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View Full Version : Mer Community... I NEED your help!!! Please <3



maemermaid
05-03-2013, 10:50 PM
Sooooooo I purchased a latex MerTailor tail (used) and some of the paint was coming off. I repainted those bits and really didn't like the way it turned out. Then I went out and got Createx and airbrushed it on. Much to my dismay, I put it in the water and ALL the new Createx paint layer came off. Does anyone know what kind of paint he might have used originally on the latex and what kind of paint I can use over it that will stay on? I have an event in June that I need to be ready for. I'll love you forever if you help me (: Much Love!

-Mer Mae

Winged Mermaid
05-03-2013, 10:57 PM
You have to heat set Createx or it won't stay on. See this thread for more information: : ☆ Tail Care and Maintenance, The Official Thread ☆ (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3108)

maemermaid
05-03-2013, 11:05 PM
Will that work if there is already a layer of paint below it?

maemermaid
05-03-2013, 11:05 PM
P.S. Iona.... I LOVE YOU

MermaidIsis
05-03-2013, 11:14 PM
Ok, so im guessing the reason the paint came off its probably because the paint you used probably said water proof(my mom uses this for her airbrush business) and it totally is, but createx (im pretty shore) is for fabric. its water proof in things like washing machines or spilling water. All this paint will do is stick to the surface instead of sticking to the latex or sinking into the latex. the second you put this paint in water it will run right off.
I recommend you...
1. you can ask the tail maker what kind of paint he used( although im pretty sure that he mixes his paint into the latex when he puts it onto the neoprine. if you get the paint he used, it should stick, but im not possitive it will.
2. you can mix paint with latex and paint over it BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE LATEX HE USED or it may not stick.
3. you can buy silacone paint and put an even, thin layer around the entire tail so it forms a bit of an outside shell, but im not sure if that will work though
4. RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im not positive about 50% of this stuff, but the stuff about createx i am totally positive about.
Good luck!

maemermaid
05-03-2013, 11:21 PM
Most fin makers use Createx... I think the "I didn't heat cure it" part is the problem. So I just want to make sure when I do it this time, it's okay to do that over the older paint.

XMermaidMarinaX
05-03-2013, 11:28 PM
Ugh, Mertailor shouldn't even be existing anymore. He says he cares about bringing good tails to his customers, yet every single one of them has an issue.

Winged Mermaid
05-03-2013, 11:37 PM
Aw thanks! Glad to help! Just submerge your tail in a bath (cool-luke warm water only, no hot water) and see if you can get the rest of the paint you painted on yourself off. You can use a washcloth or soft side of a sponge. If it is a latex tail (he switched to silicone last year, which is a whole different process for painting) then he did use createx to paint it. It's true, Createx is water based and not made for this application. But it's what he's been using since he started making them, and what other tailmakers who use his process also use. You can go the route of mixing ALEX Plus (the "latex" that he used after 2008) with paint and painting it that way, but honestly I'm not sure it would even bond since there is Createx already on there and wouldn't allow for a latex-to-latex bond. Honestly the best way to go is probably just to continue with the Createx. I do!

Painting over old heat cured paint is fine. Just be sure to get as much of the uncured stuff off as you can before you paint it again. Also I wipe my tail down with a damp washcloth then with a towel a hour or so before I paint it again, just to be sure there isn't dust on it that will hinder the bond.

Winged Mermaid
05-03-2013, 11:40 PM
Also, side note- if you don't already have a heat gun, you can buy one at Michaels or possibly other craft stores. Whatever store you get it from, use their coupons! Michaels JoAnns and Hobby Lobby have 40% off coupons on a regular basis.

maemermaid
05-04-2013, 09:05 AM
I do have a heat gun that I got for embossing. So we are good there! Thanks again for all the info!

maemermaid
05-05-2013, 07:51 PM
UPDATE: I did a test run with my paint on a spot that had paint on it and on a spot that had been stripped down to the latex. After heat curing it, the only one that stayed on was the paint on the clean latex. I'm waiting to try it with some primer underneath and hopefully that works out. The only way that works for me to take the paint off of the latex is to use a pressure washer which still doesn't work in the little grooves and cracks. Does anyone know how to get the paint ALL off (if the primer doesn't work) that wonk KILL the latex?

Winged Mermaid
05-05-2013, 08:18 PM
When you say "my paint" do you mean Createx or something else? Do I remember you using acrylic on it before (from your FB page)? If you use createx you need to wait at least an hour after painting then heat gun it well (touch the tail - be very careful- after you run the heat gun over it and make sure it's getting hot), then wait at least a few hours before exposing it to water. Scraping it on abrasive surfaces will still take the paint off- it's the nature of the beast. What primer are you using?

I've done bouts with taking off the paint too. I tried soaking it in the tub and rubbing it off with a very dull exacto knife. Seemed to want to come of in chlorinated water when I go swimming, but a fresh water soak did no good. Also tried windex and rubbing alcohol (did my research on that it wouldn't kill the latex first). Rubbing alcohol worked but it it took forever to get it off of small spots. I needed the alcohol on cotton balls to remove it and a sponge to wipe the residue away so I wasn't just rubbing it around. I ended up only doing the really important spots that tend to not take paint as well (heels, monofin ridges, knees).

maemermaid
05-05-2013, 08:24 PM
"my paint" is the Createx that I'm working with now. I tinkered with enamel over latex primer but I screwed it all up (I'm no artist). Anywho... Perhaps alcohol would work in taking the paint off. I'm just having trouble with the new paint sticking to the old paint even when heat cured. But it sticks to the latex after being heat cured PERFECTLY. I guess it is worth another shot over the original paint, but we'll see /:

AniaR
05-05-2013, 09:20 PM
is it latex or alex plus?

maemermaid
05-05-2013, 10:22 PM
I'm not sure. I know it's one of the MerTailor's older tails it was made for Alasea.