New fish scale lycra

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Hi!

One of the places I've been looking at for lycra fabric has this new in the store... Wondering if this is ok for chlorine pools?

[Echidna]

Very pretty!
Is it holograph though?
Holograph doesn't do well in water, and in chlorine even less.

If the fabric label doesn't say "suitable for swimwear" or something, you have to expect damage on the fabric once you've swum in it.

You could however make a beautiful dry tail from it if it isn't suited for water/chlorine immersion.

[OceanRose]

I saw some in Spotlight and wondered the same thing ... is that where you got yours from Ireneho?
I'll get a swatch and do some soaking and stretching tests, I have pool chlorine here at my disposal.
I hope it holds up, it's very pretty fabric.

[Mer-Crazy]

I've dealt extensively with 'shiny' fabric just like this, I used to play a lot of roller derby, and I can say with absolute confidence that it will not hold up in water at all. When I played derby we used the same stuff for shorts and helmet covers and pretty much after 1 wash (sometimes you could get a bit more out of it but rarely) it fades really badly. I'm assuming chlorine will do pretty much the same thing though I suppose since it's not as rough as a wash it may last a little longer, but I doubt it will last very long.

THAT BEING SAID they may have changed the fabric they use, as I've seen a bunch of tights made from this stuff on eBay etc, so I'm assuming that means it will be more resilient to washing... maybe. But my personal experience with a fabric that looks like that is that it doesn't hold up well in water.

[Winged Mermaid]

When in doubt, swatch test it! Buy a tiny bit or ask for a sample and do testing on it.

[MerAnthony]

When in doubt, swatch test it! Buy a tiny bit or ask for a sample and do testing on it.

I agree with winged 100% on this. I myself had some dealings with shiny fabric but mine was made that way. This looks like it was printed on the fabric. Test test test is always best.

[Mermaid Catkid]

Hey! That looks exactly like what Fin Fun Mermaid Tails uses. I have a tail of theirs, and the only spot the color has rubbed of is on the heel. Oops!

[BayouMermaid]

My tail is made out of the turquoise holographic scale print. Most of my damage has come not from a pool, but from natural sand rubbing against the material. The blue has worn off in places, leaving silver underneath. I still really like it. Plus, I've just been painting over the scales that have faded too much with lumiere paints. If you like it, I say go for it! In the water, this material really looks like a fish. It's beautiful! <3

[Mer_Adella]

That is a gorgeous picture BayouMermaid!!!! tell me for the fluke did you leave it with the scales or did you use different fabric or paint it to hide the scales? I have seen some that have the scales on the fluke and I dont like it...but hey i am a realist lol.

[Mermaid Catkid]

I wanted the blue scale from fin fun,but they discontinued it. It's so pretty!

[PearlieMae]

It is so beautiful when it's new, but this is how they make it...it's a stretch fabric (Lycra or other spandex-y material, usually thinner than bathing suit fabric, suitable for casual summer wear or tights), then they coat it with a very thin layer of rubber - VERY thin - and the holographic foil and top color are a PVC (plastic) layer heat stamped onto the top of the rubber layer. It's not meant to be durable in any way. If you made yourself a tail from this, don't expect more than a summer out of it...it will be beautiful for that summer, but expect it to degrade quickly. Stretching, abrasion and harsh chemicals will wear off the pretty top layer in no time. You'll see a lot of these fabrics in scale patterns, fish, snake, abstract, because the holographic foil will fracture when stretched...the spaces between the scales keep the foil from fracturing the first time you wear it.

It's unfortunate, because it is so pretty!

Edit: I found a pic of the structure. Note that it has a stretchability and rebound score of 2 out of 5, 5 being best:

[BayouMermaid]

Good question. Fluke is a different fabric. It is foil spandex, which seems to scratch easily. Here's a better pic.

[BayouMermaid]

I would just like to note also that my scales haven't fractured. They have just gotten duller. In places where I have wear, the scales went from bright shiny blue, to dull shiny blue, to silver. No fracturing in my personal experience. If others have used this material before, I'd love to hear your experiences.

[SIF]

My best advice would be to buy a 1/4 or 1/6 of a yard of the colour you'd LIKE to go with and do tests with watered down bleach water, chlorine water, iodized salt water and water that has sat for a few days with sugar in the sun. It'll give you a good feel for what the effects of the various conditions are.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Is there a guide of fabrics that are good for chlorine pools? I remember seeing a list of tail making materials but I can't remember if there is a specific list for lycra fabrics.

Oh. How bout this then? Its Spandex Nylon Lycra 4 Way Stretch Fabric W150cm/190gm - Bedazzled/Zsa Zsa w Sequins (Price per 50cm)

[Echidna]

That fabric was not made with swimming in mind lol.
Looks almost like knitted/crocheted even though it says Lycra.

Personally, I wouldn't try to wear something with such sequins into water (I own several dance costumes with exactly such a fabric+sequins and they're very fragile), but if you really want it no matter what, all you can do is try it out with test swatches as the others said.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Thanks all for the feedback! I will keep looking for printed 4 way stretch lycra instead.

[Mermaid Catkid]

like this? http://hancockfabrics.com/search?q=lycra

[Mermaid Catkid]

NO! GGRRR! I was sure that would work.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Yep, I saw that one when you told me about it Cat. Trying to see if I can find something locally, that way if I ever need more, it will be readily available and won't cost too much in shipping.