100% silicone in tubes

[MerAnthony]

Over time an time again I see ah hear people that make tails from silicone you mix from buckets of part A an part B. Now we all know as well that silicone sticks to silicone. If somebody was to try an use 100% silicone from tubes that you buy from a hardware store. Could this work? I mean if after you make your scale board an then you take the tubes of 100% silicone an cut the tops off an squeese out the silicone an spred it out to the scale board. Could this work for making a tail?

[Yulia]

Yes, it would work, but that silicone is not meant for costumes. They are not good for skincontact, or animallife.

[AniaR]

Actually.... Smooth on has one in tubes for adhering pieces and spot fixes they recommend. It is exactly the same as GE silicone ( a specific version) and what they told me to use for fixing my tail when I couldn't get their products where I live. The msds is totally fine. No concerns when cured. ( just like dragonskin) the issue really came from back in the day with Alex plus ... But pure silicone in tubes is still pure silicone. It is not the same. Dragon skin doesn't have something magic in it that makes it safe... Its just pure.

I have safely used silicone caulking to repair my tails for years. It doesn't harm me or animals. You could certainly make a tail out of it so long as you read the labels and be sure it is pure and the msds says safe when cured. In fact... Many make tails that way. And most professional silicone tails contain parts attached using it.

[AniaR]

And Alex plus isn't silicone or safe. But aquarium silicone is the exact same contents as most bathroom Caulkings.

[Theobromine]

Raina, you're not wrong but just to clarify, aquarium silicone and dragonskin silicone aren't exactly the same TYPE of silicone, though both should still be safe. Dragonskin is platinum-cure silicone, which means it uses platinum in its curing process. Aquarium silicone is an acetic-cure silicone, which means it uses acetic acid (vinegar) in its curing reaction. That's why you get that strong vinegary smell while it's curing (uncured dragonskin doesn't really have any odor). The vinegar smell goes away completely once the silicone is cured, after about 24 hours, though it's recommended to rinse it thoroughly afterwards. I've used it a lot over the years to repair aquarium seals, add dividers to fry-raising tanks, and build backgrounds in reptile habitats and such...I always figured that if it's safe enough for incredibly delicate organisms such as fishes, amphibians, and invertebrates, it's safe enough for humans.

I don't think acetic cure silicone is as stretchy as platinum cure silicone, but I've never directly compared it (just based on aquarist experience). Fiona Fogg of Busselton Mermaids makes tails with tubes of aquarium silicone, though, and they look really nice. You could always ask her about it.

[MerAnthony]

By reading all that have said about Alex Plus silicone is a big NO NO an I would never use something that would hurt our waters or myself. I have use before aqarium silicone to fix a few of my tanks before, but to me it seems to stiff an an not to flexable to use for a tail. I'll be sure to check the silicone msds even before I would buy something before I would know if it was safe or not.

[Theobromine]

Alex Plus is not the same thing as any of the different types of pure silicone. Not all caulking materials are the same; some are latex, some are latex/silicone mixtures, and some are pure silicone, and there are different types of silicone even within that classification (tin-cure, acetic-cure, platinum-cure). Do your research and read the labels very carefully before buying.

[AniaR]

Alex plus isn't silicone. Its tincure latex. Its not the same thing as pure silicone caulking.

And I didn't say aquarium silicone is the same as dragonskin. I specifically said bathroom caulking. Which has to be safe for human bodies and constant water.

I don't find it stretches as well no. But you can pigment it.

Just read the msds. You can also search out the forums for special effects artists and YouTube tutorials that have indexes of trusted materials.

[PearlieMae]

Alex is crap. Don't use it.

Dragonskin cures from being mixed. No matter how thick the piece, it will cure completely.

Tube silicone, tin-cure, and acetic acid cure need air to cure...it actually cures through evaporation and needs humidity from the air to cure. In the wrong conditions, the surface can cure too fast, encapsulating uncured silicone and harsh chemicals inside, and could be irritating to skin if it were to be punctured or otherwise exposed during use.

Tube silicone/aquarium sealer is fine for repairs and attaching fins.

[Mermaid Wesley]

This. I had a peice that wouldn't cure on the underside made out of caulking. I had to peel it up and it cured after that, but its definitely a pain in the butt. Oh and its much thicker. Its nearly impossible to avoid bubbles because it doesn't settle. like 2-part silicone. AND I'm fairly sure that its about the same price when you add up the quantity you will need. I'm gonna do a little math in a sec....

[Mermaid Wesley]

MATH TIME
Ok so one tube of GE 100% silicone is 10.1 fluid ounces. I'm not sure if a gallon order of dragonskin is exactly 2 gallons, or a little less, but I'm going to guess its 2 because thats what I'm always hearing. 1 gal is 128 fl oz. that means you would need 12.6 tubes of GE silicone for one gallon of dragonskin. According to the home depot site, each tube is 6.24 each. Thats 80 bucks (without tax, which i dont know how to calculate), if its 2 gal per order, that's $160. Many people report needing over one order of dragonskin silicone for their tails, and an order of dragonskin is $183.72. So that's 23 bucks difference assuming you only use one gallon. I'll admit that 23 bucks (or more if you go over a gallon order) is a decent savings, but when you consider the amount of plastic waste from the tubes, the frustration of trying to thin the GE silicone or force it into molds, and the possibility that it wont cure as well, (plus you would need a ton of mold release since this stuff is technically silicone glue that's designed to stick to glass) its not a stretchy and is more likely to tear... I don't think it's worth it. If you made a neoprene/silicone caulk tail like the old mertailors, caulking might be worth it, but when working with molds and in large quantities, 2-part silicone is really the way to go.

[PearlieMae]

[AniaR]

I find so long as you do it in thin layers so it cures properly through it's fine. But yup pearlie is right you need air, and you get that vinegar smell for sure. I repaired a heel fin this week and was shocked when I went to the pool and the vinegar smell was there hahaha

[Princess Pearl]

Hypothetically, could you do individual scales, PearlieMae style, with silicone caulk? Then use a smaller order of platinum cure for the slime coat?

[Mermaid Wesley]

Unfortunately its not a good idea. Thats actually what i tried and its sooo hard to get it smooth. Its really thick. About the same as hot glue? and wont settle into molds. I couldn't get a single smooth scale in caulking. You might be able to thin it, but like I already mentioned, its not terribly cheap

[OceanRose]

You do have to thin it if you want to use it in molds (then you can pour it).
However the fumes are strong and mixing it with thinner is REALLY strong. I'm pretty sure I damaged my brain from not protecting myself from it, I get headaches now regularly.
It can easily get big air bubbles when you're mixing unless you're very careful and like Wesley said, once it's cured it doesn't stretch barely at all.
Definitely not worth it unless you are desperate, especially as it will contaminate your molds and you won't be able to use platinum cure silicone in them.

[MermaidBrandie]

Just use dragon skin. Not worth all the other hassle for a cheaper product, I feel.