07/13/2026
If you caught my last project, you already know I built an underwater castle for our Little Mermaid shows at Mertailorās Mermaid Aquarium Encounter. If you didnāt, you do now 𤣠I thought I was finishedā¦
I wasnāt⦠I couldnāt stay away from the epoxy, I just love working with it!
The castle needed something to complete the scene. Every castle deserves a throne, right? So I grabbed a pencil and started sketching my life awayā¦
You know, it was recently brought to my attention how much we do at Mertailor. Between building mermaid tails, helping our aquarists clean up fish p**p (glamorous, I know š), and running the aquarium, I couldnāt stop thinking about what the perfect mermaid throne should look like. Not just beautiful, but functional too.
The challenge was creating something that our mermaids could comfortably perform on while also giving our sharks, rays, and fish a unique structure for hiding, sleeping, and protection. I wanted it to become more than a prop⦠I wanted it to become part of the habitat itself.
Since the castle was built with Smooth-On Inc. Free Form⢠Habitat⢠Black, there was never really another option for this project. I absolutely love working with their products, especially knowing they have created aquarium safe once properly cured. I called my friends over at Reynolds Advanced Materials in Orlando and said, āSend more Free Form⢠Habitat⢠Black and a lot of Habitat⢠Folding Powder⦠I think Iām about to get carried away again.ā š
The first step was building the internal PVC armature and wrapping everything in plastic mesh. Honestly, this part took way longer than I expected. Lots of standing back, staring at it, cutting pieces apart, rebuilding sections, and trying again until the shape finally felt right.
Now the fun begins š³ This project is going to be unlike anything Iāve filmed before, and Iām taking you along for the entire rideāfrom a rough sketch on paper to what will hopefully become an ancient underwater throne worthy of a mermaid.
Stay tuned! This one is going to be a lot of fun.
Huge thanks to Smooth-On for helping bring another crazy idea to life.