Merman Armor Top- concept

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

So I've been toying with the idea of making an armor-like top for awhile, but attempts at it have never panned out. After some brainstorming, I've come up with a new concept.

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The current plan is to sculpt it in clay, then mold and cast in latex. This will hopefully keep it flexible enough to swim in comfortably.

The top will be in two parts. There will be an undershirt, which is a flesh colored spandex tank top. I will mold and cast gills in latex and attach them to the top, then put scales on the back to help blend it into my tail and have the lower half of the dorsal. It also may or may not have a back zipper.

The over part will be the armor piece itself. The shoulder strap is non-functional, but the side straps will be (though they probably won't buckle. More likely to put a big pair of snaps under them), and that's how it'll go on. the armor piece will also have the upper part of the dorsal (molded to look like the dorsal is coming up through a slit in the armor.)

There will also be decoration, in the form of rhinestones embedded in the armor. mostly because I like sparkly things. I am also considering making a weapon of some kind to match the top.

I am still toying with colors. I want it to match my black swim mask, so maybe make the edging black and center silver? Or make the center purple to match my tail? I'll be throwing some colors at it in Photoshop later to see what looks good.


So yeah. This'll be my next big project. I'll be starting it with the money from my tax return, sometime in the spring when I can safely order latex without worrying about it freezing.

If anyone has an suggestions or ideas, feel free to voice them.

[Grey Gambit]

This looks really cool! Armor was something I'd been thinking about but wasn't sure what to go with where it would still be okay to swim in.

The disguised undershirt is a really neat idea, too.

[MerShellly]

I would have never thought of something like this. It sounds like a great idea! :swoon:Can't wait to see it off the paper. Good luck making it!! :)

[Miyu]

Nice! I can't wait to see!

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

I've been doing some redesigning and thinking about this project, and have gotten started.

First, the undershirt. This is spandex with some latex layered over it to make 3-D gills. I hope to later add 3-D scales to it.

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Now, to make the armor. I've decided to use Thermoplastic instead of latex, so that I don't have to use a mold. It will also hopefully be more lightweight and look more like armor.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Hey Ed! Just wondering how you sewed your dorsal on?

I sewed mine like an upside down T. The top line of T on the fish suit and the line down the middle becomes the fin. I was thinking of just sewing the fabric straight on then design and sew the dorsal after.

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

I sewed the fin together. Then I sliced open the back of the top and just sewed the fin right into the new seam. it doesn't stand up on it's own outside the water, but in the water it stands up because the spines are made of pool noodle and are therefor bouyant.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

By hand or sewing machine? I imagine the thick bits of the fin were hard to sew through.

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Sewing machine. I hate hand sewing stuff. My machine handled the pool noodle pretty well, the stuff squishes easily and isn't too tough.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Thanks Ed! Might try your way, mine just flops over in and out of the water!

[OceanWhisper]

Looking cool so far! :)

[Mermaid Joie]

The top looks great so far! :jawdrop: I can't wait to see how it turns out! ��

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Sorry for the crappy photos, but here's some progress shots.

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Been working on layering and shaping the thermoplastic, and now I'm mostly satisfied with the form. Now I can start decorating it.

Had to dispense with the straps and back part, due to the shape of my dorsal fin. (thermoplastic is also expensive) Instead, I'll be attaching the armor to the undertop

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ooo! Have you tried it on yet?

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Well, I've been molding it to my own chest, so yes? It doesn't stay on by itself, and I can't add straps due to my dorsal fin, so I'm going to have to glue it onto the undershirt once I have it all painted and everything. Until then, I kind of just hold it to my chest to check the fit. Not ideal, but it's what I got.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

How's it going Ed? Any new updates? How did you mold the plastic? By cooking it or heating with hairdryer?

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Nothing yet. I've got a busy weekend, so won't be working on it until my days off.

yeah, I've been molding it with a hairdryer. I didn't want to stick it in the oven and melt the whole thing, so I've been doing it bit by bit with a hairdryer instead.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Nothing yet. I've got a busy weekend, so won't be working on it until my days off.

yeah, I've been molding it with a hairdryer. I didn't want to stick it in the oven and melt the whole thing, so I've been doing it bit by bit with a hairdryer instead.

Easy to do or not?

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Eh, the hardest part is that I'm fitting this to myself by myself, without a helper or a form. (a dressform would make this worlds easier)

When this stuff heats up, it's like putty. All I have to do is hold the hairdryer too it until it softens, then bend it into whatever shape I want and hold it there until it cools.

[Keiris]

Looks like it's coming along really well! :)

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Update time.

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The red foam is Pool Noodle. I'm using it to make a raised outline around the armor to hopefully give it more 3-D detail. Hopefully, it'll also make the whole thing float in case it comes off.

Next step is to mold my leftover bits of thermoplastic into little swirly designs

[Mermaid Alea]

When the pool noodle is painted will that help preserve it? I have had issues before with a brand new pool noodles disintegrating after just one year.

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

I'm actually going to cover the whole thing in muslin, then paint, then clear coat sealant.

I used this same pool noodle to make the spines in my top, and the spines in my webbed gloves and haven't had any issues with it yet.

[Mermaid Alea]

Okay good I would hate for all of your hard work to fall apart! ;)

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Almost done! I used small bits of pool noodle to make swirly designs, then glued down Muslin over the whole thing to cover the pool noodle and give the paint something to grab to. Then, I painted the whole thing.

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what you can't see is how sparkly this thing are. I picked up clear glitter paint and coated the whole thing in it. Now, to add some straps so I can put it on!

[Mermaid Wesley]

ooooohhhh neat!!

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

And a preview of the top being worn (over a tank top) Hopefully get some of the top with my tail in a few days.

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[Mermaid Wesley]

That's rad. Tail flippin awesome.


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Oh wow! All you need is a trident to complete the look.

[Princess Pearl]

That's amazing! I can't wait to see how it swims!

[Mermaid Joie]

Looks awesome! It's clear you have put a lot of work into this top. I thought an armored Top would be cool (and a bit more modest) but I need to finish my tail first. Very smart to use pool noodles for dimension. If you don't mind my asking, how much does it cost to make a top like this?

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

The most expensive thing was the Thermoplastic. It's about $30 per sheet, and I ended up using two sheets.

Otherwise, I just used pool noodle, muslin, and cheap acrylic paint.