I was so happy that that's when the DJ played it! Other than that one song, it was all country or techno!
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I was so happy that that's when the DJ played it! Other than that one song, it was all country or techno!
You look wonderful, and I really like the fluke; it reminds me of a monarch butterfly wing! :mermaid kiss:
OMG Pearlie! It is amazing! I Love it! I wish I had more confidence to make this on my own, or maybe you might think about selling them? *big puppy dog eyes* Do you by chance have the "Pearlie Method" all laid out in a nice printable packet somewhere, I need a book "How to make a tail for dummies and the artistically challenged" LOL
Pearlie, your tail turned out AMAZING! It's really incredible!
Thank you, everyone!
I might be selling them, but no, no Pearlie Method in an easy-to-decipher format. :D
Step 1: Get into a bathtub on the full moon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fablecat
Step 2: Cross your legs and chant "I will, I will, I will increase my tail" three times.
Step 3: Wait for the transformation to occur!
(Because this tail is totally real, right?)
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW, you made a beautiful tail and I love how easily you swim in it!! The fluke is so majestic, I am so proud that you made it and the videos are great!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
*stands up at work desk, applauding*
Just incredible, Pearlie! Its so beautiful and you swim magnificently!
LMAO Seavanna, I am Soooo going to try that tonight LOL
Hey Pearlie, I am curious, how much does it weigh?
Pearlie, tail looks great. Looks like you had fun swimming in it.
Seavanna! You pufferfish! You promised not to tell!
Fablecat, it's less than 20 pounds!
Thank you all so much for all the love! I'm going to summarize the last steps of putting this together, the maiden swim, and the subsequent failures of engineering and design...but first, supper!
Wow Pearlie Mae!! Just Wow! It was all soo worth it!
You did a wonderful job. Congrats :)
This is so unique, and the way the fluke moves is so magical.
This is truly real magic! Like everything about this is like a fairytale. A women wants to make herself a mermaid, works her ass off to make it happen and BAM one of the most beautiful mermaids EVER! Love this! Hell if you do start to sell them I'll definitely get one!!
My mind now feels at peace with the fulfillment of gazing at the dazzling beauty that is your tail. I have never felt a better feeling at the insanity slowly floated away, as smoothly as you glide through the water, like a tiny water pixie flickering about among children. My heart is now content, for you have satisfied my swimming video needs, and for that I am eternally grateful. Now if you'll excuse me, must now repeat this entire process on the next tailmaking thread that pops up in my feed...
Ah, but there is more to the story...
My Lexan monofin, the prototype I've been crashing around since January, was put into the fluke halves and attached to the tail the night before this swim...and about 30 minutes after this video was taken, I felt it snap! Not from anything in particular, not from a fracture (that I could tell), not an obvious stress point...it just broke laterally, from the middle of the left side into the center. I could feel it inside the fluke as it would click against itself as I swam. I took off the tail and went back to the party (it was my sister's wedding reception).
The next day, as I was packing to fly back home, the sharp point of the broken fluke was poking out through the garment bag I had carried it in, so I cut open the silicone to take it out. Once I got the Lexan out, I was going to bend it until it failed - the usual way to ruin Lexan - and to my surprise, it snapped again and again, as though it were plexiglas! I am quite annoyed and will be contacting Lexan to discuss this further.
So, my prototype monofin and my prototype fluke casts (the cicada-wing tail) got an initial swim and it was wonderful! Although there isn't a good look at the top, yet, it is incorporated into the tail body like a halter-style backless gown. I had to tailor it some, as I had made it too long around the neck, and when I tightened it up, it got a bit daring across the bust. I will be adding more scales to my décolletage to avoid nip slips!
I have another, even more transparent, fluke in the works, and the monofin is going to be re-engineered to be a lot smaller and stubbier...floppier on the bottom half and not nearly as wide. It was 24" x 36" and quite unwieldy and potentially dangerous in a pool...and I want some more 'flow' to the fluke, and I think solid dragonskin, rather than a thin/wide Lexan monofin will do the trick. Once I get my Lexan consultation, I may try again with a thicker piece.
So, all in all, the Pearlie Mae Method is now 95% successful, and a new fluke and fin should be complete by this weekend!
:mermaid kiss:
So this fin was 36"wide?
How thick was the Lexan? :confused:
Don't trust the Home Depot website. I had bought a 'Lexan' sheet once that was shown on the website, and the cover said Lexan on it, but it was DEFINITELY NOT Lexan. All I was doing was testing out the waviness of the monofin in my bathtub (I just filled it up and was moving it up and down like it would do in the water to see how much it would bend, and where with the shape I had cut it into), and on the third or fourth time it all of a sudden shattered in my hands. Got some nasty cuts, and was down one monofin. I'm glad I didn't test it out on my feet first, that would have been disastrous. I didn't have a very thick sheet either. It didn't behave like normal Lexan at all. I had considered writing an email to the company, but I don't think they would take it very seriously if they received a letter from a person concerned about the physical safety of mermaiders everywhere.
Perhaps stepping layers to maintain that .093 at the edges and having .250 at the foot plate and high stress areas?
Basically smaller plates top and bottom, kinda half moon shapes.
Except for putting a quarter round on the edges, the main part of the fluke was full thickness. The footplate covered the high stress areas (I went through a lot of Lexan testing this), but it broke out of the blue...not in a particularly stressed area where I would assume it suffer. A half moon would not have covered the breaking point.
Lostariel, you didn't contact them???
No, I'm am ashamed to say I did not contact them. I was going to, and then I realized that the moment they would ask me 'in what situation did the incident happen' or whatever, that I would then have to explain that I am a mermaid and needed something strong enough for a fluke in a tail. Don't think that would go down very well....
Oh, I'm not going to have any problem complaining about this. I'll bitch until I get my money back AND a solution!
You go Pearlie. Give them Heck. Keep us updated!
Buy your poly-carbonate from a real plastics dealer and not Home Depot, for like $30 they will cut it and it'l be higher quality. Lexan is a brand of poly-carbonate. "You probably knew that" :doh:
If at the store you can't tell of it's glass or plastic then it's Plexiglas. Poly's not perfectly clear, really clear - not perfect.
If only we had tickets to Mako Island, think how much easier this would be.
Actually, in thinking about the usual complaints and situations the Lexan customer service people probably hear, I would imagine a complaint about a mermaid tail would seem pretty interesting.
MarkF, I will look into a plastics dealer. I thought I could trust Home Depot, but evidently not. That bothers me.
Pearlie, please tell them that a certain Elvish Mermaid called Lostariel Telrunya is also looking for their heads. I can never sound menacing, even in an email, but I would imagine if the Queen of the Pearlie Method got a whack at 'em, they'll listen. :jelly:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lostariel Telrunya
I hate to be the devils advocate here but...Lexan is just a brand. There's lexan polycarbonate and also lexan acrylic. Home Depot sells both. You probably ended up with acrylic by mistake /: I ordered my sheet (same thickness as pearlies) from lowes and have not had any problems. My monofin is about 27" x 30" and it has not broken or fractured anywhere. Sorry about your monofin though; yours too Pearlie Mae!!
Thanks! I'm quite annoyed at Home Depot as they advertise ON THE SHELF that their Lexan IS polycarbonate. Even the protective sheet on the plastic says polycarbonate.
They are going to hear about it, no worries, and I will keep you all updated!
In the meantime (some of these are dupes from the Show Us Your Tail page, click on the attachment name to see them):
Attachment 23019 Attachment 23020 Attachment 23021 Attachment 23022 Attachment 23023 Attachment 23024 Attachment 23025 Attachment 23026 Attachment 23027
That's my sister (and the bride) pinching my bewbie!
Attachment 23028
Awwww! I so want to snuggle you! XD
with tho how long you used yours and tried to destroy it I'm pretty sure yours was polycarbonate. Maybe it just had a high stress point from the inflicted damage. While it's incredibly strong, it's not un breakable. I do think Lostariel's was acrylic however.Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlieMae
...This is making me a little worried about the sheet I picked up from Home Depot. I got the same thing, just the smaller size. I haven't cut it yet though.Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlieMae
Oh Pearlie! It is SO pretty! Maybe over winter I will get the guts to try and make one of my own.
Grey, how soon were you planning on cutting it? You might want to hang back until I talk to them, or contact them with a query, stating you've heard bad things about their Lexan and you might want to return it and go to Lowe's. That usually spurs them into some fast action as Lowe's is their biggest competitor.
For an even faster response, go and ask on their Facebook page, because that's public!
:swoon:Quote:
Originally Posted by SINicallyTwisted
What an incredible tail, omigosh. WOW. O_O