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View Full Version : My Mertailor tail smells STRONGLY of VINEGAR??????



Mahi Mermaid
05-04-2012, 04:43 PM
Hi guys, so I just got my latex mermaid tail from the Mertailor and it smells sooooo badly of vinegar! I washed it and wiped it and the smell wont go away, it's so strong it burns my nose and now my house smells like vinegar!!!!!!

HELP!!

Merman Chris
05-04-2012, 04:45 PM
It's gonna smell like that for a while due to the materials used. The more you swim in the pool and/or ocean with it, it will fade.

Kanti
05-04-2012, 04:47 PM
Oh geeze o_o
That may mean it's not fully cured. Silicone caulks are often described as smelling like vinegar.
When you touch it does it feel wet in any areas?

My suggestion would be to hang it outside and leave it there for a week or two until the smell goes
away. There's a chance it may be cured and there's a chance it may just smell really bad.
I'd hang it in the sunlight any chance you get to try and ensure it does cure.

I'm guessing you have a Latex tail right?
Is the paint rubbing off at all?

Mermaid Star
05-04-2012, 04:49 PM
It is the smell that Curing latex gives off... well the curing actually smells like ammonia. Is that the smell you are smelling? If it is vinegar.... I am not sure. Vinegar is good for cleaning and removing mold. So I am not sure if this was added to prevent anything from growing while in shipment or not.

Mermaid Star
05-04-2012, 04:51 PM
That is true Kanti... If it were Caulk instead of actual latex, then That may explain it. Take it to a dry and warm place if it needs curing. Whether Caulk or Latex, it likes heat and will cure faster with it.

AniaR
05-04-2012, 04:53 PM
ammonia and vinegar smell the same. Id put it somewhere ventilated and allow it more time to cure. Another mer here had that issue too and Eric told her it hadn't cured. Perhaps email him, and he'll have some tips for you. I dont know if swimming in it while it's not cured is a smart idea, because pre-curing many materials would be dangerous. However, the best way to get the best information instead of having us all speculate would be to contact eric directly.

Kanti
05-04-2012, 05:11 PM
I think vinegar smells a lot sharper than ammonia. Not only that, but caulk smells gross for a lot
longer than latex. Latex usually stops smelling like ammonia after 24 hours since it cures rather
quickly. Not only that, but you can't pull latex from a mold unless it's cured enough, if not it'll
warp and tear.
I don't think the mertailor even molds his latex. I'm pretty sure he uses caulk.

When you wear latex gloves, that smell is the smell the tail would be like. For it to smell like vinegar
tells me it's a caulk tail. Especially since she said it made the whole house smell like vinegar.
Ammonia smells gross, but it would never "burn" your nose and you'd have to take a huge sniff of
it from really close to get any sort of headache.

AniaR
05-04-2012, 05:15 PM
you think so? In my experience there's no way vinegar would burn your nose. I go to a special hospital for people with my illness where they do most of their cleaning with vinegar BECAUSE we're too sensitive to ammonia. Regardless, sucks it stinks so bad :/ hopefully a few days of airing out will be the key.

Kanti
05-04-2012, 05:18 PM
Well you have to remember it's not really vinegar. Caulks smell very harshly when they're uncured.
The smell is the only thing comparable to vinegar, it doesn't mean there's actually vinedar in the tail.

I work with liquid latex a lot and a day after it cures, it barely smells. You'd either have to put it in a
confined space to smell it after a while or just get right up next to it and smell it.

I have tons of latex in my house and it doesn't smell like anything.

Mermaid Dottie
05-04-2012, 08:43 PM
When I started experimenting with silicone, my friend actually suggested I mix it with vinegar. Helps it dry faster, but the silicone bu itself does smell really similar when its curing. Like they said, Ventilated area + Contact Eric.

Sephina
05-04-2012, 10:39 PM
When I got my mertailor tail he actually told me that it was sprayed down with vinegar to make sure there would be no mold during shipping, as well he stated that his tails should be sprayed down with a 50/50 mix of Vinegar and water after it is used anywhere with chemicals to help balance PH levels, and extend the color/fabric life. It makes sense since I always rinse my dyed hair out with a 50/50 vinegar solution to balance the PH and extend the color in my hair. This was all stated in the automated care email, did you not get one?

Kanti
05-04-2012, 11:04 PM
Wow that completely explains it then xD
Thanks Sephina~

AniaR
05-04-2012, 11:50 PM
lol how would vinegar balance PHs levels! stick a PH strip in vinegar and water and see what it does XD I have to have an alkaline diet and vinegar is one of the most acidic things out there. So helping to clear out mould- yes. Not ALL types of mould though. Vinegar would increase PH levels from a chlorine pool not balance it. http://www.vinegar-home-remedies.com/ph-balance.html sea water is more in the neutral zone already for PH.

but yeah, if it's vinegar the smell should have dissipated after you rinsed it- it shouldn't stick around a super long time, so it could still be what Kanti suggested.

PRO TIP FOR CLEANING WITH VINEGAR add in some mint extract to get rid of the acrid smell :D

Sephina
05-05-2012, 07:14 AM
If you've ever owned a pool, or hot tub the first thing they tell you is to raise the PH to an acceptable range is to add vinegar to the water, or to buy more expensive chemicals from them. Your bodies acceptable PH range is 7.1-7.5 _with 7.4 being optimum) which is about the same as vinegar that's why it balances it out, and it will remove all the chemicals that sit on your skin, or tail causing it to degrade.

AniaR
05-05-2012, 11:55 AM
I cant see why her brand new dry never used in water tail would need to be sprayed in vinegar before she got it either? so I'm still thinking it has more to do with the curing

Raivynn
05-05-2012, 09:48 PM
Vinegar lowers pH. :) Acids are lower in pH than alkalines -- if you want to raise your pH, use baking soda. :)

Kanti
05-06-2012, 03:29 PM
There must be a reason he does it. I doubt he'd go through the extra trouble of adding the vinegar
unless it actually did something. He gets enough complaints on tail quality, imagine if he got more
for the tail smelling nasty xD

AniaR
05-06-2012, 06:18 PM
like I said, I cant see any reason why it should have actual vinegar on it if it hasnt been used yet. Hence thinking it's more a curing issue like you originally suggested. This is a complaint I've heard frequently so perhaps there's a lot of stress trying to get tails out on time so things are getting shipped before they're dry. And like I said, if it was vinegar washing it should have made the smell go away. Either way, airing the thing out wont hurt it and will hopefully solve the issue :) Eric should consider sending out care instructions and FAQ with the tails like Mermaid Parties are doing. Just 1 form he could create, then simply photocopy.

mermanjr
05-06-2012, 06:32 PM
this is a job for the new tail wash from mercreationsinc.com

Mahi Mermaid
05-07-2012, 12:40 AM
Thanks guys. I did contact him and he said that it will smell like that because of the type of silicone he used in the fluke. the smell is SO bad, it's been 2 days now and it seems stronger than ever. The whole house is stinky and yes my nose BURNS. He said there was nothing I could do. I have a job tomorrow and I'm embarrassed to use it! The tail is THAT badly TOXIC!

Ive been rinsing it, putting water in the tail and swishing it around in the fluke. I also had to pull out some huge chunks of latex/scilicone when I first got in in the foot pockets because I couldn't even slip it on it was "over flowing" with latex (I ordered latex tail but he kept saying there was silicone in it??)

paint seems ok, it's a little flaky but I planned to repaint it anyways. no were does it seem "gooey" or wet.

Mermaid Lorelei
05-07-2012, 12:43 AM
I've heard him say he is using dragonskin, but I've worked with dragonskin and it has almost no smell at all. I wonder what kind of 'silicone' he used. I've never come across a silicone product that smells anything like vinegar or ammonia, or even very strongly.

AniaR
05-07-2012, 12:45 AM
Perhaps consider writing a review: http://mernetwork.com/index/productforums.php?do=write_review&productid=11

Other people on here have had trouble with the smell as well as the too much silicone in the fluke flowing over into the monofin. All I can say with the smell is keep trying to let it air out :( my tail is made completely of silicone and doesn't and hasn't smelled in the slightest (which is great because Im sensitive to that stuff) hopefully it'll dissipate soon. It almost reminds me of off gassing. Is there anything you can hide it in to put outside that will allow air in or something?

AniaR
05-07-2012, 12:46 AM
I've heard him say he is using dragonskin, but I've worked with dragonskin and it has almost no smell at all. I wonder what kind of 'silicone' he used. I've never come across a silicone product that smells anything like vinegar or ammonia, or even very strongly.

When I talk to other tail makers they've said silicone/latex can smell very badly if it's 'cut' with something else (mixed with it to make it last longer)

Mahi Mermaid
05-07-2012, 12:47 AM
oh and it's not just the tail that stinks. after i touch it, I smell. my skin, my clothes, and the smell doesn't wash off. I can't even clean the bathtub with bleach to make the smell go away!!!!!

AniaR
05-07-2012, 12:51 AM
oh man that sucks, I dont think I could handle that. I really would keep it outside, if it's offgassing and is that strong, it could be dangerous to your health. I've never worked with these materials but Ive read a lot of the health information and for a lot of them you're supposed to wear masks or/and work in a well ventilated area.

Does your family or anyone you know own an air purifier? Even a small one will help. Maybe ask around on FB. If you put it in a closed room with an air purifier it may be able to get rid of the smell for a few days. Offgas from new products really bothers me so when I buy things that are stinky thats what I do and it always seems to help. I dont know if it will in this place, but worth a shot.

BlueMermaid
05-07-2012, 12:51 PM
Mine stunk so bad I had to take it outside, it was horrid! I didn't think it smelled like vinegar, just chemicals. But whatever, it stunk. I emailed him, he said to wash it and the smell would go away, but it didn't, and on top of that the paint came off. I sent it back and he heat set it again. The smell is almost totally gone, but the paint is still coming off. When it gets wet and I set it somewhere, the area I set it on gets blue stuff on it. I also had the problem of silicone in the monofin, I had to reach in and pull it out so I could get my feet in there.

MermanMatty
05-07-2012, 01:08 PM
All the tails smell the same way when they leave the studio! Trust me... Eric comes into the house smelling like the silicone, so it has never posed an issue and what you are smelling is the adhesive that binds the monofin into the liner of the tail. The smell is how the silicone comes, he buys a special brand from a distributor so that the silicone will not tear of give any issues, hence the horrid smell, but it does go away, as for the paint issue, just being more gentle with your tail will help that because we have friends that have had a latex tail for over 4 years and still have ALL their original paint.

Blue Mermaid, the footpockets were still in the monofin for your tail, not silicone or latex, footpockets.

Loufahs help get the smell of your skin :) Trust me! Eric is stocked up on them for when he gets done working.

And Lorelei, Eric does use dragonskin, and it does have an odor too it, especially if you add thickener or accelerent to the dragonskin. But it cures in like and hour so the smell dissipates rapidly.

If you use your favorite perfume and spray it inside the tail it should help mask the smell until the smell fades. My recommendation is to, as Dori says, Just keep swimming, and the smell should go away.

And as for the irritation on your skin, you might want to go to your doctor as see if you're allergic to Latex, it's very common now a days, and if you're not allergic to Latex, I wouldn't suggest cleaning your tail with Bleach, that is hazardous to your health as well, direct contact with your skin for prolonged periods of time will cause irritation of the skin and possibly respiratory issues. So I suggest going back to the doctor and getting tested for allergy first.

-Matty

Merman Chris
05-07-2012, 01:16 PM
Shell's latex tail from Eric REEKED when it arrived and slowly faded with use. Same goes for the tails she makes, they all stink when first completed, and swimming makes it go away.

Mermaid Lorelei
05-07-2012, 01:19 PM
And Lorelei, Eric does use dragonskin, and it does have an odor too it, especially if you add thickener or accelerent to the dragonskin. But it cures in like and hour so the smell dissipates rapidly.

Trust me, I know this. What I am trying to say is that the silicone would not have any smell by the time it got to a customer. I've worked with silicone enough to know this.

BlueMermaid
05-07-2012, 01:20 PM
Matt, I took the foot pockets out, there was silicone behind them in the toe area of the monofin. I had to pull it out to get my feet in. After that, I used the tail once, for the first time 2 days ago, for about 10 minutes. I hung it up to dry, leaned against the wall. It left blue paint on the wall.

AniaR
05-07-2012, 01:30 PM
Wow I musta been lucky. With all the complaints Ive had with my mertailor tail one complaint I can't make is that is smelled. It was different material back then.

A latex allergy is a possibility, but according to the MSDS: http://www.smooth-on.com/msds/files/Dragon_Skin.pdf under "toxicological" section 11 it does say it can cause skin irritation. Everything on it says non toxic- though it does say when working with it to use a respirator/ventilation. My tail is dragonskin, silicone specifically, it never smelled nor does it give me skin irritation which is a great relief for me since Im generally so sensitive with these things.

Have you ever had a reaction to latex before? Like balloons or gloves etc? It can feel and look like a sun burn. http://www.nurseuncut.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dermatitis.jpg

I still suggest the air purifier if you can get one. Maybe soak the tail in the tub overnight with a gentle cleanser like dish soap. Leave the fan on, shut the door! Hopefully this helps, totally sucks to have a tail and not be able to use it either due to allergy or something else. <3

BlueMermaid
05-07-2012, 01:35 PM
I was very happy with the first 3 tails I got from him. They didn't smell either. They also didn't stain surfaces. Not sure what's different now but they were better before. The one Sirena is still using, it is still in pretty good shape, no serious paint problems last time I saw it, it's holding up pretty well. The new ones I ordered for Luna and Sirena were sent back due to paint issues. Thankfully he is offering to fix them.

MermanMatty
05-07-2012, 01:39 PM
Lorelei,

Eric has to roll the silicone to distribute it equally along the inside of the fluke, if a portion of that gets in the foot pockets, it is an honest mistake, hence leaving the foot pocket sliders in the foot pockets so not as much gets in there. He uses a different brand of silicone from a different distributor for the latex flukes, Smooth On Silicone is redonkulously (ridiculously but my own word) expensive to be putting in the fluke, but the silicone he uses is just as good but is has an odor (Only down side) and doesn't cure as fast because air can't get to it as easily to make the curing process go forth as most silicone molds are out in the open to air flow.

-Matty

MermanMatty
05-07-2012, 01:40 PM
Eric is also redoing his Latex tails, so there will be no problem with paint coming off anymore! :) So no worries about that anymore!

AniaR
05-07-2012, 02:02 PM
Trust me, I know this. What I am trying to say is that the silicone would not have any smell by the time it got to a customer. I've worked with silicone enough to know this.

yeah the silicone I use for minor tears in my tail (only happens because I requested it be cast so thin, wouldn't normally happen with a thicker tail) doesnt smell at all and dries super fast. I saw on the dragonskin website they actually have a whole list of ones that'll bond to their latex or silicone, so maybe time to try a different one to avoid the smell problem. It could be a latex allergy, but if it';s burning the air/her nose as well as her skin it may be she's allergic to that specific silicone too. Or that silicone just isn't good for you if it's not cured. an MSDS on that would be helpful too.

On a different note, I gotta wonder who else in the world ends up discussing silicone/latex to the level we do. lol. Sometimes people overhear my boyfriend and I talking about tail stuff and think we're installing a bathtub or something LOL

Mermaid Lorelei
05-07-2012, 04:50 PM
You may wish to give people a warning then about your tails that when they receieve them, they have a chance of smelling very bad for a while simply from the production process. It might alleviate some stress.

AniaR
05-07-2012, 05:55 PM
You may wish to give people a warning then about your tails that when they receive them, they have a chance of smelling very bad for a while simply from the production process. It might alleviate some stress.
I think legally there needs to be a disclaimer otherwise people who have a reaction or an asthma attack or anything caused from the fumes can sue. On just the smooth on products they're covered and fine- all that has been done in their MSDS, but for the extra silicone being used to fill the fluke- if it's not intended for human skin/airway contact and it's being used that way without a warning there are legal issues.

Mermaid Dottie
05-07-2012, 06:32 PM
PRO TIP FOR CLEANING WITH VINEGAR add in some mint extract to get rid of the acrid smell :D
Brilliant! I love mint. <3
in fact, my roleplay name is Aramenthe.

Mermaid Dottie
05-07-2012, 06:40 PM
Oh geeze! I'm really glad that I've decided to put off using silicone on tails for a while...
Sounds like a lot of hassle.

Mahi Mermaid
05-07-2012, 07:18 PM
Well just so you all know. I have no allergies, especially not to latex. so something else is in there. And I fear something toxic getting to children, in a public pool and that's unfair to them. I know the risks, but it's not fair to onlookers that don't. Getting the tail wet only makes the smell stronger. I'm trying to dry it in the sun for now but so far, no change.

AniaR
05-07-2012, 10:02 PM
Getting the tail wet only makes the smell stronger
Then I would say it's most certainly a curing of the silicone in the fluke that's not dry. So it needs to cure. Put it in a dry space, if you put it outside dont put it directly in the sun as the sun can wear away at latex. It just needs to be not used for a while and needs to get bone dry for a few days. A trick you can try that I used to, was rigging the tail up to a fan so the fan blew right through it.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/268701_226876454013772_183327321702019_725272_1863 167_n.jpg

this is how I used to do it, it blows the air all the way through right down into the fluke. Is your fluke squishy or malleable at all? Hopefully this trick will help. <3

Raivynn
05-08-2012, 07:33 PM
I hate to ask this, and I see that Matty is a banned member, but ...

How is the Mertailor changing his latex tails? I currently have a tail on order, and am awaiting an update on it. :)

Merman Chris
05-08-2012, 07:38 PM
Matty is banned completely? That is extremely unfortunate, and should not be the case at all. He's a good guy and does have a lot to add to the conversation.

Raivynn
05-08-2012, 08:01 PM
Under his name, where it says member type, it reads "Banned Member," and I'm not exactly sure what that means. Matty does work with Eric very closely, and seeing as they are romantic partners, I think it could be easy for him to become partial. I am not saying he is, but I can understand how some members here would automatically believe he is being partial to Eric. :) But why shouldn't he be? As someone's significant other, that is part of what we do -- we want to protect them! Chris, I know you understand that part all too well.

Merman Chris
05-08-2012, 08:03 PM
Of course I do. I am quite partial to my partner as well. Someone here once complained about me "bragging" about my wife and her tails.....well what the hell do you expect?!? I feel bad for Matty though, he gets baited by the same people who enjoy ruffling my feathers as well.

Raivynn
05-08-2012, 08:10 PM
You are *supposed* to think your spouse hung the moon. ;) So why should Matty be any different? I certainly think nothing of it when he tells me something -- I honestly understand that Eric is a very busy man, and if the only way to get a message out is to say, "Hey, Matt, can you email soandso and let them know ____," I can get it. :)

Mermaid Star
05-08-2012, 08:15 PM
I think Eric is going to be switching to molded latex tails vs the caulk impression tails. But there have been no updates on this. This will be difficult for him as he will have to make all new molds as anything used with latex can not be used for silicone and vice versa. From what MVD says, they can not even be in the same room together or they will not cure.

I see Matty is banned as well. But I am sure that if you have concerns about it, you can take it to the mods. I feel that they are very fair people and have given countless chances to many people. I am sure they had their reasons as they do not take banning lightly.

As for your tail OP, It sounds to me (as well) that it is still curing. It may take several weeks- a month to fully dry (if it is what is used in some of the tails made by other members here). The fan with it open really does help as AniaR has suggested. When I was making my tail and attaching my scales to my neoprene, the neoprene became soaked with the ammonia leaching out of the latex as it dried. It was having a hard time curing with the two cloth halves being soaked inside the latex outer shell of the scales (it had been this way for a week). So I took a garment rack that I had laying around and put it on a chest to that it would be tall enough. Then I took a hanger with the clips on it, the one for skirts and such and clipped the clips on the center front and center back of the tail so that it would sit open (since it had been laying front to back it wanted to stay that way, when I forced it to sit sides together is wanted to resist and stayed open!) and hung the hanger on the garment rack. The garment rack was positioned under a ceiling fan on high. After two days, it was completely dry! I would definitely try some form of ventilation. It really does help

Kanti
05-08-2012, 08:24 PM
Dragonskin shouldn't have any odor to it. If it does, you certainly can't compare it to vinegar
and you should check that your Dragonskin didn't expire or something, because that's odd.
Even lower end silicones used for molds like Mold Max and Rebound have little to no odor. And the
thickener mentioned has no smell either.
At least, the only thickener I know dragonskin to be compatible with I use myself and I've never had any
odor problems.

If you got a latex tail, the smell is from 100% Silicone CAULKING which is much much different than Dragonskin.
Alex caulk smells a bit too, but it doesn't smell half as bad as the 100%. So either the mertailor used a combination
of both, or he just used the 100% silicone. I've worked with ALEX in a garage and had no problems, but when I use the
100% silicone caulk, I always have to take a break because of the smell, so the silicone he put in the fluke is most
certainly the caulk version.

If your tail STILL smells that badly I would consider against taking it to a gig. It may not be cured and you may end up
dissipating a lot of the material that may still be wet.

Seems to me like you were sent a pre-cured tail. The mertailor was probably in a hurry while making it and didn't allow it
to cure properly, because even if the whole "dragonskin with thickening agent" is true, it would NOT smell once cured.
If you washed it out and hung it for a couple days and it STILL smells, that just means it's made out of lesser materials.

AniaR
05-08-2012, 08:35 PM
I just picked up some silicone caulking for a rip in my tail- one that is listed on the dragonskin website, and it most CERTAINLY smells like vinegar and smells really strongly- vinegar would be the only thing I could relate the smell too very pungent. I had to put it outside but mine is fast drying and cures 100% in under 24 hours, and after leaving it outside only for a few hours the smell went away. When I used Alexplus it reeked and after 3 months it actually didnt cure :/

I think it could be any type of caulking in your tail, and it's just not cured. So hopefully with a chance to cure and to dry it will. Like Kanti, I dont think you should use it for your gig. Uncured caulk is almost always dangerous from what I've read of every MSDS I can get my hands on. The stuff is generally only safe when it's dry.

My alex tail, had alex in the fluke that I thought was cured (like I said after 3 months) and I went swimming in it. It came out in a big white cloud in the ocean which made me feel terrible, and it also got all over my legs and feet. I got a rash, and signs of it being absorbed into my system showed up in a blood test a few days later I had to take for something else that my doctor actually asked me if I'd been using or around any odd substances! I think it's ALWAYS better safe than sorry. <3 try my fan technique and hopefully it'll help! Im sorry your tail smells so bad especially if you have a gig coming up

Mermaid Lira
06-28-2012, 04:09 AM
Yeah, I think he used a silicon for bathroom (the same as the latex ALEX Plus, but in silicone, I used it to make my first silicon tail) and it's horrible ! Be carefull with your hands, don't touch the silicone inside and put your tail outside for a while. The vinegar smell will go away later. Try to not swim in your tail before the smell is gone, cause it could "hurt" the underwater life.... If you have any questions or if you want some precisions, ask me, we're friends on FB. ^^

Winged Mermaid
07-06-2012, 04:35 AM
On the banning issue: Rest assured that the Admins do not take banning lightly. Any bans have been spammers, breaking zero tolerance rules (scammers/frauds or fake accounts for example), or they had been given multiple warnings and chances and continued to break the rules. A few of them we waited too long and were too lenient, to where it became unfair to the other members that they broke rules and were not banned. We waited as long as we did becuase we were trying to respect their stances, although opposite to most people's. But there is only so long one can do so before you forfeit your membership.

Winged Mermaid
07-06-2012, 04:38 AM
As for the new Mertailor tail designs, it says in his website description that he's using neoprin, not neoprene. He has been for quite a while but listed it as neoprene before. It also says "silicone rubbers" where as on his other tails he says specifically "dragonskin silicone" and "platinum silicone". So I am pretty positive that he is using silicone caulking for the "realistic" tail design and mixing the paints in so it doesn't chip off. I was really hoping he'd take this chance to use actual neoprene, because the neoprin is just awful quality stuff.

Honestly I think he switched from tin cure latex to tin cure silicone so he could produce them faster. Which is smart! The silicone dries a heck of a lot quicker than the latex stuff does, and is more durable (at least so far- no one has really had a tail long enough to compare the wear over time). Hopefully this will help resolve some of the degrading issues that the tin cure latex had. I just wish he'd be honest about using tin cure on his cheaper tails... there could be a lot of legal stuff that goes down if anyone ever has a problem with those. Actually there was one mermaid who had documented medical evidence that the tail was harming her as specified on the MSDS.. she could have sued him for everything he had if she would have chosen to proceed legally. :/

Spindrift
07-06-2012, 08:05 AM
Actually there was one mermaid who had documented medical evidence that the tail was harming her as specified on the MSDS.. she could have sued him for everything he had if she would have chosen to proceed legally. :/

I wonder why nobody has yet? People in America are usually sue-happy, right?

AniaR
07-06-2012, 09:13 AM
lol wasnt that me? I went to the doctor for routine blood work and a bunch of bad stuff showed up in my blood and the only thing my doctor and I could think it was was the alex plus since it fit everything in the MSDS!

Kanti
07-06-2012, 05:14 PM
xD If it was you shoulda sued him Raina
But in all seriousness, that's some scary stuff. Regardless of what his tails are made of, if it smells
like ANYTHING that strongly, it's usually a hint that it's uncured. The whole fan setup Raina showed
is probably the best idea since you'll have constant circulation of fresh air to help it cure. A warm
dry place would probably help too.

AniaR
07-06-2012, 06:36 PM
it's so nice not having to worry about drying anymore. I literally just stick a towel in my silicone tail and wipe it dry. LOL. so epic

AniaR
07-06-2012, 09:50 PM
what Eric has to say about this...

3811

...wasnt aware any of us told her to use bleach. Also, calling customers crazies? publicly? Maybe if eric returned emails people wouldnt even have to look here for advice. Maybe if the tail was cured properly to begin with....

Spindrift
07-06-2012, 10:38 PM
what Eric has to say about this...

3811

...wasnt aware any of us told her to use bleach. Also, calling customers crazies? publicly? Maybe if eric returned emails people wouldnt even have to look here for advice. Maybe if the tail was cured properly to begin with....

I don't think she got the advice from here. I think the Mertailor is trying to allude it was from here. I searched for "bleach" in the forum's archives and the only relevant thing that came up was to use a little bit of bleach mixed with water to fight mildew.

I did a quick Google search under "silicone tail bleach" and found this website: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hypertufa/msg1217385422593.html, that says




Posted by svoboda (http://www.gardenweb.com/auth/nph-logincheck.cgi?action=public_profile&user=svoboda) (My Page (http://www.gardenweb.com/auth/nph-logincheck.cgi?action=public_profile&user=svoboda)) on Thu, Jan 1, 09 at 12:52



Lots of great info here. I hope I can return the favor.I experimented with glycerin and paint for curing GE Silicone 1. The glycerin may reduce adhesion, but it didn't seem to help the silicone cure. The paint was effective.
My magic ingredient for curing GE Silicone 1 is bleach; liquid laundry bleach. I use 2 drops per full trigger squeese of my caulking gun. This is a ratio of 90 parts silicon to 1 part bleach. This works out to a little less than 3/4 tsp per 10.1oz tube of caulking. The pot life is short and the cure is quick. I can de-mold in 30 to 45 minutes when the ambient temperature is in the 60s. I expect this will work well for the man hole cover problem.






I think part of the problem is that he never explicitly states to his customers what he uses to make the tails, so people make uneducated guesses and therefore, mistakes like this happen.