Silicone tail take two - a starry mermaid

[Mermaid Kelda]

I remember a merman on here made a latex tail for an art project at uni, it was purple and black if I remember correctly. I can't for the life of me remember his username!

Found him, it was Exdraghunt who made that tail (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?t=7282)

Just a heads up, Exdraghunt prefers gender-neutral pronouns

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh, I'm so sorry, thank you for telling me! I will change that right away!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

More scales!

[PearlieMae]

Oooh! Very pretty! How thick are your scales? It's hard to tell how big they are.

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Each of the squares in the background is an inch squared. The scales vary in thickness (a byproduct of the uneven sculpts and varying amounts of silicone used). Some are 1mm thick, all the way to 3mm. I'm not sure how thick to make them, I think 1.5-2mm is what I'm going to aim for.
On the chunky glitter, it seems to be mostly fine, but when the scale is stretched to the extreme, it does create pockets where the glitter doesn't stretch. It doesn't seem to affect the overall strength of the scale unless the glitter is close to the edge, so just to be sure I'll probably limit it to places with not too much stretch.

[PearlieMae]

Ah, thanks!

I found that with chunky glitter, it will cut its way out of the scales Now I limit my use of the chunky stuff to places that don't need to stretch or flex very much, like the upper part of my fluke.

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

It's so pretty though, I hope I can make it work. Testing testing testing!

[MermaidAine]

This is going to be so pretty. Your color scheme is very close to what I want. I love blue and purple. Opal, Labadorite and Moonstone are my favorite stones, and I love anything that GLITTERS!

[WaterDragon]

Oh cool, I hadn't seen that thread!

the Delphine tail was the big tail project going on when I joined the site

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

I poured my new mould for my main scale size today! It looks like it doesn't have the weird bubbling issue of the other mould, so I'm hopeful this one has turned out properly I have to wait a week before I can use it though, gah polyester resin...

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

Looking pretty

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Thanks
Finally went for a swim this evening with my new fin, I've been sick the last two weeks since I got it. I'm not sure if I like it or not. Most of the difference is in how you kick, previously with my Hydra, you had to use your whole body to get anywhere, whereas the slightest flick of this fin is enough to propel you. Once I got used to that, it was much easier, but I also am a bit meh about the foot pockets. The heel strap is not as stretchy as I would like and very thick, which makes it hard to get over your heel. The thickness also means it digs into the side of my ankle, which is awkward. I also feel like the blade doesn't bend evenly, almost as if one side is stiffer than the other. This just may be because I'm kicking harder with one leg than the other, I'm not sure. I'm not going to give up on it just yet, I'm hoping it will grow on me!
In other news, I demoulded my new scale mould, and it looks perfect! I'm so happy with it
Now I just have to be patient and wait another 6 days till I can use it!
I'm debating whether to make another mould with a few larger and smaller scales, in case I need to fill in gaps, but I really think they might just look awkward. Thoughts?

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

More progress!
I was trying to come up with ideas for fins, I'm aiming for heel fins, pectoral fins and a dorsal. Then I noticed this armour set in one of my favourite computer games, Warframe:

(For those interested, it is a free game, and this frame is Chroma with the Iliac armour set)
I like the shape of the shoulder fins, so this is my more mermaid-y interpretation:

I'm planning on using these as my pectoral fins, and two sets of them as my heel fins. I'll hopefully get to cast them tomorrow night!

[SeaGlass Siren]

More scales!

KYAH!!! OH MY GAH THEY LOOK LIKE RAINBOWFISH SCALES!!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

^_^ Thanks!

[Mermaid Wesley]

oooh

[OceanWhisper]

More scales!

THEY'RE SO SPARKLY!!! *grabby hands*

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Thank you both! When I first started mermaiding, I didn't like lots of glitter, now I can't stop buying the stuff... Need shinies! I've now got navy blue, black, teal and opal white glitters. I've found some ultra fine glitters that are the same colours as the chunky glitter, so I think I'll mainly use those with a small amount of the chunkier stuff. I've been putting one of the scales with chunky glitter through hell, and so long as the glitter is not near the edge or surface, it seems to stay in okay. It's really a shame because the large glitter looks so cool. I might add a few scales here and there with it, but I think sticking with the smaller stuff will ensure the longevity of the tail.

[Raayvhen]

Why wasn't I following this thread before?! Those scales are amazing!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Thank you!