Dealing with heel ridges?

[Kishiko]

I'm making a spandex tail(you can check it out in Tailmaking!) but the monofin I made has a really bad heel ridge. How can I make this not as noticeable?

[BayouMermaid]

You could add heel/ ankle fins to help disguise the ridge. Heels are always a problem area, even in neoprene or silicone tails.

[ShyMer]

Which monofin are you using?

[Kishiko]

@ShyMer it's one I made myself. The blade is rubber

[ShyMer]

Oh that's right, now I remember.

Is this what you're describing?

18642

...Sorry about the weird box thing. I am lazy.

[Kishiko]

Yes basically that's what it is

[ShyMer]

You could try doing something like this-

18644

or attaching the blade partway down your foot. It doesn't need to go all the way out to your heel, mid foot should be fine. Since it's floppy material it shouldn't matter too much as long as you can secure it to the shoes. Depending on how you do it it might still be noticeable, but not nearly as much as before.

Does that give you any ideas?

[Kishiko]

I tried tapering the base so it blended with the fabric mor, but it doesn't work wll since it's recycled rubber, so it's like particles all meshed and glued together. It doesn't fall apart, but when you try to cut at an angle it doesn't work. CURSE M AND MY NEED TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT! :headdesk: Anyway, I can't move he who's because they ar already epoxied/threaded/caulked and cured into place. Would it be possible to add a flap of something along the back to sew to thee back of the tail? I'm just worried that might make it hard to kick.

[PearlieMae]

How about this?

18648

Use a thick fabric and fold it over, or make it long enough to roll and tuck it behind your Achilles tendon so the heel is not so pronounced. Attach it with velcro so you can remove it to dry outside the tail.

[Kishiko]

I understand the Velcro part, but what does the other end attach to?

[PearlieMae]

Sew a bit of velcro to a thick piece of fabric like Polar Fleece or a bath towel, to go from below your heels up the back of your legs inside the tail. The velcro is so you can take it out when you are done swimming. It should diminish the sharp edge of the heel... if you roll it and tuck it in the bend of your ankle in the back, that should help, too.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Won't that absorb water like crazy though? It sounds like it would get heavy.
EDIT: Wait! What if you did the same thing, but used a strip or two of the recycled rubber, instead of the towel/fleece? it shouldn't hinder the kick at all, since dolphin kick rolls through your hips, and not your knees and ankles. what do you think, Pearlie Mae, Kishiko?

[PearlieMae]

Well, it would get wet, but since it's inside the tail, I don't think it would matter. My trouble is floating. But the rubber should work, too!

[ShyMer]

Extra material is probably a good direction to go, though I'd want to steer clear of absorbent things. I feel like you'd have to use quite a bit of terrycloth /fleece to round out that edge.

Extra rubber might work, though I'd probably not like it myself because of how thick it might end up on the heel, especially since it isn't easily shaped. It probably wouldn't hurt to experiment with scraps.

Too bad tapering it out/rounding the edge isn't an option.

You know, this sort of an edge reminds me of the magictail monofins. They have that sharp edge at the heel, but overall they still look fantastic. Even it's not completely perfect, it's probably still going to look really nice. Maybe you should try to find a solution you like, but don't get too worked up about it if it doesn't happen like you thought :)

[Mermaid Dottie]

ShyMer, you are so level-headed. I love how clear and helpful your advice always is.

[ShyMer]

D'aww, thanks dear <3

[Kishiko]

Ugh I threw away all the scraps yesterday because my mom told me not to keep them :doh: thank you all for your help though!