Kanti's tail in progress

[Kanti]

Hey guys :') I've been working on a tail for the past few months and I just wanted to shoot a quick video of how the progress is coming out.
The tail itself looks horrible and doesn't have such a great coat of paint on it yet, so I simply shot this video to show another main feature on it.
I've managed to make my tail have a free-standing dorsal fin than can withstand pressure of about 5-10 lbs.
Basically, it can stand upright while skimming through the water, as the video shows.

http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l79/_Kanti_/?action=view&current=100_0254.mp4

Sorry about the quickness of the video and the shorting out of the camera at the end. I wanted to shoot a progress video today
but right when I got in the water it started thundering up something fierce so I only had time for one video. Also, sorry if the angle
seems a little annoying. I wanted to mainly shoot the video to capture the dorsal fin, not so much the entire tail, since it's far from finished.

[Little_Orca]

*Plays Jaws Theme*

:) I like what I can see of it. Good job! What is in the dorsal fin?

[New York Mermaid]

lol yea it really does remind me of a sharks dorsal, like a silky shark or a porbeagle sharks dorsal, it looks pretty cool

[Kanti]

Haha, I see how it could look like what you guys say, especially since it's solid gray right now.

To make the fin stand there are many ways you can do it, it depends on the length of the fin and fabric you're using.
I'm not sure the exact name of it, but it's a still, durable, yet bendable foam. It's used in gyms for the floors and comes
in a little package with puzzle-piece looking slabs. I found it at Walmart and it's called "interlocking gym flooring".

[kazekoh]

Its looking really cool so far~ :D Can't wait to see it done!

[MermaidAubrin]

Good job! I'm going to make a tail soon I got neoprene yesterday

[Toxotes]

Kanti, that looks really impressive. I have never seen such a well done dorsal fin on a selfmade tail.

[Kanti]

@ Kazekoh - Thank you! Hopefully soon xD It's only got a small leap to go, I just haven't found the time for it yet.

@ Aubrin - Thanks~ And wow, that was fast. You should make a forum and post pictures of your progress! :')

@ Toxotes - Eeee you really think so?? Thank you! That means a lot to me <3

[AniaR]

great job! I always knock over the camera too, lol

[MermaidAubrin]

Your welcome :) today I'm going to get somm Alex and paint but I'm not sure how to do the measurements and draw out the tail

[Kanti]

@ AnaiR - Haha, yea it's difficult not to sometimes~ At least it semi did the job xD

@ Aubrin - It's easy! I would get a friend to help you out with the measurements, though.
There's actually a really great youtube video that teaches you how to make the measurements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtwnOQg_KH8
This method works very well, but you also have to account for the stretch factor of your fabric.
With my neoprene, everything below my hips fit snug but my hips themselves had around 2-2.5
inches on each side of extra fabric that needed to be taken in.
But don't worry about taking it in until after you've put Alex on it. Coat a few nice layers of Alex
on each cut-out section and allow it around 2-3 weeks to completely cure. Drying is different than
curing in the sense that CURING means the caulk is waterproof. So even after it's dry, don't be
fooled, it's still not okay to put in the water.

[kazekoh]

Haha~ Well, I understand the time thing. x3 I am waiting for the money to get fabric and fins. But College comes first. XD;

[MermaidAubrin]

But don't worry about taking it in until after you've put Alex on it. Coat a few nice layers of Alexon each cut-out section and allow it around 2-3 weeks to completely cure. Drying is different thancuring in the sense that CURING means the caulk is waterproof. So even after it's dry, don't be fooled, it's still not okay to put in the water.So even if I do use a heat gun I still need to let it sit for a few weeks (is the wait before or after the paint and sew)

[Kanti]

I don't understand what you mean.
Use a heat gun for what? You certainly can't use it instead of sewing o_O
You need to lay out your caulk in a few layers and let it dry. You can either work the color into the caulk layers while it's flat
or sew it to the shape you want it and then apply the colors. For mine, I had the tail done and I'm not starting the colors because
they need to be in a certain pattern in relation to my body. If you're just doing a hip to tail fade or something like that, you can do
it while the material isn't sewn yet :')

[MermaidAubrin]

Heat gun to dry the layers of caulk

[Kanti]

Ohhh. Hmm.
I'm not completely sure. I think it still has to cure?

[MermaidAubrin]

Ok I haven't been able to get any more stuff yet for my mermaid tail :( my neoprene is sitting all by it self in the closet but soon I will be able to finsh the practice tail

[Toxotes]

Kanti, i don't remember a selfmade tail with such a dorsal fin like yours. do you?
And i think it's beautiful. But isn't it difficult to sit upright with your tail on?
Maybe that is why there are so few tails with such a fin.

[Mermaid Saphira]

did you ever finish the tail? do you have photos?

[Kanti]

Haven't posted an update in a while, but I also haven't worked on my tail since last summer xD
The water is getting warm so hopefully I'll finally finish it all!

I recently installed the monofin inside but I haven't sealed it in yet. I'm still bleh about this tail
because it's so tight and hard to put on. Recently I discovered you could use lotion/conditioner
to slip inside so hopefully I'll give that a try today and make a video of how it looks so far~

Everything fits nice (once I manage to do the "tight jeans dance" for an hour to put it on),
the dorsal fin STILL stands up after being packed and tortured for the whole year and the
tail holds my monofin in place fairly well!

Hopefully it'll be a nice run, I'll get back on whether or not I can get time to make a video

[Kanti]

Kanti, i don't remember a selfmade tail with such a dorsal fin like yours. do you?
And i think it's beautiful. But isn't it difficult to sit upright with your tail on?
Maybe that is why there are so few tails with such a fin.

Also, sorry for the super late reply, but it is annoying to have the dorsal right on my butt cause I do have to sit on it.
It's not a HUGE issue, but it is annoying to have to re-set it up so it stands up straight.
I basically have a wire fed through it to keep it standing, so you can imagine the way I have to recurve and re-straighten
the wire to make it stand the way it used to.
Again, not that hindering for the actual sitting part. I can sit right on it and not be careful or care, it just means it's
harder to straighten back out.

So you do sacrifice a bit for the whole look xD

[Mermaid Dottie]

Looking Great, KAnti! Can't wait to see more. :)

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Wow, somehow I missed this thread.

[Kanti]

Alrighty I did some swimming in it today and got a couple videos~
One for an above view of the dorsal fin and the other for just general
underwater appearance

http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l79/_Kanti_/?action=view&current=100_0006.mp4
http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l79/_Kanti_/?action=view&current=100_0007.mp4

Haha sorry it looks so ghetto. I was going to give it a brand new paint job anyway, but it
has all sorts of stuff stuck to it from sitting around for a year so it definitely needs one now.
I'm happy with how it fits, but it's such a pain in the ass to get into. Putting lotion on my legs
only made things WORSE x_x The fin is alright and the fluke is still together for the most part
so I'm pretty glad about those things. I wish I had installed a zipper, but I tried and just
completely failed at it so oh well I suppose.

I think all that's left for this tail is sealing up the fluke and repainting it :')

[Mermaid Lorelei]

You don't look like you're enjoying yourself at all Kanti. :'P And I love the little jump at the end of the first video.

[Kanti]

Lol really?
I had a blast~ It was just annoying to make the videos without the camera falling over
so srs business during that time haha
After that I fooled around in the water for another hour xD
I hate how easy taking the tail off is compared to putting it on. I was reluctant to take it
off haha

[LindseyLu]

I love your videos Kanti!!! The tail looks so original, I kinda like it the way it is now...are you sure you wanna paint it?? You make a beautiful mermaid! Should definitely make more videos!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Murf, sarcasm fail on my part... -.-;

Anyways, I'm with everyone else. That dorsal fin is definitely awesome and I actually like the color scheme you have for it now. It's very much an optical illusion when you're swimming.

[Mermaasai]

oOoOoO baaaaalllink Kanti!!! I love the dorsal!

[Kanti]

Aww thanks guys!! I appreciate the nice comments :')
I wanna repaint it so it's brown instead of gray and blend the white into my skin some more.
It'll be the same pattern and stuff :'P
I'm going to paint it like a Dusky Dolphin :'D

[Toxotes]

In the first video you make a very convincing dolphin-mermaid.
When repaired, your tail will look perfect.

[Kanti]

Hopefully :'P
So far it's got a lot of flaws but it's not bad, either.
The paint job will make it a million times better xD

[Mermaid Rillia]

Nice tail Kanti! I really like the dorsal fin. Theres so much creativity involved in making a tail. From what i saw if it, your tail looks amazing :)

[Mermaid Dottie]

Sweet Deal, Kanti! Looks Awesome!

Have you tried putting your tail on while it's wet? That's how I have to do mine, because my fin is too tight on my feet.

[Kanti]

I think so.
I usually try putting it on while I'm on land but I slowly migrate into the pool then before I know it
I'm underwater rolling around trying to pull it on. It's just a little too tight is all, I think. If I had
someone to help me put it on I'd be set but for now I onld had me so I couldn't manage xD

Also thanks Brooke! There's certainly lots of customization, that's what makes your tail yours :')
Designing the tail is the funnest part xD I have like 20 designs I know I'm never going to actually
work on.