Monday, December 27, 2010

Hurry Up and Wait....

So I have three different things in the mail right now.  Gloves, socks, and cement.

The gloves are obviously for swimming, the cement I need to run tests and then use to hold the tail together, and the socks are for chafing and cushioning and strap slippage.  Today I run to Lowe's to grab tubing and some silicone stuff to use as the sealant.  All I can currently do is a pattern fitting for the fluke and testing on patches of neoprene.  In case anyone actually is following this and cares, aside from Obadiah that is.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Lookit My Fat...Tail!

This is a 1/4":1" scale mock up of my tail pattern.  It dips down two inches in the front as you can see on the drawing.  I will do a monofin/fluke measurement soon, I left my monofin at my friends' house.  When making this pattern we [my amazing grandmother and me] had to account for the stretch of the neoprene and how it should fit on me.  We used a wetsuit that fits me for comparison and such.  Also, since I can get the leg parts of the wetsuit on without any extra give from a zipper we've decided to scrap the zipper idea, which helps me not have to figure out a dorsal cover up.  I can always add adornments later if I wish to.  And since no one reads my blog I may as well ramble on a bit more.  I still have to buy neoprene cement, some more paint, neoprene socks, tubing to strengthen the fluke, and those awesomely webbed gloves.  I think that's all I have to babble on about today.  I'm working 40+ hour weeks right now so it's slow progress.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Mer Airbrush Testing

two dimensional texture
paint on paint on paint on neoprene
takes better to the rubberized neoprene
I'm not feeling very verbose today.  Basically you get these photos and that's about it.  I need to do measurements and make a pattern and construct the tail before I can actually paint it.  These were tests.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Waiting, waiting, waiting....

So Friday I get two paychecks, most of the money will go to gas but some will go to mer supplies.  I need wetsuit cement, an airbrush compressor, and some tubing.  Production will actually get going somewhere on Saturday, or it should.

Anyhow, this is just a quick update.  I have all of my neoprene and I went swimming in my monofin last Saturday and froze my fins off!  I wore a 4mm wetsuit to stay warm, which means I had to battle some serious buoyancy, as well as a too tight wetsuit which inspired limited mobility.  But I really started to get the hang of it toward the end of my 2+ hour swim!  And for X-mas week the pool here should be heated so I can practise there and not freeze!


PS  Burlesque is like a two hour orgasm!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Tails, Tales, and the Future!

Firstly, tails....
 
feet look odd in the pic
So my monofin is here!  It's hitting freezing at night and the pool is unheated so no swimming just yet, and have to check with my tattoo guru if I'm healed enough yet.  Terribly excited to begin tail production though.  If I get my shopping for certain needed clothing done in time tomorrow then I will begin test swatches of paint.  I have one wetsuit chopped up, my very first wetsuit [somewhat sentimental and appropriate].  More wetsuits are in the mail from my uncle.  I will be ordering the gloves tomorrow, I hope.

mer hair


Secondly, tales...
Tales of Pirates in Paradise at Key West.  It was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I got to go for one night.  I only wish that I could have gone longer...next year will kick some major ass!  This year was pretty sweet too...we figured out what is up with the Bermuda Triangle!  It's a nirate's underwear disappearing into the night and then the triple triangle on the return.  This research also gave us the definition of what a nirate really is.  It's a pirate ninja so pale that in the middle of the night on a beach their skin blends in and they disappear.
nirate in disguise

Thirdly, the future....
The future is looking up in so many ways.  So many exciting things are happening and might happen soon.  I will, of course, keep you posted as life tosses me about on the waves.  I love that rocking motion!

Oh and archery rocks!  I miss it!
yes, archery while wearing kitty eared hat - it's how I roll, yo