^ happy swimming

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Following the heck out of this thread. This is looking beautiful.

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[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191225/1aa6c0e6d56eaab5825d356ebf9c7694.jpg

Not the best photo :-0 but I’m half way done with the scales. What’s left to do is the backfins and putting scales on the back. Will start on that after Christmas :)




^_^ happy swimming

[Princess of the sea]

Following the heck out of this thread. This is looking beautiful.

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Hi!! Thank you so much! :)

[MerEmma]

Wow! The scales and colors look so natural with the variations!

[Mermaid Alea]

This has to be the most accurate H20 replica tail I've seen.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ooo! It...is... pretty!!!

[Hopeful]

I LOVE your tail! It’s so beautiful! May I ask how you are attaching the sequins?

[Princess of the sea]

Awww you guys are all so sweet! :) I finished the backfin, but the site isn’t letting me post photos [emoji20] I hope I’ll show you all soon!

Also (hopeful) I put a thick layer of silicone on the neoprene and then press the scales firmly in it. And put more silicone on top if it. I just wanna really make sure they’re stuck on the tail!

[Princess of the sea]

So I posted pictures of the backfin on my insta Serenea_Seaweed you can check them out there :)


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[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200102/27a041d21734fd3c706c4b89a2be0a30.jpg


Yay I can post pictures again!

[Hopeful]

Thank you for telling me!! I’m making a neoprene tail myself right now and would love to make mine look more real like yours! And my goodness you backfin is gorgeous too! Eep I’m so excited!

[Princess of the sea]

Thank you for telling me!! I’m making a neoprene tail myself right now and would love to make mine look more real like yours! And my goodness you backfin is gorgeous too! Eep I’m so excited!

Yeah go for it!! There are also so many scales to choose from!
And thank you :)

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200105/6e82aa1bc7fd7b402ebf4113c1fe22f1.jpg

Not the best photo but I tried :)

The tutorial will soon be on my YouTube channel (Mytisch Crafts)

Thank you all so much for following this thread :)

[Princess of the sea]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200105/a718aaf961b5bb0563c17b5ed58a4af6.jpg

Here’s a photo of me wearing it :)

[Hopeful]

Oh my goodness you and your tail look INCREDIBLE!! I’m so excited to see what it looks like in the water!

[Princess of the sea]

Oh my goodness you and your tail look INCREDIBLE!! I’m so excited to see what it looks like in the water!

Thank you so much!!! Im exited too!!

[Mermaid Alea]

That is so amazing! I can't wait for your first swim in it!

[The Water Phoenix]

I love how it almost looks extended, and so much like the actual tail!

[00phantom]

I am so impressed with how well this turned out!!! I had no Idea what to expect when this thread started but I’ve loved following along. So cool!!

[Sam is here]

absolutely gorgeous!!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ooo! Good job! Are you going to make the matching meat bra?

[Princess of the sea]

Thank you all so much for the sweet comments!!! It means a lot :-)

<3


also yes I’ll try to make a matching meat bra haha!


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[Princess of the sea]

The YouTube video is online!!!

You can follow my process on making this tail! Check it out if you like :)

https://youtu.be/2hYlaHwZNpM

[Sam is here]

praxis has those sheets, though they are pretty pricy to get big sheets. a 50 cm by 50 cm sheet costs 17 euros already.
it definitely works well for a custom monofin though, and I find that it definitely works better then polyeutherane.it has a bigger push to it :)

[MerEmma]

Very cool! Thank you for sharing the video on the process!! How does it swim?

[Princess of the sea]

Very cool! Thank you for sharing the video on the process!! How does it swim?

I haven’t swam in it yet!!! But I can’t wait to do so :)

[Princess of the sea]

praxis has those sheets, though they are pretty pricy to get big sheets. a 50 cm by 50 cm sheet costs 17 euros already.
it definitely works well for a custom monofin though, and I find that it definitely works better then polyeutherane.it has a bigger push to it :)

Oh nice! I got mine from Ikea! It’s actually a floor protector haha!

[00phantom]

Watched the video. And then I realized I had watched your first tail making video right when I started getting into mermaiding! I can’t wait to see how the new one swims!

[Princess of the sea]

Watched the video. And then I realized I had watched your first tail making video right when I started getting into mermaiding! I can’t wait to see how the new one swims!

Thanks so much for watching!!! I hope you’re liking mermaiding so far. Can’t wait to swim with the tail!

[Princess of the sea]

Hmmm https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200406/df02e065a5f708a4220cde654f7cfa15.jpg

Decided to improve my tail!

Currently adding special waterproof foam that won’t make the tail floaty.

And well start over with the body :0

[Princess of the sea]

Soooooo I’m currently sewing all the scales on. And it’s soooo much work!
merNetwork isn’t letting me post photos so you can’t see them :(

[Princess of the sea]

https://imgur.com/gallery/xd7TZOZHey guysss! so these past few weeks I've been working on the tail again! And I made it extended!!!! This was a very tricky thing to do, but it worked out. I used this cool waterproof foam that works really well. And with the scales sewn on, This tail is getting close to being finished!https://imgur.com/gallery/xd7TZOZ

[Princess of the sea]

https://imgur.com/gallery/xd7TZOZ

Here's a photo :D

[Starfire]

very nice, I'm interested in how you made the extended part, I have some ideas floating around my head that will have to wait until I have more money & have sorted out my craft space.

hope you'll put up a video of you swimming in it when it's done.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Won't all that foam make your legs float up to the surface unnaturally?

[Marinus Mortimer]

Won't all that foam make your legs float up to the surface unnaturally?

Honestly I doubt I t I added foam to my extension as well because it’s very HEAVY and my calculations were perfect no float no sink. Just flow.


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[Princess of the sea]

https://youtu.be/MDdhwGvmU34

Totally forgot to show the end result! Here it is :)

[The Water Phoenix]

I’ve been following your progress on Instagram, and I’m loving what I’m seeing!!


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[thedeepseasiren]

What exact kind foam did you use? I've been looking around on the internet and I'm having trouble finding some
Hmmm https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200406/df02e065a5f708a4220cde654f7cfa15.jpg

Decided to improve my tail!

Currently adding special waterproof foam that won’t make the tail floaty.

And well start over with the body :0

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[Merman Storm]

Open cell foam can be flooded with water. You have to squeeze all the air out, and let it re-expand like a sponge while it is under water. Then it will not float. When you get out, its the reverse process: Squeeze out all the water. Polyurethane foam is available as open cell.
https://www.mcmaster.com/foam/cell-type~open/shape~sheet-and-bar/thickness~2/
The original H2O tails used open cell silicone foam (according to Eric, the Mertailor). Silicone foam has the issue that if you stretch it just a tiny bit too far, it tears. Also, it is expensive. Polyurethane foam will take a permanent set if you stretch it a tiny bit too far, and only tear if you really over-stretch it. Thus, it is more forgiving.

[Princess of the sea]

long time no swim! but my mermaid tail was completely redone and I have a video of it on my youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGdU5VwDwzM&t=103s :)