Looking for some advice on how to add hip/ankle/etc fins on to a silicone tail. Not sure how to go about it and haven't found any info yet. Anything helps!!
Looking for some advice on how to add hip/ankle/etc fins on to a silicone tail. Not sure how to go about it and haven't found any info yet. Anything helps!!
OMGosh I need idea help with this too!
The only thing I can think of is kind of like adding fabric fins. Cut the material (in this case the silicone) slip the fin in the slit, and maybe sew it in if you can, and then add more silicone around the edges to seal it in.
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Glue them on with Sil Poxy from smooth on (100% GE silicone caulk should work too). You could add the fabric for extra strength if kids will be yanking on them.
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Glue them to the outside? Or cut a hole? And when you say fabric do you mean the power mesh stuff? Like in between the two halves of the fin yeah?
Glue them to the outside? Or cut a hole? And when you say fabric do you mean the power mesh stuff? Like in between the two halves of the fin yeah?Originally Posted by Dancing Fish
Glue them on with Sil Poxy from smooth on (100% GE silicone caulk should work too). You could add the fabric for extra strength if kids will be yanking on them.
I think this helps your question. Video not by me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3symYydz2w
Last edited by Mermaid Slaney; 05-24-2017 at 09:58 AM.
And she yearned,
yearned to run like a wolf,
and yearned to swim,
swim like a fish, and be herself...
A Mermaid.
I don't think cutting a hole is necessary. If you put some mesh between the two fins so there's a tab sticking out, you could cut a slit in the silicone for the tab to stick through (you can then sew it if there's neoprene inside, or glue the powermesh to the inside of the tail with more silicone). But when I made my silicone tail I just glued the fin to the outside of the tail. I did add scales on top for extra strength, but I was making an individual scale tail and had some left over. Looking at closeups of professional tails, it does appear most of them are simply glued on top of the silicone scale body. Merfolk repair them with sil poxy or caulk when they occasionally start to tear off.
Putting mesh between the halves of the fins is also nice to help strengthen them, because they're delicate and can tear. Powermesh is very hard to tear!
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Thank you so much! I'll definitely do some test pieces when I get all of my materials together. I really appreciate it!
Silpoxy is your best bet - and you can colour it with pigments to make it match the rest of the tail.
If you want to have a fabric tab, I wouldn't recommend making it too big. I would suggest a tab of about one centimetre at the top of the fin.
If you cut a large slit in the tail to accommodate a fin tab, you'll create a weak spot in the tail. If this is over a heel bump, chances are the silicone will split open over time with the continuous pressure from your heels.
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