KaetiIngram
06-12-2014, 11:23 PM
Alright so, I've never posted on here before so I don't know if this will get much attention. But I have decided to start the journey of making my own latex tail.
It all started when I was super little, I've ALWAYS loved mermaids. Of course, being the huge Disney fan I am, The Little Mermaid was my FAVORITE movie. I used to pretend I was a mermaid in the bathtub, putting rags over my legs to look like a "tail." When I was about 11, I discovered the world of fabric mermaid tails and tailmaking. I did my research, and for my 13th birthday, I received a total of $100 and began my first tail. I ordered a basic Rapid monofin, and some purple spandex fabric. I painted a little glitter on it, and voila! I was a mermaid! Unfortunately, I lost that tail, and for a while my interests in mermaids dwindled. Then, when I was about 15, I went to a local seafood restaurant in my hometown (Myrtle Beach) called Seafood House, and was offered a job as a mermaid. They basically wear fabric tails and swim around in a fenced in pool and talk to kids. It was pretty fun and I was extremely excited; it was basically my dream job. After working there for about 9 months, I looked even deeper into tailmaking and found a super easy tutorial (it seemed like) on Alex PLUS tails. I read about how they don't ever really work out and how they peel and turn white but I didn't care, all I wanted was a realistic tail with scales and a vein-y fluke. So, I started my journey.
21701
I started by buying some neoprene from Stretch House. And, as you all here must know, it ended up not actually being neoprene, but neoprin. Oh well, it still did the trick. So I continued on about the process of making my tail.
21702
21703
21704
21705
Super pretty right?! I'm even on billboards in this tail! Well, my first day of work, I wore it, and oh boy was it an awful disaster. All of the "latex" peeled off immediately and ended up clogging the filter in the pool...oops! /: But, that still didn't stop me. My fabric was still in good condition and I still had some paint left so I decided to peel off all the Alex PLUS, and just repaint the neoprin. So, then began THAT journey.
21706
21707
This tail has lasted me a good while, and while I still use it, I've decided it's time to upgrade. I've been dreaming of a realistic tail for so long now, and now I'm diving (hehe, mermaid pun) head first into this project! Most of my help has come from Mermaid Julz and her videos, and a lot of stored information from various threads and YouTube videos in my head. So, without further ado, let's get started!
The very first thing I did before I started anything was design my tail. This is super important, so don't forget to do this! It'll make this journey a whole lot easier. Make sure to include any extra fins that you may want.
http://i58.tinypic.com/206zwig.jpg
After that, I knew I needed to make my monofin. So, I went out to Lowe's and bought a 24" by 28" sheet of lexan, a more durable and stronger version of plexiglass. (Sorry about having to use TinyPic, the pictures I take with my phone are too big!)
http://i57.tinypic.com/uvakj.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/2m4ufio.jpg
While I was there, I also bought two sizes of flat headed screws, and nuts. I got six of each.
http://i61.tinypic.com/whfb47.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/2zrm42v.jpg
Then, using a piece of poster board, I traced out my feet, and drew how I wanted to make my monofin look to compliment my fluke. Make sure to check out all the threads about monofin making before you make yours! You don't wanna make it out of the wrong material or the wrong shape. Super sharp or curvy shaped can make your lexan easier to crack.
http://i57.tinypic.com/taovab.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/34dfrdh.jpg
After that, it was time to cut out my monofin design, and transfer it onto your lexan using a Sharpie. I don't have a picture of this, but that's pretty self explanatory. I then went out to a close-by Dollar General and bought a super cheap pair of flippers. It came with a mask and snorkel for like, $8. It's also summer time right now so they were out. If you live somewhere cold or it's Winter when you're reading this, then...sorry! There are many other options for making/getting foot pockets though, so like I said, make sure to check out all the threads about making your own monofin! I also took the straps off of them because they would be too much hassle to get on once I actually had the tail on.
http://i59.tinypic.com/2u6z2gx.jpg
After that, I don't have a lot of pictures, but it's easy to explain. I used a jig saw to cut out the foot pockets on my flippers. They were made from super soft plastic so it was really easy. I also drilled three holes in the bottom of each foot pocket, and corresponding ones on my piece of lexan. I also used the jig saw to cut out my monofin shape. It was super easy and I definitely recommend a jig saw. After that, I lined up the holes on my foot pockets and on my lexan, and used the smallest screws I bought to screw them together. You can use washers for reinforcement but I didn't find it necessary. One of my screws does have a washer on it though because the hole got drilled just a little too big. Also, you definitely wanna screw your nuts SUPER tight. You don't want loose foot pockets. PS - After drilling your holes and cutting out your lexan, make sure to peel the protective backing off of both sides of it before attaching your foot pockets! I forgot and had to un-attach everything just to get it off!)
http://i59.tinypic.com/t8191x.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/1445w1h.jpg
Well, that's just about all that I have so far! My next steps are to sand down my monofin, give it a test in the pool, and then design out my fluke on a huge piece of poster board! I'll definitely post again sometime this weekend. :)
It all started when I was super little, I've ALWAYS loved mermaids. Of course, being the huge Disney fan I am, The Little Mermaid was my FAVORITE movie. I used to pretend I was a mermaid in the bathtub, putting rags over my legs to look like a "tail." When I was about 11, I discovered the world of fabric mermaid tails and tailmaking. I did my research, and for my 13th birthday, I received a total of $100 and began my first tail. I ordered a basic Rapid monofin, and some purple spandex fabric. I painted a little glitter on it, and voila! I was a mermaid! Unfortunately, I lost that tail, and for a while my interests in mermaids dwindled. Then, when I was about 15, I went to a local seafood restaurant in my hometown (Myrtle Beach) called Seafood House, and was offered a job as a mermaid. They basically wear fabric tails and swim around in a fenced in pool and talk to kids. It was pretty fun and I was extremely excited; it was basically my dream job. After working there for about 9 months, I looked even deeper into tailmaking and found a super easy tutorial (it seemed like) on Alex PLUS tails. I read about how they don't ever really work out and how they peel and turn white but I didn't care, all I wanted was a realistic tail with scales and a vein-y fluke. So, I started my journey.
21701
I started by buying some neoprene from Stretch House. And, as you all here must know, it ended up not actually being neoprene, but neoprin. Oh well, it still did the trick. So I continued on about the process of making my tail.
21702
21703
21704
21705
Super pretty right?! I'm even on billboards in this tail! Well, my first day of work, I wore it, and oh boy was it an awful disaster. All of the "latex" peeled off immediately and ended up clogging the filter in the pool...oops! /: But, that still didn't stop me. My fabric was still in good condition and I still had some paint left so I decided to peel off all the Alex PLUS, and just repaint the neoprin. So, then began THAT journey.
21706
21707
This tail has lasted me a good while, and while I still use it, I've decided it's time to upgrade. I've been dreaming of a realistic tail for so long now, and now I'm diving (hehe, mermaid pun) head first into this project! Most of my help has come from Mermaid Julz and her videos, and a lot of stored information from various threads and YouTube videos in my head. So, without further ado, let's get started!
The very first thing I did before I started anything was design my tail. This is super important, so don't forget to do this! It'll make this journey a whole lot easier. Make sure to include any extra fins that you may want.
http://i58.tinypic.com/206zwig.jpg
After that, I knew I needed to make my monofin. So, I went out to Lowe's and bought a 24" by 28" sheet of lexan, a more durable and stronger version of plexiglass. (Sorry about having to use TinyPic, the pictures I take with my phone are too big!)
http://i57.tinypic.com/uvakj.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/2m4ufio.jpg
While I was there, I also bought two sizes of flat headed screws, and nuts. I got six of each.
http://i61.tinypic.com/whfb47.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/2zrm42v.jpg
Then, using a piece of poster board, I traced out my feet, and drew how I wanted to make my monofin look to compliment my fluke. Make sure to check out all the threads about monofin making before you make yours! You don't wanna make it out of the wrong material or the wrong shape. Super sharp or curvy shaped can make your lexan easier to crack.
http://i57.tinypic.com/taovab.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/34dfrdh.jpg
After that, it was time to cut out my monofin design, and transfer it onto your lexan using a Sharpie. I don't have a picture of this, but that's pretty self explanatory. I then went out to a close-by Dollar General and bought a super cheap pair of flippers. It came with a mask and snorkel for like, $8. It's also summer time right now so they were out. If you live somewhere cold or it's Winter when you're reading this, then...sorry! There are many other options for making/getting foot pockets though, so like I said, make sure to check out all the threads about making your own monofin! I also took the straps off of them because they would be too much hassle to get on once I actually had the tail on.
http://i59.tinypic.com/2u6z2gx.jpg
After that, I don't have a lot of pictures, but it's easy to explain. I used a jig saw to cut out the foot pockets on my flippers. They were made from super soft plastic so it was really easy. I also drilled three holes in the bottom of each foot pocket, and corresponding ones on my piece of lexan. I also used the jig saw to cut out my monofin shape. It was super easy and I definitely recommend a jig saw. After that, I lined up the holes on my foot pockets and on my lexan, and used the smallest screws I bought to screw them together. You can use washers for reinforcement but I didn't find it necessary. One of my screws does have a washer on it though because the hole got drilled just a little too big. Also, you definitely wanna screw your nuts SUPER tight. You don't want loose foot pockets. PS - After drilling your holes and cutting out your lexan, make sure to peel the protective backing off of both sides of it before attaching your foot pockets! I forgot and had to un-attach everything just to get it off!)
http://i59.tinypic.com/t8191x.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/1445w1h.jpg
Well, that's just about all that I have so far! My next steps are to sand down my monofin, give it a test in the pool, and then design out my fluke on a huge piece of poster board! I'll definitely post again sometime this weekend. :)