A Silicone Tail Making Adventure with Wesley

[PearlieMae]

Or just make a very thin second casting and adhere them to the backs.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh... thats a good idea...

[PearlieMae]

My side fins were a full cast for the front and the backs, I just cast the veins, really. I put the fully cast fins back into the mold and then I smeared the backs with silicone and slid the veins into place, stuck pins in to hold them in place and waited for it to cure. Came out beautifully! :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh sweet thank you!


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[Shimmer Mermaid]

I personally have a question that i think Pearlie may be able to answer. How do you do the drainage system? Ive always been curious, and ive looked for threads that explain it, with no luck.

[Mermaid Wesley]

*screech* im so pissed. i HATE MOLDS. *screech*i think my shell shock went bad -_- its foamy. the actual mold is fine, but the entire thickness of it is bubbled and it broke suuuper easy. ugh. Im ded.

[Kishiko]

Uggghhh why are all your moulds foamy??? maybe its something youre using?

[Mermaid Wesley]

In this case i accidentally stored my shellshock outside and im sure it got too cold :/

[OceanRose]

Awhhh :-( my mold crapped out too, I know how devastating it is after all that work.
Can you reinforce it with something to strengthen it?

[Mermaid Wesley]

No, im just going to have to buy some plaster or something. ugh.

[Kishiko]

If yyou do get plaster use canvas or burlap to reinforce it

[Mermaid Wesley]

Good tip thx


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[Mermaid Wesley]

BIG NEWS GUYS!! Sortof.
I made a timeline and I am going to (try to) have my tail done by the pacific coast mermaid festival (Pirate invasion of Belmont pier) on June 27-28. THAT'S RIGHT. ITS GONNA HAPPEN. I would post it all, but its a huge list of stuff so I'll post this week's schedule:

By May 22-
Sculpting:
Hip Fins- done
Mirrored, smoothed
Scales- 20 each (minimum) done
4 sizes XS, S, M, L
Ordered:
Shell Shock- Slow- trial or large size?
Paintbrushes, stirs, disposable cups, squeeze bottles, mold release
Ask Pearlie what kind of plastic bottles

[Mermaid Wesley]

My hip fins are sculpted! yay! I like them tons better than the ones I started with.
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Next step: SCALES FOR DAYS

[Ashe]

Such a clean sculpt! They're going to look awesome

[Mermaid Wesley]

Thank you! I also ordered a bunch more pigments from tkbtrading.com If you plan to do this, Ultramarine pigments cause cure inhibition in silicone so check the ingredient lists on the site and always test first.
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[Mermaid Wesley]

See what happens when you dont read ingredients first? eh?
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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

I think I remember tin oxide also being a no-no, do you know if that is correct? I'm about to go pigment shopping again and pearl-ex doesn't have all the colours I want :(

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh I've never heard anything about tin oxide. I know that's in some of my pigments. I'll let you know if I run into problems


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Are you perhaps thinking of tin cure silicone being a no-no? Because that's a thing. It's kinda toxic.

Edit: I take that back, it can be toxic but isn't always depending on quality but is not considered safe for skin in the long term.
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[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh!
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[Mermaid Wesley]

I am now spamming my own thread lol. I cant find anything online about tin oxide and silicone but tin-cure silicone inhibits dragonskin. SO we shall see. My favorite pigment had tin oxide in it :(. I ordered a replacement though, just in case, and some extra white pigment too. AND MY MONOFIN IS OUT FOR DELIVERY! I cant really get started on my fluke sculpt until my monofin gets here. I quit on the lexan fin because its really hard to get right. I put my old one in a fabric tail so it's still useful, but I'm not confident enough to go for silicone with lexan quite yet. So a Waterway 1 it is! (http://www.freedivershop.com/waterway-model-1-monofin) SO now I'm camped out at home waiting for the delivery guy. I don't know if i will need to sign for it, and I have to leave in a few hours so its like aaahhhhh.

[PearlieMae]

Yeah, I screwed up a batch of silicone with this heartbreakingly beautiful ultramarine. What a sticky mess!

[Mermaid Wesley]

29885
oh well I'll have to use it in nail polish or something.

[Imogen Finnly]

I know that Ashton used make up powder to get her blended waist. Maybe try loose powder eye shadows? I'd ask her about it doe.

formerly jayy

[Mermaid Wesley]

I have a ton of pigments coming in the mail actually, so I'm all set. I just really liked that color.

[malinghi]

Awesome. How is the scale casting going?

[Mermaid Wesley]

29887
ITS HERE. And I'm still sculpting scales. Molds are next week.

[Mermaid Wesley]

ITS HUGE! and on my feet. a little cramped, but not too bad. almost exactly the same as the competitor, different foot pockets, and over 100 bucks cheaper. I'm stoked. I'm going to have to cut it down for my fluke because its giant. WHo has experience cutting a competitor or other fiberglass fin? HELP MEEE

[malinghi]

That's so awesome! I thought you said it wasn't going to arrive for a long time. Now you have your fin!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Its early!

[MerEmma]

Where did you buy your fin from? I want to get a fiberglass fin non-competitor but I'm unsure of which company would be best.

[Yulia]

I think it's a Leaderfin.

http://www.leaderfins.com/index.php/products/monofins.html

[Mermaid Wesley]

No it's a waterway. I linked a few posts ago to where I bought it.


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

That's where I saw it, I couldn't find the thread again! I found a website that lists pretty much everything that can inhibit cure, although I really hope some of those aren't used in makeup (arsenic for example)!
http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/30-1053-01.pdf

[Mermaid Wesley]

Nice!


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[malinghi]

I saw your post on facebook asking how to cut the fiberglass monofin. I've never done it but my guess would be either a jigsaw, or a dremmel. After searching I found a thread from a couple years ago where multiple people agreed that dremmels work well:
http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1206-Cutting-Monofins

If you need a dremmel let me know and I can loan you mine.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Awesome! I think my dad has one in the garage somewhere.... And Thom has offered to tell me all about it too so I'll have a lesser chance of screwing up :) I'm gonna visit him soon.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm doing some figuring for fluke size. this is gonna be huge o.o
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[Mermaid Wesley]

So I sculpted about 50 scales tonight. My hands hurt like hell and I'm still 20 behind schedule, but I'll be able to catch up in an hour or so, so we're cool. I have pics but I'm on my phone and they never show up right. I'll post them on fb and link them:


https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1623324081287636&id=100008301789400


Hopefully you can see. If not I'll post them tmrw. I love the shape but my FINGERS HURT. And my parents are gonna flip on me if I don't keep this junk clean. Oh crap I forgot to order more shellshock :/ I'll take care of that tomorrow morning I guess. So spendy... Whyyyy.

But anywho. Next step after the scales are done is to get my fluke printed.... 40 inches roughly from tip to tip. Yyyyyeeaaah. It's gonna be... Big.... O.o is that too big?? I could probably cut it down to like 38 but any smaller and I'll have to cut the monofin too much. I think I can get it printed that size at kinkos. If not..... Well then I'm gonna have to transcribe it out by hand again which is awful. So does anybody know anything about large format printing? *groan*
I'm exhausted and I'm barely started! But also it's 2 am. So that might be why... OH I PLAYED WITH MY PIGMENTS TODAY AND I LOVE THEM.


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Lovely scales! I like the natural look to them.
Did you find out whether the ones with tin oxide work with silicone?


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[PearlieMae]

40 is big, but not too big...you saw mine and it's about 34". Three more inches on each side isn't that much bigger when you think about it.

Why do your hands hurt? I'm confused.

[Arella]

I think she means from sculpting so many scales :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Yes that! Lol. Monster clay is a pain in the butt. And I wasn't using silicone, I was actually pouring the pigments into nail polish! I'll let you know when silicone starts.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

29972
Body double is done! Well mostly


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Covered in powermesh! 29973


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[PearlieMae]

Yay! I hang them from a hook in one of my ceiling beams (rustic old house) and pin the scales into place that way.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I was wandering the house looking for places to hang it but I can't find one lol. Lots of outside places though. Also I finished all of my scale sculpts for now, ordered my shell shock, and figured out how I'm going to blow my fluke up to big size! (Overhead projector in my moms classroom) tomorrow I'll put up clay walls on my side fins and scales and then I'll go buy some plastic containers for silicone mixing and some cheap paintbrushes for the shell shock. Were moving right along! (A tad behind on a few things but only because I procrastinated, and then I also jumped ahead and finished my body double so... I'm good.)


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Pearlie, I just have this image of a stranger walking into your house and having to push past all these half-fish hanging from the ceiling... :p

[Mermaid Wesley]

^lol now I do too!
My scales and fins are ready for molds. I still need to buy paintbrushes for the shellshock and plastic bottles for the silicone as well as some other odds and ends. I'm waiting on the shell shock and in the mean time in starting my fluke sculpt. I'm using my mom's ELMO projector (it's like an overhead but with a camera instead of lenses so it doesn't need transparency sheets) in her classroom to project out a big version of my fluke onto the wall and trace it out in he proper size. Then sculpting will commence!


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[mermaidopal]

This is really cool to see your process. I'm crossing my fingers for you and hopefully I'll be able to finally meet you (and the other California merfolk) and see the new tail in person at the Pirate Invasion! (i'm surprised we haven't met yet but I haven't been able to make it to any of the events that Anita has been throwing yet. lol)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Cant wait! I'll be there if I succeed or not, both days. But I'm optimistic that i will succeed!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Update for the day! My shell shock is set to arrive today, I have my fluke drawn out,
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(Its huuuuge! But I like it) and I'm getting ready to throw some clay on my fluke. I HAVE A QUESTION! I don't have enough clay to make a clay surface for my fluke mold box, what surface do you all sculpt on? cardboard? plywood? posterboard? for my small molds I have a sheet of acrylic, but it isn't big enough for my huge fluke. Help! I do have mold release, but i am afraid of sculpting on wood, I don't want to end up with a mold that won't demold!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

I sculpted on a laminated wood surface (called laminex here), I wouldn't recommend it. I ended up having to use a barbecue spatula and pulling my mould into the shower with me to get it off :( Maybe you could put alfoil down? I'd be interested to know how it turns out, I will have to redo my fluke sculpt soon too!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Hmmm ok thanks for the tip!


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

That was with fiberglass though, shell shock may release better (it is crazy expensive here in Australia, so I didn't use it). I did use tonnes of release agent, but it was still very annoying to get off!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm thinking about maybe putting down foil or something nonetheless. Probably wouldn't hurt right?


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

I assume it would work, my only concern is if it would inhibit the silicone curing. If it is 100% aluminium, I think it is fine, if it has other metals though I'd be worried.

[MerEmma]

AWESOME fluke drawing, I love your choice in design. :)

[Seatan]

I assume it would work, my only concern is if it would inhibit the silicone curing. If it is 100% aluminium, I think it is fine, if it has other metals though I'd be worried.

You should be fine with foil, but I sculpted on posterboard, if that's helpful. Then it could at the very least tear away. But I think foil would work, too...

[Mermaid Wesley]

Thank you guys :) the support of this community really is what keeps me going. All the advise and junk?? I love you guys


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Ah the fluke picture finally loaded for me, wow that is gorgeous!

[Mermaid Wesley]

<333


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[MerEmma]

Have you been swimming with the WaterWay yet and tried to test it out?

[Mermaid Kelda]

I'm curious, would cling-wrap or something similar work in place of a release agent (or as well as)? Then you could just peel it right off.

[Seatan]

I'm curious, would cling-wrap or something similar work in place of a release agent (or as well as)? Then you could just peel it right off.

You mean over the sculpt for the mold? You would never be able to get cling wrap perfectly flat and it would show in your mold. Or just underneath? Then it would probably stick to you all the time.

[malinghi]

Great progress, keep it up! And yeah, that's a really awesome fin design.

About what to sculpt the fin on, have you considered making test pieces with a little shell shock and each of those possible materials?

[Mermaid Kelda]

I did mean underneath, in between the clay and whatever's being used as a base for sculpting on top of.

[Keiris]

Wesley, your fin design is beautiful! I ended up sculpting on a large sheet of white plastic I got from Home Depot. I used one side for the scales, cast it in Shell Shock (with Release Agent) and then after I pulled it off I used the other side to mold the fin on. I also cut off a piece to mold the dorsal and decorative fins as well. It finally ended up being the surface I used to paint on too. I seem to remember it was about 5' X 8' and is flexible enough to roll.

[MerEmma]

I used Saran wrap on a clay piece beneath both a resin/fleece piece and one for paper mâché...not great stuff to work with. Fine if you don't need a lot of detail or don't mind tiny wrinkles. It has to be secured with tape and it's a pain in the ass to work with. I don't recommend it on top of anything but I don't really understand what you mean by beneath it.

For fins, what do people normally do? I always thought they were done with 2 part molds?

[Mermaid Wesley]

Great progress, keep it up! And yeah, that's a really awesome fin design.

About what to sculpt the fin on, have you considered making test pieces with a little shell shock and each of those possible materials?

That's probably the smart move :)


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[Mermaid Wesley]

I PLAYED WITH THE GLOW IN THE DARK PIGMENTS AND IM IN LOOOVE.
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~~
This is the one I like best. its called "Star Glow" in FINE. Ultra fine wont glow as bright. Now this stuff isnt cosmetic approved, but see if I give a fluke. ITS PRETTY. I also bought the celestial glow and its a nice blue color but pretty dull where this one is more green-blue and bright. I put my phones flash over the pigment and it shines even in full light!
~~

30094
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woah big pics. sorry!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Wesley, your fin design is beautiful! I ended up sculpting on a large sheet of white plastic I got from Home Depot. I used one side for the scales, cast it in Shell Shock (with Release Agent) and then after I pulled it off I used the other side to mold the fin on. I also cut off a piece to mold the dorsal and decorative fins as well. It finally ended up being the surface I used to paint on too. I seem to remember it was about 5' X 8' and is flexible enough to roll.

Hm ok I'll look into that perhaps!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I used Saran wrap on a clay piece beneath both a resin/fleece piece and one for paper mâché...not great stuff to work with. Fine if you don't need a lot of detail or don't mind tiny wrinkles. It has to be secured with tape and it's a pain in the ass to work with. I don't recommend it on top of anything but I don't really understand what you mean by beneath it.

For fins, what do people normally do? I always thought they were done with 2 part molds?

I'm not sure what they normally use but its almost always a 1 part mold. They mean to sculpt on top of a sheet of saran wrap. I wouldn't do that, just because it stretches and sculpting would be hard. I'll have to do some tests, but i actually am leaning towards poster board.
(sorry for the spamming im tired)

[Mermaid Kelda]

^ Yeah, that's what I meant. Obviously I'm not talking from experience, it just seemed to be a viable option in my head and I wasn't sure if it had been tried before. I think where tail making is concerned, it's probably better if I generally keep my mouth shut xD

On another note, those glowing pigments are STUNNING!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Its a good idea though.

[Mermaid Wesley]

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1625581161061928&id=100008301789400&substory_index=0


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Woah those glow pigments are awesome!
Nyawww, kitty! Mine like to help too, good luck cutting fabric on the floor at my place T__T

[Mermaid Wesley]

Aren't they the cutest little helpers? D'aw.
Alright so. Tomorrow I will be going to stores! I need a surface to sculpt on, cheap paintbrushes and plastic bottles. I'm thinking Joanne's. I'm leaning towards a thick poster paper to sculpt on so that worst case scenario I have to tear it off the mold. I also have some acrylic spray that I can use to seal it a bit. My shell shock is here, which means all I'm waiting on now is the paintbrushes and bottles :0 and myself lol.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

30096

One more because wow!


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[PearlieMae]

Don't use something as flimsy as posterboard! Spend 15 bucks and get an acrylic poster frame! It's nice and sturdy, you can put your fluke cartoon inside the frame and sculpt on top of it without messing up your drawing and the mold release covered acrylic should pop right off once you've poured your resin...and if not, you can just break it off. Sacrificing a 15 dollar substrate for what is a many hundred dollar tail is worth it.

Edited to add: Now that I see your fluke, it IS huge, you might want to make two molds, one for each half! Just make sure you sculpt an overlap and you can piece it together in the center. What are the dimensions?

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

I'm a bit confused, what is an acrylic poster frame? I tried looking it up (with varied results), and I'm imagining something like a giant picture frame? If so, where do you get ones that big?


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[PearlieMae]

http://www.michaels.com/frames/poster-frames/809188414

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=poster+frames%2C+australia

Usually, the biggest standard frame is 24 x 36, but there are bigger ones...I wait for a good coupon and get them at half price.

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Awesome, thank you!


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[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

*makes grabby hands at the glow pigments*

[Mermaid Wesley]

Ah ok that seems like a good idea. It's 42 inches across at the tips and *digs out a measuring tape* top to bottom is 30.5 inches. But that isn't really the measurement since the top of the pattern is a nothing. Like it's probably not going to go up that far. It's big. But I don't trust my sculpting skills enough to do it in 2 halves. I'll have to figure something put. Maybe a big ass sheet of acrylic from the Home Depot... Or maybe 2 smaller sheets lol. I don't know yet. I have some thinking to do. And unfortunately it's too cold outside to make molds today so I can't do that either. Blah.


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[PearlieMae]

If you can lay your hands on an old door, you could sculpt it on that.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Lol no I don't have a door. I think it's time for a trip to the Home Depot :)


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[Mermaid Wesley]

I bought a ton of chip brushes and a 36 by 48 sheet of acrylic and some kids water bottles from target and we are in business! Off to my sisters softball game and maybe Starbucks and then the sculpting can begin!


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Well I didn't get any clay down on my fluke today. Hopefully I can hit it hard tomorrow. And hopefully the weather allows for molds soon! I'm falling behind and am not allowed to use shell shock indoors -_-


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Irritated over here. 30139
The shell shock is oozing under the scales in little bits. I'm not worried about cleaning that up this time when I demold, but do you guys have any tips to fix that next time? Not ideal really.
30140
Look at that lovely curing mold mmmmmm. So nice and smooth and effective. Yis.


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[PearlieMae]

That's why I press my scales into a bed of clay...

[Mermaid Wesley]

I see. Well it's thin enough that I'll be able to easily cut it away with an exacto knife so I'm not too worried.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1626871607599550&id=100008301789400&substory_index=0

My bestie and I put down a nice layer of clay! I'm going to roll it down to an 8th of an inch and then slap on the rays :)


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[Trident True]

plaster may have been a better choice as plaster doesn't take that long to set. but what makes plaster a good medium is that once its still moist you can turn it over at de-mold the scales. they come out really easy without leaving any clay behind. I never had trouble with plaster seeping under my clay i just slightly pushed them down on a piece of wood. keep in mind this was done in a warm shed.

[PearlieMae]

For the individual scale method, plaster is too delicate for a mold that's going to be used hundreds of times.

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Wesley, I tried a small bit of silicone on alfoil and it cured fine! So it looks like that is also a potential mould base :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Cool. I did buy a big acrylic sheet though.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

*angelic chorus*
30315
ALL OF MY SCALE MOLDS ARE PERFECT


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Yayy!! Congratulations :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Thanks! The side fins are curing now, I'll demold in the morning. Next I need to open my silicone and start on scales or continue my fluke sculpt. Not sure which I want to do first quite yet.


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Well if you have dragonskin medium, it takes a while for the scales to cure, so why not both? That way you'll have a nice library of scales when your fluke is ready to mould :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

True! And it's actually slow. So snail pace


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh wow, I would get so impatient! :p

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm a nervous nelly so I decided to play it safe like... A year ago.. Before I was on a schedule! Lol


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Ah, fair enough! Don't forget, weather affects the cure time massively as well! On a warm day I had things cure in half the time, so if you want to demould faster, put the mould in a warm place.

[Cordelia]

I'm so excited for you! Glad that the mold worked out just fine. Can't wait to see this tail!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'll stick it under a lamp then :) and thank you!


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[Mermaid Wesley]

I couldn't wait to demold the fins!!
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1629309604022417&id=100008301789400&substory_index=1

[Mermaid Wesley]

Ok last post before I crash asleep lol. I am done with all the molds but my fluke. If I have shell shock left when the fluke is done I will make more scale molds with whatever is left. If I have to buy another gallon for the fluke I'll definitely make more scale molds. If I can, I will open the silicone this weekend and start making scales!!!! AHHHH! It's starting to feel real and I'm flipping out a little. Lol.

I'm very excited about the side fins, I'm loving how they look, and I've got a plan for the rest of my fluke sculpt, considering I'm not the most adept sculpter ever. It involves rolling pins :3. I need my dads help for that part though, so I have to wait until we are both free so I am going to focus on scales for right now. Also I'm not sure how I plan to tip my fins in purple. I think I will have to hand paint it on. Do I have to thin the silicone for that? Or can I use it normally? Hmmm....


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[OceanWhisper]

*adoring those scale moulds because they're so perfeeeect* o.o

[Mermaid Wesley]

It was so satisfying to peel the clay out :)


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[Mermaid Wesley]

OH and in a plot twist, the mysterious allergic reaction rash I have been getting for MONTHS has been explained! I'm allergic to the shell shock! Or at least it irritates my skin and I get an itchy rash. Ugh. I'm itchy.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

30328
Here is my progress now that I am at my computer. Silicone begins SOON.

[Ashe]

That's exciting! Gosh I love your fluke and fins...

[PearlieMae]

:yay:

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Your moulds look lovely!
Eek, allergic reactions are no fun :( Get some antihistamine cream if you can, it works wonders on the itching.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I have some benedryl cream its got antihistamine and i love it. Has anyone else had a reaction to shell shock? I don't know if its an allergy or if its just an irritant that im a bit sensitive to. Either way, WEAR GLOVES. this rash is miserable and also its gross when it gets on your skin. Make sure they don't have latex in them though if your using silicone.

[Ilyena]

Love the molds, soo clean >_<

Oh that sucks, is it the cured or liquid shell shock that's bothering you?

[OceanWhisper]

Those moulds look awesome :D so neat! And I feel you- with the allergies. I'm allergic to latex -.-

[Mermaid Wesley]

I think it's just the liquid shell shock which is good. Ugh it's just annoying. Thanks, I love my molds!


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[Cordelia]

Oh, that is the worst. I found out I was allergic to a pair of pajamas I had been wearing for a week. I didn't realize that my reaction was coming from some recycled material they had used to create the fabric, and I ended up having to go on steroids. :thumbdown: Hopefully, your itchiness goes away soon!! I'm very excited to see your next step!! Those little fins are too cute. :D

[Mermaid Wesley]

Thanks, Cordelia! I'm feeling slowly better :/
here's the main pigments I will be using for my tail!! (assuming nothing inhibits cure that is.)
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I ordered a little more purple, more glow, and a few blues. I have a few other pigments for color-tweaking as well. I want to make sure it reads as a teal/ aqua and not green.
here are some swatches for self-reference :)
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I'm really amped because I will be opening my silicone TOMORROW! I'll do tests for each pigment including one with the tin oxide to see what happens. then I'll start mixing and SCALE MAKING, BABY!

[OceanWhisper]

Woop woop!! :dance: :highfive: also those colour inspiration pics are pretty :D

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Such gorgeous colours! This will turn out beautifully I'm sure!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Thank you! :3 I am so nerved up about silicone I can't sleep ahhhh


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

You'll be fine :) Doing a few scales at a time means that if things go a bit awry, it's no big deal. I use only about 70 grams of silicone for 15 ish scales, so wasting a little bit to learn a lot is fine :) Plus, my leftover silicone is still good after nearly a year, so don't worry about having to use it all up at once. Feel free to ask me any questions too!

[PearlieMae]

Such pretty colors! I'm anxious to see if they are all compatible!

Good luck!!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

*hyperventilating* HOW HAS IT ONLY BEEN AN HOUR AND A HALF???? 7 Hour cure time gosh darnit.
30415
I'm occasionally poking it, since it is hot today and I want to pull them asap, because I am impatient and excited. It seems to be curing fine, though with the My Mix Evening Teal from TKB Trading.

[Mermaid Wesley]

GUYS I HAVE SCALES!!!
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WOW! I LOVE THEM! I'm basically running around my house. The second test I did used waaay too much pigment, especially in the silver ones, but they're mostly just to test for cure inhibition so I don't care. The silver ones have all of my pigments in them except for the purple. that way i can see if theres any cure problems in one go, if there is i will go back to individual tests. SO PUMPED!

[Raayvhen]

Woo! So excited for you and loving the color.

[OceanWhisper]

Yay yay yay!!! They look awesome :D :yay:

[Ashe]

Wes, is that the power mesh you have the scales pinned onto? Sorry, I'm not familiar with the material at all haha :p

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Ooh love them!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Yes it's powermesh :)


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Guess whaaaat! Tin oxide didn't inhibit cure. Not even a little bit.


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[Trident True]

this is coming along well. love your colours btw. with individual scales because it can be so tedious to get the molds even with silicone I will suggest this to you. I used a plastic syringe (without needle) to apply the silicone to the molds. a 10ml syringe is good for this purpose as the hole at the top is large enough to pour in silicone with a tea spoon. Another way is to thin the silicone down with solvent and then suck it up through the syringe. I particularly like the thinning as it seem to flow out like water and you get a nice even cover in the mold. my scales were roughly 1mm very thin.

[OceanWhisper]

yay! ^

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Whoo, that's great news!

[PearlieMae]

this is coming along well. love your colours btw. with individual scales because it can be so tedious to get the molds even with silicone I will suggest this to you. I used a plastic syringe (without needle) to apply the silicone to the molds. a 10ml syringe is good for this purpose as the hole at the top is large enough to pour in silicone with a tea spoon. Another way is to thin the silicone down with solvent and then suck it up through the syringe. I particularly like the thinning as it seem to flow out like water and you get a nice even cover in the mold. my scales were roughly 1mm very thin.

That's unnecessary. A small plastic palette knife is sufficient and you just 'butter' your molds.

[MermaidAine]

I am so excited for this tail. Your color scheme is nearly identical to mine. My fabric tail is turquoise and purple and I want my silicone to be the same. The Northern Lights on a tail!

[Mermaid Wesley]

OKAY. Ive been working on this every day, getting wonderful advice from certain experienced tailmakers who i adore, and I am getting more excited with every scale pull. I've been using a bakers dough knife thing to spread the silicone over my molds and a little palate knife for when I make multicolored scales. I'm like perpetually sticky and my living room is a disaster but here is what I have as of today. Oh and I need like 700 more pins. yay. Where can I buy 700 pins?
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I'm having a hard time not overpigmenting, but I've done stress tests on unpigmented vs overpigmented and I can't tell a difference, so im not too horribly worried about it. I just keep overdoing it when I mix colors lol

[MermaidAine]

eBay? Amazon?


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[MermaidAine]

Omg so pretty!!!!!


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[Ashe]

Ah Wesley!! SO pretty! :D

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

It's looking amazing!

[WaterDragon]

I'm drooling over your glow in the dark scales, glowing scales is one think I have wanted on my tail ever since I learned about tails.

[Mermaid Wesley]

The glow is cool. I was able to get it on camera kinda
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I didn't try too hard to get a good picture and they're brighter in person lol


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[WaterDragon]

<3 I am definitely leaning towards being jealous of that glow ;)

[PearlieMae]

Get the yellow headed straight pins at Wal-Mart, they come 400 per box.

[Mermaid Galene]

Can't wait to see you in the finished tail in some darkly lit evening pool, glowing like a bioluminescent creature of the deep!

[Mermaid Wesley]

<3 wal mart ok. We don't have a wal mart anywhere close Lol. I'll do some Internet searching. Originally I was jut going to do lines down the sides in the glow, but it's subtle enough when mixed and I love the glow so much I might do more! I dunno! Lol. I want to be a purdy glowing fish-lady :D


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Updates:
Tested a side fin and I love it
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Made Some cool iridescent scales,
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I'm moving along faster now. Hopefully I'll have my fluke sculpted and cast this weekend. Under 2 weeks to go! I'm finally excited instead of stressed! The glow scales are working great and I'm going to work on some new patterns for the glow scales soon.


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[Ashe]

The fins are cool! So are you going to leave that little space in between the fin webbing and the tail? It would look really cool :D

[Mermaid Wesley]

That would be neat but no. I was just testing something put with leftover silicone from a batch of scales so it didn't fill the mold


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Just bought 750 pins at Joanne's and I'm back on track. :)


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[malinghi]

That side fin looks terrific!

[Keiris]

Looking GREAT!!

[Coradion]

Did you mix the glow pigment into the silicone or use it as a topcoat? I've had weird issues with mixing powder pigments into the silicone.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I mixed it in. All of my pigments are powders actually.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

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Brightness!


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[Coradion]

When you did your stress test did you look at the elasticity of it? I'm only bringing it up cause I've tried mixing in powdered pigments and over time the silicone with powder pigment mixed in stretches and wrinkles without coming back to the original shape. It wasn't super apparent at first but over time it gets saggy if you will and then kind of crumbly, that was with the jacquard pigments though.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Hmmm. Well I've been stretching everything and nothing seems to be stretching out. You may have over-pigmented it, but I can't figure any not her reason. I'll try to stretch out a scale and see what happens


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[Dancing Fish]

Oh, this is going to be a spectacular tail!! Love the glowing scales!

[Trident True]

When you did your stress test did you look at the elasticity of it? I'm only bringing it up cause I've tried mixing in powdered pigments and over time the silicone with powder pigment mixed in stretches and wrinkles without coming back to the original shape. It wasn't super apparent at first but over time it gets saggy if you will and then kind of crumbly, that was with the jacquard pigments though.


Ive used the Jacquard pigments and iv'e never had a problem with silicone not stretching back into place. However i have only ever used them to tint the silicone and not create a solid colour.


Wesley: love that side fin, the colours go great together.

[OceanWhisper]

Holy carp that glowy scale!!! :D :D agghhhhh this is gonna be so stunning! I love the side fin too, cool how it's see-through :rollover:

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Dat scale *_*

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[WaterDragon]

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Brightness!


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:jawdrop: I am in love with that scale *-*

... would you mind sharing what glow powder you used?

[Mermaid Wesley]

sure!
http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=1881
It's this one. Its closer in color to the pic on the site, but if you want a more blue glow you could try this one:
http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=1886
I have this too, but it isn't as bright. I'm sure it would still work though.

[Raayvhen]

Bioluminwesley.

[Keiris]

It's a very cool element Wesley! Can't wait to see more!!!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Oh nice!!! Now if only you could make the scales charge up in salt and chlorine, you wouldn't need to bake yourself in the sun!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Bioluminwesley.

Niiiice


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[Coradion]

Hmmm. Well I've been stretching everything and nothing seems to be stretching out. You may have over-pigmented it, but I can't figure any not her reason. I'll try to stretch out a scale and see what happens


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I probably did with those tests, the same effect happens even on some of the Merbella's tails I've seen over time (like 2 years) so I don't know if it's just in the nature of the silicone or if you only use a really thin layer?

You might try clamping a scale in a stretched position on a board and seeing it over time? I'm gonna try it with some of my older pieces. Have you used any of the FuseFX colors?

[Mermaid Wesley]

I think it will lose elasticity over time no matter what you do, just due to the nature of silicone. It hardens as it ages.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh I didn't see your question before, no I've only used the pigments from the site I linked earlier.

I'm about 1/5 of the way done making scales! Yay! I'm behind in fluke sculpting, but I think I'll do that Friday. My dad has to make all of my molds for me so I have to wait for him to be available. Stupid allergic reaction :(
I've gotten serious with the pinning thing. Here's a blurry picture of my mannequin as of now.


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Hopefully I'll be done making scales my the end of the week and then I'll make my fins and attach everything together :) oh crap I still have to cut my monofin too! Ahhhhh!


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[WaterDragon]

sure!
http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=1881
It's this one. Its closer in color to the pic on the site, but if you want a more blue glow you could try this one:
http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=1886
I have this too, but it isn't as bright. I'm sure it would still work though.

Sweet! thanks. now I just have to track down red, orange, and purple glow pigments that actually work and wont inhibit the silicone's cure. :thinks:

[PearlieMae]

I have purple glow pigments from several manufacturers and they are all...sadly disappointing. :(

[Mermaid Wesley]

Yeah purple glow is not very strong. Tkb sells some though.


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[Coradion]

I might have some extra fuseFX colors if you want some extra blues. I ordered way too much.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I have enough pigment for like 10 tails right now lol


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[WaterDragon]

I have purple glow pigments from several manufacturers and they are all...sadly disappointing. :(
I haven't purchased any yet because I can't find any purples with good reviews. it makes me one sad mer because purple is one of the prettiest colors.

[PearlieMae]

Purple is the ONLY color. Everything else exists to compliment purple.
:D

Wesley, I told ya you don't need much pigment!

[MermaidAine]

I agree PearlieMae!


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Purple is the ONLY color. Everything else exists to compliment purple.
:D

Wesley, I told ya you don't need much pigment!

i wish i could have ordered everything in smaller quantities. even the sample sizes are plenty for what I'm doing and I ordered a bunch in the 4$ size :doh: These pigments are a crazy good deal compared to pearlex and similar btw. I'm not sure theyre quite as shimmery, but i like em :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

It's my birthday! I'm 21 so now I'm allowed to eat drunken pirates! The front belly is almost done too :)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1634639626822748&set=a.1436372076649505.1073741828.100008301789400&type=1


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[Azurin Luna]

Happy Merday! :D

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Your tail is looking great so far :)
Happy birthday! Have a lovely day :)

[Cerulean]

Happy Birthday! Its good that your silicone didn't end up going bad afterall like you were worried about a while ago

Spend some time drinking something delicious like a pina colada or a mudslide :dance:

[Mermaid Fenicia]

Happy, splashy birthday ;)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Thanks everyone! I forgot to say earlier, but my silicone sat unopened for a year and it is curing 100% fine. I also found out that cold temperatures DO NOT ruin your silicone. According to the smoothon reps, your silicone can freeze as long as you warm it up completely to room temperature (73 degrees) before you use it. This can take a number of days. Trying to use it cold will not work but once it's warm it should cure totally fine. It's in the FAQ on the website too, or maybe it was on my distributers website.... I'm not sure. But I thought I would correct some misinformation for mers worried about shipping silicone when it's cold. :) So in conclusion, cold silicone- bad, warmed silicone-good, old silicone-usually fine.



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[MermaidAine]

Happy Birthday!!!


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Thank you! Here's my progress for tonight: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635690673384310&set=a.1436372076649505.1073741828.100008301789400&type=1


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[MermaidAine]

:D Looking fantastic! You and Pearlie make this look so easy!

[Mermaid Wesley]

About halfway done placing scales,
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I'm moving on to final glow scales next :) then fins!!


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[Mermaid Mystery]

you are KILLING it!

[Dancing Fish]

Beautiful work! I love the colors!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm pulling some glow scales when I get home :) I'll take pics and upload them from the computer so they're better quality


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[Mermaid Wesley]

I couldn't get a good photo, but they look cool as heck.


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[Sabrina the Selkie]

*flails*
Gorgeous. And happy belated birthdat!

[OceanWhisper]

Soooo shimmery!! And what Sabrina said- Happy belated Merthday!! :yay:

[Mermaid Wesley]

Ty!


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[Spindrift]

This looks fantastic!

[Mermaid Clarity]

Fins crossed for everything to come out amazing in the end but I totally just binge-read this entire thread and I'm SO EXCITED FOR YOU. The colors are beautiful and I'm definitely making mental notes for when I make my own silicone tail. Everything looks SO fantastic <3

[Mermaid Aika]

Happy belated birthday! This tail is looking awesome.:)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Thanks everyone. It's not really looking like I'm not going to meet my deadline, but that's ok because I am gonna have a silicone tail soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo who cares about a self imposed deadline???? I'll still try tho.


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[Mermaid Wesley]

30808
while waiting for scales to cure i made a weight belt! I am going to add a quick release (possibly) and then embellishments, but its functional now. the weight is pennies, i have two 1/2 lb wights now, i plan on making at least 4 more half pound bags, but will likely only use 2 lbs at a time. I only have sinking problems for photos really. the little bags can be put in pockets on the belt or in my tail and the pockets can also hold business cards, shiny mermaid rocks, glitter, a stick of gum, chapstick, etc. Pockets are awesome.

[Azurin Luna]

Nice idea of the weightbelt :)

[PaolaMF]

excellent work :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

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Starting on the back side


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[AquaStella]

I think this is my first post (other than my intro) but I have been lurking and chomping at the bit to say: THIS IS MY FAVORITE THREAD!!! Total gorgeousness. And I admire your determination and perseverance. I can't wait for more pics and finished tail and first swim and first night swim...

[PearlieMae]

Awesome, Wes! How do you like the process? Already have ideas for your next tail? I'm so excited to see this completed!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Aw thanks! Pearlie- it's great! I'm always thinking about the next tail!

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This isn't final placement or anything


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[Froth]

*squee*

[PearlieMae]

Wonderful!

[PaolaMF]

look great !!

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Yay!!!

[Luna Dreamtide]

Stunning colours. It's coming along so beautifully! I want this tail!

[Mermaid Galene]

Spectacular!

[Ashton]

Great job!


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[Cordelia]

Tiny fin!! :swoon: Too cute!

[Mermaid Wesley]

After a lull, I have started up making scales again. slow and steady.

[Theobromine]

I LOVE DAT FIN

[mermaidopal]

So pretty! Can't wait to see the finished product and we SoCal mers will have to have a celebration when it's all finished!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

So pretty! Can't wait to see the finished product and we SoCal mers will have to have a celebration when it's all finished!!

Absolutely. I'm going to throw a launch party lol


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[Froth]

dangit I won't have a tail by then. poo.

[Mermaid Wesley]

It'll be a while, Froth. Slow going on the silicone front. And I started summer school. Hooray! Not.

Ok so I'm lagging like mad and I need you guys to yell at me and make me do this damn thing. Make me do the thing. I am about 2/3 done making scales, I have to sculpt the fluke, and I have to cut my monofin and then I can assemble. So help plz. Help by yelling at me lol


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[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

COME ON WESLEY YOU CAN DO THIS THING! ITS GONNA LOOK AWESOME AND WE WILL ALL LOVE IT!!

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[Azurin Luna]

Gaah! You make use wait even more! ;)

YOU CAN DO THIS!

:cheerleader:

[Ilyena]

Move that scale butt into action!!!!!!

[Mermaid Galene]

Well, first of all, anyone who's going to summer school AND making a silicone tail at the same time isn't lazy. That being said,

MOVE YER BUTTFINS AND FINISH THIS!! WE WANT TO SEE IT!! :cheerleader:

[PearlieMae]

No! DON'T HURRY! Take your time! Lag all you want!

(I'm using you as an excuse not to move faster, myself! I get up at 5:30 am, pull scales from the molds, get ready: feed critters/dress/commute/work day job/commute/feed/back to building mermaids until about 1:00 am and some sleeps.)

[Theobromine]

DO THE THING!!! I can't wait to see!

(And holy crap Pearlie, that's dedication!)

[PearlieMae]

I could get so much more done if I just cut out this dumb sleep thing.

[Onyx Jewel Catfish]

Hi Wesley, I love your color combo. Have you used much of the black star blue? I was thinking a similar color scheme as those were our wedding colors teals and sliver and black but am particularly fond of purple! I think I would like the darker colors and more silver. I do hope that won't offend you. Also have you had and curing issues with the glowing pigments? Following your thread closet as I am working on my project! Tia for and info. Best wishes.

[Mermaid Galene]

You need to give yourself more downtime, Ms. Pearlie Mae! :O_o: Don't make yourself sick with this crazy schedule.

[Moonchild]

My God, Pearlie, you need a break. I'm sure your clients will understand if you take a week off!

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[Mermaid Wesley]

Hi Wesley, I love your color combo. Have you used much of the black star blue? I was thinking a similar color scheme as those were our wedding colors teals and sliver and black but am particularly fond of purple! I think I would like the darker colors and more silver. I do hope that won't offend you. Also have you had and curing issues with the glowing pigments? Following your thread closet as I am working on my project! Tia for and info. Best wishes.

Actually I've barely used it at all. It's not very blue at all it's basically black, so it's not super helpful for my color scheme. Also PEARLIE WHAT THE HECK YOURE AWESOME BUT i would also like to have a tail thx lol

Edit:
Oh yeah, I came home at night last night and I walked in the front door at 11 pm and the scales were glowing! I don't think they're bright enough to really be visible camera but you see them in person and im impressed with how long the glow lasts!


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[Onyx Jewel Catfish]

Ya! That is fun to know. Thanks!

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/10/d2f4204f023012c4b7d1a88bb2d310e9.jpg

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[Sabrina the Selkie]

Oh gods. Elvina. That's the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Anyway. Go Wesley! You can do it!!!
We wanna see that tail!

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Thanks Sabrina, I found it on Facebook - Neri

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[Yulia]

Wesley you need to finish the tail so we can be THE FINTASTIC FOUR OF TEAL TAILS

[Ilyena]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/10/d2f4204f023012c4b7d1a88bb2d310e9.jpg

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There's a show here on the kids channel called "Small Potatoes" and it shows how you can do great things even if you're small. It's quite catchy lol

[Dancing Fish]

Go go gadget tail!! :) Go Wesley go! :cheerleader::cheerleader::cheerleader:

[Meronica]

Wesley you need to get this done before fall semester starts so we can party. [emoji225]


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[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm trying!! Blurry progress shot:
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Need to finish this, then sculpt the fluke, then assemble :) I'm really excited because it's looking awesome and I only foresee one problem on the horizon. I think I'm going to order or make a seaweed top after this, and the next step is a cool trident! But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I'm just really excited!! :D


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[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Looks amazing so far!!

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[malinghi]

Woo! Trident fight!

edit: no wait that's a terrible idea
Keep up the good work with the tail!!

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[Ashe]

:clap: It's looking so great! I can't wait to see it in person once you're finished!