Cardboard?

[Chenne]

Has anyone tried making a budget friendly monofin out of cardboard? I was thinking about my highschool physics class where we had a regata from cardboard and ducktape boats. My group made a legit pirate ship that sailed pretty awesome. Could the same concept work for a basic monofin?

[Mermaid Cascada]

I don't think it would work. Cardboard is very pourus so it has little hole throughout it that water would get into. Not only that but even if you sealed it with duct tape that would trap the the air inside causing your fin to float (like the ship you made). So I don't think it be easy to swim in and it would most likely fall apart.

[LittleTreasure]

I'd probably go with Mermaid Cascada on this one. You'd spend all that time making it just to have something that is too full of air (making it hard to swim in) and it would begin to disentigrate quickly (just the thought of a soggy sticky monofin with the duct tape coming off of it makes me gag). BUT you could probably make yourself a really basic and small monofin out of Lexan without too much cost. Just buy some swim shoes and use shoestrings to attach them through drilled holes. You would probably only need a dremel and a hand cutting tool to do the cutting, drilling and sanding, I think. Or if you have access to power tools the process will go way faster. If you have a supporting piece, you could attach it with something like waterproof Loctite, which is what I used to make mine and it works very well. This way you'll have something that works for much longer. The work will be worth it.

[MerEmma]

I think Mermaid Petronella has a $5 or $10 monofin tutorial on YouTube. Search it up.

[Mermaid Oshun]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbaDYmGUhbA

[Echidna]

^^Ha, awesome!
Now that sounds like something I could get done (opposed to silicone molding, lol)

Has anyone ever tried that?
How's the swimmability/propulsion of such a fin?

*trails off in search of translucent rubber*

[Chenne]

Oh I can definatly do that much! haha thanks a bunch guys!

[Mermaid Oshun]

you can surely get a rubber door mat and some rubber sandals at a dollar store or walmart

[Chenne]

I'll try it and let you know how it swims :)

[MerEmma]

Again, Mermaid Petronella made the tutorial. Look through her older videos: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7IJHvD4ArL3jXQdUKxKgsg/videos

[Echidna]

I'll try it and let you know how it swims :)

Please do!
It'd be great to make one's own monofins.

[Mermaid Allie]

Well I think this is a video of her using it. Its very innovative but i don' see much propulsion from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jphouIRaLug

[ShyMer]

Yeah it doesn't give you any propulsion. If you want it to just look flowy, then this would be okay, but it won't be great for getting you through the water.

[Echidna]

Yea, it would be for shaping a fluke only I guess.
Shame.
Do you think it'd be a tad better if one used double-layered linoleum instead of rubber?

[Mermaid Allie]

I don't know what linoleum is LOLZ but i know rubber has worked in the past, i mean look at the finis foil! I think its marine grade rubber (idk what that means) but maybe try a stiffer rubber!

WE MERMAIDS WANT TRANSLUCENT FLUKES!! #thestruggle

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Oh my gosh, I never thought about linoleum!!!!!! HOW COULD I I've failed my art teacher haha! If anyone has ever worked with linoleum, its stiff but flexible, and it can be carved away. For art, we carve away the negative and put a layer of ink, which we then place on paper like a stamp and it creates a very interesting design.
I may use linoleum sheet inside of my silicone fluke, instead of a monofin, to save money! I LOVE YOU <3 <3 <3

[Mermaid Caspiana]

Well I think this is a video of her using it. Its very innovative but i don' see much propulsion from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jphouIRaLug
I don't think that one is the mat one. Because I you look at the shape if the fluke it is different that what she cut it out to be.

[Mermaid Caspiana]

I don't know what linoleum is LOLZ but i know rubber has worked in the past, i mean look at the finis foil! I think its marine grade rubber (idk what that means) but maybe try a stiffer rubber!

WE MERMAIDS WANT TRANSLUCENT FLUKES!! #thestruggle
Its why a lot of floors are made of. Look it up it should define it. Go to google and type in linoleum or define linoleum. ;) and what is this about translucent flukes?

[Miyu]

Actually, my bf's cousin said he had some waterproofing spray at work for an aluminum engine or something, and he sprayed it all over some cardboard and it was totally water resistant, he was putting water on it and playing with it, and was awesome apparently. I thought about that being useful for a monfin, maybe glue a few layers together and seal it. I need to find out the name of this product.

I forgot about linoleum too! I also made stamps out of it in middle school! That could quite possibly work, it's stiffer than rubber. Although I've also been considering getting a couple of rubber mats and sewing them together with fishing line, I want to find recycled rubber for this, and some door mats are made of it!

LittleTreasure: Does waterproof Loctite really work with Lexan?!? I *was* thinking of Lexan because it's translucent, easily available, and apparently has good propulsion. I was thinking of attaching some cheap water shoes to Lexan and covering the foot area with maybe some scrap Under Armor material like this (http://www.etsy.com/listing/156625822/custom-mermaid-fin-sirena?ref=shop_home_active) to hide the feet and make it look more fin-like, and of course I wanted to add the support piece so it doesn't break on me, but I would rather use Loctite than do all that chemical welding stuff. Is there anywhere I can see pictures of your monofin?

[Chenne]

@Moonlight Mermaid: that's what I was sort of thinking about layering wise anyway, like duct tape each layer then duct tape them all together l. Water proof spray may work better though, but you still have the pocket of air as someone mentioned. I suppose you could weigh it down though or use non corrugated cardboard.

@mermaidallie, caltuna, and shy mer: I feel likemermaid caspiana is right but if it doesn't have any propulsion what about reinforcing it with something like they did for the H2O tails?

Hmmm linoleum sounds interesting cause you could carve it like the stamps

[Mermaid Allie]

@mermaidcaspiana oh catluna was talking about how she wanted a translucent rubber fin earlier.

[Miyu]

The air pocket is tricky, I would just glue together layers of non-corrugated. Only if I had this super magical spray, though - I'm a bit leery at the prospect of just cardboad and duct tape for any sort of durability :P

And ooh, you could carve propulsion lines into the linoleum! Like on a regular monofin! Hmmm... *wanders off to look at Home Depot's site*

[Echidna]

and what is this about translucent flukes?

If your monofin is clear, you can use a diaphanous material for your fluke and get a super-realistic looking fin.
Most fish have translucent fins.
I also use an "invisible monofin" for my snake tails.
They're brittle though, I'd love to find a sturdier version.

Found a diaphanous, slightly floppy mat too. It looks like iced glass and is highly diaphanous.
That one would be suitable to make a realistic looking fish fin.

[Miyu]

caltuna, that's awesome that you found a clear floppy mat :) Where did you find it?

I like the floppiness as well as wanting clear-ish flukes... I have quite a bit of diaphanous material around the house and was thinking I'd love some diaphanous flukes! I'd also like to be able to use the same monofin in my silicone tail when I have the money for it, so I suppose it would need to be removeable? Or if the price is right, I could make two identical ones, one to switch out between fabric tails and one in my silicone tail. How cool would it be to have a rather see-through silicone fluke?!?

[Echidna]

caltuna, that's awesome that you found a clear floppy mat :) Where did you find it?

I just googled "linoleum" and "see-through" and got several office-material selling sites.
I'll look around for a good while though before I buy anything ;)
It can never hurt to check local stores too, never know whether they have something even cheaper.

[Miyu]

LMAO so it's an office supply? Like those clear mats they put down under rolly chairs in cubicles?

I'll probably check the main store website and see if it's even available in-store (I'll also call them with the product number), or see if I can get it sent to the store for pickup... I live so far out I have to go a couple towns over just for a Home Depot, so I can't afford to waste gas on a trip LOL

[Echidna]

LMAO so it's an office supply? Like those clear mats they put down under rolly chairs in cubicles?

Yea, exactly that! lol.
I see you're a pro. I've never seen or heard of that stuff before :lol:

[MerMarla]

Has anyone tried the corrugated plastic board? Sort of looks like plastic cardboard, but is about the same thickness as foam poster board. It only bends on one direction, so if you layer them at 30 or 45 degree angles, it could be very strong and quite light. I may try something like this for a dry event mermaid tail. Might even work for wet flukes. It would be interesting to try.

(((Hugz))) & Bubble https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/e/B0C'z
Mermaid Marla

[Miyu]

Ah ha! something like this (http://www.amazon.com/Cleartex-AdvantageMat-Chair-Hard-Floors/dp/B003XR7CDU), or if you want pre-made ribbing, this (http://www.bltllc.com/clear_floor_protector.htm)

[Miyu]

ooh, and the seller also has post-consumer recycled material mats...

[LittleTreasure]

LittleTreasure: Does waterproof Loctite really work with Lexan?!? I *was* thinking of Lexan because it's translucent, easily available, and apparently has good propulsion. I was thinking of attaching some cheap water shoes to Lexan and covering the foot area with maybe some scrap Under Armor material like this (http://www.etsy.com/listing/156625822/custom-mermaid-fin-sirena?ref=shop_home_active) to hide the feet and make it look more fin-like, and of course I wanted to add the support piece so it doesn't break on me, but I would rather use Loctite than do all that chemical welding stuff. Is there anywhere I can see pictures of your monofin?

So far it's worked for me! I just swam in the ocean with my new fin last week, and it held up great! No breakage or anything... Anyway, the kind I got is new - make sure to get this kind. It's called Loctite All-Purpose G02 glue. "Extra durable and crystal clear." How I glued the parts is applied generously to one piece, pushed together and then proceeded to push down HARD in any areas that had bubbles. I squeezed out as many bubbles as I could then clamped it together. I actually didn't even use real clamps. I used heavy duty chip clips. I attached my shoes by drilling holes through the lexan and shoes, then stringing shoe strings through to attach them. Which is harder than it seems. It worked fine. The only problem I ran into was that the toes weren't tied down at first so I drilled more holes then restrung. Works fine now, although it's not as flexible as my Wave so I kind of have to slice it through the water horizontally to turn myself over.

12963
Not the best picture, but it'll do for now!

[LittleTreasure]

Sorry for the double post, but a quick note: I made sure to wipe away the excess that oozed from the glued parts as well. I think that made it have a tighter seal. I also made sure the glue was touching everywhere between the pieces.

[Miyu]

Thank you, LittleTreasure, that's an awesome photo for reference on a lexan fin :) Is that just one big crescent-shaped support piece?

[LittleTreasure]

Thanks! It is :) I found it didn’t need any bolts. I'm thinking about making a really small monofin next just because for some reason I like the tiny child size fins by finis that it seems everyone else can squeeze into :p They look cute on tails! And that's what I have left of my Lexan.

[Blondie]

I've tried a cardboard monofin. It did not work. At all. Hahaha xD

It breaks apart as soon as it hits the water. 0/10 would not recommend xD

[Kumori Kitsune]

Yes the power of I'd have to try that thank you.

[Miyu]

The name of the product I was talking about earlier that repels water is: Rustoleum Neverwet Liquid Repellant. I looked it up and you can get it a your local hardware store or online, and the demos look fintastic! This stuff is the bomb for waterproofing all sorts of things! I totally want a kit to test out on different materials :) I was trying to figure out how to saturate the cardboard in case I knicked it or bumped it or something, Bf's cousin said that it could be possible to saturate cardboard with part 1 of the kit, then apply the part 2 top coat.

Hope this helps! It also waterproofs cloth!

[Chenne]

What about using the clear plastic mats for cat/dog bowls? The one we have for our cat seems like a durable and flexible enough plastic. You would probably have to reinforce the sides a little though depending on the mat.

[Miyu]

Y'all are making me want to stick things in the tub and swish them around to test them...

[ShyMer]

I know I've already pestered you all on this thread before, but I'll put it another way- when looking for a monofin material or monofin substitute, you want something with high tensile strength and plasticity. This means it has to be very strong in order to handle the stress of pushing you through the water and it has to be able to return to its original shape.
Vinyl, including placemats, has plasticity but no tensile strength. Cardboard has no plasticity. It also may seem strong because of its structure, but is not designed to have the kind of strength necessary for swimming.

Keep in mind also that your monofin is only as good as the weakest part. If you have a great blade but a weak footpocket, it's going to wear out at the footpocket, and depending on how you attached it, the whole monofin may be ruined.

[Miyu]

These are some good points, ShyMer! Thanks a bunch! I suppose even the stiffer monofins have some plasticity then? I always thought they were super-rigid, but I'm a n00b to monofins :P

I figured my footpockets will probably need replacing at some point - that's fine, since I'll be using cheap water shoes instead of actual footpockets. I have to repair my own stuff all the time, so I've started making things I know will need maintenance easier to take apart and work on. My main issue is the support piece and how I will attach that over the lacing down of the shoes area. I guess I'll get to experiment soon, as my bf's cousin is apparently bringing home a sheet of rubber for me to mess with LOL.