MerOliver's first tail project: Fabric

[MermanOliver]

So, now it is time to start my first tail project. Thought about going for a full silicone tail, but soon realized that it would probably better getting some experience in measuring and sewing first, the high cost not yet considered. Kind of learning to walk before you run :blush:.

Well, now it is fabric first. I decided to go for the double-seam method, watched the youtube video of Sasha explaining all the measuring, and the pattern was laid down in no time. The fluke will be build around my Mascotte monofin, so I'm done there. Nice side note: The Mascotte is slightly slimmer than a Competitor, so I can get the front and the back part out of one breadth (is the fixed measure called this?) of fabric.

Edit:
Found some nice fabric in a web shop! :) Especially the scale pattern is really, really nice. I will give it a try, even if it's kind of holographic print and probably won't last long.

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[Mermaid Adriel]

really cool *_* I love that pattern

[Mary Marine]

Awesome fabric and good luck! From what I've heard it better to start with a fabric or neoprene tail before moving up to silicone anyway, there's an entire thread talking about it.

[Jessica]

Fabric is a great place to start! I made three fabric tails before I tackled silicone and it does help a lot to have some tailmaking experience first! I love the blue fabric! :)

[MermanOliver]

So, the fabric order is out. Delivery time: 5 to 7 days..... *sigh*
Well, in the meantime I'll have time to think about some kind of belt, first to keep the tail up, second, to hide my waist (where is more Olli than there should be... :blush:), and third, to place some trim weights if needed.

Best option would be to go with some dive belt, I think. They come with a proven concept of quick release, are easy to use with standard dive weights and, most important, neither me nor my buddy would have to think how to operate it should the need arise. Only have to figure out how to make the buckle mer-like without compromising the function.

[MermanOliver]

Yay! The fabric just arrived! :dance:The pattern is ready, and with luck everything works as planned.

Pictures coming soon!

[Mermaid Adriel]

glad to hear it! I'm happy for you :D

[MermanOliver]

Finished cutting the patterns. Sewing will be on another day.:bed now:

[Mermaid_Dominique]

Good luck! Looking forward to seeing the result :)!

[MermanOliver]

So, now it's time for the promised pictures:
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A test for the scale fabric
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The monofin to go inside the tail
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Pattern on the scale fabric
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The cut-out and tacked body (left side out)
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Cut-out fluke (note the different fabric)
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Body and fluke laid out for sewing

I won't be able to get to sew it until Friday :(, so updates will have to wait until then.

To be continued... :p

[Mary Marine]

I like the cut of the fluke! The three peaks remind me of the points on a trident. Also, what kind of monofin is that?

[OceanRose]

The fabric is amazing, and so far I think you are doing an epic job at this whole thing :-3

[MermanOliver]

Thank you all for the encouraging posts. The monfin is an entry-level fin from an Italian manufacturer (Mat-Mas). It's fairly soft, as it has a polypropylene blade without ridges for reinforcement. The advantage of the plastic blade is when using it on rocky ocean sites I would just scratch the blade and not smash it. The disadvantage is that it gives way less propulsion than a bigger fiberglass fin (for example like a Competitor).

The main reason I used this in my tail is due to the tail pattern process: The Mascotte (as the fin is called) is less wide than my Competitor and so fits better to the fabric folded in half. When I did the pattern for ordering the fabric I wanted to at least to have the option of cutting the body and the fluke out of one piece of fabric folded in half, and the Competitor was slightly too wide for the scale fabric. Now that I decided to do the fluke out of a different fabric I could have re-done the pattern to fit the Competitor, but in fact I like the proportions of the design, at least at the moment. ;)

[MermanOliver]

Basic sewing is finished! :dance: Tried it on, and it actually fits (and that although the last time I used a sewing machine was about 20 years ago...). Next step will be a lexan fluke for better support of the three tips and something about the upper hem (belt or something).
As usual, pictures will follow. :bed now:

[MermanOliver]

After some final adjustments, including a rubber band in the upper hem, the tail is finished at last:
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The fluke needs some refinement, though. The polycarbonate for the shaped monofin is ordered already, and I'm working on the other details (footpocket , stiffeners, etc.).

Luckily I got permission to test it in a swimming pool next Friday, and maybe there will be some more pictures and videos from underwater. I'll keep you all informed!

[Mermaid Mhara]

That looks great! :D you did an awesome job :)

I'm hoping to see some swim videos ;) hehe

[Mary Marine]

Wow you finished it so quickly! Or maybe it seems fast to be because I take forever to finish a project. You look fantastic!

[MermanOliver]

Update: Just got a call from the dive shop that the pool day was called off. So the test today is cancelled and has to wait until next week. :cry:
No videos before then, I'm afraid.

[Mermaid Adriel]

great job! :D

[selkie13]

Using two fabrics was a brilliant idea :)

[PearlieMae]

Excellent work! I love the look!

[MermanOliver]

It's time for another update. Due to the delay at the pool I decided to do a separate polycarbonate ("lexan", although the stuff I got is a different brand) monofin. The shape supports the trident shape of the fluke far better than the Mascotte monofin would have.
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A work-in-progress picture taken during cutting the fin. I did a small timelapse (a GoPro is such an amazing toy :p), but the clip is a little too big for the web yet. And here is a picture of the raw shape with the protective film still attached:
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For the footpockets I will go with some full-rubber short fins glued to the PC sheet. They are scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so there is definitely progress there!

That's all for now, more info will follow soon.

[selkie13]

Cool, but you might want to round the points at it could tear the fabric and/or hurt someone if you catch them with it


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[MermanOliver]

Hm. Good point. Thanks for the tip, Selkie!

[MermanOliver]

Finally! Got my first swim in my tail! :dance: Unfortunately the pool was really, really shallow (1,30m, something about 4ft), so there was hardly any room for maneuvering without either breaking the surface or scraping the tail. They have an adjustable bottom, and it got stuck at that depth *sigh*.
But I have a video, and as soon as I got it to manageable sizes (currently it's full HD with 50fps, a teeny bit too large for the forum :p) I will definitely post it here!

[selkie13]

Looking forward to seeing it!

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[MermanOliver]

As promised, here comes the video:

http://youtu.be/zmT4US2XxLo

Inside there is still the black Mascotte monofin, as the polycarbonate one isn't quite finished yet. By the way, that project was quite a lot of firsts: First tail, first self-drawn pattern, first massive use of a sewing machine, first time of video editing and first video upload to Youtube ;).

The next first is coming on: First self-made monofin. The footpockets need to be glued on. I'll keep you all informed about the progress here!

[Nicky-Katz]

Where did you get those fabrics from?
I wasn't sure of whether web shops offer decent stuff, since... well I found it nearly impossible to find anything decent in German shops be it spandex fabric or anything that looks good and won't dissolve in water right away :D

[Nicky-Katz]

P.S.: Mo-oment! Was machst du im Höver-Bad!? O_o Da bin immer wieder Montags!

[MermanOliver]

So, glued on the footpockets. It took two attempts, first I tried to be clever (haha...) and used a kind of contact glue. Sounded good at first, but as contact glue relies on pressure for bonding, which I could not excercise, the bond failed.

So I had to remove the residues and tried superglue for plastic. Well, as far as I can see now, the glue is true to his name: The bond seems to hold like welded even after only five minutes! To see if it really holds up, I'll wait twelve hours (at least) before doing further testing.
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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Nice! Natural merman swimmer!

[Mermiah]

Wait wait wait......did you HAND sew that?!?

[MermanOliver]

Mermiah, no, not hand-sewn, by no chance. I used a sewing machine, like everyone else ;)! The white stitches, which I think led to the impression that the tail may be hand-sewn, are only a tacking thread (which, in fact, I _did_ sew by hand ;)), just to keep the fabric together (like needles, but much, much less spiky and much easier to handle :p) until finally sewn. I tacked the fabric, sewed the actual seams with a machine and pulled out the white tacking like pulling out needles. It's a little more work, but for me it keeps the fabric better tacked where I want the seams to be.

The picture I posted was just before making the machine seams.

[MermanOliver]

Just a quick update on my first water-test with my self-made monofin. To make it short: It works really fine, the blade has a nice flow and gives a good push. And what's most important: the superglue works! :dance:

Unfortunately I did a really, really stupid thing, at least concering pictures: I tried being smart and removed the protective film (the white layer in the picture posted earlier) as a sign that the fin is finished :doh:... The consequence: I now have a completely tranbsparent polycarbonate sheet which looks nice on land, but (as seen in some other thread here in the forum) becomes nearly invisible in the water :blush:... So no pictures here of the fin in action, sorry. But I will post pictures or even a small film when the fin is installed in the tail.

[JessieMermaid]

Well I'm glad that your finn is complete. Can't wait to see it in the tail!

[Nicky-Katz]

Oh, by the way...

Thank you and a big hug on letting me try your tail out :D

First tail swim - check!

[PearlieMae]

I did the same thing with my Lexan fin, except at one point, I drew on the vein lines from my fluke...THEN I could see it.

I later cleaned them off with rubbing alcohol (DO NOT USE ACETONE, IT WILL CAUSE THE LEXAN TO FRACTURE!!!)

Now when I swim at the gym pool, the crawl swimmers can't figure out why I am so much faster, and never out of breath.

[JessieMermaid]

Pearlie that is hilarious! Id love to see their faces!

[ShyMer]

Now when I swim at the gym pool, the crawl swimmers can't figure out why I am so much faster, and never out of breath.

Love it!

[Starfrit]

That's hilarious, Pearlie!

Oliver, I LOVE the look of your tail! Even with the Mascotte monofin inside it that fluke shape is great in the water! I can't wait to see how it all looks with the lexan fin!

[MermanOliver]

Thanks! But now I'm not even sure if the lexan fin will be an improvement. Right now there is a really nice flow in the tips when swimming. I hope the flowing motion stays when they are re-inforced by the lexan sheet. Well there's only one way to find out ;)...

Pearlie, thanks for the tip for not using acetone! I thought lexan should be resistant to it (luckily I didn't have it at hand, so I used isopropyl alcohol for preparing the glue surfaces. Seems to be OK so far. EDIT: is that what you call "rubbing alcohol"?).

[PearlieMae]

Yes, Isopropyl is rubbing alcohol.

I have a quick rule of thumb for using solvents... (for when I don't know what will work.)

Start with the household stuff...first, try water, (dirt, dust)
then soap and water, (dirt, dust, grime)
then window cleaner/diluted ammonia, (grime, grease)
then bathroom cleaner (grease, wax)
then alcohol, (permanent markers)
then acetone (paint markers, nail polish, inks)

After acetone, then you start moving into the heavier duty stuff -- WITH ALL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS -- denatured alcohol, mineral spirits, paint strippers, etc.

If you are trying to remove a sticker from something, coat it in oil. Baby oil, cooking oil, peanut butter...it breaks down the glue, but you have to let it sit for a while first.

[MermanOliver]

Thanks a lot for the info, Pearlie! Especially the tip for using oil to remove stickers. You are literally a treasure chest of knowledge! :pearl:

[MermanOliver]

So, although not chronologically correct, here is a timelapse video of me cutting the basic form of my polycarbonate monofin. It has no sound, so no need to blame your speakers ;)


http://youtu.be/YEp6jm5IYFA

And the finished fin in my tail. The only thing left to do is to shut the bottom end of the tail. Importatnt note: Leave channels or openings for the water to flow through! I tried to glue down the tail fabric with double-sided tape across the whole breadth of the fin, ignoring the channels, and the fluke started bulging and trapping water like a balloon. The video was taken with the tail not attached to the fin at all, and that's no solution either. I will close the fabric but leave openings at the three tips for the water to escape and keep you all updated how it worked.


http://youtu.be/vuCst3qBwhU

[Mermaid Wesley]

It looks great! I can't tell how sharp the points are but you might want to think about rounding them to prevent snagging the material or hurting someone if you kick them.


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[MermanOliver]

The points are well blunted by now, the pictures for the timelapse are from the start of March, I only now had the time to render them into a video and put it up on YouTube.

I even had to blunt the edges so I don't rip the fabric there. If I would have left them as sharp as they have been when I cut them they would have indeed shredded my tail (and most probably the by-swimmers too) in no time.

Now they are rounded like a dime (circle with roughly half an inch diameter, guessed), which still is pointy enough.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh good :)


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[MermanOliver]

So, after quite a while of swimming (if you can count splashing around in a quick-up pool), today I went to the local pool, and tried a fin slap... it resulted in a fin SNAP :(

Well, the good point is, now I know what to do during the winter season: Building a replacement for my fin...
Pictures will follow, as usual.
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[Mermaid Galene]

Oh, ouch! That's too bad, Oliver! Live and learn, eh?

[MermanOliver]

Yup, and I already have some ideas :). So, that is just a minor setback and a chance for improvement. Luckily it's a fabric tail, so the fin is easily replaced. With a silicone tail it would've been quite another story...
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[mer_believer]

Hi MermanOliver! You have a nice blue tail. My first tail was also blue made from two fabrics as well (as you can see in my signature). I'm just curious what brand of superglue you used for your customized monofin. I have a plan to make my own. All this time, I've been using split swimming fins inserted in floormat monofin inside my tail.

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[MermanOliver]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/12/ena4eses

So, here is a picture of the broken fin. It snapped clean in two at the line taking the most stress.

The next time I guess I'll try some rubber enforcement strings for both stress distribution and flex control.
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[PearlieMae]

Move your footpockets down onto the broken part, adhere them (the whole shebang, not just the footpockets) and redefine the edges. Your lexan needs to be shorter and stubbier...you might even go narrower!

[MermanOliver]

Thanks, Pearlie! I'll try that :)
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