Hi! Currently working on full silicone tail....

[Jessica]

Hi everyone, I'm Jessica and I'm making a full dragonskin silicone tail. I just finished my fluke and scale mold yesterday. I'm using shell shock and the fluke turned out great but the scale mold is another story...

I've found so much great information on here and I appreciate all of you sharing your experiences! I've spent hours on here reading all of the tailmaking threads and I'm excited to finally be working on a silicone tail. I have a spandex sequin tail that is mostly done...I still need to glue sequins on the body of the tail. I have discovered a great way to hide your heels in a spandex tail with sequins! It really reduces the stretch of the fabric but I think the effect is absolutely worth it. I have also made two children's mermaid tails out of sequin fabric and Halloween scale fabric for my kids.

I highly recommend monster makers clay if you're making a silicone tail. It's been really wonderful to work with and this is the first time I've ever done any sculpting. It's also great to use as a wall for your scale sheet or fluke so you don't have to build a mold box.

I'm having a real issue with my scale mold right now and would really appreciate any advice. I used foam circles (with sticky backs) and shell shock. I used manns ease release 200 from smooth on. My small test patch turned out great, but my 24" x 52" mold is a mess!! The foam scales were stuck to the mold and I've had to scrape each one out with a knife. They have come out in bits and pieces and my mold is covered in tiny bits of foam. Any ideas on how to get them out?

I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone!

[Phoenix Mermaid]

Welcome to the community! Is that ur fluke design on your profile pic? It looks awesome! I bet its going to make a beautiful tail!

[AniaR]

check with mermaid Star maybe

[Jessica]

Hi Phoenix!

yes that's my fluke design. I sculpted it out of monster makers clay and can't wait to see how it looks when I make it out of silicone! You can't tell in the picture, but there's a lot of fine detail in between the raised ridges. I just hope they all show up in the silicone

[Phoenix Mermaid]

I think it will be beautiful! How much clay did you have to use just for the fluke?

[Jessica]

Hi Phoenix,

I used about 2 pounds between the fluke and the short wall I built around it to form a barrier for the liquid plastic. I sculpted the fluke very thin towards the ends so it will be really floppy. The edges are much thicker to help support the fluke. I'm trying to find different designs to reduce the amount of silicone needed. I'd love to make tails to sell eventually and if i can reduce the amount of silicone needed without compromising the structural integrity, I will be able to sell full silicone tails at a competitive price. I'm also using a finis foil so the fluke will be as natural looking as possible.

Im a huge fan of monster makers clay because it can be reused. The liquid plastic is really easy to remove and the clay can be melted in the oven, microwave or with a hair dryer. It hardens at room temp but never dries out!

I saw your sequin tail on your Facebook and it looks great! I love how you put pearls on the shells! What kind of paint did you use? I have a shell top that's almost finished and I also used pearls on the shells.

[Phoenix Mermaid]

oh wow...I thought it would take much more clay for the sculpture. that's not too bad though. monster clay sounds awesome. I'd hope to make a silicone tail one day when I have the funds :)

Thanks. My sequin tail isn't done yet, it needs some adjustment made before I can finish up. Your top looks awesome, it's very pretty. I just use simple acrylic paints on my shells and it seems to hold up very well.

[Keiris]

I had the EXACT same problem using the same materials. My mold is also a mess. SOOOOO IRRITATING! This is the second mold I have made as I had the same problem with the first plus seepage of the shell shock between the scales. I used quite a bit more release on this one and it made no difference whatsoever. I tried pouring acetone in the mold to release the foam but no luck. If you hear anything, Jessica, please let me know.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

My scale mold had foam scales attached as well and I simply had to sit with a knife and flathead screwdriver and pick them out. It was tedious, but it worked. Thankfully the majority of my foam was on the edges.

[Keiris]

Uuggh Lorelei! Every single foam circle embedded into the shell shock. EVERY one of them! They don't just peel out either. They shred and glop. At this rate, I'll be seventy by the time I get all of these out of here!!!! That won't make for a pretty merman. :-(

[Firemaid]

Shell shock and foam circles do not work well together!
Polyurethane or fiberglass are better options!
Spray release is your friends!

[Keiris]

I sealed the foam circles and sprayed a ton of the recommended Ease Release 200 from Smooth On. It didn't do any good.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Oo! Does that mean sexy scars on your scales?

[Jessica]

Keiris,

my scale mold sounds just like yours. My scales were covered....the shell shock got under every single edge and the foam is coming off in pieces. Some of they are sticky...the texture changed. I've found that using a sharp paring knife and a pair of tweezers is working, but its going to the me hours and hours and hours.....

i used a bunch of release agent and it just didn't make a difference. I think mermaid Dottie has a point though...even if we can't get every bit of foam out it will still be ok because it will look like scars on the scales. We could always say that a shark tried to take a bite....

When I used the paring knife I slide it under as much of the foam as possible and lift. This cracks the shell shock that ran over the edges of the foam and it comes up a little easier than trying to peel it by hand.

Lorelei, your tail is beautiful!! I read every bit of your tutorial and it gave me the confidence to give tailmaking a try. Thank you for sharing your experience. You are so lucky that you only had trouble around the edges...my mold is a mess throughout.

I think we should follow firemaid's advice and consider other materials! I know that next time I make a scale mold I'm going to use clay because the shell shock came right off the monster makers clay and its easy to work with.

Here is my disaster:

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Oh man, I'm sorry your scale mold came out so difficultly! Mine certainly did not look like that, but I attacked mine with 2 bottles of release agent, so that might be the difference. I'd definitely agree with switching to a different mold material though. I know I will be the next time I make a scale mold. Thank you for the kind words, too! I'm glad I could offer you help and confidence!

[jazz2453]

Hi Keiris:) What exactly did you seal you foam scales with?

And for Jessica-THAT STINKS! I feel so bad! :( Now I regret ordering shellshock. Your fluke looks great though! And I hope your tail comes out great!

[Keiris]

Hi jazz2453! I alternated between layers of spray Polycrylic and brush on Acrylic gloss artist's medium. After that was dry, I layered on 3/4 can of Ease Release 200. I wish I had used two cans of it like Lorelei since she had MUCH better luck, but the can said to not overuse. Anyway, my mold looks almost identical to Jessica's. So it appears we'll look like the warrior class of merfolk. lol.

[Keiris]

Hey Jessica, How's the scale scraping coming along? I have been looking for chemicals that dissolve this kind of foam since acetone didn't work. I'll let you know if I find anything. I'm half tempted to use a candlelighter to try and burn them out but I'm afraid the whole thing will blow up in my face. Jeesh what a pain in the .....tail this is!!!

[Jessica]

Hi keiris,

scale scraping is not a fun process!! Definitely a pain in the tail....... I've had some luck just using a paring knife to get the little bits out, but in some places the foam is sticky and it just doesn't want to come off at all. I got fed up with it yesterday and mixed up some silicone for a small test patch. I'll post pictures tomorrow of the patches. I had two small sample molds just a couple of rows high I made before I poured the shell shock in my big mold. One turned out perfect....the one without lacquer and the other one with lacquer turned out like my big mold. The silicone is fun to work with...well better than fun....it was so exciting to finally see some results!!!

The messed up patch has a general scale pattern, but it is far from perfect and little bits of foam got stuck in the silicone. Sooo....it looks like I have a bunch of scraping to do this week.

I did have some silicone leftover so I threw some paint in and then tossed it on a relatively clean section of my large mold. It turned out pretty good. I don't think the mold will have to be perfect to get good results. No fish is perfect, right?

Acetone? And a candlelighter? RUN!!! You will turn out to be a deep fried fish if you're not careful!!! I didn't think of trying chemicals to dissolve the foam......I'd be worried that it might stop the silicone from curing. You might want to check with smooth on before you try any more chemicals. It would be beyond awful to do so much work and not have your silicone cure.

I'll try burning the foam and let you know how it goes. Did the shell shock get under the edges of each foam scale on your mold or did they just stick? I have an edge of shell shock around every single circle I have to pry out...

Is this your first silicone tail too?

[Jessica]

SANDPAPER!!!!!!!!!! It works!! It gets the gooey bits of foam out of my scale mold!! I've been trying all sorts of things to get this mold fixed and I've finally found one that works!

Keiris,

dont try burning the foam out. It isn't very effective and it might hurt the mold. I tried it on my tiny sample mold that looks like my big mold and it turned the mold black, gray and orange in some places.

i tried a pretty rough sandpaper on my mold and it got the teeny bits out really well. I think I will still have to pick out the big pieces but the sandpaper is making it possible to get the really sticky foam out without damaging the mold.

I am so relieved to finally find something that works!

[Jessica]

Progress pictures! I did a few sample patches of silicone scales and painted them today. Even the patches that came out of my messy mold look good once I painted them. I tried a few different colors just for fun and I really like how they all turned out. I haven't designed my tail yet and I still have a ton of paint colors I haven't tested.

I also poured silicone in my fluke mold today and I'm waiting for it to cure.

[TheSolitarySiren]

Wow!~ They look absolutely wonderful!~ You've done a fabulous job. So glad it worked out for you. What are you painting the scales with?

[Jessica]

I'm using pearl ex powdered paint by jacquard. I mixed it with the silicone and then painted it on the silicone scales. I absolutely love this paint and it mixes with the silicone really well.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Those look awesome.
So, wait you're pouring clear silicone into your fluke mold? aren't you afraid your colors will chip?

[Jessica]

Hi Dottie,

I poured clear silicone into my fluke mold and will paint it later with silicone mixed with powdered paint. Silicone will only stick to silicone so you have to use silicone as your paint base. The best part about this is that the colors won't chip or get rubbed off because they become part of the fluke and not just paint on top. You can tint your silicone but it uses a lot of paint and if you use too much the silicone might not cure.

I really like how easy it is with dragonskin to fill in rough spots that were caused my my mold or air bubbles. This is my first time working with silicone and I'm really enjoying it!

[Mermaid Dottie]

Yeah, but you'll likely have to touch it up more often than if your silicone was tinted. Then again, you might get a lovely Semi translucent look.

What I mean is, even silicone scuffs and gets a little torn up from wear. I believe that is why most tailmakers tint the base silicone layer, then paint on top. I could be wrong, though.

[Mermaid Danielle]

Wow! Jessica, this looks fantastic! Congrats to you! I can't wait to see the finished product!

[Jessica]

It's almost done!!! It's still a little gooey in the very center, but the edges of the fluke are done! My kids are so excited...my daughter is holding the fluke in this picture.

[jazz2453]

Amazing!!! This looks fantastic;) I really like your scales and the fluke is looking great!!!;) I love the transclucent effect but I'm confused if your going to be able to see the monofin or not even after you paint it:/ I know it will look perfect anyways though;)

[Jessica]

Hi Jazz,

i think I will have to use either multiple layers of paint or darker colors near the monofin. The fluke is thinner than I intended in between the ridges, but I think it will be fine structurally once I seal the two halves together. The edges are really thick and should be good support for the fluke. I was trying to make it really floppy but I do wish I had made it a little thicker! I'm so excited by this whole process...the materials are just amazing to work with.

dottie,

i considered tinting the silicone but I have no idea what color I'm painting my tail! It would be a smart thing to do just in case you do scrape your tail, and I think I might do it next time. Ive been so focused on getting the process right that I haven't given any thought to what I want my tail to look like. I have a 32 color pack of paint so I have some options to choose from though.....I just don't know where to begin!

[Mermaid Oshun]

Jessica this is really wonderful. I am very thrilled watching you succeed at this.

[Mermaid Cascada]

Sooooo beautiful! The scale samples are absolutley gorgeous and looks super realistic!

[Jessica]

The fluke is out of the mold! It's VERY floppy....maybe too floppy...but I'm really happy with how it turned out! The silicone really captured the details. You can't really tell in the picture, but there are a ton of fine detail lines in between the ridges. I can't wait to see how this looks painted!

[jazz2453]

Nice!!! Congratulations;) it really looks great!

[Mermaid Dottie]

I kind of hope I'm right, though, that when you sandwich your monofin in your fluke it ends up a little transparent. That would be soooo pretty in the water, especially from below the sunlit angles.
It really looks good right now. I'm so excited to see this project.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

If you're afraid that your fluke will be to thin, you can very easily pour some extra silicone on the back. It will pool outwards and thicken the fluke for you without making big bumps or lumps.

[Jessica]

Thank you all so much for all of your support! This has been an interesting project and its been both fun and frustrating! I poured the second half of the fluke last night and it came out perfect! Now that I have both halves of the fluke I'm trying to figure out if I made it thick enough. It feels good and sturdy when I lay the sides together, but its rather floppy and I'm questioning my decision to use a finis foil monofin. I designed my fluke to attach right below the foot pocket. The problem is that the fluke is so floppy that it just flops on the sides and right where the monofin ends. I wanted a seamless, flowy look for the fluke, but it looks like the shape of the monofin will be rather noticeable. I also have a wave monofin that will fit and provide more support or the fluke, but I don't like the idea of using it because of the detachable ankle straps. I wore out the strap last summer and had to buy a new one, and I don't know if I would be able to replace the strap once it was in the tail if I wear it out again.

Lorelei,
I like your idea and it should be pretty easy to add a little extra on the back. Do you think making the fluke a little thicker will make a difference with how much it flops at the end of the monofin? I want the fluke to be flowy and not just hang off the end of the monofin......
how thick is your fluke?

Here are some pictures of both of my fluke halves together:

would you add any extra silicone or not?

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I would definitely advise you to add some extra, especially around the monofin. Even rubber monofins can cut through the fluke if they bang against anything or the silicone is too thin. You're probably fine around the edges though.

[Mermaid Dottie]

oooo! So Cool!

[Jessica]

Progress on the scale mold! I'm a little over halfway done scraping all the bits of foam out of my mold. 12688