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Thread: ☆ Tail Care and Maintenance, The Official Thread ☆

  1. #81
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod
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    Raven can tell you how to fix it, I fix mine all the time
    Fancier tails aren't the best with kids

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  2. #82
    Sorry about your tail! Hazards of gigs, for sure. The platinum silicone kits won't work, since your tail is past the green period it won't bond well- the silicone will just peel right off and won't hold up under stress. Just follow this bit from the original thread and you can fix it easy, I've fixed my heel fins a few times.

    For patching full silicone tails or repairing fins on full silicone tails, please contact your tailmaker first, as attempting to repair it yourself can further damage your tail and/or void your warranty.

    For damage to fins on the outside, you can use silpoxy or GE I Caulking (they have similar components, but silpoxy has an accelerant, thus the 12 minute cure time). If your tail is past the "green period" regular platinum silicone may not bond to the old silicone, and may peel off easily after repair. Thus it is recommended that you use silpoxy or GE I caulking.
    To match the paint on your tail for repairs, you can mix in powder pigments, or in a pinch, eyeshadow. Be sure to clean the area thoroughly first to ensure a good bond! It's recommended you use Original Blue Dawn dish soap to wash the area well. Let the area completely dry, and clean it with rubbing alcohol (90% recommended) and let that dry completely as well. If needed you can use sewing pins to hold the damaged fin in place while the silicone dries- don't worry, they won't harm the silicone.

    Be sure to wear protective gear (nitrile gloves, ect- of course never wear latex gloves to handle silicone as it will inhibit curing) as always. Popsicle sticks are handy for small applications like that. Be sure to let it cure completely before using again. (Check the instructions for how long complete cure will take. Typically 12-24 hours is best.)

    Wingéd Mermaid Iona

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  3. #83
    Quote Originally Posted by Merman Arion View Post
    I hope that child apologized!! I'm furious to read that she damaged that amazing tail from Raven
    Did her parents apologize as well?
    no, I didn't notice it until I got home

  4. #84
    Quote Originally Posted by Riiarin View Post
    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!!!

  5. #85
    Quote Originally Posted by Merenneito Nerissa View Post
    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 :/

  6. #86
    Quote Originally Posted by Winged Mermaid View Post
    Sorry about your tail! Hazards of gigs, for sure. The platinum silicone kits won't work, since your tail is past the green period it won't bond well- the silicone will just peel right off and won't hold up under stress. Just follow this bit from the original thread and you can fix it easy, I've fixed my heel fins a few times.
    dang, I should have asked earlier. Thank you so much though!

  7. #87
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania
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    Hi, not sure if this has been answered before. Does sunscreen affect or damage the tail (silicone)? I put sunscreen (50+) down to my waist and the top of the tail flops over it so it gets on the inside of the tail.

  8. #88
    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Stardust View Post
    Hi, not sure if this has been answered before. Does sunscreen affect or damage the tail (silicone)? I put sunscreen (50+) down to my waist and the top of the tail flops over it so it gets on the inside of the tail.

    This is intresting!

    Also: where can I order J-lube ?

  9. #89
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Mer-Crazy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Stardust View Post
    Hi, not sure if this has been answered before. Does sunscreen affect or damage the tail (silicone)? I put sunscreen (50+) down to my waist and the top of the tail flops over it so it gets on the inside of the tail.
    Mermaid Kelda actually uses it in place of lube when getting her tail on. I don't think she's seen any adverse effects from it.


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  10. #90
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Ashton's Avatar
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    I have never had sunscreen to effect my tail and I use 100spf (I am super white...)

  11. #91
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod Mermaid Cataleya's Avatar
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    Is there a way someone can make a Tortoral for a stand. I am looking to do one that will double as a drying stand and a storage stand. it is for a silicone tail with neoprene backing. I am looking to possibly do the one that is PVC stand made like the one Mermaid Marla ( spouse) made for them
    "In the depth in find our soul, in darkness we find our true self. "

  12. #92
    Does anyone have experience with the silicon sealer with a creatext painted Lycra tails?


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  13. #93
    Senior Member Pod of the Great Lakes The Magic Crafter's Avatar
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    I just want to say "thank you" for creating this post! Having just received my first silicone mermaid tail (MerNation!!!), I feel like a mother with her new first-born child! I've stuffed all of the information about caring for my tail into my brain as possible, but STUDYING it and actually DOING it are two very different things! I feel all panicky and jittery! Hahahhaa! More glad than ever to have this post to fall back on.
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    This is my tail!
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  14. #94
    Im about to order my first silicone tail from MerNation within the next month, and im SOO glad there is a thread all about cleaning. My biggest fears of having such an expensive tail is anything bad happening to it!

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  15. #95
    So I have a question. I have read that heat is bad for silicone. Now I am going to be traveling for about threads with my tail and my ca, that has no AC. While travailing I will have my windows down, and of course will not leave the tail in the car, but I am worried about it getting damaged at all?

    Any advice would help!

  16. #96
    Senior Member Pod of the Midwest mermaid mazu's Avatar
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    Ok, so I messed up. I have my first gig next weekendra and when I got my tail out to do a couple of small repairs that I knew it needed I discovered that it apparently didn't try completely before it was put away and now it smells like mildew. I made this tail out of neoprene (not scuba grade but mixed with spandex) and then fully scaled it in silicone. How do I clean it and what is a normal drying time?

  17. #97
    Quote Originally Posted by mermaid mazu View Post
    Ok, so I messed up. I have my first gig next weekendra and when I got my tail out to do a couple of small repairs that I knew it needed I discovered that it apparently didn't try completely before it was put away and now it smells like mildew. I made this tail out of neoprene (not scuba grade but mixed with spandex) and then fully scaled it in silicone. How do I clean it and what is a normal drying time?
    From the first post:

    Quote Originally Posted by Winged Mermaid View Post

    You can spray and/or rinse the inside of the tail with a half and half mixture of distilled white vinegar and water. Then rinse the solution out as well. This will discourage any mold, mildew, or other bacteria growth inside the tail. According to various sources, this will also help prevent chlorine from deteriorating fabric tails.

    •There are also specialty shampoos you can use to wash your tail. You can use them with every use, or every now and then. Perhaps every 5th use. We recommend McNett's Wet Suit Dry Suit Shampoo. (http://www.mcnett.com/Wet-Suit-Dry-Suit-Shampoo-P239.aspx) This can be used on neoprene (and neoprene based) and lycra tails.
    So you can try vinegar and water- for you I'd say a full tail soak if possible if it's bad. If you click the link to the wet and dry suit shampoo, it specifically talks about it getting rid of build up and whatnot to get rid of the smell, and also to help the neoprene last longer If you go that route, you'd have to shampoo the inside of the tail since there's silicone on the outside.

    As for drying time, neoprene coated in latex or silicone can take a long time to dry. I had my husband build me my first tail stand (like the PVC ones in the original post) because otherwise it just wouldn't dry completely. Even on the stand it took several days to a week, depending on the temperature and humidity in the apartment. Many others have ran into this issue, it's the nature of the beast. There are more tips about drying tails in the original post too!

    Wingéd Mermaid Iona

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  18. #98
    Senior Member Pod of the Midwest mermaid mazu's Avatar
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    Ty, I started a vinegar and baking soda bath for it to soak

  19. #99
    Hi there, thanks for sharing.

  20. #100
    hi im merman yhan from the philippines. just recently i had made my ownnlatex tail but i just noticed that mold starts to appear on my tail. how can i prevent it and hoe can i avoid my tail on deforming. tnx

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