something to consider before making a silicon tail

[Firemaid]

I just finished my second silicon tail and I got to thinking.

There are a lot of us attempting this. I think that is wonderful! If you want to make a tail you should!
There is so much useful information out there. You can probably find every single step of the process somewhere in these forums! I have had a blast learning new skills and being creative

That said, I suggest anyone who is considering making a tail to ask themselves "why?"

This is not a normal craft project. I don't want people to see the tutorials and think they can save money by making their own tails. It's really hard, it is time consuming, and it's expensive.

I spent literally thousands of dollars on studio space, classes and materials. Once you have all the molds, forms and tools, the process is quite a bit cheaper and faster, but making the initial tail is a huge undertaking.

I am an artist with a history in costumes. I am familiar with casting and mold making from silversmithing when I was a teeanger. I took a mold making class and a silicone class while working on this tail. My big brother is a master sculptor, I had a friend who does special effects on big budget films, my nephew has a background in set building, my boyfriend paints and builds, one of my dear friends is a theater seamstress. All these people have been hands on helping me for the last year.
It was still really hard. We made lots of mistakes.
The first tail we built sucked.

I want to encourage people to make their own tails and to try hard things! I will answer any questions about the process.
I don't believe in "trade secrets"

Like I said before, I hope anyone who is considering making a tail to ask themselves "why?"

If you are thinking you can save money or do it faster than buying one you might want to reconsider.

This is a very involved and expensive project and the learning curve is huge!

What do you think?

[AniaR]

I think people need to consider that too and PLEASE TEST YOUR TAILS AND MAKE MORE THAN ONE BEFORE YOU SELL THEM TO THE PUBLIC. Way too many people are selling tails right away or even promising them off before they've made one.

[Mermaid Star]

I have had someone contact me and tellme that they had a website, facebook and prices for making tails already but in the very next sentence asked me to teach them how to make a tail... One, I am not going to teach someone how to make a tail so they can turn around and sell them when I am not even confident enough in my skill to sell them. Two, why are people making websites and price lists when they have never made a tail, have no idea what an undertaking it is, and dont even know the costof supplies because they dont know what supplies go into it to begin with! So irritating!

I do believe you can save money. The tail I made, though it isnt perfect only cost me $600 in supplies. I also learned a lot and am hoping to learn more on this next tail and really hope I get it closer to what I want this time, correcting the mistakes I made in the first one. I was very lucky and did a crap ton of research on these forums and else where before attempting it. You can save money, but you are going to spend a bunch or time... if you dont spend a bunch of time, you are going to spend a bunch of money

[jazz2453]

For me, the reason "why" I'm making my own tail was because I wouldn't I have the same self accomplishment if I had just bought one. It's also been loads of fun!

[Echidna]

I am an artist with a history in costumes. I am familiar with casting and mold making from silversmithing when I was a teeanger. I took a mold making class and a silicone class while working on this tail. My big brother is a master sculptor, I had a friend who does special effects on big budget films, my nephew has a background in set building, my boyfriend paints and builds, one of my dear friends is a theater seamstress. All these people have been hands on helping me for the last year.
It was still really hard. We made lots of mistakes.
The first tail we built sucked.


^^ See, this is why I wouldn't dare attempt making a tail from any material but fabric, or maybe neoprene.
I'm quite confident now with sewing, embroidering, and slowly getting into painting too,
but I know my limits, and damn, even sewing, making patterns, stencils, and handling fabric paint is insanely hard if you're not a learned seamstress or something!
I screwed up two tails (the pretty fabric :( ) before I made one that didn't look totally bad...only now slowly getting the hang of it.
And tails must be one of the easiest things to sew, compared to costumes or such :p

So yea, I'm tipping my imaginary hat to the people who manage to make good-looking latex and silicone products.

[Jessica]

Honestly....if I knew what I was getting into and how much money I would spend....I might have bought a tail instead. However, I've just fallen in love with silicone. Sounds silly I know....but this process is so rewarding. My scale mold didn't turn out so great and its taking forever to fix it, but the scale tests I have done are just so neat. The physical properties of silicone are fascinating and I'm already planning my next project.

I wouldn't recommend that anyone try making a silicone tail without doing extensive research. I spent nine months doing research for this project before I even ordered the materials and then i did some more. Ive made mistakes and like Firemaid said, there is definitely a huge learning curve. This project is so much bigger than I expected and I've spent so much money. I no longer have a dining room(its now my mold room) and my house is covered in mermaid stuff. This project has taken over my life! Anyone considering making a silicone or latex tail should really consider what a huge time commitment it is.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Oye, I cannot agree with this point more. Yes, it is exceedingly rewarding to have made my own tail, but WOW was it difficult. It was a much bigger project then I had anticipated and I would not lightly suggest someone take it on.

[Firemaid]

For me, the reason "why" I'm making my own tail was because I wouldn't I have the same self accomplishment if I had just bought one. It's also been loads of fun!

Girl. I feel you.

[Firemaid]

With the money you spent on your first tail (I recommend starting with latex like Star, to learn and build molds) plus the money you are spending on your silicone tail, you can have bought one by the time you get a tail that is perfect. Would it be your art? No. Would it really be perfect? No. but if saving $$$ is your main objective DIY is not the best choice.

[Mermaid Adriel]

For me, the reason "why" I'm making my own tail was because I wouldn't I have the same self accomplishment if I had just bought one. It's also been loads of fun!

Same to me :) And I hope to have fun in making mine!

[deepblue]

I'd like to see more people who're getting into tail making also realize that people are going to be swimming in these things. There are safety issues to a tail that has a problem such as a faulty custom monofin, or pins in the silicone, or the wrong materials which could be toxic and cause a reaction with someone's skin- and yes, people use and swim at their own risk, but it'd be nice if the tail wasn't going to stab them in the process. People need to research their tail makers a lot more than some seem to. Laying down any amount of money should be enough reason, your safety should also.

As far as making tails for ourselves, go, same thing... if you can't spend the money to do a silicone tail right, then don't risk your safety with shortcuts, and wait til the time when you can afford it.

[Mermaid Adriel]

^ well said, people should ask about materials before spending money and don't be hasty.

[PearlieMae]

PROTOTYPING and TESTING!!!

I am an experienced crafter and builder and I have been working on my current tail since, what, August? All this time, I have been testing everything every step of the way. In fact, I learned a very important fact yesterday - DO NOT USE ACETONE ON POLYCARBONATE! It will cause it to fracture like crazy!

Safety should be first and foremost, whether it is a homemade tail or one from a professional tailmaker!

[Mizuko]

Its very true- so much work and money goes into it! I LOVED making my first silicone tail, I learnt so much: but in the back of my head I still think "with all that money I could've gotten a professional tail made for me" which, ultimately, wouldn't have had the little mistakes I've got in my tail! haha! But I wont lie, I'm already saving to make my next one. Despite losing out on a lot of money on mistakes (which is probably the WORST part of tail making- all the research in the world will not prepare you for it) its still very rewarding! ^_^