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Thread: Spellbound monofin tears

  1. #1
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    Spellbound monofin tears

    The other day I was getting ready to go for a swim in my Spellbound tail from Mertailor, and found three rather large tears in the monofin.
    They are in the foot pad part of the monofin. Two are right at the wall between the two foot pockets, and one is closer to the center of the foot pocket. The two tears near the wall extending almost to the monofin toe.
    I contracted Mertailor customer service about this. They said they had never seen this before. I thought it was maybe because I had a large foot. But the Mertailor foot pocket is sized for up to size 13, and I am size 11.5. My foot width is 0.1 inches wider than a size D, and size D is average for a man. 0.1 inches would hardly be an issue. I took other measurements of my foot, such as circumference about the arch, about the ball, and the heal diagonal, and all are about average for a size 11.5 foot. In other words, my foot is not abnormally wide or thick, its average.

    I do know the foot pockets are so tight that they hurts my feet, and I can only wear the tail for about 30 minutes before the pain becomes unbearable. Also, despite using lube on both my foot and in the foot pocket, it is a struggle to get my foot in there. With all the lube, the foot pocket wants to squirt my foot right back out. This leads my to think that although the foot pockets are certainly long enough for a size 13 foot, they are oddly narrow. Like, you have to be a AAA for them to fit well.

    Mertailor gave me no instructions on how to fix this, nor did they offer to do so for me. Perhaps they not know how to fix this type of problem, as it is new to them. They also have no suggestions on how I can keep it from happening again, or how I can stop the foot pockets giving me pain. They have also stopped answering my e-mail.

    What I have been doing is slowly, bit by bit, gluing the tears back together with GE silicone I. Ive used GE silicone I before on the foot strap, with good results. It was recommended by Mertailor for the foot straps. Going forward, I'm not sure what to do. I can keep repairing it as needed, or I can try cutting the monofin foot pockets out and replace them, or just toss the entire tail.

    Anyone have any ideas?

    https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...da&oe=5D8E2082
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  2. #2

  3. #3
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    The Spellbound has a silicone monofin made by Mertailor and built into the tail.
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  4. #4
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Mermaid Jaffa's Avatar
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    It seems like the Mertailor monofins are not built for constant wear and tear. I think that's why other monofins have the foot pockets made of a sturdier material.
    Formerly known as ireneho

  5. #5
    For how long have you had your spellbound? Maybe you just need to break it in?

    If that doesn't work I would try to replace the footpockets.

  6. #6
    This is the first time I've heard of anyone having problems with the silicone monofins from mertailor. I've just ordered the fantasea fin 3 this morning.

    Sent from my [device_name] using MerNetwork mobile app

  7. #7
    Senior Member Euro Pod Azurin Luna's Avatar
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    I'm nearly starting to wonder if they put the correct sized monofin in it. If your feet are average sized and they hurt after half an hour, something seems off.
    Good luck in repairing it, hope it works
    Your imagination is your only limit

  8. #8
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    I have had it for about a year. Its been on me maybe 10 times, for somewhere between 4 to 8 hours total wear time.
    You cannot break a silicone monofin in, as silicone does not "creep" and adjust to your foot. Its one of the traits that makes it good for tails.
    The monofin is glued in; it is part of the tail. Replacing it will require cutting, and will be destructive to the existing monofin. It would be a desperate move, one that might leave me with a unusable tail.
    I do know the foot pocket is 12 inches long, from the toe end to the strap. So, they really did use their extra large foot pocket in this tail. Its just that they may have under-estimated the width of the average human foot when they made the monofin mold, or the purposely make it narrow so as to fit customers with narrow feet, then assumed the silicone would stretch for everyone else. Well, after several uses, it tore instead of stretching.
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  9. #9
    Senior Member Pod of the Great Lakes Theta's Avatar
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    Unorthodox and not sure if you can get in there or are willing to do Frankenstein surgery on a tail, but: I gained some weight and got tears along my waistline (different area, same material, same problem, I guess lol.) A quick and dirty thing I did was to hold the tears open and slowly build up new silicone in between them, basically adding space. It's not quick, neat, or probably a good idea, but it's worked for me well enough. I can't imagine there's a way to replace the foot pockets in a spellbound and even if there is, they still might not work if they're too narrow; you might want to use the cracks to your advantage, fill them with silicone while being held open, and hope it gives you some more room.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    Good idea, and to a tiny extent, Ive already done that. I could not get all the cracks to close after getting some GE silicone I in there, some I had to fill. And the other cracks I fixed have a little extra silicone in it now. You cannot glue to parts together unless there is some glue between them.

    Getting to them is a pain, and I will work on better ways to do that. But right now I'm prepping for a cruise, and I'm taking the Spellbound. (The magical mermaid cruise to the Caribbean).
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  11. #11
    Senior Member Pod of the Great Lakes Theta's Avatar
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    Yeah you have to build the glue on glue. Add a tiny layer, wait til it dries, add the next on top of that, lather rinse repeat until you're nuts. Like hand dipping candles. I hope you're able to eventually build a glue shim into the cracks.

    Have fun on your cruise! Unethical life hack which is a terrible idea but might also work in a pinch (literally): women on the upper east side inject lidocaine directly into their feet if they have to wear painful heels for a long time. I have never done it myself, but having worn a cosplay with spike heels at NYCC once: if I had known about it at the time, I would have done it. Haha!

  12. #12
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod
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    It does sound like the monofin is too small for you but I am confused, when you say "spellbound monofin" do you mean the foot pockets inside your tail? Or do you have one of the fantasy 1,2,3 fins?

    I have found that regardless of brand or maker, many foot pockets warp and mishapen inside tails. My merbella tail that I've had for years, I can now barely get my feet into and find super uncomfortable despite owning it since 2015. Is it possible yours may have warped from heat or pressure?

    Is it feasible to post a photo?

  13. #13
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod
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    PS you can get lidocane gel over the counter (xylocane) I use it ALL the time hahaha

  14. #14
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    I mean the foot pockets in the spellbound tail. The OP has a link to a photo. How does one properly do photos in this forum these days?
    As the foot pockets are silicone, they do not warp with time or heat. Silicone just does not do that. Also, the foot pockets were painful the very first time I put them on, at the Mertailor studio. Eric said "you will get use to it". Sorry, nope.
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  15. #15
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    Oops sorry I missed the link! FYI if you use the code [ img ] and [/ img] without the spaces it'll show up as a photo



    Yeah that's a bad rip but I'll be honest with yah, when I had a spellbound (that green one I had for about a year that I bought used) I just stopped using the foot straps. I found it more comfortable, my feet fit better and I still got the same amount of push. So I am sort of of the other mind haha I say rather than fix it, embrace it! You may find it easier on your feet! My she creature also doesn't have foot straps (broken).

    I think most people find silicone foot pockets uncomfortable - I can't remember if you had a silicone tail before this? Especially at first, so I can see why he'd give you that blanket statement. They are something to get used to, but clearly yours isn't a matter of getting used to it.

  16. #16
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    This is my first silicone tail. Also, I am still looking for a silicone tail maker who can make one for my Lunocet monofin. Any ideas, anyone?
    Not using the foot straps, or even cutting them away is an option. But, the latter is sort of a move of desperation. Im worried that the foot pockets will squeeze my feet right out if I do not use the strap. Ill have to try it.
    The tail is otherwise comfortable. Yes, the constriction is high, but not painful. Just a big hug.
    The most painful part of the foot pocket is the part I am holding in my hand, the center wall. It presses against the side of my foot, especially right below the ankle bone, leaving a big red blotch.
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  17. #17
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    Yeah I know exactly what you're saying my feet hurt in empathy haha. I do think it'll be solved without straps but I understand it's a tricky situation

  18. #18
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    Here is what my foot looks like after wearing the tail for about 45 minutes. The red marks are NOT from abrasion or rubbing. My foot is close to immobile in the foot pocket. They are from direct pressure. The main painful area is the diagonal mark from my arch to my heel.
    Last edited by Merman Storm; 06-25-2019 at 03:45 PM.
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  19. #19
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Merman Storm's Avatar
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    I came back from the mer cruise with new tears in the Spellbound foot pockets. I knew it would be much easier to work on the foot pockets if the tail could be turned completely inside out. But the friction of silicone against silicone made this difficult. I decided to mix up a good size batch of J-lube, cover the tail with it, and go for it. All I had to do was start the process at the waist, pick it up by the waist, and throop! It all turned inside out, exposing the foot pockets.

    The gloppy silicone is the result of my repairs. The original product was smooth and well molded. Also visible is a strip of cloth added on the inside (by Mertailor when it was made) to help reduce tears, and a new tear.
    I'm going to start cutting down the center part between my ankles to see of I can relieve the pressure on my foot. I'll do that before more drastic changes, like cutting out some or all of the foot pockets. I do not want to make a change that just transfers the pressure to some other part of my foot.
    Are you a Frozen fan? Frozen fanfiction:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10952902/1/Rain-of-a-Child-s-Tear

    Let the storm rage on!

  20. #20
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod Trade Winds's Avatar
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    Have you tried asking this question on the mertailor Pod Facebook group? You could try but if it was anything like what happened with me when I tried to ask for help, then Eric is going to close commenting on your post, send you a personal message and then delete your post just because you have problems.



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