very Canadian silicone tail!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Hello everymer!

Im in the process of making my first silicone tail and I have finally worked out a final design!

I wanted to wait until I had started to test with silicone before creating a thread, but I am so darn excited over how this sketch I have turned out that I just needed to share it with like minded mers!

This is a purely Canadian tail. The drawing is just pencil but it will be red and white of course! The fluke is a maple leaf. It was quite difficult for me to decide on a style and colors, but ive always wanted this as a tail someday and in light of the horrific events in Canada as of late, I decided this was to be my first.

I plan on using a hydra monofin that I will be ordering after halloween. I have the supplies like silicone, clay, and have already made some small test molds out of fiberglass and resin two different ways.

I have silc pig pigments and some pearl ex for some sheen. I plan on making a top with maple leafs out of silicone. If im lucky ill have enough left over from the tail.

This is more of a show/photoshoot/ non ocean use tail. I dont know how bad the drag will be. I reworked the design a few times to make it smoother but I felt it ended up looking more like a pot leaf and that isnt what I want at all. Lol.

sorry for the long text, I get chatty when im excited!

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[-Annwyn-]

Cute :) Very patriotic.

I'm not sure what us Aussies could use without looking tacky. At least with Canadian-themed merchandise it looks classy :)

[Mer-Crazy]

Bogan tail haha. I actually had the Southern Cross added to my Starry night tail, hidden in the spots. Also Annwyn I can't believe I didn't realise you were an Aussie! All this time haha.

[-Annwyn-]

Bogan tail haha. I actually had the Southern Cross added to my Starry night tail, hidden in the spots. Also Annwyn I can't believe I didn't realise you were an Aussie! All this time haha.

I like the Southern Cross....except when it's inked into the back of some douchebag. On a dark blue tail, yes it would look really nice.

And yeah, I'm Aussie! Whereabouts are you? :D

[Mer-Crazy]

Up near Brisbane. Going to my first meet up tomorrow :D

[-Annwyn-]

Up near Brisbane. Going to my first meet up tomorrow :D

Selene: Fun times! (No seriously, meets are a blast!Photos though or it never happened! j/k) :D

Going back to the tail - are you going to make a maple leaf top to go with it, Prairie Mermaid Jamie?

[Yulia]

Ooh, that fluke looks so cool!
A leaf top sounds like it could be a really nice thing too.

[Mermaid Galene]

I love this design. It's going to be gorgeous!

[Princess Pearl]

That is amazing. Another Canadian here, can't wait to see it when it's done!

[PearlieMae]

That's cool!

I think if you make the maple leaf shorter and wider, it would look less like a pot leaf!

[MerMatt]

Very cool design. I look forward to seeing the progress in producing this.

[AniaR]

I think I am a bit biased, but I love it. Back when I was coming up with ideas for the Canadian mermaids Inc logo, I was experimenting with similar designs involving the maple leaf. I kept thinking someone should make a tail like that!! Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Funny bit of trivia I learned from watching a suzuki doc: the maple trees used to be seen as a invasive tree species by aboriginals and originally we had many more fruit bearing trees. Different aboriginal groups in different parts of Canada would have controlled fires to burn them and other unwanted trees back. When the aboriginals stopped being able to do that because of the growing influence of the European, the maple trees grew like weeds and took over. Of course, many aboriginal groups made maple syrup from them too :)

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Thanks everymer! Im very excited to get it done. Weather is an issue so im currently redesigning my office to fit my work table in it to make some silicone goodness in a warm spot.

Yes Annwyn, I am! Im thinking im going to sculpt a small version of the fluke to see how my mold technique works on the clay so I thought id make a few in silicone and "glue" them to a top of some sort.

Pearlie, I am worried about the size. There are quite a few different types of leaves and there are some that are pretty much red pot leaves! This ended up being bigger because I wanted to have enough around the monfon for some floppiness. My issue is the way it comes out from the bottom of the tail. Im worried about the drag of it and how to control it if I go wider. The more I smooth out the join area the more it looked pot leafy so I put I back to a more outward look.

But that doesnt mean I cant make more then one and alter the fluke once im use to a bigger one. I have a smaller crappy mertailor silicone "neoprene" tail (the crap factor of that tail made me want to make my own) so im used to a shorter fluke.

Raina, I had a sneaking suspicion you might approve ;)

Did you know they starting deep frying maple leaves over in japan? They use a sweet tempura batter but I guess it isnt overly flavorfull. I wonder if our leaves here would be better?

ill post the pics ive been using as inspiration

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

These are the two ive been using. I love the deep red color so I hope I can replicate it!
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here is a japanese maple leaf. Not as pretty I think.
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[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

matt, youll be able to see the tail up close and personal the whole way through if you want!

[MerMatt]

Sweet. Thanks. Will try to at least.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Are you going to have fins? Maple leaf fins lines would look super cool.

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Jaffa, im not sure yet. Id like to but im not sure where to put them or how big to make them!


I plan on using the fluke for more then one tail so ive been playing around with colors. I have this fluke in the colors I want and colored my next one!25034

[Yulia]

The colors on the left one are awesome, I would've bought it in an instant!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Reminds me of some sort of fae. Beautiful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Awwe thanks Yulia and Wesley!

now that halloween is over I can finally get back to making my tail. Ive got my test molds ready to go. Ive got three different scale molds and one of the small leaf I did in clay to test the clay and resin. Works quite well with a thick layer of resin and letting it dry so is still a bit tacky on top, then add a couple strips of matting or cloth. I found the matting was more workable into smaller areas then the cloth, but the cloth is good for nice smooth layers.

The leaf mold
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my test scales


Im ordering my monofin right after I post this, then I can do some silicone tests till it arrives so I can sculpt the big fluke!

[MerMatt]

Looking really good Jaime.

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Thanks matt. Im trying to get it done as soon as I can so we can go swimming without me having constant tail issues.

Monofin is ordered. The only downside to Canada is the shipping! And the exchange rate sucks.

Got my supplies for mixing and measuing my silicone. Just want to wait a couple more days before I use my molds so the resin has ample time to off gas. When it doesnt smell funny anymore im good to go! Im going to make some fun wrist cuff braclet type things out of my test scales so nothing goes to waste! Im so excited to try the pearl ex!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Scubastore is amazing. My monofin will be here monday since it took too long to clear customs. So excited itll be here so soon! I got it in orange so itll hide better under the fluke.

Speaking of fluke, im very proud of this. Its gonna be huge! The tips will be cast thin for super flow. Its a show tail, mainly for photos and dive tank use. I will never take it it open water.
the scales will start further up my legs then you usually see.
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[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Changed it a bit. I moved the monofin down more, so the fluke will end up coming up closer to my knees and rounded the leaf tip by my feet a bit more. Got an idea in mind of how to sculpt it and seam it all together. Havent seen anyone else use this technique so im gonna keep it quiet till I test and see if it works. If it does, then adding fins anywhere on the tail body will be a breeze!

[Yulia]

Woooooah, that fluke is going to look amazing!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Im impatiently waiting for my monofin so I can solidify design and start sculpting.

I had to scrap my large scale mold. The resin didnt cure and its still gummy and gross and im sure will ruin my silicone. I used foam circles and my small molds worked perfectly so im not sure what happened.

So I decided to change the entire way im making it.

Trial and error, right?

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

My monofin came today! Compared it to the mock up I made on paper and I was almost exact! Its a tiny bit longer then I thought but only by a 1/2 inch. I think im going to round the tips a bit. Not much.

Im so excited to swim in it. Itll do till I fix my other one and make this one!

Making my new scale sheet out of clay with a much different shape. Im using betta fish scales as my insperation because they are my favorite fish and the way their scales join to the fins is beautiful. Which also makes it much easier to make the sheet. No glue. No funes. Just some clay :) ive got a few sheets of rolled out clay and an oval metal cookie cutter from Michaels.
Got a new board to lay it on and some much needed funds for more material.

Now I will have to redo a room in my house so I can do everything. Its officially winter here now!

Will post a pic when I get to my ipad with them on it!

[Azurin Luna]

Cool looking fluke shape! Good luck with the sculpting :D

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Thanks Azurin Luna.
I plan on sculpting it all last. I wanted to make sure my large scale mold will work out before I cast the fluke and since I have a very curious cat who cant leave my tails alone ive got to work fast or itll be covered in cat fur.
I am going to test some silicone with mac makeup pigments. I found some amazing dark metallic colors and some glitter. And I have hot pink. I hope it works well. I think a black and hot pink tail with this fluke shape would look amazing!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Taking way longer then expected, but ive got my scales moulded and I just finished smoothing out my fluke sculpt and as soon as its warm enough or I find a garage ill mold it too.

The thought of a black and hot pink tail is seriously making me want to change my colors. I think it would be neat to have a few tails in the same shape in different colors. Like a chameleon!

[OceanWhisper]

That fluke is going to be amazing! (and huge!) :D

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Yes oceanwhisper, its very huge, its as long as my kid is tall!
Here is the scale mold
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Heres the fluke after its beauty coat of resin. A must to ensure the texture of the fiberglass cloth and mat doesnt show through
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I finished the fluke mold last night. Ive got to clean the clay out and let it off gas. First thing in the new year I hope to pour and build it!

Im also ordering neoprene to see if I can make a hybrid.

[OceanRose]

Dang, this is going to be amazing, I really can't wait to see it finished!

[JamesGunnels]

Hello everymer!

Im in the process of making my first silicone tail and I have finally worked out a final design!

I wanted to wait until I had started to test with silicone before creating a thread, but I am so darn excited over how this sketch I have turned out that I just needed to share it with like minded mers!

This is a purely Canadian tail. The drawing is just pencil but it will be red and white of course! The fluke is a maple leaf. It was quite difficult for me to decide on a style and colors, but ive always wanted this as a tail someday and in light of the horrific events in Canada as of late, I decided this was to be my first.

I plan on using a hydra monofin that I will be ordering after halloween. I have the supplies like silicone, clay, and have already made some small test molds out of fiberglass and resin two different ways.

I have silc pig pigments and some pearl ex for some sheen. I plan on making a top with maple leafs out of silicone. If im lucky ill have enough left over from the tail.

This is more of a show/photoshoot/ non ocean use tail. I dont know how bad the drag will be. I reworked the design a few times to make it smoother but I felt it ended up looking more like a pot leaf and that isnt what I want at all. Lol.

sorry for the long text, I get chatty when im excited!

25009

As an expat Canadian I find this tail absolutely freaking amazing!!!

[MerMatt]

Thanks for sharing an update and photos. I got to get up to Red Deer again in the new year for a swim.

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Im just glad others think its as awesome as I do. My dad graciously let me use his garage to let it off gas so it doesnt have to sit outside. Im a 1/3rd of the way done cleaning the clay out. It wont take much longer. Just have to build up the energy to get out there to do it.

[Mermaid Sabie]

Wow I love your design, so pretty!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Slowly trying to work on this while dealing with life and becoming a so dive distributor and cross stitch goodies for another mer.

Since I chose slow cure I have to wait a while between coats but my daughters barbie tail is almost ready!

I still have to do a red coat on the scales and some fluke detailing but its pretty good for my first tail :)27940

Tomorrow im going to test my mineral makeup for a flesh tone and testing out scale tipping methods. The way im doing it now with a plastic paintbrush isnt as nice as I was hoping. Time to dig out my old airbrush and compressor!

[Ashton]

I cant wait to see more, I think your fluke concept is interesting!

[Dancing Fish]

Wow, that's really creative! I'm partial to the gorgeous reds and orange version, but black and pink would be fabulous!!
I'm having the same problem with the resin I used (gummy, not curing well), and I'm pretty sure it was because it was far too cold to cure properly out in my garage. I imagine it ain't any warmer where you are! (unless you're doing it inside?)

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

I did alot of my molding before it got cold. The massive fluke mold I was able to make in a heated garage which is where ill be building my full scale tail (haha!)

To me the doll tail looks weird but thats because of the scales. If I were to have set out making one I wouldve had much smaller ones. I may make a small mold for it with some resin I have leftover. Although I added some red to each scale to even out the color. All my scrap scale was tests of color and paint style so they didnt match at all. It looks so much better now. Ive got the front half done. After a business call ill be finishing the back with red with some pearl ex in it to see how that looks. Then ill decide how to paint it fully and then ill start on my big tail!

My issue with the gummy was my fault for not letting the mold release dry enough. I used casting craft mold release. I wiped the gummy stuff away with blue shop towels and rubbed hardener on what was left and that worked. There were just too many undercuts and bubbles from the foam getting hot im sure since the resin gets pretty warm in thick layers. Thats why I went to clay. Im sure in two or three tails ill make a new bigger sheet but for now this one works with this fluke. The method I used to sandwich the fluke left the ends a little too stuff so im gonna test again. With the leftover silicone from each paint session ive been making small leaves so I can attach them to a top. Ill use some of those to test.

Speaking of flukes, after I had it dry from sandwiching I had a hole enough for a finger to fit it and I thought id be funny and literally fin slapped my husband on the cheek with it. He didnt know what to do. I even made sure to say finslap when I did it. In the end he laughed about it. I wonder what he would do with a full size slap? Haha that would be a great photo set!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Should update this.

Its almost finished. Over 100 hours so far and I havent gotten to painting it yet. If im lucky ill keep it under a gallon kit :)

Its built differently then any other tail ive seen. I made it seamless.
Pictures!

heres my top:
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The tail
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Heres the "seam"
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And a gratuitus cat photo!
29906


Once I get the hang of video editing I can show you all what it looks like underwater. Think betta fish flowy fins!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Wrong monofin for what I was trying to acheive so im going to slap a foil in my next one which will be the same only in different colors.

Ive deicded to have a mermaid and siren tail. Darks for siren and pinks and purples and blues for mermaids.

The fit is a bit off as I screwed up my dummy a bit and made the huge mistake of using foam gap filler. I added some thickness to the bottom half but I will make a whole new dummy for the next one.

Other then that it worked really well minus the thin fluke cast and obvious monofin. Painting it will help hide that. But considering the whole monofin is almost in the middle of the fluke I think I did pretty good.

Lepage plastic superglue worked well. I needed a stiffer lace for the monofin but I think I may tackle removable monofins in silicone instead with the foil.

Then I have a couple tails to make for friends. Then maybe ill get to build my next one :)

[Yulia]

Love the top and the fluke!
Nothing wrong for a first tail, heck look at some of the tails mertailor did couple years ago, some look much worse than yours.

You look like a fall-naiad! :D

[Mermaid Sabie]

Wow love that top!!!

And what seam??? ;););)

[merkitty]

The tail is lovely and makes me feel very patriotic, I am absolutely in love with your top! :swoon:

[Ashe]

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before! The concept is so daring, and I think you kicked ass for a first tail :)

[Ashton]

I love the top!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

You guys are so sweet!

Update again.
I think ive found a method for bonding older silicone. Ive been able to paint my baby with no issue, but did have bonding issues when i put in the new liner.

I had to completely remove the old liner. There was water retention issues so it had to go. I found an amazing replacement that stays unbelieveably stretchy. Canadas version of lingerie liner. So now its properly lined and still fairly seam free. Somehow during the alteration process i ended up needed 4 extra rows of scales so i cast a new patch and added it.

Ive got some images of the paint ill have to resize and add but for now, i have a youtube link to video of it underwater!!!! It was always meant to be in the water. It looks like crap on dry land becaude the fluke is so thin. But very betta fish!

https://youtu.be/VG6pyby6XVA

Will learn to embed the video eventually!

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Yay this one worked!
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[Celaeno]

Oh wow, that moves beautifully in the water!

Edited to add: The painting on the fluke does a good job of obscuring the monofin, too. I didn't even notice it the first time I saw the picture.

[PearlieMae]

Wonderful work! Congratulations! It's beautiful!

[Mermaid Alea]

I love the flowiness! Does that make it harder to swim in or is there not much of a difference between it and your other tail?

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Thank you everyone!!!

Pearlie, you are a great inspiration for me to try something new and different!

Well my other tail was a mertailor silicone 'neoprene' with a butchered wave monofin so its hard to gauge. It has much less drag then my mertailor because it has drainage. Its quite powerful thanks to the intact monofin. Most of the video was filmed in a dive tank (MerMatt filmed mostbof it, my friend Derek edited and posted it) so i can get pretty deep with ease. Especially since it floats. My problem is i like to watch it move in the water and i dont get much swimming done. The video is from before i fixed it. The waist comes up a bit higher now with much less gap.

Ive learned alot making this tail. I learned most from here on the network, with some trial and error. I know how to better go about this design. I know i hate adjustable ankle straps. I know how addictive tailmaking is.

I have a small goal of learning to bond neoprene and silicone. May or may not be because of Wanda.......

[Ashe]

I love the fluke in the water! My first idea was that you had a bunch of little fins and frills that could move on their own, kinda like tentacles beautiful effect :)

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Thanks Kalani. Its actually the whole fluke. I just brought it up more then you would usually see. I dont like the way the fins are secured on alot of tails with the slit and glue line.

But i have found another way around that. I tested a fun sculpt and attach method on my new tail and it works pretty well so i may alter the way i build my next leaf tail.

Will definitely be putting a foil in the next leaf. I think ill get the look on land that i need while still keeping the underwater movement and flow .

The fluke was cast super thin. Both halves together dont equal the thickness of one side on my new tail. It was the only way to get the movement i wanted. Yes thin is delicate but ive had my tail for 9 months and i havent had a tip tear or anything. Its got a super thick liner in it to prevent any issues.

At this time im not doing kids parties or anything so i dont have to worry too much. My tails have their own bed to sleep in in their own room. That my cat is super pissed she cant go into! :)

[Celaeno]

I'm picturing you tucking your tails in bed at night.

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Hahah Celaeno, i just might have to for a photo when my new tail is finished!

Some shots from a few recent shoots:
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[CowgirlMermaid]

That third photo is Awesome!! :D

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Thanks cowgirl! It was inspired by some shots Raina took of mermaid Victoria! I wish it was after i painted it and not before. The first one is probably my favorite of my tail. It looks so fishy!

[CowgirlMermaid]

Yeah, all the photos are cool!
but the third one is my favorite,
I love that your fluke is so huge, that when you lay back, you actually fit into it. ;)

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

That photo is the whole reason i created my currently being made tail. My knees were so sore from being pinched by the tail. So worth it! Im waitng back for some really epic photos i got with a couple really nice looking half naked boys ;)

[Winged Mermaid]

Looks awesome! Ooh a silicone maple leaf would look rad! Mermaid Bjossa made a maple leaf top using fake leaves and it looked pretty cool too if you want to go that route :)

https://scontent.fsjc1-3.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11260408_707763606023231_6333824806975767424_n.jpg ?oh=dbb6bf1e8b9e00648123d0027cf3585e&oe=567DD4EB

[CowgirlMermaid]

That photo is the whole reason i created my currently being made tail. My knees were so sore from being pinched by the tail. So worth it!
I saw your third tail too, it's very pretty!
I can understand you're making another tail if this one hurts after a while. :(



Im waitng back for some really epic photos i got with a couple really nice looking half naked boys ;)
You're gonna post those photos too rigt? :eyebrows:

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

This tail is perfect in the water. It hugs, stays tight. Minimal gap. With my waist hip ratio being more then 10 inches i dont think ill completely get away with it until i figure out how to make a belt. Thus far tests have been horrible.

I will definitely post photos! I got some really pretty shots tail wise out of it as well as all the fun! I love my job.

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

Iona! Thank you! Thats the top i first seen and i couldnt find it again!

I made my top out of silicone leaves instead of fabric ones but very similar to this. Its got black, red, and gold colored leaves and black and red fishnet halter ties. Its nice, but heavy to swim in. I love the look of the fabric leaves so ill probably make another top with them instead. Whenever i can find comfy non padded bases for them. La senza sucks for that.

I should post better photos of it.

[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

The photo is too large for this site so heres a link to an instagram post of this tail and all her glory!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIijGyohHpZ/?hl=en

[TheSaltySiren]

This turned out very pretty..Love the deep reds :)