This Dragon Tail Has Small Flecks Of Purple On A Background Of Black. It Was A Fun Pattern To Put Together,

This dragon tail has small flecks of purple on a background of black. It was a fun pattern to put together, because I haven’t had many chances to do asymmetric patterns. 

And I can’t believe I’ve never posted any photos of these tails all pineconed. It’s a fun silly thing to do with them. Because of the nature of the scale weave, and since they’re hollow except for a tensile system of internal supports, you can hang them upside-down and lower them onto the ground and they collapse down like that.

Anyway. Purple and black anodized aluminum scales linked together with stainless steel rings. If you’re curious about these, you can check out my tail ordering guide.

I had a couple people order this mask in relatively quick succession recently, but I realized I'd forgotten to post the photos I'd gotten of it being worn. This means I should probably go through my files and see what else I forgot to show off. I also cut an extra copy when I was in the laser shop cutting the most recent one, so I have one to play with. Any suggestions for other colors this could be cool in? I do like it in black, but I'm kind of thinking of doing some gold accents on the ears. This mask is up on my Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/listing/212168040/jackal-mask

Knitted scale shirt? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone make one of those before, that sounds awesome! If you have photos, I’d love to see it!

Hey, so I've been mildly obsessed with your tails for some time now, but in the short truth of it, I really can't afford one. I do my own scale work and I noticed your walk through guide of how you make them and I was curious if that means that you don't mind other artists attempting to create their own tails based off your design. Most of my scale work is actually knitted rather then chained so I was thinking of giving that a try but I didn't want to step on toes or anything.

I’m always flattered when someone wants to make something for themselves based on something I made. My universal response is, go for it! And send me photos when you’re done! I’ve seen a few other people make their own scale tails, and it always makes me happy.

To my knowledge there’s only other person who’s selling scale dragon tails. Here’s her gallery: http://serenfey.deviantart.com/ Her tails are crocheted, with the scales held in place by the stitches. She’s done some cool things—I especially like the way she caps off the tip with a leather spade tip. I personally prefer the regular texture of scales you get with chainmail to the somewhat messier one you get with knitted or crocheted scales, but that’s a matter of taste. I do have an underlying mistrust of yarn in applications where it needs to hold some weight and take some abuse, so I suspect my tails would ultimately last a bit longer. But her tails are much lighter than mine, and (if I remember correctly) less expensive. 

So there you go, my assessment of my competition! As a matter of principle I think it’s a good thing to have more than just one maker in any market, and I’m glad that the other person who’s working in this niche market is a craftsman I respect.

I was feeling crappy for a few days, and I decided I needed to design something fun, quick and simple. So instead I started working on this which has been on my list of ideas for a very long time. The challenge is to design something in 3D made up of panels that can be unrolled to flat surfaces. Then I insert stitching holes, futz with the edges for a while, and laser-cut it out of leather. The first head-thing I made with this technique was this crazy rainbow spiky helm, then I did this intricate wolf mask. This design built on experience from those projects. (As expected, it was neither quick nor simple, but it was fun!) This will be a plague doctor mask/hood. It'll cover the whole head, and will have laces in the back to snug it down. I'll probably cut some acrylic for the lenses, either red or mirrored if I can get it. And if I'm lucky with the guesses I made, it should fit over my glasses! Modeled in Rhino with lots of very finicky curves on surfaces, then lofting between them.

This might sound perverted and I apologize if you think I'm insane, is there a way to make a very lightweight version of one of your tails and attach it to an anal plug so as to wear it while naked?

Congratulations, this is the first time I’ve been asked this question! You don’t get the prize for weirdest question, though, sorry. I’ll try to keep this answer as SFW as possible.

I don’t know! In theory maybe, but in reality likely not.

The weight would be most easily reduced by making the tail much shorter than my standard length. This tail was the shortest I’ve made, but I don’t remember what the weight came out to. Probably about 1 pound?

Whether that’s light enough, I don’t know. I’m sure there’s potential for a very-inappropriate-for-high-school science fair project involving measuring such an item’s staying power as affected by weight, shape of the plug, how much swaying and moving the tail did, and individual variation in sphincter muscle strength. I suspect 1 pound would probably be workable, but I don’t have any data to back that up.

The real challenge would be attaching the tail to the plug. The only way I would trust would be with a solid physical joint. Like, a few sturdy loops of the silicone, or steel eyelets embedded into the base. The problem would be finding a product with those features, or some craftsman willing to custom-fabricate it.

It might be possible to get away with a ring looped around the thin part of the plug, which could then be attached to the chainmail. With what though? Probably more chainmail, because I would not put rope there. But it might end up being somewhat uncomfortable.

On the plus side, since the tail would be all aluminum and steel, it would be super easy to clean!

Now, who wants to do some SCIENCE!!!?

Some things I want to make for myself

Some of these are reasonable. Some are silly. Some are completely out of left field.

Leather holster for NERF guns. I’m playing in a LARP in a week that would be amazing if I could get one done for myself by then.

Get a power supply that would let me anodize titanium. Because damn it’s gorgeous.

More 3D-modeled leather patterns. Like that wolf head mask. But I want to try covering more of the head. I’m willing to verge into creepy full-head hood territory.

Or something with a similar technique but keep the aesthetic more like a fancy fantasy/medieval helm.

Leather armor. Something big for the torso. Maybe with a gladiator sort of feel?

A month ago I got my latest huge shipment of chainmail supplies. One of the stuffs I ordered was large clear plastic scales. I want to make a tail with these and then get a friend to help me wire it up with LEDs so it’s lit from within.

Scale cover for animatronic tail. I swear this will be happening soon. This one is also a project for someone else.

Laser-cut fluorescent acrylic prop daggers with leather-wrapped handles. In like crazy shapes like they’re straight out of a JRPG.

Hanging chainmail bonsai pot. I have no idea if it’ll work, but I’m willing to kill some ficus cuttings to find out.

Leather corset???

You know how people make angel/devil/dragon/etc. wings that you wear on your back like a backpack? I want to make a shark fin that does that.

A rigorous method to integrate leather pieces into a chainmail weave. I want to be able to put in big plates or huge spikes made of leather into my dragon tails.

Horns for your head. Also for your spine.

I’ve got a notebook stuffed with more ideas like these, and there is not enough time in the day.