H20 Tail Question.: What To Use For The Fluke?

[Prince Calypso]

So my to make an H2O/POC inspired mermaid tail has reached a little snag
I have no idea how to construct the fluke!
I've watched videos on how the tails on H2O were made and i pretty much get the basic structure but no one ever really explains how the fluke is made
My Boyfriend suggest just buying and average large fluke and taking off the the foot pockets to attach the rod that would add length for the tail
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which i guess is an OK idea
but it seems a bit involved not to mention i'm not sure that how the creators froM H2O did theirs
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so what do you guys think I should do for the fluke. any and all suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

[MerEmma]

Seems like somewhere I read that they used hollow PVC piping for the veins? I'm not sure. Silicone? Do you mean the rod or the exterior fluke?

[Mermaid Dottie]

A sheet of lexan plastic would work pretty well, I should think. Attaching it in a ball socket kind of way would limit your swing, but still allow enough movement that stress wouldn't be an issue. Not to mention that lexan is a touch cheaper than a monofin.

[MerEmma]

Lexan has been known to break before though. It's cool since it's clear, but I don't think it would be durable enough.

[OrcaMatt]

There's a point that's always missed when this one comes up.

[Mermaid Momo]

They actually used wood i think,I'll try and find the video where it shows it tomorrow since I'm on my phone now, but if you want to look It up yourself i think it's called " h2o just add water live (costumes)" by mrxsp08. Ad they covered the wood in latex or silicone or whatever it is they use

EDIT: It seems its not actually wood but some type of nylon material.

[malinghi]

Lexan has been known to break before though. It's cool since it's clear, but I don't think it would be durable enough.

Yeah, its very easy to forget how strong the hydrodynamic forces are while swimming. Those rods must be made of something fairly strong. Nylon makes sense. Fiberglass or carbon fiber might also work. As for how the fin attaches to the rod and the rod attaches to the footplate, I don't know. If the fin, rod, and footplate were all made out of fiberglass so that they were essentially one big piece that might work, but I've never worked with fiberglass so I really don't know.

[Prince Calypso]

I get how the foot pad and the rod and the fluke are connected....well my boyfriend gets it
but what we don't know is how or what to make the fluke out of

my boyfriend says it could just be a silicone sculpt but i'm not sure

[Trident True]

I get how the foot pad and the rod and the fluke are connected....well my boyfriend gets it
but what we don't know is how or what to make the fluke out of

my boyfriend says it could just be a silicone sculpt but i'm not sure


its most likely they create the flipper out of clay first. eg it was sculpted then they created a mold uisng silicone then recasted to create the final product. so create it exactly the same way in the photo. its almost a 3d fluke so sculpt it using clay add a hole for where the rod will be place and leave to dry. You will have to add in all detail just like above. Note this will have to be quiet thick with clay but once dry you should beable to move it. Im doing an Inspired H2o filpper for my tail. it looks just like the H20 one but it doesnt have as many veins in it. it stil looks good i think.

[Mermaid Varshana]

Oh my god, Trident, your signature ^^;