☆ Tail Care and Maintenance, The Official Thread ☆

[Merenneito Nerissa]

and unfortunately while i was doing a gig a kid was a little too rough on one of the hip fins and it ripped about halfway up.. I have just gotten a kit of dragonskin silicone and was just wondering if anyone has any tips for me to make sure I repair it correctly and smoothly.

For your future gigs you could maybe include in your contract that it'd be customers duty to pay the repairs if something like this happens? I have on my "terms and conditions" a section which says that(includes all my accessories too). I also had to add there a section which says that I need someone from orderer's party to make sure that kids won't pull me from hair or the fluke, or rip my accessories off or anything... And this was because of my latest experience in a two hours swimming hall gig, it was quite a chaos(there was also this one little sweetheart who kept spitting mouthfulls of water straight to my face). When you add there some numbers (in worst case tail repair being over 1000usd etc.) customers really might give a thought for that.

[StephanieVex]

For your future gigs you could maybe include in your contract that it'd be customers duty to pay the repairs if something like this happens? I have on my "terms and conditions" a section which says that(includes all my accessories too). I also had to add there a section which says that I need someone from orderer's party to make sure that kids won't pull me from hair or the fluke, or rip my accessories off or anything... And this was because of my latest experience in a two hours swimming hall gig, it was quite a chaos(there was also this one little sweetheart who kept spitting mouthfulls of water straight to my face). When you add there some numbers (in worst case tail repair being over 1000usd etc.) customers really might give a thought for that.

that's a great idea, thank you! I really should start on a contract, I don't have one yet :/

[Mermaid Riia]

Hi I need help fixing the hip fins on my tail?? it looks like this


and unfortunately while i was doing a gig a kid was a little too rough on one of the hip fins and it ripped about halfway up.. I have just gotten a kit of dragonskin silicone and was just wondering if anyone has any tips for me to make sure I repair it correctly and smoothly.
Thank you!!!

~Mermaid Echo

I just cried a little inside 'cause I madly love your tail :< this made me SO damn sad! Your tail was one of my sources of inspiration when designing my finfolk tail..
As for repair I have had similar experiences too. My fluke ends (in my pink mertailor) were torn once off by enthusiastic kids and my fins have had their share too :/ i would highly recommend Smooth On's silpoxy! I always have a tube of silpoxy with me, it's the only thing that really works. It creates a very strong bond between parts and I've used it to repair and also resize my old tail, both seams. Tried just using dragon skin as adhensive but it had hard time bonding to parts resulting them falling off when under hard stress. Silpoxy stays and so far all my fins are still attached after multiple beatings and reattaching. Hit me with PM if you want to, I'm more than happy to help!

[StephanieVex]

I just cried a little inside 'cause I madly love your tail :< this made me SO damn sad! Your tail was one of my sources of inspiration when designing my finfolk tail..
As for repair I have had similar experiences too. My fluke ends (in my pink mertailor) were torn once off by enthusiastic kids and my fins have had their share too :/ i would highly recommend Smooth On's silpoxy! I always have a tube of silpoxy with me, it's the only thing that really works. It creates a very strong bond between parts and I've used it to repair and also resize my old tail, both seams. Tried just using dragon skin as adhensive but it had hard time bonding to parts resulting them falling off when under hard stress. Silpoxy stays and so far all my fins are still attached after multiple beatings and reattaching. Hit me with PM if you want to, I'm more than happy to help!

Thank you so much!!!

[Mermaidmechanic]

I use coconut oil. I use some of it to get my tail on and some for my hair after swimming (swimming makes my hair rather difficult to comb!) and it works great for me. I havent had any problems with it and a nice rinse inside my tail with dawn dish soap once a week gets rid of any oily residue.

[Chrissy]

This is great my husband and I were just talking about trying to find a stand for my tail!!! The examples you put are are perfect templates for us to work with!!!!

[Arella]

Mirazyme works great for getting any smell out of neoprene/silicone tails, just pour a little in the tub let it sit for 10 mins and hang to dry. Smell gone! Also awesome for wet suits

[Yulia]

I've searched around a bit on the forum but didn't find a good answer..
How much does latex stretch?
My waist is 26inches, and my butt is 36inches, will there be problems to get it on?
I don't want to rip it...

[Winged Mermaid]

Full or partial latex? I had similar measurements and my neoprene and [real] latex tail went over my hips/butt just fine.

[Yulia]

Full latex. Do you use different lubricants for latex?
Is it easier to put on dry or wet?

[AniaR]

I have a thread about how I have used Lysol wipes with some success listed here with some pics: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthre...sides-of-tails

I also have a video I made about how I clean my tail, with tips on how others can clean tails, showing me doing it

[Marlin]

Just checking here first to be safe: I know the thread says that warm water is no good for full silicone tails and that hot tubs are pretty much a no-go. Now that it's winter... are heated pools ok?

[AniaR]

Heat is generally fine. Its more an issue with glue less an issue with actual silicone. They boil silicone to disinfect it and dragonskin is medical grade. Don't over think this folks. A warm pool is fine lol. I had my tail in hot tubs loads and never had issues.

[Marlin]

Heat is generally fine. Its more an issue with glue less an issue with actual silicone. They boil silicone to disinfect it and dragonskin is medical grade. Don't over think this folks. A warm pool is fine lol. I had my tail in hot tubs loads and never had issues.

Thank you for the advice. I'm just worried about hurting it. I tend to be way over cautious with stuff like this. Thanks for clearing things up

[Nereid's Looking Glass]

Has anyone ever tried Sliquid H2O lube? I'm kinda thinking it's expensive (it's like $12.99 for a 4.2 fl oz bottle) but it's vegan, more high-grade, and was featured on "Oh Joy, Sex Toy" as a great, simple, no-frills personal lubricant. NOTE: THIS SITE IS NSFW AND NSFC. If you don't know what that means, it means "not safe for work" and "not safe for children/minors." Have any of you used it? Or do you have any other brand recommendations besides the ones already made?

[Yulia]

I would recommend J-lube. It's a waterbased lube that you blend yourself from a powder. From a bottle you get 8 gallons of lube. It's very cheap.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Just to clarify it's a finis competitor

[SeaGlass Siren]

I installed j hooks to put up my tail. Here's the thing: because my monofin is huge I had to use 4 so it doesn't fall or bring down the wall. Here's another thing: the fluke is flopping about and not staying still. I need some sort of attachment at the top of my tail so it doesn't move (I want t up against the wall)
any suggestions?

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I use Adreno Wetsuit and Swimwear wash, it neutralizes the chlorine and gets rid of the smell. Just one little squirt from the bottle into a full bucket of cold water is enough to wash a fishsuit, wetsuit (in winter I wear a wetsuit), tail, goggles and fin straps. I let it soak for 1 hour before rinsing and hang to dry in shade.
http://www.wetsuitwarehouse.com.au/b...ear-wash-500ml

[Imogen Finnly]

If a child ripped a tail while someone was wearing it, would it be mean to scream like you were in pain? Haha I'm totally joking.

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