Disfusional Silicone Tail Adventure (Heavy on Pictures)

[Disfusional]

Welp, I have been working on this project for quite some time now.. about a month. I ordered a Waterway Monofin, which I LOVE! Due to being a teacher I have the summer off, and what a better time/temperature to work with Shell Shock and Silicone. That and I have all the free time I could ever want.


My Check List:


X - Sketch out tail Ideas
X - Order WaterWay Model 2 Monofin
X - 3,000 1" foam circles
X - Glue down circles onto plywood (scale sheet)
X - Order Shell Shock and Mann's Ease Release
X - Paint Mold with Mann's Release
__ - Cast Scale Sheet using Shell Shock
__ - Clean Mold
X - Draw out Fluke to Actual Size
X - Order Monster Clay 10lbs.
__ - Build fluke out of clay
__ - Cast Fluke using Shell Shock
__ - Clean Mold
__ - Create cast on my legs using plastic wrap and duct tape
__ - Pour Silicone on Fluke mold x 2
__ - Pour Silicone on Scale mold x 2
__ - Attach Fluke to Monofin - Sandwich
__ - Test Fluke in water
__ - Measure out body and scalp tail to fluke
__ - Try on, make adjustments
__ - Test in water
__ - Paint Tail


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^ My WONDERFUL Monofin!

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^ My Kitten Stitch Helping me draw out my Fluke, so helpful.

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^ Progress shot

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^ I used a Fisker hole punch and a small file set. I have a video on Youtube that describes the process I did.

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^ E6000!!! It will be your best friend throughout this whole process.

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^ My boyfriend's father helped be frame it out. It seems I am not tall enough to put the screws in straight with it standing on end.

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^ Mann's Ease Release 205

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^ Paint, Paint, Painting it on... I used a whole pint. I have heard the horror stories about the foam and Shell Shock. I bought two pints for that reason. So after this has dried, I will be coating it again. Better to be safe then sorry!

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^ Tomorrow I will be casting the mold!


I am still working on it and will update you along the way. I have not posed the actual design and color palette, if you want to see that visit my facebook page. There are also a lot more picture and instructions of my process.

I am limiting the places I post my actual design, due to people copying it. I have come across some problems already.

However, I am open of any comments, tips, notes, etc. I will be happy to answer questions too. It is an adventure for me, as this is my first tail. But, I will answer them to the best of my ability.

[AniaR]

smart idea with the watermark ;) can't wait to see the result.

[jazz2453]

Wow looks AMAZING so far! I can tell this will be awesome. All your work and details look so organized. I just wanted to ask if u ended up using all 3,000 scales?

[Mizuko]

This looks great already! :D It gets me impatient to finish my own! XD Your design on your facebook is really cool! :D

[Disfusional]

smart idea with the watermark ;) can't wait to see the result.

The watermark was something that strongly advise you to do in art school.

Thank you Raina, fyi - you rock girl!


Wow looks AMAZING so far! I can tell this will be awesome. All your work and details look so organized. I just wanted to ask if u ended up using all 3,000 scales?

Over 3,000 circles... The boyfriend and I punched them out as we started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer back at the beginning of season one! Nice bonding time.


This looks great already! :D It gets me impatient to finish my own! XD Your design on your facebook is really cool! :D

Thank you Mizuko. Your tails are so pretty. Thank you so much for the great complement.

[MerAnthony]

I liked you FB page Disfusional . I can't wait to see when you do the rest of your tail.

[Disfusional]

I liked you FB page Disfusional . I can't wait to see when you do the rest of your tail.

Thank so much. I am using the Model 2 Monofin that you have been asking questions about. Unfortunetly I do not know of any places that sell it for under $170. http://www.freedivershop.com/fins-and-monofins/freediving/freediving-monofins/waterway-model-2-monofin

[Ashe]

Ooooh! I love when people make silicone tails :D I can't wait to see the result!

[Mermaid Dottie]

Over 3,000 circles... The boyfriend and I punched them out as we started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer back at the beginning of season one! Nice bonding time.

My BFF and I bonded over Buffy. She introduced me to the sassy, Righteous, tail-kicking cheerleader. Love.

[Disfusional]

Ooooh! I love when people make silicone tails :D I can't wait to see the result!

I am looking forward to the results as well. Today was a bit of a delema. Need more Shell Shock. I have 3 more gal. order to be in at the end of next week. Holiday really throws a wrench on projects. Oh-well. Give me more time to focus just on sculpting the fluke and creating the mold box for that part.


My BFF and I bonded over Buffy. She introduced me to the sassy, Righteous, tail-kicking cheerleader. Love.

Awesome! I remember when I was younger having a crush on Angle and Spike. The T.V. show she was only a cheerleader for half an episode. haha She does embody Girl-Power to its fullest!!!

[Disfusional]

I have some bad news and need to vent a bit. It seems that in the middle of the night my cat decided that he was going to flip over my scale sheet and take his claws to it. What confuses be is how he got to the underside of the scale sheet. And why the hell my scale sheet and not the numerous number of scratch posts/surfaces that are located all around the house.

The more upsetting thing is that I have them glued down so well I can not simply take out the sections of scales and replaces them with new ones. Nor is there enough room to work around it. Ugh, looks like the cat won.

Time to take a deep breath and create another scale sheet of 3,000 scales. It look roughly a month to cut them all out and a week to glue them all down. What a way to bump back production. All I want is a tail. haha

On a positive note, the fluke sculpting is coming along very well. I am a bit pick and am still sculpting it to my hearts desire.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Jazz used (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5525-Jazz-s-H2o-Style-Silicone-Mermaid-Tail-Process/page3&highlight=jazz) pre-cut foam soccer balls (http://factorydirectcraft.com/catalog/products/1302_1923-10432-112_craft_foam_soccer_ball_stickers_55pcs.html?utm _source=googlep&utm_medium=gpfeed&utm_campaign=gpfeed&gclid=CNP-ncSQo7gCFShxQgodKgYAGw) on hers. D'you think these would help? If you didn't have to spend so much time punching out circles, maybe you could catch back up more quickly.
I hope I'm being helpful and not annoying.

[jazz2453]

Yea if you really don't want to cut them all out again, then you can just get pre-cut circle adhesives. Hardly any work, and it comes out great. It can get costly, but it's your decision.

[Disfusional]

Jazz used (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5525-Jazz-s-H2o-Style-Silicone-Mermaid-Tail-Process/page3&highlight=jazz) pre-cut foam soccer balls (http://factorydirectcraft.com/catalog/products/1302_1923-10432-112_craft_foam_soccer_ball_stickers_55pcs.html?utm _source=googlep&utm_medium=gpfeed&utm_campaign=gpfeed&gclid=CNP-ncSQo7gCFShxQgodKgYAGw) on hers. D'you think these would help? If you didn't have to spend so much time punching out circles, maybe you could catch back up more quickly.
I hope I'm being helpful and not annoying.

I was originally thinking that I would get the foam that has the adhesive on the back side. However, the pre-cut circles does not seem like half a bad idea.



Yea if you really don't want to cut them all out again, then you can just get pre-cut circle adhesives. Hardly any work, and it comes out great. It can get costly, but it's your decision.

I appreciate your assistance. Sounds like something I will indeed have to look into! Thank you.

[emma11]

Instead of hand punching, you can do what I did!

Cut a pipe in half the size of what you want the circles to be, and file the edges of one side into points. Take a hammer to that onto your foam sheets. Works like a charm, and you can do it about 6 sheets on top of each other. They come out beautifully! Just hit the pipe hard. <3

[Disfusional]

Instead of hand punching, you can do what I did!

Cut a pipe in half the size of what you want the circles to be, and file the edges of one side into points. Take a hammer to that onto your foam sheets. Works like a charm, and you can do it about 6 sheets on top of each other. They come out beautifully! Just hit the pipe hard. <3

I tried the pipe idea (well the boyfriend made it). It did not work out as cleanly as I had hoped.

[Mermaid Marius]

I'm so excited to see it when it's done. It's always fun to see people's tails! Where did you get your foam circles at? Bereef it or not, I'm having the hardest time finding them.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Marius, Jazz used foam soccer balls like for scrap booking! Or I've seen a lot of people just buy sheets of foam and cut them.

I'm excited to see this process as well! I love when people make silicone tails, there's SO much room for customizing!!!! :D

[emma11]

Huh! I made sure the pipe was super sharp, and we hit it wih a very heavy hammer. Don't know if that makes a difference. Sorry it didn't work for you! Mine came out lovely, though we resharpened it about every six sheets we went through, and with a jewelers file.

[Disfusional]

I'm so excited to see it when it's done. It's always fun to see people's tails! Where did you get your foam circles at? Bereef it or not, I'm having the hardest time finding them.

I did not buy them. If you look at the images/my youtube, you will see that I bought a scrapbooking 1” circle punch and a pack of craft foam from Michaels (all my crafting supplies are either from Michaels, Home Depot, Monster Clay, or Smooth-On). After filing down the punch so the foam would fit into it; start punching. Haha It is a long process. However, it only took 4.5 days to glue over 3,000 circles down.



Marius, Jazz used foam soccer balls like for scrap booking! Or I've seen a lot of people just buy sheets of foam and cut them.

I'm excited to see this process as well! I love when people make silicone tails, there's SO much room for customizing!!!!

There was a sna-foo. My adorable adopted kitten decided he was going to make the scale sheet a scratch post. SO needless to say I am in the process of gluing the scales back down.
I did manage to get a mold test done with the sheet, and I learned what I needed to do to the new mold to make it even better than the old.



Huh! I made sure the pipe was super sharp, and we hit it with a very heavy hammer. Don't know if that makes a difference. Sorry it didn't work for you! Mine came out lovely, though we re-sharpened it about every six sheets we went through, and with a jewelers file.

I was using a 3 lb mallet/hammer with what we thought was a sharpened pipe. It seems like some sides were sharper then the other. Oh well. I have all my scales done. I think the scale mold is the most tedious part.
Emma it is awesome that you were able to cut so many out at a time. If I have to re-re-do a scale mold) how that does not happen) the pipe will indeed be what I use.

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Side note: If you need Monster clay use Amazon.com. Check out what I posted in this thread: HERE (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5865-Do-you-need-Monster-Clay-I-found-free-shipping)

[Mermaid Julz]

i like this tut... photos are helpful... gonna bookmark it for a referencee point in my computer for the tail i am making. keep up the good work! can't wait to see more.

[Disfusional]

i like this tut... photos are helpful... gonna bookmark it for a referencee point in my computer for the tail i am making. keep up the good work! can't wait to see more.

Thank you Julz. I hope my guide helps. However, I would also check out a bunch of the other Mers too. Some of their tail making and tutorials helped me out a lot.

[Ashton]

How did de-molding go?