★ The Accessory Making FAQ ★

[tessie]

If you use a metal headband, can you use your hair to cover the "bulkiness"?

The main thing is that the headband looks out of place and doesn't hold well to the headpiece

[Mermaid Lilium]

Only other thing I can suggest is using stretch plastic jewellery cord to create a headband that will hold it on but hide easily in your hair

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[Ashton]

Any tips to keep a headpiece in place? I just made this thing --> Attachment 35331
It sits on my head really nicely when its dry, but I feel like it's just going to fall off as soon as I start swimming... I've thought of using a metal headband, but it makes the headpiece look too bulky. Have people had any luck using an elastic band to keep headpieces on?

The only way I have found to keep stuff like that on your head is to bobby pin and hair clip it to the gods and back (loooots of fasteners).

[MermaidCrystall]

Quick question. .. I'm making my own shelled top. For under water swimming should I apply a sealant or would I be fine without? �� My husband bought Mod Podge Dishwasher - safe gloss. A water base sealer, glue and finish. I'm hoping this would work..

[Calizaire]

Quick question. .. I'm making my own shelled top. For under water swimming should I apply a sealant or would I be fine without? 🐠

If I paint the shells I like to add a sealent just for durability; to prevent scratches or scuffs. But it's not necessary.

[Mermaid Momo]

Quick question. .. I'm making my own shelled top. For under water swimming should I apply a sealant or would I be fine without? �� My husband bought Mod Podge Dishwasher - safe gloss. A water base sealer, glue and finish. I'm hoping this would work..

I sealed mine to keep the color from fading or coming off and because my top has a lot of glitter on it and I didn't want to glitter any poor soul that was in the water with me.

[MermaidCrystall]

Thanks merfolks. I appreciate your help.

[Merenneito Nerissa]

Ok, I'm done using epoxy, it says it's waterproof but obviously it's not chlorine proof It formed this very strange, stretchy thingy when used in pool, and one shell dropped off. E6000 has been quite ok but still not the best, the shells I've glued has started to come off when used for a while. I've decided I'd give gorilla glue a try, but I'm a bit unsure where and how to wet and what (language barrier is present too, all directions in the bottle are in english) So when you have used gorilla glue, did you wet only the other surface? When gluing a shell to the bra base, which surface you prefer to wet? Would it strengthen the bond if I'd wet both? How much water, do you just wipe the surface with a wet cloth?

[Winged Mermaid]

Ok, I'm done using epoxy, it says it's waterproof but obviously it's not chlorine proof It formed this very strange, stretchy thingy when used in pool, and one shell dropped off. E6000 has been quite ok but still not the best, the shells I've glued has started to come off when used for a while. I've decided I'd give gorilla glue a try, but I'm a bit unsure where and how to wet and what (language barrier is present too, all directions in the bottle are in english) So when you have used gorilla glue, did you wet only the other surface? When gluing a shell to the bra base, which surface you prefer to wet? Would it strengthen the bond if I'd wet both? How much water, do you just wipe the surface with a wet cloth?

With gorilla glue you wet one surfaces slightly, to make it damp. I just use a wet cloth or paper towel. With a bra I'll usually wet both the shell and the bra though.

Sounds like you're having a lot of issues that you shouldn't be though... are you cleaning sanding smooth surfaces to give the glue more grip, wiping the oils from the things you're gluing beforehand (rubbing alcohol or acetone), and clamping the pieces you're gluing while they cure? Great glue is great, but it's really those important steps that make all the difference in the strength of the bond.

For example, I glued shells that didn't even touch the bra on most of the surface area, and it held up for 2 years before the shell started coming lose, and I felt I needed to reglue. I mean my experience isn't going to reflect everyone elses for sure! But, I've seen lot of people skip most, if not all, of those steps to get a good bond. Then wonder why the glue doesn't hold. Not saying you are in particular, just trying to stress (for you and anyone else reading this) that yes, they really DO make a difference

[Merenneito Nerissa]

With gorilla glue you wet one surfaces slightly, to make it damp. I just use a wet cloth or paper towel. With a bra I'll usually wet both the shell and the bra though.

Sounds like you're having a lot of issues that you shouldn't be though... are you cleaning sanding smooth surfaces to give the glue more grip, wiping the oils from the things you're gluing beforehand (rubbing alcohol or acetone), and clamping the pieces you're gluing while they cure? Great glue is great, but it's really those important steps that make all the difference in the strength of the bond.

Thank you so much for quick response

I actually have done all that, I even use dremel first to make the surface of the shell really rough so that it'd attach even stronger. I also use acetone as a cleaner. I haven't specificly clamped the things (mostly cause I don't own clamps) but I use scuba weights on top of the things to make the bond stronger ( Bra is on top of the plastic torso which I then put laying on the floor, then I use some cloths to protect the shells surfaces when I put those weights on top of them to press them down). Should I order clamps or would it make much of a difference? Maybe I used wrong kind of an epoxy also... :/ I used Loctite epoxy since it was the most expensive one from the shop but of course more money doesn't always guarantee the quality. Clearly there's something I have done wrong but I just can't figure out what it is.

[Winged Mermaid]

You've done everything right, but the type of glue- I'm pretty certian that's your problem. My brain somehow glossed over that you used epoxy! It's true that you need the right glue for the right job or it won't go over so well. But it can be an easy mistake to make
Epoxy is only really good for gluing rigid things, not things that need flexibility. For mermaid accessories, I'd only really recommend it for gluing a broken shell or gluing shells together, or shells to glass, things like that. (At least in my experience and opinion.) Epoxy is like superglue in that it can be very strong if used on the right materials and in the right way. But if it's not, it can be brittle. It's mainly used for common fixes like gluing things like glass, ceramic, china, tile, stone, things like that that don't need to bend to function.

Especially for a top, you need something that can be flexible, or at least be strong enough to handle the flexibility that happens with a top. E6000 can handle flex very well - if you've ever played with a dried strip of it, it's really stretchy.

Gorilla glue can flex to an extent because it's slightly bendy and expands (so it's full of air), which is typically fine for shells on cups of bras, in my experience. With gorilla glue it helps that it expands to get more surface area on odd shaped shells that don't touch much of the surface area of the bra (like abalone shell bras). Plus since it expands, it expands a bit into the material as well, locking it in. But I've learned over time (usually a year or two) as it gets older it can become more brittle, which means it can start to give out on tops. For me that just means I reglue it every few years, no big deal. Just FYI

Weights can help, but clamping applies a lot more force, and more concentrated force. Usually different kinds of clamps can be found at hardware stores for cheap. I've also applied glue, put the shells in place, then laid on my stomach putting the weight on the shells for like an hour or two. I did that becuase I couldn't clamp the shells on, since the placing was too awkward for that. (Just be aware that sometimes the glue can seep down.. I accidentally glued netting to my skin putting a top together like that, once :P) That applies a lot more weight, and concentrated weight, than putting weights on it while it dries. But if you can make clamps work, I'd recommend that.

Hope that helps!

[Merenneito Nerissa]

Thank you so much again, Iona, this is really helpful

I have also learned that epoxy should only be used for places which don't have movement since it shouldn't be so flexible. However this epoxy I used just somehow reacted with chlorine and it transformed to this flexible, non-sticky formula, so it wasn't even hard anymore(which I have understand is the reason it shouldn't be used in the areas with a lots of movement stress, since it could break). It was like plastic chewing gum, very weird. I have used hot glue at beginning and for me it has so far worked the best. I only started to find solutions because I read from here that it isn't good for tops or especially attaching shells, even though I haven't yet had problems with it. I started to test attachments by combining hot glue and E6000 but it still started to come off (I used directions from this thread, hot glue kept the plastic plants in place and then I glued shells with E6000 on top of it) . I also used E6000 alone but it did the same thing. I think I maybe didn't use it as big amounts as needed. For one bra I used like 2/3 of 2 oz tube. (it just is so expensive.. In Finland it costs like 20 euros per 59 ml, which is smthn like 25 usd for 2 oz. I maybe have to start to find out some online stores which sell it, I haven't even realised before how ridiculous the price difference is, just spotted a tube of 3,7 oz from Michael's for 4,99usd)

I also started to think that it might actually have similar affect if I just placed the mannequin doll on it's stomach after placing the shells with gorilla glue in place and put lots of weights on top. Or maybe I just go to the hardware store today and buy those clamps Only thing which has been puzzling me is if the force goes only to that small area which that clamp is pressing and not overall the shell, will it be weaker? Or is that a good thing that the glueing is only in small area? I have tried to get the shell to stick as large area as possible, but of course the bond might be stronger if it is attached strongly only from one place. Also I've been a bit worried if the glueing somehow attaches in a weird position (this is hard to explain in English...), like when you clamp it it somehow crushes the bra to stick to the shell like, uhm, wrinkly?

[PearlieMae]

www.thistothat.com is a very helpful site on the best adhesives for different uses. For shells, use 'ceramic' in the drop-down menu.

( Props to Jazz for the heads-up on the site!)

[Mermaid Lilium]

I use e6000 plus clamps and have never had any issues, even with abalone shells. I had a nightmare with gorilla glue and have a giant bottle of it that I'm now never going to use lol

I've found fairly cheap listings for e6000 on amazon UK, and I kinda stockpile it when I'm over in the states lol

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[HamptonsMermaid]

Personally I loooove hot glue! My tip for getting it to work for almost anything is hot glue + felt. Add a strip of felt in between any surfaces you are trying to glue (even teeny tiny shells) and it will give you a lot of grippy surface area to help the glue out. Holds great in water too (avoid hot water as this re melts the glue of course, though if you mess up and want to change something you can use hot water to detach).

I have E6000 but honestly I can't feel good about using something so incredibly toxic. Not just for my health but I'm sure it's also harming the environment and the water.

[Merenneito Nerissa]

I have also used felt and hot glue combo a lot especially when making hair clips. It gives these wonderful strong structures when you use it inside shells as well as bases. I have also used it when glueing bigger scallop shells to bras, maybe that's why they have lasted so long.

[SailorsGirl1207]

I'm making one of my friends a sash of fish net and I've sewn on shells and fake seaweed. The seaweed seems to stay on okay, but the shells keep falling off. Is there any way I could reinforce the shells so they don't fall off?

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Question for you fine Merfolks!

I've been eyeballing different types of super glue of late, just to figure out where I can get ahold of things like the e6000 that people are talking about here.

As a Canadian, I was at Rona today, browsing through the glue section (I needed wood glue for a Worbla project). There are at least two brands now that market themselves as "Marine Glue". I know its meant for repair and sealing of boats and various other aquatic vessels, but I'm curious as to if anyone here has actually tried it out yet?

http://www.rona.ca/webapp/wcs/stores...arine+Adhasive

Those are the three that I ran across. The LePage lookalike its good for rigid items (so crowns might be a good choice), though I am unsure about the JB weld.

Mainly, I'm just curious about if anyone has tried the "marine" labelled glues and what their thoughts were.

Thanks!
~Kaylin

[PearlieMae]

Personally, I'm curious about flexible marine epoxy.

Www.thistothat.com has been a pretty valuable resource (maybe a little limited, but a great jumping off place).

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Hi PearlieMae!

I did happen to find that my local Walmart sells E6000 for relatively cheap, so I am happy about that. I'll be sure to browse through the link though and see what else comes up!

BTW, I -LOVE- your tails! I've also been scoping out the Pearl-Ex pigments and microfine glitter because of you. :P

~Kaylin