My tail came in -- Needing a complete overhaul!

I shoulda known that a $400 dollars tail would need lots of work. I did figure it would need some work, but still. First thing I notice is that it's much darker than the photo. Meh, whatever, the color wasn't that big a deal anyway. When I picked it up, the fluke bent right down the middle. Uh oh, I thought, broken monofin. But when I turned it another way, it didn't bend, so I started to think I had imagined it. I start putting it on. It was certainly not a finis wave, as it had footpockets instead of straps. I finally get it all the way on, and I'm not sure if I simply need more practice, or if it's a low rise tail. It could also be that it's REALLY tight. It has a neoprene lining, so it doesn't stretch very much. I was so exhausted after getting it on! Strangely, the fluke bubbled up. Not glued down? Finally, I tugged it off, and realized that my right foot was pulling up out of the fluke with the footpockets still on it! Absolutely not glued down. I reached in to figure out wtf is going on--- NOT A MONOFIN!! It's a pair of bifins just shoved into the neoprene pocket of the fluke, and loosely floating around! (That's what the 'visible monofin' was btw, the neoprene is white). :cry::doh::no-no::headwall: All this is not to mention the few places the seam is coming undone and scales are pulling up from the neoprene.... So I'm gonna have to completely open up the fluke and put a real monofin in, grrr..... http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/...409_122928.jpg http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/...409_122918.jpghttp://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/...409_123550.jpg http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/...409_123512.jpg http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/...409_123531.jpg

Aw well I'm sure once you're done it will be lovely and pretty. Good luck


Sent from my shellphone using Tapatalk

Sorry it's worse than you expected! That's why it was so cheap for sure though. :/ Also I feel bad for the original buyer who paid more than you did for it...augh. Here's to hoping the repairs are easy and quick.

Weird thing is, it said on the listing that it had a finis wave monofin. Did the seller not know what a monofin is? I know I can get it usable, it's just I thought it would be in usable shape now, and I could wait on the modifications *sigh*

I think the most annoying thing about this tail is the bi fins instead of a monofin. The awful seams are a close second for me.

Any plans yet for fixing it up? I bet you could make something really awesome out of it!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ShyMer

I think the most annoying thing about this tail is the bi fins instead of a monofin. The awful seams are a close second for me.

Any plans yet for fixing it up? I bet you could make something really awesome out of it!

---

Yeah, the seams are kinda nasty. I do have a lexan monofin that I made to go with my fabric tail--I'm thinking about cutting it down and using it in the tail. I'm definitely going to work on repainting it too, since the color's so weird.

Is this a month of bad tails or what?

You could glue those risen/torn nasty parts right back with smooth-on's sil-poxy. Though, oh yeah... The monofin. That will be a little tricky, maybe some E6000? And then a nice coat of paint and you'll have a wonderful tail that shows your work :)

I know e6000 doesn't stick to the wave's plastic but maybe it will to lexan


Sent from my shellphone using Tapatalk

That suuuucks

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MerHopefully

I know e6000 doesn't stick to the wave'a plastic but maybe it will to lexan


Sent from my shellphone using Tapatalk

---

it doesn't? Carp.. Then what would? I'm interested to know
any experience anyone

I wanna see what the seller has to say for themselves. I sent them a message asking why the tail has bifins, when it EXPRESSLY SAID it had a finis wave in it. I'm starting to think I should have just made my own dang tail :mad: Edit: I just got this message from the seller :"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize! I don't know what a finis wave monofin is I just copied the title from when I bought it! I'm so so sorry! Is there anything I can do to make this right? I had no idea. I feel so bad! I'm so sorry!" So it was the original seller, not the ebay seller, that screwed me over.

Azaria...

could be worse. i know its bad but heres some pics of mine. it came as is. here are some of the things.

Attachment 19947

this is a hole in my fluke. it is rather large and not a drain hole. the silicone never sealed this hole and i think the rough cut of the monofin doesn't help either

Attachment 19948

this shows that it is VERY large around my waist. If any of you have seen my swim video you'll see it actually show my buttocks because it falls down. This is me sitting up and you can see how it gaps open. I would understand it doing this a little but really?

Don't worry, Aziara with a little elbow grease and creativity you'll have this tail up and running in no time. It'll save you the work of making molds and scale sheets and everything.


Sent from my shellphone using Tapatalk

sorry for the large images. there are also holes where the heels of the wave monofin broke through the silicone.

Now I'm not sure what to say to the ebay seller :sad eyes:

I'm sorry that this happened to you. I do think that you can get it fixed up. Maybe the seller would be able to reimburse you the cost of a Wave Monofin? It gets complicated since this person clearly didn't even know what they were selling...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BayouMermaid

I'm sorry that this happened to you. I do think that you can get it fixed up. Maybe the seller would be able to reimburse you the cost of a Wave Monofin? It gets complicated since this person clearly didn't even know what they were selling...

---

Yeah, the seller just offered to knock $50 off the purchase price so I can get a monofin for it. At this point though, I'm too overwrought to think clearly, so I asked the seller if I could sleep on it.

I'm really sorry this happened to you :(

Positive note: at last the tail is a pretty color (to me anyways). Looks like a pretty dark purple?

Sent from my LG-VM696 using Tapatalk 2

Quote:

---

Yeah, the seller just offered to knock $50 off the purchase price so I can get a monofin for it. At this point though, I'm too overwrought to think clearly, so I asked the seller if I could sleep on it.

---

Sounds like a good plan.

Well, here's my current plan, though i'm still waiting until tomorrow for my final decision:

Take the $50 refund
Buy a sheet of lexan for the monofin, and use the included bifins for footpockets (they do fit)
Buy a quart of dragonskin for repairs and light painting (would this be enough? I'm not changing the color completly, just highlighting to make it more lilac/lavender/blue, and hiding the white in the fluke.
Buy pearl ex for the aformentioned painting

That sounds good to me. You don't need a gallon order, but you might end up needing a second quart order. (Still cheaper than a gallon)


Sent from my shellphone using Tapatalk

I totally have the 'fixer upper song' from frozen stuck in my head right now, lol http://youtu.be/sJ7c9HHLqQU

Don't forget some polyzap, some paintbrushes, and some mineral spirits (this last thing will thin the dragonskin down enough so you can paint it easily without losing the scale details) I'd get two of the smaller size dragonskin containers from smooth-on, just because it's better to have more than you need than not enough - you can always find something else to do with the leftover silicone.

Thanks Anahita, I didn't know you could use mineral spirits, I thought you had to use the thinner from smooth on. Mineral spirits will be cheaper. I already have some polyzap from making my first lexan monofin, so I'm good there, and I'll pick up the paintbrushes at the same time I'm at Lowes to get the lexan. I'm sure I can find something or other to do with leftover silicone, and since it'll save $15 buy two at once vs. two separately, I'll probably buy two. Thanks everyone, your support means the world to me. I'm really feeling like I can do this.

Yeah, toluene also works, and might be even cheaper.

The Smooth-on thinner is great, but it's just very costly, and since the paint is not structural, I've never seen the point in spending that much money on it.

It's really devastating when this happens but a tail makeover can really make a disaster into a thing of beauty. Good luck :mermaid kiss:

I've also realized I need to add on to the top edge--if I bend double, my butt pops out... aaaalllll the way out

So definitely 2 quarts then.


Sent from my shellphone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aziara

Now I'm not sure what to say to the ebay seller :sad eyes:

---

Frankly? I would be furious. The seller basically lied in their posting about what they were selling: Disregarding the damage to the tail, there is no Finis Wave Monofin in the tail like what was advertised, and that ALONE is enough to warrant a chargeback for the full $400. "No Refunds" does not cover the seller's ass when they're not being honest about what they're selling-- and I won't believe a word they say if they try to claim they "thought" it was a monofin that whole time, or that they were "told by the maker" it was a monofin, because there is a BLATANT difference between the two and there is no possible way somebody wouldn't be able to tell whether they're wearing a pair of loose bifins or a monofin the first time they wear the damn things.

The tail may have only been $400, but that's still four hundred freaking dollars. If there is ANY possible way that you can pursue a full refund for this as opposed to just taking the $50, I suggest you do it. After going through this post and seeing what a horrid state it's in, it makes the original eBay auction description look really, really suspicious and almost scammy in hindsight-- One photo of the tail, a blatant lie regarding the fins, a vague mention of "slight wear and tear" with no pictures or description of what that wear and tear actually entails... And of course, "No returns. No refunds."

I'm so, so sorry this happened to you. If I'd bought that tail I would have been devastated.

Hopefully repairing it won't be too difficult and you can still make a beautiful tail out of it.

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH TIERI SO MUCH THAT I AM YELLING MY AGREEMENT

I AM ACTUALLY SO MAD ABOUT THIS YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Seriously, the more I think about this situation the more I just want to SCREAM-- and I'm not even the one who bought the tail!

I rarely use eBay but you can bet your ass I would leave some HELLA negative feedback AND issue a chargeback. Imagine if that had been some new Mer's first tail!!

That was Stevi's more "affordable" option with her tails. Instead of using monofins, she glued bifins together. I mean it could get you by in a fabric tail or maybe even a latex tail, but I doubt it could do much in a silicone tail. I do think it looks nice on you! Tails are SO hard to get on the first time. I seriously thought I measured myself wrong when I first put on my tail, but after a few tries it gets easier. So don't give up just yet! I think you have a good base to mess around with and do some work on.

Raina, Tieri, I totally get where you guys are coming from, I was really mad and disappointed when I first realized what was going on with my new tail too. But the way I see it, scam or not, even with the cost of extra repairs and upgrades, it's still going to cost me less than making my own from scratch. Maybe I'm weird, but I'm sorta looking forward to tinkering with it. And Morticia, you aren't alone in liking the color, lol. My husband and both my parents think the color is amazing, and that it really suits a swamp-maid like me. I have to admit, the color is growing on me too. Which is why I'll only be highlighting it a little. OMG yes Blondie, it was so hard to get on. I think it would have been easier if I had something slimy on my legs, I put it on dry because I didn't have anything I could use. I think it might be a wee bit small for me, (my knees rub together somewhat, or maybe that's normal?) but I've been meaning to loose weight anyway.

Well as long as you are happy and feel up to the task go for it :)

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I was just thinking about how it would be kind of fun to redo a tail, it certainly challenges the creative side :)

My silicone and pigments came in. My mom described me as a "kid at Christmas", and said I 'Must absolutely become a tail maker" since it makes me so happy. This, from my mother, is kind of a big deal, as she wasn't all that supportive before I got the tail. I seriously am starting to think about making tails. That'll be some time though, I gotta save up my pennies!

I'm so glad you're going to fix it up! Can't wait for pictures!

Some small tests with silicone. It's so gooey! I'm making a silicone mold of some sand dollars so I can have resin sand dollars. The duct tape box edge is a test I smeared some excess dragonskin on to make sure there won't be cure inhibition. It's what I'm using to hold together my mini scale box. I'm planning on casting a small swath of the tail's scales so that the top edge will match precisely. http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/...423_114538.jpg

Wow I'm so sorry for the amount of stress the tail must have given you at the start! :O

But, tbh, if it were me I'd probably do the same thing! Haha...so it's a bit of a fixer upper? that's a minor flaw! ;)
I am so following this! I love the idea of fixing things up and making them my own and better...Good Luck with it!!