It's 36" x 20 not including the trailing ends. I'm petite and wanted it to look proportional.
Good news, the stinky dorsal mold successfully cured enough to use, though it's still stinky. It deforms with heat, leading me to believe that it isn't 100% cured, but it'll do. Twenty minutes of scrubbing and I can see the pattern!
Last edited by Dancing Fish; 03-15-2015 at 04:52 PM.
That should be perfect! I'd give the mold some more time, if it still stinks, the gases might inhibit curing. Test it with a couple of tablespoons of silicone, first, rather than a full pour.
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Definitely testing first!
I got a ton of work done on this project over my spring break, but now it's back to the grind. I decided I'm leaving the fluke the size it is. It's finally finished, ready to pour the resin!
D'OH! Out of resin. Ordering more...
Last edited by Dancing Fish; 03-16-2015 at 09:01 PM.
I'm so proud of the finished fluke! I had to take a picture of the multicolored goodness before it got coated in resin. LOL they didn't have enough of any single color for this project, so I was forced to buy a bunch of different blocks. I kinda dig the patchwork look, actually. And I'm totally going to ignore how that last rib on the left doesn't quiiite match that last rib on the right....(dammit)
Since I didn't see it posted here anywhere, Van Aken brand plastalina clay is definitely sulfur free, and very easy to work with. The Craft Smart brand at Michaels is cheaper and has a much waxier texture, and developed a nice shine on it when smoothed. According to some other costuming forum, someone posted the answer from Michaels customer service stating that their brand is also sulfur free. Make of that what you will...I decided I was just going to try it. We'll find out if that was a bad idea.
EDITED to add: I have had ZERO difficulty getting my silicone to cure on the mold I made using Craft Smart clay.So I'd say Michaels brand plastilina is a win!
Smooth Cast 300 is, as far as I can tell, identical to the "Amazing" brand of white resin you can get at Michaels, and much, much cheaper in bulk. It hardened very nicely within about ten minutes, and the fumes while wet were a little eye-watering (not stinky, but noticeable), but it cured so dang quickly that it didn't matter. I'm using this stuff from now on! Bye-bye Bondo!
Last edited by Dancing Fish; 04-02-2015 at 03:30 PM.
Looks so nice! I really love your scales btw... <3
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Thanks!!
Gosh, I'm ready to pour my fluke and I'm terrified. Some potential color schemes (I just realized that I never posted the original concept art...oops)
And some sketches of potential fluke patterns:
Love those scales! Also your tail designs remind me of the shells we find on the beach here in SoCal...lots of different oranges. (:
Don't worry about that one little rib, many things in nature are never fully symmetrical! This is going to turn out great!
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So the flukes are poured but not yet painted... And I made a new mold for hip fins that might double as heel fins because I like the stylized shape better than the raggedy look. So happy with how they came out!
I'm still using Smooth On's thinner. I love this company!
Lovely! They almost look like angel wings~
Lol my friend said they look like peanut brittle.
Haha, that was my first thought as well!Originally Posted by Seraphina Suds
~Merman Rett Of Georgia~
(Formerly Known as Risingmermaid)
For a really sticky, floppy angel toy.
Okay, I have to ask. I have been trying pretty hard to get my clay to come out as amazingly smooth like that of your fluke. How are you doing it? I just can't see to get the hang of it. Sadly, I just had a total flop of a fluke. The Resin wouldn't release so I lost tons of fiberglass resin and an entire fluke mold -.-
Hi James! Oh, gosh, it's nowhere near as smooth as it looks. But I used a roller on it to try to get it somewhat even, and I was using plastilina, not monster clay (which I've heard is much less soft). I'm also kind of a perfectionist so I just kept shaving and scraping and rolling until I got it as even as I could. I've read others use paint scrapers but I don't know how that would work on plastilina. I'd ask Pearlie. (Pearlie knows all)
Oh, sorry to hear you lost your fluke mold!! I was worried that would happen to me and I tested the process first on a smaller fin. I'm still not sure how that one turned out because I can't get all the #%&@! clay out of it. I read somewhere on here that a thin layer of acryllic (?) or varnish (?) over the clay would help release the larger molds from the resin. But I switched over to the more expensive Smooth Cast and found that it's really amazing-- for the most part oil-based clay comes right off, so there's no need for a release. Can you salvage anything? I had to pull and scrape and scrub, but I could probably get the clay out with time and elbow grease. It was the curing I was worried about. (And the stink. It gave me such a headache)
One thing that eased my mind about the smoothness thing was taking a very close look at all the beautiful commercial flukes out there. Even at a short distance they look beautifully even, but get up close and you can see all the little uneven bits and finger marks from the sculpts. Silicone's very forgiving once you paint it!
FINALLY had a chance to do some more painting. Flukes are painted and so are scales! I had to put a few scales on to see how it's all coming together. WOW!
Next step: slime coat. Then duct tape dummy. Woooo!
sooo pretty! *bites nails*. I need to start mine again. Maybe ill get my fins in gear when im out of school
Aaaaaaah!!! Made my dummy today and pinned some scales willy-nilly just to see, and I'm totally freaking out over how neat this looks!!It's all coming together! Except... Gonna need more scales...
This is how the front of the fluke turned out. The back will still have the blue accents.
Last edited by Dancing Fish; 05-29-2015 at 07:12 PM.
Beautiful beaded tops and silicone fins and flukes for enhancing your tail at my Etsy shop: Fancy Fish Fashions!
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DancingFish those colors are beautiful! I love the large scales. You're doing an awesome job!!!
I ADORE THE BIG SCALES!!!!
Once upon a time I was known as Seavanna. Going by Seatan these days. I always wanted to be the high lord of underwater hell.
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