working with (for me) me materials (pic heavy)

As I have many fabric tails, I always want to have a silicone tail, but ordering from out of Belgium is to costly for me (as specially post and taxes). Then I noticed PearlieMae's tail-making technique and asked her if I would use it to make my own tail and she said yes :) So in the autumn I started on collection everything I need to make my tail. Found mica-powders at a craft-fair, Dragonskin in a shop in the Netherlands, fabric in a shop nearby, ... and ordered a new (translucent) Triton-monofin online (as it's a European brand, no taxes and cheap shipping for me).
After New Year I started to make my molds out of thermo-plastics:
Attachment 38436
- started testing my pigments:
Attachment 38437
- after that I started to cast my scales:
Attachment 38438
- when I had lost of them, my boyfriend helped to make my body-double:
Attachment 38439
- that I covered in white lycra (as my white iridescent scales are see-through):
Attachment 38440
- and started pinning my scales in place, the front first:
Attachment 38441
- and gluing them with some clear silicone:
Attachment 38442Attachment 38443Attachment 38444
- the back and sides:
Attachment 38445Attachment 38446Attachment 38447
- and the top (skin-colored scales):
Attachment 38448Attachment 38449Attachment 38450

After my boyfriends birthday-party (end of February) I started making my fluke:
- my pattern under a layer of saran-wrap and clear tape (the same as my body-double):
Attachment 38451Attachment 38452
- a layer of iridescent organza and 3 layers of colored dragonskin:
Attachment 38453Attachment 38454
- made 2 of them:
Attachment 38455
- and sandwiched my yellow monofin in between them, gluing only the sides:
Attachment 38456
- after that I attached the tail-body to the fluke:
Attachment 38457
- after that I sealed the outside of my tail with a slime-coat (clear silicone with a lot of fine iridescent glitter:
Attachment 38458
- then I sealed the inside of my tail with clear silicone:
Attachment 38459
- then I decided that my clear monofin was better for this tail and sealed it in my fluke, leaving holes for drainage:
Attachment 38460
- made some ribs for the side of my fluke:
Attachment 38461Attachment 38462
- attached them and trimmed the excess
Attachment 38463

And this is how I store my tail (and also let it dry in the bathroom after swimming):
Attachment 38464

Such beautiful work! Congratulations!

Also, using the plastic tub lid for a mold is GENIUS!

WOW. The blending on the front of the yellow and clear and gold is all so seamless--BEAUTIFUL tail! I LOVE the heart scales!

Thanks Pearly and Emma :) In the new year I'm going to make a new tail for my partner using the same molds and technique but in different colors: pink, purple and blue ;)

That's so so beautiful! How has the tail held up?
Also I'm really confused as to how you turned your tail inside out to seal the inside after the fluke was attached?

I've already swam 2 times and used it for several dry gigs and no problems with it. Turning it inside out wasn't a problem as it's quite thin and flexible and the monofin wasn't inside it jet.

Started testing the colors for the new tail. These are the test with the powders with out mixing them up to create new ones. Also some are 2-tones. Top row is without glitter, bottom is with fine iridescent, clear glitter. ;)
Attachment 39732

Mixed some of the powders to create new colors ;)
Attachment 39773

the colors are looking good, do you have a sketch of what you want the color scheme to be?

nope, as this tail is for a friend and she only know what colors she wants and still is looking for a design.still waiting on some glow-in-the-dark powder to arrive to stest it with these colors ;)

Ooh I hadn't seen your first silicone tail, Fenicia - That's gorgeous! I love what you did with the fluke, I've been thinking that's what I'm going to do for my next fabric tail since I like the translucent fabric but want the durability/fishiness of silicone.

Ooh, these new colours are so pretty! :swoon:Those are pretty much mu favorite colours there, and of course I'm in love with anything glow-in-the-dark (I have determined that every tail I own after my first will have glow on it LOL)

Can't wait to see what you do! You're so creative!

Glow-in-the-dark-pigment arrived and has been tested, but the blues are to green, the pinks are more orange and purple isn't glowing hard :( So we won't using them.
Tomorrow we will going to buy the buckets of silicon in Amsterdam, so I can start making scales for this new tail ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mermaid Fenicia

Glow-in-the-dark-pigment arrived and has been tested, but the blues are to green, the pinks are more orange and purple isn't glowing hard :( So we won't using them.
Tomorrow we will going to buy the buckets of silicon in Amsterdam, so I can start making scales for this new tail ;)

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Sadly Purple Glow in the dark pigments never seem to work well.

Beautiful as always!

Love the yellow hues! Its like sunshine!

Thanks, Wesley & Jaffa :)

Scale-making-factory has started again ;) iridescent white ;)
Attachment 40535

made 1 batch of all the colors that we going to use ;)
Attachment 40564
iridescent white on the belly and the darkest blue on the sides ;)

Beautiful color scheme!


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Oooh! It looks like candy! Lovely colors!