Mermaid tails and tops are made custom and they are made by hand. Some imperfections are to be expected. Let’s look at normal imperfections vs sloppy work.
*an important note: I am writing this in the hope of helping both clients and tailmakers. your bad review has the potential to destroy a small business that an artist put their soul, years of their time, and thousands of dollars into creating. Please make sure the imperfections you see as sloppy and bad work are actually bad before posting a bad review. As a tailmaker I have been scammed, harassed, insulted, and I have wanted to quit. A lot of talented tailmakers have quit. I have seen people 💩 on and completely dragged over tiny and normal imperfections. Please be kind to your tailmaker.
Seams
Seaming silicone tails is a difficult task and unless the tail has individual scales, a completely seamless look should not be expected. The seams should be blended but you will still be able to see where they are if you look very closely. here are some normal seams.
The seams of a mernation genesis silicone tail $1500+
The seams of an older mernation signature tail around $2000+
The seams of a newer mernation genesis plus tail $2000ish
The seams of an older Merbella tail
The seams of a Merbella silicone tail
$3500-$7000 (this one was around $5000)
The seams of a Finfolk silicone tail
$5500-$10,000
The seam of a see through sea silicone tail
$3000-$5000 range
The seam of a Dmitry arts tail (the most flawless tails available for commission right now)
Full Silicone Tails from haleymermaid.com ( I make these)
So what does a bad seam look like?
Here are some examples of messy and sloppily put together seams.
Finspo wasn't in business very long and you can see why…
this is a bad seam.
A messy seam From an unknown maker
This looks Like a tail that was heavily used and repaired but its new and just came out of the box
This tailmaker no longer makes tails. putting the seam in the back could work if you have a dorsal fin to cover it but this tail doesn’t…
this Part of the seam doesn’t look like it got glued down
Messy spots
Silicone is a difficult medium to work with. It’s like trying to glue lube together or paint with snot. A couple small drips or glue spots are not a big deal.
Below are some examples of some normal imperfections
Here are some examples of messy spots that are not normal.
I’m not 100% sure what’s going on here…
This looks like they kept adding paint layers until the scale texture was almost gone
This looks sticky. silicone tails shouldn’t be sticky. they also shouldn’t be so thin that you can see mesh spots and they shouldn’t be coated in unsealed glitter
I’m guessing by the cracking and the large hole that this isn’t high quality silicone…
This is another example of low quality silicone causing tails to rip
This is silicone that didn’t properly cure and was sent to a client anyway 🤦🏼♀️
This client complained that the scales on their tail ended and then started again with some weird smooth stuff in between and I see what they mean.
Another from the same tailmaker as above. this one arrived to The client with unfinished edges. It only takes a few seconds to trim that even but it was sent to the client like this.
another from the same tailmaker, this edge doesn't appear to be all the way glued Together.
This is the highest flying red flag I’ve seen in a long time… the silicone is peeling and there is duct tape underneath. This silicone is caulk btw… read my previous blogs about why you shouldn’t use caulk for tails.
This is the underside of the heel fin I believe. the full tail is pictured below⬇️
This tail is not made from high quality silicone. the fins fell off and when I was reattaching them (I do tail repairs) it felt like dried acrylic paint.
The inside
Glueing silicone elements to a bra is difficult because silicone is slippery and bras don’t want to cooperate. As long as it fits and looks good on the outside any imperfections on the inside of the bra shouldn’t matter. The same goes for tails. The inside can be ugly and not matter as long as the outside looks fine. There shouldn’t be any large crevices where mold should grow but the inside of a tail isn’t pretty like the outside.
Here are some photos of the inside of silicone tails
Here is a photo of what the inside shouldn’t look like.
the thick seams are unnecessary and uncomfortable. this is an older tail.
Fit and Sizing
Tails are made custom to fit your exact measurements. BUT tail-makers only have the measurements the client gives them so as long as the tail matches the measurements any bad fitting tails aren’t really the tailmaker‘s fault. a big of extra space can be normal at the ankle area since the monofin is wider than your ankles. what ISN‘T normal. tails that don’t match the given measurements causing the tail to not fit The client. here are some examples of bad fits where the tailmaker is at fault.
This is waaayyy too big
And waaayyyy too long.
Paint and Designs
painting silicone tails is complicated. If the tail color is one shade off from what you were expecting or looks different in different lighting that is normal. If you wanted a blue and pink tail and got blue and silver that’s not normal. The tailmaker should send photos of the painted tail before it is mailed so the client can approve the design and make changes.
your paint shouldn’t peel off. there may be a few paint scrapes if you scrape the tail against a rough surface like rocks or a concrete pool but the photo below isn’t normal.
a client complaint about a tailmaker who gets this exact same complaint often.
Wait time
Handmade items take time. If you rush you make mistakes and things can get messy. Please don’t rush your tailmaker. If you have a deadline you need to tell the tailmaker before you order. Wait times are estimates. If the tailmaker estimates 3 months and it takes 4 instead that shouldn’t be a big deal. Wait shouldn’t be double what you are estimated though so if you are told 3 months and it takes 9 that’s not normal. If you are told 1 year and it takes 2 that’s not normal.
perfection?
There are soooo many gorgeous tails by many talented tailmakers. I would love to make a custom tail for you! But If you are not willing to accept anything less than absolute perfection please just don’t bother ordering anything handmade. Creature fins and Dmitry arts are the most perfect tails I’ve seen in my 13 years in the mermaid community but if you are going to be holding a magnifying glass to very microscopic air bubble please just leave us artists alone.
Hopefully this helps!