Making a monofin for less than $20! Tutorial/Pic Heavy?

[Miyu]

As you all should know by now, I am on an extremely tight budget - so tight that money that should have been spent on bed supplies were instead spend on mer-materials. But whatever, because it makes me happy and I earned it, dangnabbit! I'm also used to repurposing things around the house, but in the event the items I want to cut up are someone else's... sometimes I buy said item at the store. Not the raw materials, mind you, because for some reason that would be more expensive.


First off, before anyone says anything... I *intend* for my fluke to be floppy. I'm a huge fan of floppy, flowy, fishy flukes. Since I intend to have a collection of fabric tails, this is feasible for those. Really, all I want a monofin for is: a) to fill out the fluke, and b) keep my feet in approximately the correct spot.

This monofin will be semi-transparent - I want options with my fabric tails. I like see-through fabric.

This is the plastic bin I picked up to hack into pieces. (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-17.5-Gallon-70-Quart-Easy-Carry-Tote-Spicy-Lime-Set-of-6/22582946#Item+Description) It is made of Polypropylene plastic (# 5), so unfortunately, it cannot be glued. I'll be sewing it together by punching very small holes and sewing together with a thin waterproof rope that will be *almost* too big for the holes, so it fills them up and reduces drag causes by punching holes.

My foot pockets are a pair of super-cheap Wal-mart brand (there's no brand on it at all), super-bright animal print "aqua socks" (water shoes). The particular Wal-Mart I went to is rather sucky, so these water shoes have no straps or anything - it's pretty much a neoprene-and-mesh-fabric slipper with a flexible rubber sole.

Here's my schematic... Stare in awe at my amazing Windows Paint skillz!

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The big rectangles the "fins" will be cut from are the sides of the bin. Kickplate is lid (green) and base (clear).

[Miyu]

Yes, this will be a tutorial :)

[PearlieMae]

You have the beginnings of what is going to be an awesome floppy tail! Let me know if I can help!

You might have problems with that tub plastic, though...it fractures pretty easily. Home Depot has a decent sized and fairly sturdy piece of polycarbonate for around $12 and would probably make for a firmer fin, and http://www.micromark.com/polycarbonate-plastic-11-inches-wide-x-14-inches-long-x-060-inch-thick-1-sheet,7592.html is $9.20 a sheet...it's thin but very flexible, and perfectly clear (I'm using this in a homemade fin, too) and this is the glue that works on it: http://www.micromark.com/poly-zap-1and2-oz,7575.html

Keep us posted!

[Miyu]

Thank you! I do hope it turns out well. If not, well, I'm not using glue (apparently no glue works on Polypropylene?), so I'll be able to salvage the materials for something else.

Thank you for the link! Maybe I will pick up some of that next time I have a little more spending money :) This is my ultimate scrounging-for-materials project haha, as I had to buy supplies for other crafts as well as tail fabric, liner, swim shoes for this tail :P I'm hoping it will last me at least a few swims, and it's also kind of to play around with the idea of a pieced-together monofin, because to make the length I'm going for seems to be cost-prohibitive otherwise. I also like the idea of it being thicker/firmer around the foot area, with more "flop" at the tips.

[Miyu]

Ack, PearlieMae, you're so right about this plastic fracturing! I'm trying to be as careful as I can, but I fear that this was $8 poorly spent :doh: I'm hoping I can at least get a workable template from it, at least to use as a fluke-filler just to get my tail cut out and sewn until I can scrounge up the monies for better materials. As soon as I make another sale I shall probably invest in some of this polycarbonate.

Mermaiding is forcing me to learn about physical and chemical properties of stuff :p

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/204031/the-more-you-know-o.gif

[PearlieMae]

Confounding, isn't it?

Feel free to ask me anything!

[Miyu]

Haha thanks :) Well basically, I was looking at Home Depot's website, and the only polycarbonate I see on there is Lexan. Now Lexan looks very stiff to me, and I'm definitely trying for a more flowy look. My favorite is the Sirena monofin, which looks like this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlkzNGOoQF8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUvIKJKllv9f1yZQ_cLse9NA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6tYhpy4Zok&list=UUvIKJKllv9f1yZQ_cLse9NA

But I have no idea what type of plastic that would be. The most I've ever worked with plastics before is PE and PP tubing made into hula hoops :D So, I'm kind of lost, but I really don't want to sacrifice my dream of a flowy fin because all I know to use is Lexan...

[Miyu]

Also, let me clarify: I am not trying to copy Vicki Lynne's design at all, I really love her design and would never try to copy her hard work. I admire the way the ends flow, but I have a few things I would like different on my fin. First of all, I'm absolutely sure my dimensions are going to end up way different. I also don't want the heel bump - I know this means likely sacrificing a lot of the propulsion hers has, but I'm ok with that, my little wimpy fin will most likely never ever be used for ocean swimming.

Also, when I do have the means to buy the Sirena monofin... I plan on it :D Because at some point I *am* going to have the need for a flowy fluke with propulsion!

[Mermaid Momo]

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic_sheets_rolls/polypropylene_sheet/559
what about something like this? Though house probably need a sheet that thicker than this one.

EDIT: all links below this are added later
http://www.usplastic.com/mobile/item.aspx?itemid=23329

http://www.regalplastic.com/industrial-plastics/polypropylene/sheet

[ShyMer]

I also don't want the heel bump - I know this means likely sacrificing a lot of the propulsion hers has, but I'm ok with that, my little wimpy fin will most likely never ever be used for ocean swimming.


In my experience, you don't actually have to have the blade material go all the way out past the heels. You can do a monofin with a minimized heel without sacrificing power, assuming your design is good of course.
You can get an idea of what I mean by looking at the footpocket of the competitor type monofins. I don't remember where their blade stops, but it's probably mid foot.

[Miyu]

Shymer: That's exactly what I was thinking of when I was designing it in my head! I was planning on having mine begin mid-foot, maybe tapered up to the very edge of my arch/ball on my foot. I figure it will have at least a little more propulsion than doing dolphin-kick without anything, LOL!

Draggersprez: Wow, thank you so much for all the links! I really do try to look up plastics on my own, but really I don't know what I'm looking for in the first place LOL! I am so clueless when it comes to plastic, but I'm learning I suppose! :p But WOW, so many plastics I have links to now, my mind is so boggled! :O_o: I really don't know which one I should get... *hopes someone with profound knowledge of plastic can tell her which is best*

[ShyMer]

Too bad Victoria didn't pick up on that, huh? She has an interesting design, but man, that heel kills it for me.

[Miyu]

I mean, who knows, that extra heel bit on hers may offer better propulsion in the ocean than it would without... But yeah it does kind of kill the illusion for me. Also, I am particularly short (I'm kind of hobbit-esque), so I need the ankle/heel to be as invisible as possible to "lengthen" me visually, because otherwise I feel like I'll look more like a cute little goldfish or something than an elegant mermaid :P

[ShyMer]

Meh, unless your monofin is somehow bending that close to your heel or if you have a really floppy footpocket, there's not really anything it's doing for you. Even then your foot doesn't bend at the heel, it bends at the ball of the foot.
So maybe it's her footpockets. I'll have to take a look at her videos later when my tablet remembers how to load videos-_-

Good luck with researching an those plastics! Get something with high tensile strength that easily returns to its original shape.

[Miyu]

Her video do look amazing! I'm more worried about photos - I think it's a lot more apparent in photos/stills than while swimming, but I'm also betting she is taller than me. I also am trying to stay away from photoshopping my pics - digital manips for art are one t hing, but I'd like to keep most of my pics as "natural" as possible, and to look super-realistic in person.

[PearlieMae]

You'd be surprised at how flexible Lexan is, especially under the stresses of water. Did you look at the small sheets of polycarbonate in the link I sent? I'm using three sheets one for each foot and one to join the two as a foot plate. It's not much thicker than the plastic from your tub.

I plan on making a small monofin and the remainder of the fluke will be silicone covered chiffon...very flowy!

[Mermaid Momo]

Oh! Also found this cool little website for finding glues to glue things together!
http://www.thistothat.com/cgi-bin/glue.cgi?lang=en&this=Plastic&that=Rubber
(I put in plastic and rubber because I figure the sold of the shoes are rubber )

[PearlieMae]

That is very helpful!

[Aziara]

You'd be surprised at how flexible Lexan is, especially under the stresses of water. Did you look at the small sheets of polycarbonate in the link I sent? I'm using three sheets one for each foot and one to join the two as a foot plate. It's not much thicker than the plastic from your tub.

Yeah, I can vouch for lexan being much floppier than it appears. My homemade lexan fin bends nearly to a 90 degree angle when I swim. I really suspect the Sirena is either made from lexan or a similar material, because that's how my own fin acts in the water.

[Miyu]

Ah ok, this is all very helpful :) So lexan's floppy in water... But I suppose it might be a little more rigid on land? If at all possible, I still want some "flop" on land so it's a little more realistic (really sell it to the kids and all haha). Also, I'd like my monofin to be rather um... bendable? Rather than more likely to injure someone LOL... and also easier to travel with.

PearlieMae, I may end up ordering some of those polycarbonate sheets you linked, especially since they seem thinner than Lexan (is Lexan just thicker polycarbonate?). Maybe my Home Depot has them and it's just not on the website, but I really don't know, I live in a pretty rural ("redneck") area... So I may have to order them online. Glad to know your monofin is also pieced together, how does it swim? Do you have pics of it? You just glued it together with that special adhesive? So many questions... :P

[TheRestless]

This topic was so helpful!

draggersprez your links are great! and the pricing is some of the best I've seen, I think I'm going to order some of the sheets and turn them into fairy wings!

PearlieMae I would love to see progress shots of the one you made/are making!