That makes sense actually
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That makes sense actually
Possibly silly question: but for a dry event, how would I get both me and my tail very wet? If I had a spray bottle would that work, or would I need to be wetter than that.
Fresh: looking back at the thread , it took 11 days from pics to shipping, but then she was adding my extra fins as well.
I guess for that situation you could use lotion and apply generously. Just an educated guess though.
Did you try getting it on in the water? I really hope it works. And do post pictures when you get the chance. :)
Out of all the possible tailmakers on the internet, who all make absolutely stunning tails and accessories, I will without a doubt be ordering a silicone tail from merbellas when I have the money :D
Any idea if that's the same with the basic tail since it is lined with neoprene...i was wondering if you would still need to lotion up if putting it on dry?Quote:
Originally Posted by AniaR
I find that its a lot easier to put my merbellas tail on out of water, with lotion, and then make fine adjustments to the fit while in the water. the lotion lets me slide my feet into the foot pockets really far so the heel straps come over my feet by themselves instead of me having to dig around for them for 20 minutes. I've actually gotten charlie horses from doing that.
Thanks for the info Ayla, I'll keep that in mind. How do you clean the inside of your tail?
I watch the video of how Raina cleans the inside of her tail. But again I wonder how it's done for the basic tail.
As a rule of thumb in my experience with neoprene, dry is actually better. I've even put talc on to slide into neoprene lined tails easier, or worn tights underneathQuote:
Any idea if that's the same with the basic tail since it is lined with neoprene...i was wondering if you would still need to lotion up if putting it on dry?
And Thalassa, it wont ALWAYS be that hard I promise. It's so freaking hard to get the tail past your butt because it sticks to the fabric on your bottoms. For dry gigs I usually wear a thong, and loads of cream on my legs and butt to help it slide on, especially the feet so I can get them into the monofin pockets the easiest.
Oh talc powder! I would of never thought of that but yea that would make it easier because of the fabric. Thanks Raina.
That seems to be a theme. I know a few people who ordered full silicone, one of them a Merbella Studios one, and cried when they got it because it was so heavy and so hard to put on. I'm glad I've handled one of the Merbella Studios full silicone tails before I got mine because it's hard to understand just how heavy it is until you feel it for yourself. :/ Sometimes you don't know what you're really getting into with a silicone tail until you get it.
Honestly I'm nervous about my tail fit because I've seen 3 mermaids who have gotten tails from them and they didn't fit right :( I was really careful with measuring so I hope that pays off.
I'm actually really bad about cleaning my tail. When I'm done swimming, I usually just hang it to dry. I have a lot of room at the pool I use so ill grab it by the top of the fluke near the footlockers and spin in circles to kind of force the water out. Then when I get home I lay it flat on the ground in my basement near a dehydrator. There are mold spots on the inside of my tail, I've tried scrubbing them with a toothbrush, but they don't really bug me because its just barely there. I don't have money for cleaner either. So I'm not the best about cleaning my tail, but I don't think one or two mold spots will destroy my tail immediately.
AYLA! Mold inside tail isnt jsut issue for tail but a health issue for you. Get an sesitive antibacterial hand soap and clean your tail. Also Contact raven on what can be safly used to clean that!!!
MOLD=BAD!!! Bad for skin bad for lungs.. MOld has invisible spores!!!
Shame on you girlie!
Im withholding your new top until You get that taken care of! ;)
Just remember- chlorine eats away at everything, even silicone. I know someone with a tail like yours who hasn't been rinsing it and drying it properly after, and they are getting weak spots at the waist and even parts where the silicone is coming apart on the fluke. I've known others with full silicone tails who didn't rinse it and got damages like tearing :( We think silicone is indestructible, but it really is not. If you can't buy a $5-$10 bottle of silicone safe cleaner at least be sure to rinse your tail really well with fresh water as soon as possible after you're out of the water. If you're at a public pool you can even use the showers to do that. The mold is a problem- it spreads and eats away at the silicone making it prone to rips and tears. If you can't afford the cleaner, try and spot clean it with a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar (if it were me i'd leave it on there for a few hours, wipe it off with a damp cloth, then wipe with a dry one and do that every few days till it's gone- but that's just a guess). It's a few minutes of care (and for the cleaner a few extra dollars) for a $3,000+ piece of equipment. For me that took over 3 years and awesome amounts of birthday money from my family for a new tail.. not worth cutting corners on care to me :/ I've seen the kinds of damages and degrading to every kind of tail when it's not taken care of, and I can't stress how much it's just not worth it. Just my 2¢
Yeah, I actually taped my difficulty getting into my tail the first time. I promised myself I would and that I'd put it on Youtube so that newer mers can see that difficulty getting into the tail is normal. I haven't been able to try it on wet yet, with testing at work and getting ready for faire I haven't had time! I'll definitely have some pics soon, though. ;-)
PS Is there any particular brand of cleaner, or will any silicone-safe cleaner do?
Yeah I got mold in mine, you can't get it out but you can KILL it. I use sex toy cleaner or vinegar on a cotton swab. I am usually very good about maintaining my tail, but I forgot to rinse it twice, and it caused some issues. So always rinse it with clean fresh water, and then follow up with a cleaner. Then you really should pat it dry inside with a towel, and stuff one towel in the fluke to absorb the water out of the foot pockets etc.Quote:
There are mold spots on the inside of my tail, I've tried scrubbing them with a toothbrush, but they don't really bug me because its just barely there. I don't have money for cleaner either. So I'm not the best about cleaning my tail, but I don't think one or two mold spots will destroy my tail immediately.
dont use anything that is silicone BASED FYI
I've been rinsing it with fresh water after every swim. I think its just the fresh water that sits in the tail that i can't get at or i miss that starts growing the mold spots. I'm pretty sure investing in a tail stand to hang my tail from properly would pretty much alleviate the mold spot issue. Right now like I said I can only lay it flat on the ground, I have nowhere to hang it to properly let it dry without stretching it out.
Sex toy cleaner that's approved for silicone. Most of them are multi use. You just have to read the bottle/label, or description if you're ordering online to make sure silicone is listed. You can pop by a local sex shop, or you can buy online. Here's a quick link to google just to get an idea. I do have my safe search off- not sure if that matters. I would go for the straight spray stuff, not the foaming stuff. Something you can leave on or wipe off and don't have to rinse it off. There are multiple pages worth before you get above $15.
You know.. I wonder if we need to rethink lubes for getting into tails. The care sheet for Merbella Studios says to use a small amount of baby oil to get it on dry. From my research, baby oil is just mineral oil with fragrance added. From what I've read mineral oil damages silicone over time. From my research petroleum products are fine (just not fine on neoprene, latex, or a silicone mix that's not pure silicone). So if you use a cream or a lotion look at the ingredients- petroleum is okay, mineral/baby oils are not. I've seen Mertailor say to use hair conditioner, but those usually have a lot of silicons in them - there are different types that go by many different names that make them hard to spot on an ingredient list- and silicons can damage silicone. Like if you put a silicone based lube on silicone it can straight up melt, permanently. It's hard digging around for comprehensive info on this stuff, but from my hours of research that's what I've found. (I am getting a tail of silicone, I want to make sure what I do and use on it is as safe for the material as humanly possible.)
Also, I was looking for a half gallon of cheap stuff water based lube (you know, for people who do a lot of dry gigs) and uh... yeah. http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Natura.../dp/B005MR3IVO 55 gallons. Look at the reviews! Can't stop laughing. So. many. trolls. XD
I did manage to answer my own question about using lube instead of lotions in my search.. guess it's too expensive to use in that quantity all the time. I will just say.. it is amazing and disturbing the stuff you find when trying to find out more info on durability and care of silicone. Cause well, you mostly have to find that information based on sexy toy info XP Oh, the forums I've found myself on looking everywhere for answers O_o But with safe search on you don't really find any answers!
I dont think you have to worry about the majority of things we use to get the tail on if you're going right in the water because it rinses it right out/off right away. I use all natural body lotion. Silicone isn't very porous so it's a lot better than latex or plastic etc in terms of preventing bad stuff. Just don't use a silicone based cleaner or silicone based lube on your tail, silicone will bond to silicone even at that level. They told me that at the sex store. LOL
I've quicky read all the stuff here about getting in to your tail and cleaning it.(mostly full silicone)
But what is the best way for a basic tail (neoprine inside, silicone outside) for cleaning an putting it on?
Thanks
I got my tail pics on April 21 but I still don't know what to do for shipping? Did Raven send you guys an email on how to pay for shipping? I know she's busy I'm just anxious to get it before I go on a summer trip :)
I got a couple of pictures today! :)
SHARE. PLEASE?
She only posted one publicly. :) So I'll share that one here! So far it's amazing and I literally cried when I saw the whole thing.
Attachment 11032
Oh my gosh. That is SO GORGEOUS JUST JDNKNKJDKL:A. I love the transition from the dark blue to the light blue to the yellow to the red. SO pretty!!
Wow thats beautiful! Its making it harder for me to wait for mine :(
The tip is actually a really pretty pearly pink color! I think the filter makes it look red-ish. But I love it so much!
Oh wow, weird lighting. A pink I bet though, is pretty too<3
Ahh, everyone pics are so beautiful!! My 120 days (since I sent measurements) passed a few days back, and I have a serious case of ants in my pants waiting for updates from Raven! *wiggles endlessly* It would be amazing if it was done around time for my birthday on the 8th ^_^
Soooo beautiful!! I can't wait to see pictures with you wearing it!
Eeeep! So pretty!!! :D
Very pretty :)
can someone welp me with my question please? q^_^
btw; Congrats Isabela! I saw the picture erlier on Ig ^^ I added you <3
I still have 30 days to go = getting exited and stressy at the same time!:rolleyes:
Thanks everyone! Mine took a while for pictures; It was something around ...140 days?? I actually had to ask her since my parents were being really stressful about the whole situation, but Raven is a sweetheart and she helped me out. <3
Ariel your question is already answered in detail on this thread, and on the merbellas fb page ;)
Ok I am moving myself over to this thread after asking about ordering/email info with Merbellas. I have just read through ALL the pages on this thread, and looking at these gorgeous tails that you mers have has been great! It's also been good to read all the experiences with ordering and waiting.
I am SOOOO excited to order a tail, and I have colors (mostly) picked out, fluke design, monofin, measurements...now just checking FB like a crazy person for when she announces she's taking orders again. Then...well, I'm glad it's online because I bet it would be like crazy Black Friday in the real world. Even getting ready to write a draft email so I can send it out ASAP when she posts :)
Oh, and perhaps I missed this somewhere, but what is the cost to upgrade the Basic tail to a Competitor monofin? I know I've seen at least one basic with a competitor on here so perhaps someone can enlighten me :)
The Mermaidens and Freshwater Mermaid have competitors...so...let's hope they can help out. :P
That's what I did! I wrote the email and kept it in my drafts, then stalked their FB fan page for when they said they were taking more orders and sent it out as soon as they posted :PQuote:
Originally Posted by WavyMermaidy
I know the wave or rapid comes price included with the tail, and the rapid is $80 last I checked and the competitor was $320. So I'd say around an extra $280 would be a decent guestimate. Maybe a bit more since it probably takes more materials (neoprene, silicone, paint, ect) to cover that big of a fin.