@mermaidcaspiana oh catluna was talking about how she wanted a translucent rubber fin earlier.
@mermaidcaspiana oh catluna was talking about how she wanted a translucent rubber fin earlier.
Mermaids have more fun
The air pocket is tricky, I would just glue together layers of non-corrugated. Only if I had this super magical spray, though - I'm a bit leery at the prospect of just cardboad and duct tape for any sort of durability :P
And ooh, you could carve propulsion lines into the linoleum! Like on a regular monofin! Hmmm... *wanders off to look at Home Depot's site*
If your monofin is clear, you can use a diaphanous material for your fluke and get a super-realistic looking fin.Originally Posted by Mermaid Caspiana
Most fish have translucent fins.
I also use an "invisible monofin" for my snake tails.
They're brittle though, I'd love to find a sturdier version.
Found a diaphanous, slightly floppy mat too. It looks like iced glass and is highly diaphanous.
That one would be suitable to make a realistic looking fish fin.
caltuna, that's awesome that you found a clear floppy matWhere did you find it?
I like the floppiness as well as wanting clear-ish flukes... I have quite a bit of diaphanous material around the house and was thinking I'd love some diaphanous flukes! I'd also like to be able to use the same monofin in my silicone tail when I have the money for it, so I suppose it would need to be removeable? Or if the price is right, I could make two identical ones, one to switch out between fabric tails and one in my silicone tail. How cool would it be to have a rather see-through silicone fluke?!?
I just googled "linoleum" and "see-through" and got several office-material selling sites.caltuna, that's awesome that you found a clear floppy mat
I'll look around for a good while though before I buy anything
It can never hurt to check local stores too, never know whether they have something even cheaper.
LMAO so it's an office supply? Like those clear mats they put down under rolly chairs in cubicles?
I'll probably check the main store website and see if it's even available in-store (I'll also call them with the product number), or see if I can get it sent to the store for pickup... I live so far out I have to go a couple towns over just for a Home Depot, so I can't afford to waste gas on a trip LOL
Yea, exactly that! lol.
I see you're a pro. I've never seen or heard of that stuff before
Has anyone tried the corrugated plastic board? Sort of looks like plastic cardboard, but is about the same thickness as foam poster board. It only bends on one direction, so if you layer them at 30 or 45 degree angles, it could be very strong and quite light. I may try something like this for a dry event mermaid tail. Might even work for wet flukes. It would be interesting to try.
(((Hugz))) & Bubble'z
Mermaid Marla
Once a Mermaid, always a mermaid!
Weeki Wachee Springs - 1969-1972
ooh, and the seller also has post-consumer recycled material mats...
So far it's worked for me! I just swam in the ocean with my new fin last week, and it held up great! No breakage or anything... Anyway, the kind I got is new - make sure to get this kind. It's called Loctite All-Purpose G02 glue. "Extra durable and crystal clear." How I glued the parts is applied generously to one piece, pushed together and then proceeded to push down HARD in any areas that had bubbles. I squeezed out as many bubbles as I could then clamped it together. I actually didn't even use real clamps. I used heavy duty chip clips. I attached my shoes by drilling holes through the lexan and shoes, then stringing shoe strings through to attach them. Which is harder than it seems. It worked fine. The only problem I ran into was that the toes weren't tied down at first so I drilled more holes then restrung. Works fine now, although it's not as flexible as my Wave so I kind of have to slice it through the water horizontally to turn myself over.
Not the best picture, but it'll do for now!
Sorry for the double post, but a quick note: I made sure to wipe away the excess that oozed from the glued parts as well. I think that made it have a tighter seal. I also made sure the glue was touching everywhere between the pieces.
Thank you, LittleTreasure, that's an awesome photo for reference on a lexan fin
Thanks! It isThey look cute on tails! And that's what I have left of my Lexan.
I've tried a cardboard monofin. It did not work. At all. Hahaha xD
It breaks apart as soon as it hits the water. 0/10 would not recommend xD
Yes the power of I'd have to try that thank you.
The name of the product I was talking about earlier that repels water is: Rustoleum Neverwet Liquid Repellant. I looked it up and you can get it a your local hardware store or online, and the demos look fintastic! This stuff is the bomb for waterproofing all sorts of things! I totally want a kit to test out on different materials
Hope this helps! It also waterproofs cloth!
What about using the clear plastic mats for cat/dog bowls? The one we have for our cat seems like a durable and flexible enough plastic. You would probably have to reinforce the sides a little though depending on the mat.
Y'all are making me want to stick things in the tub and swish them around to test them...
I know I've already pestered you all on this thread before, but I'll put it another way- when looking for a monofin material or monofin substitute, you want something with high tensile strength and plasticity. This means it has to be very strong in order to handle the stress of pushing you through the water and it has to be able to return to its original shape.
Vinyl, including placemats, has plasticity but no tensile strength. Cardboard has no plasticity. It also may seem strong because of its structure, but is not designed to have the kind of strength necessary for swimming.
Keep in mind also that your monofin is only as good as the weakest part. If you have a great blade but a weak footpocket, it's going to wear out at the footpocket, and depending on how you attached it, the whole monofin may be ruined.
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