Two-tailed project! One fabric, one silicone

[Jeronposted]

Well, argh. My lovely girl's glitter project exploded all over my tail. Hmm. Water isn't washing it off, and neither is alcohol. Anyone know a better way to deglitterify silicone? LOL. I'd also love the secret to washing off cat hair. Should've vacuumed before flipping all over the floor!

And that's another great suggestion Pearlie! You have literally saved me tons of time and grief!

Try tape maybe?

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Wow, your tail is absolutely gorgeous! Amazing job!!
For cat hair I wash mine in the bathtub with water and dish soap, scrubbing gently with a nail brush. Most of the cat hair floats I've found!

[Theobromine]

Don't use tape!! The adhesive in the tape could potentially inhibit the curing of any more silicone you try to add (this has happened to me with duct tape).

Blue Dawn dish soap (thanks Pearlie for that tip!) is the best thing to wash your tail with. I've gotten glitter on my tail before too, and I had to wash it with soap and scrub gently with a washcloth. Fuck glitter >

This tail looks amazing!

[Dancing Fish]

Well, most of the glitter came off with water and a washcloth. Whew! Inner and outer slime coat is done, and now it's a LOT heavier! Overall I did an ok job, but there are a couple of big obvious globs and drips here and there. I tried trimming some, but gave up. From three feet away I only see them when the light hits those particular scales. Fluke attachment tomorrow, then it's swim time! I want to see how bad the top gaps before I mess with it.

Rowan has already started pestering me for her next tail. Lol! She's picked out her color scheme: green and purple! My favorite colors!

[PearlieMae]

Green and purple (purple first, always!) is my fave combo!

As for glitter and cat hair, lots of suds and a bath puff, have someone holds it up while you rinse it from the waist down. Don't try to avoid cat hair, it's a losing battle. Accept defeat now.

As for the globs, remember what my mom says..."couldn't see it from a galloping horse!"

[Theobromine]

I've found eensy weensy nail scissors (cuticle scissors? I dunno, someone gave them to me) to be very useful for trimming tiny bits of extra silicone.

[Dancing Fish]

Oooh, those are a fab idea. Would you bother trying to fix a spot if you had a large (quarter-sized) flat glob? Or just shrug and leave it? I've managed to trim off most of the sites where it made an obvious 3D drip mark.

[PearlieMae]

I'd leave it, if it's flat. I trim drops off all the time with a small pair of embroidery scissors (they look like mini haircutting scissors).

[Theobromine]

I'd probably trim it off, personally, but I am 1. anal :P and 2. the tiny little critters I make are small enough that I kinda have to be anal about the tiny details. Might not be such a big deal with a tail if it's not super obvious. You could try shaving it off with a wide flat super-sharp razor blade, then do a thin clear coat over it again, that's probably what I'd try.

[Dancing Fish]

So there's probably an easy way to attach a flat fluke to a cylindrical ankle hole... but I haven't discovered it yet. Tomorrow I will either find that the dorsal side is beautifully attached, or I will find that I have spent six months creating a very elaborate silicone thneed. Hoping for the former!!

If all goes well I might get to try it this week! Eeeeeeeeee!!!!

oh, and I decided to leave the splotches for now. meh. Will call 'em beauty marks.

[Dancing Fish]

ZOMG. It's DONE.

i could fuss with the waistline a bit more but as of this moment it's complete.

And of course I got nailed with a cold, so not sure when I can test it...just my luck! I'm too exhausted and feverish to try it on!

I also started a top...and found that the cups have shrunk from the beads. Now it's too small! Argh. But compared to the rest of this project, beaded bras are easy so I'll just pull it apart and try again with a bigger cup size. All those years of belly dance costuming are coming in handy!

[PearlieMae]

Feel better!

[MermaidSaph]

This tail is so 20% cooler!

[Dancing Fish]

Gah. Last night my sinuses were so tender that I dreamed I was having accupuncture on my face. Today it's camping out in my ears and working into my lungs. And it's gorgeously sunny today, too, a perfect day for swimming. Argh! Summer colds are The Worst.

[Dancing Fish]

This tail is so 20% cooler!

ROFL!! Thanks!

[MermaidAine]

Oh dear, I hope you feel better soon!


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[Dancing Fish]

Pics! Pics! Pics!!!
I'm still wearing it as I post this. I don't want to take it off! I'm a freakin' mermaid on Christmas Day!! Someone draw me a bath, quick!



imma bask in this moment for awhile before I start talking about stuff that needs fixin'....

[Dancing Fish]

Although is there a tailmaker out there whose first silicone tail did NOT have a gapping waist?!

[Theobromine]

That looks amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh my gosh, it's so gorgeous! You've done an amazing job!! I hope you feel better soon so you can go for a swim!