Neoprene vs. Swimsuit Fabric for inside Tails

[SheroesEntertainment]

Hi, I'm working on some new tail concepts for a new dragonskin silicone mermaid tail. What I notice with my current performance tail is that the neoprene does not have the same stretch ratio as the silicone and restricts the silicone's ability to fully expand when worn.

1) Why do people sew neoprene in to the tails? I orignally thought it was to provide warmth but after wearing a silicone tail lined with neoprene I realized that the silicone itself acts in the same way as a wetsuit, e.g. it traps water against the body which then captures heat. Is the neoprene layer strictly to facilitate sewing the tail if a two-piece front and back method is used? Why is it used to begin with?

2) Is there a reason why people choose to use neoprene instead of a lighter four way stretch lycra swimsuit material in tails?

3) Has anyone had success with not using neoprene or a fabric layer at all in the tail and just having it be pure dragonskin silicone?

Thanks!

[Winged Mermaid]

Yes, you can make pure dragon skin silicone tails. The high-end silicone tails come with no neoprene in them. Many people choose to use neoprene as a base or backing for a few reasons. One, they are easier to put together for the more inexperienced. You can even have a Partial Dragon skin tail by imprinting the Dragon skin on top of neoprene, thus eliminating the need for casting and molding. Secondly, for those using a casting in molding process, it can save a lot of money. It allows a tailmaker to cast the Dragon skin very thin, which otherwise may tear or break on its own. Silicone is very expensive, so this allows them to save a lot of money, especially whenever it comes to the fluke area. Then the thickness and strength that it lacks is made up by the the neoprene.

The downside to this is that neoprene has a shorter lifespan than silicone does. Inevitably, the neoprene will wear out before the silicone does. Lycra has an even shorter lifespan than neoprene does. A Lycra tail can become warped and start degrading within a matter of months depending on wear. It's not strong enough to hold up to the job, basically, so that's why people don't use it as a base for this. However, tell makers do use a fine mesh as a base for some silicone tails. I know that Marbella Studios, or Raven, uses this in their performance tails (full silicone tails). From my reading, I would guess that it is a nylon mesh.

Hope this answered your question :)