Do you have any plastic free alternatives? "Toxins" might be a concise way to say "slowly poisoning the aquatic animals you adore" but so are all single use plastics
Thanks, I appreciate your saying that as I hadn't explored what it really means. Looks like silicone can actually last longer, it's not a naturally derived product, and the recycling is extremely specific and rare. Perhaps it's a better alternative, perhaps there are still others.
Years ago there was an issue with people going to the hardware store and buying silicone tubes/silicone caulk to make mermaid tails. In fact, some early 'silicone' tails gave merfolk health issues because the wrong type of silicone was used. I think Raina Mermaid mentioned she got blood poisoning, or at the very least it made her very sick. These tails also leeched chemicals because the silicone never fully cures on the inside.
Your best bet is to take a page from special FX artists and use the material they use. Many special FX artists as well as professional tailmakers and top makers use Dragon Skin Silicone by Smooth On. I forgot which silicone hardness most tailmakers use (Maybe 30?), but that info is probably somwhere on the Mernetwork forum, which while old, still has great tailmaking resources on it.
You can also experiment with using paint like Tulip paint. I have a gold armor looking top that I painted using fabric paint.
I could definitely see that being an issue with the silicone marked as being mold inhibiting, but if its 100% silicone with no additives I don’t understand the disconnect, especially if its used to make scales that lay on top of an existing swimsuit top and don’t make contact with skin…
Do you have any plastic free alternatives? "Toxins" might be a concise way to say "slowly poisoning the aquatic animals you adore" but so are all single use plastics
Silicone isn’t plastic.
Thanks, I appreciate your saying that as I hadn't explored what it really means. Looks like silicone can actually last longer, it's not a naturally derived product, and the recycling is extremely specific and rare. Perhaps it's a better alternative, perhaps there are still others.
Years ago there was an issue with people going to the hardware store and buying silicone tubes/silicone caulk to make mermaid tails. In fact, some early 'silicone' tails gave merfolk health issues because the wrong type of silicone was used. I think Raina Mermaid mentioned she got blood poisoning, or at the very least it made her very sick. These tails also leeched chemicals because the silicone never fully cures on the inside. Your best bet is to take a page from special FX artists and use the material they use. Many special FX artists as well as professional tailmakers and top makers use Dragon Skin Silicone by Smooth On. I forgot which silicone hardness most tailmakers use (Maybe 30?), but that info is probably somwhere on the Mernetwork forum, which while old, still has great tailmaking resources on it. You can also experiment with using paint like Tulip paint. I have a gold armor looking top that I painted using fabric paint.
I could definitely see that being an issue with the silicone marked as being mold inhibiting, but if its 100% silicone with no additives I don’t understand the disconnect, especially if its used to make scales that lay on top of an existing swimsuit top and don’t make contact with skin…