Archive: "The Needle inbeded in my tail."

[Winged Mermaid]

This is an archived thread that was originally posted on mer.yuku.com, the predecessor to MerNetwork. For more information about mer.yuku.com, click here.

mindlessdancer.surlalunefairyt...
Posts: 141 07/08/11 17:08:24	Well here is my over all review of my mertailor tail... In making my order to eric in may I made sure to email back and forth to make sure I got everything I wanted as I needed it before a photoshoot comming up this week.After ordering and not hearing from him for about three weeks ,they moved up the photoshoot on me and I contacted Eric to make sure everything was going well and going to be on time.The email I got back was kinda rude but not written in the style of eric and there were words misspelled that I hadn't seem him missspell in past emails so I can only assume perhaps he had an assistant.I had to send another email when it was about 3-4 weeks in with my custom paint job request (again) which I thought odd but didnt mind as I figured I would be getting the tail like described. My tail was was supposed to be here before the start of the month(july) but was late and arrived on the 6th. When I recieved my package and took out the tail I wasn't sure if it was mine or not as there was a shell top which I didnt order and the tail was only emerald green and black.Not the blending eric and I had discussed through email.I sent him an email asking for sure if it was mine and he said he sent the top complimentry for my tail being late and if i wasnt happy with the paint job I could send it back and he would change it.I replyed back with that I didnt mind and I would take care of taking in the hips and painting it myself as long as he would tell me how since I wasnt sure it would be back to me in time for my shoot at the falls,But thanked him for being so willing to take care of things. Now onto the needle. While working on refiting the tails hips/ waist something stabbed by hand and on closer inspection it's a needle imbeded in the latex and paint.I emailed eric again the same night as soon as I found it asking what I should do and waited 48 hours for a response to give him the benifit of the doubt of wanting to make sure everything was great on my tail but felt people should know to check over their tails.Does anyone have a reccomendation for how to get it out without destroying my scales? If any one wants better pics of it to maybe have an idea to get it out let me know(again sorry for it being a link this comp doesnt load the images up.As you can see the needle has paint and latex stuck to it where I have it pulled up) http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/photo.php?fbid=125035327582983&set=a.1038139863717 84.12108.100002295485278&type=1&theater Over all I'm ok ish with my tail and dont mind putting in effort to make it more my own or to make it fit perfectly but I do have a problem finding a sharp object inbeded in it especially when we mermaids tent to have small kids wanting to touch our tails.While Eric was a joy to work with I hope he doesnt have this happen again and I hope to hear from him about it.
AinaR	#1
Posts: 836 07/08/11 18:08:26	wow. Just... wow. :O Im so shocked! I can't think of a way to get the needle out without taking off some of the paint It was nice he sent you a top but how did he know your size? That just sounds kinda odd to me, like it probably was a mistake but then he figured ah well, she can have it. Either way I'd certainly make sure he knows there was a needle so he can make sure that doesn't happen again! ouch!
mindlessdancer.surlalunefairyt...	#2
Posts: 141 07/08/11 18:14:21	I sent him an email the day I got it but heard nothing. do you think i could slit the latex take the needle out and reglue it down with more latex?
MermaidCalliope	#3
Posts: 249 07/08/11 18:42:21	I think you should slit the latex and try to melt it back together if possible... or use a clear latex to glue it back together. *rare Calliope appearance*
AinaR	#4
Posts: 836 07/08/11 20:25:39	can you not just pull the needle? If it's along the hem line no one will notice a little paint? Or maybe heat it up with a hair dryer and pull it? eeep
OrcaMatt	#5
Posts: 170 07/08/11 20:47:14	" 'The Needle in'? Oh god, there's no way, really? Must be 'The Needle in....the haystack?' " Of course, in the time it took the thread to load I couldn't come up with a context in which that made any sense, but it didn't matter, because...
AinaR	#6
Posts: 836 07/08/11 21:31:03	I almost feel like we should call this thread "the needle and the damage done" lol
OrcaMatt	#7
Posts: 170 07/08/11 21:49:36	Sometimes I forget I went to school for this (for a bit...) Generally to remove pin bones from a fish, you sort of pinch the flesh on either side of the bone, and slide it out with a pair of pliers. This video illustrates the technique. Remember: You can always up-and-over a fish (but you can't always straight-cut)
mindlessdancer.surlalunefairyt...
Posts: 141 07/09/11 00:44:57	LOLs. orcamatt your video makes me smile about this mess.I'm going to try to get ahold of some special fx people i know and see if they have any input thanks for your help guys
mindlessdancer.surlalunefairyt...
Posts: 141 07/09/11 00:53:01	Update--- I just read an email from eric where he is willing to cover shipping to florida and back for me to remove the needle and change the paint job on my tail.If he can do it and have it back to me before the 14th I'm willing to do this.He has seemed to change alot and be willing to try to fix thing which makes me smile.

[Winged Mermaid]

OrcaMatt
Posts: 170 07/09/11 06:49:58\	Bet you could follow the spirit of the video, if not the letter, by heating up the needle to soften or melt the material just in contact with it, giving it a twist to free it, and sliding it out with pliers. If it works, the damage should be pretty minimal.
mindlessdancer.surlalunefairyt...
Posts: 141 07/09/11 08:33:35\	I just got two more emails from eric which makes me go huh.... Last night he was willing so the the shipment thing and repair it.Today heres number one: Aspen, I would not be willing to pay for next day services. However, I would be willing to pay for ground shipments. The tail would be completed ASAP upon arrival. The best way for you to take out the Sharp object is with a pair of pliers. Keep in mind you will want to pull it out carefully. This should be fine. Mertailor LLC Then number two ended up in my in box not even two min later: Aspen, I was just thinking.... We use heat guns in our studio to heat set the coloring we currently use for our latex tails. You might consider heating up the area where the pin is stuck. This should soften that area. Don't heat it up too much or material will bubble. You will then want to pull out the needle with the pliers. Hope this works for you. Mertailor LLC I thought he was going to take care of it. does he have an assistant any one is aware of? I think i'll prob just do it myself and paint it myself...
OrcaMatt
Posts: 170 07/09/11 09:59:44	Yeah, I don't want to know how much overnighting a silicone tail would be...not sure I can blame him there I think heating is going to be the best way. I'm trying really hard not to suggest hooking the needle up to a battery (which was my first thought for some reason) or inducing a current in it using an electromagnet and Faraday's Law, which is what I'd probably end up at least trying because it would be awesome if it worked (For Science!!). The way it's sticking out like that you could probably hold the end with pliers and heat the end with a little creme brulee blow torch, if you have a steady hand. Can you scrape just a little latex off one end and slide it out? Just trying to think a little surgically, and if that fails, then you can carpet bomb it with a heat gun!
CydAdeTol
Posts: 117 07/09/11 11:00:03	Personally, I think its complete crap that there was a needle in the first place. That's dangerous. I would probably use the heating technique though, sounds the most promising.
mindlessdancer.surlalunefairyt...
Posts: 141 07/09/11 11:11:37	Matt it's latex not silicone and it only weighs 14 pounds.it's not to terrible.CydAdeTol I'm right there with you, trying to figure out how the hella needle ended up under the latex.Theres not much I can do.I'm going to try heating it up to take it out. maybe tomorrow.
mindlessdancer.surlalunefairyt...
Posts: 141 07/09/11 11:19:13	Looks like there was a misunderstanding in between our emails.Eric was telling me how to take the needle out so I can still shoot with the tail this weekend without hurting myself or anyone else and is willing to fix that spot and do the paint fix up after I have to say I'm surprised and pleased with how he's handling this.
AinaR
Posts: 836 07/09/11 16:21:48	good glad you have a solution and are happy. Good luck!
Star
Posts: 17 07/13/11 08:44:39	You might be able to shoot some saline or any kind of water through the hole where the needle is to loosen it a bit before pull it out. Much like when some have issues with the tail ballooning from the water pushing the latex/silicone away from the monofin, this would hopefully help separate the needle from the latex. If there isn't already a hole, maybe push back some of the latex on the needle (like the you would your cuticles when getting a manicure) and then shoot some water through it. It might do a little damage but not as bad as just yanking it out.