Finfolk Productions
12-26-2012, 08:54 PM
Alrighty,
So Bryn and I have made five mostly successful silicone tails. I say mostly because they were the first ones we've ever made, and they did have several minor issues. (Yay learning! You can see the entire discussion with vid/pics here http://mernetwork.com/index/showthre...l-maker-coming (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3956-is-there-another-tail-maker-coming) ). They were 100% dragonskin silicone. The entire process was lengthy and very experimental, and we are working on improving several of our techniques. HOWEVER, the biggest problem we had with our tails was with holes. Now, for the most part, these holes would rip along the scales, where the silicone was thinnest, and at high pressure points, such as knees and bums. Some of this may be because we cast our silicone in rounded molds, as opposed to flat scales sheets (something we will be CHANGING) and it resulted in weak spots where the silicone coverage was not entirely even. Still, by attempting to fix this with our old, rounded molds, I feel that one or two of the tails became entirely too thick. I would like to avoid this in the future, as well as the tearing, which brings me to my questions...
For anyone who uses a silicone tail... Have you ever had problems with ripping or holes? On the whole, is the silicone rather thin, or thicker and a bit bulky to prevent tearing?
Secondly, would backing with neoprene make a significant difference in preventing tears/providing longer durability? I'm guessing so, but I'm also just questioning if making our first tails with rounded molds that resulted in the unevenness of the silicone is the main issue. I also have a sneaky suspicion that backing with neoprene would make seaming MUCH easier (I know Bryn and I both felt like crying every time it came to doing seams) but I want to know... Are neoprene lined silicone tails generally seen as "cheaper" or not quite as desirable as full silicone tails?
Please let me know your thoughts!
~Abby
Finfolk Productions
So Bryn and I have made five mostly successful silicone tails. I say mostly because they were the first ones we've ever made, and they did have several minor issues. (Yay learning! You can see the entire discussion with vid/pics here http://mernetwork.com/index/showthre...l-maker-coming (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3956-is-there-another-tail-maker-coming) ). They were 100% dragonskin silicone. The entire process was lengthy and very experimental, and we are working on improving several of our techniques. HOWEVER, the biggest problem we had with our tails was with holes. Now, for the most part, these holes would rip along the scales, where the silicone was thinnest, and at high pressure points, such as knees and bums. Some of this may be because we cast our silicone in rounded molds, as opposed to flat scales sheets (something we will be CHANGING) and it resulted in weak spots where the silicone coverage was not entirely even. Still, by attempting to fix this with our old, rounded molds, I feel that one or two of the tails became entirely too thick. I would like to avoid this in the future, as well as the tearing, which brings me to my questions...
For anyone who uses a silicone tail... Have you ever had problems with ripping or holes? On the whole, is the silicone rather thin, or thicker and a bit bulky to prevent tearing?
Secondly, would backing with neoprene make a significant difference in preventing tears/providing longer durability? I'm guessing so, but I'm also just questioning if making our first tails with rounded molds that resulted in the unevenness of the silicone is the main issue. I also have a sneaky suspicion that backing with neoprene would make seaming MUCH easier (I know Bryn and I both felt like crying every time it came to doing seams) but I want to know... Are neoprene lined silicone tails generally seen as "cheaper" or not quite as desirable as full silicone tails?
Please let me know your thoughts!
~Abby
Finfolk Productions