[EDIT:] I'm moving this information over to my Tumblr. This page will no longer have up-to-date information. Go here instead: http://armoreddragon.tumblr.com/tails
!!!!!

I've made a bunch of scale-mail tails at this point, enough to justify having a starting point with information to make the process smoother.

(Oh, if you're interested you should also check out my material and color guide: www.furaffinity.net/journal/2018624/ )

What You Get:
The standard tail pattern is 35 inches long, measured from your belt to the tip. They can be made shorter or longer upon request. They hang from doubled belt loops, also made of chainmail (as seen here). They tend to weigh a bit under 4 pounds, which gives them a nice weight when worn, but is not so heavy that they are uncomfortable.

The Price:
Tails start at $250. This base price covers scales in stainless steel, or anodized aluminum in any color. Fancier metals will increase this price a bit. (For the record, the breakdown of this price is just over $50 in materials for half a thousand scales and 2000 rings. Constructing the tail takes around 10 hours of efficient work, and then there is a reasonable amount of overhead time.)

Here's a pile of links to pretty much all the tails I've done so far so you can browse. I think they're in chronological order:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2489240/ aluminum with yellow brass strip down the spine
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5291777/ same
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5231029/ same
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5922320/ blue and standard aluminum alternating
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5949999/ green aluminum with brown interspersed, brown underbelly
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5068747/ blackened stainless steel with stainless steel underbelly
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6241573/ blackened stainless steel with green diamonds and stainless steel underbelly (Done for myself because I was bored with making identical tails. FOR SALE.)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3921603/ blackened stainless steel with heat-colored nickel stripe down the spine (not reproducible, as I can't get that material anymore)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3946127/ two tails: same as previous, and yellow brass with aluminum underbelly
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6234702/ brown with black mottled stripes (anodized aluminum) and an aluminum underbelly
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6692263/ red and purple aluminum scales forming a V pattern that converges down the spine. This one had a bunch of spikes down the spine as well.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7163754/ Black anodized aluminum with red mottled stripes, and a stainless steel underbelly
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8198571/ Top one is black anodized aluminum on top and standard aluminum underneath. It's also got clips all along the spine to attach things to. Bottom one is yellow brass and standard aluminum, but short (24 inches)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8438344/ Red anodized aluminum on the top, standard aluminum on the underbelly. Short (27 inches)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8913077/ Black anodized aluminum with standard aluminum underbelly and green diamonds along the spine, copy of previous tail
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9008375/ Blackened stainless steel background; stainless steel underbelly (not visible in this photo); orange, red and brown anodized aluminum flame-pattern (specified by commissioner)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9284028/ Yellow anodized aluminum with a sparse random scattering of purple
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9584825/ Anodized aluminum, black with blue underbelly and a red strip spiraling around it
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10193705/ Black aluminum with yellow underbelly, plus spikes down the spine.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10376808/ Standard aluminum. Short (23 inches) with spikes down the spine.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10589386/ Anodized aluminum, blue with purple underbelly and a clip at the tip
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10661403/ Blue anodized aluminum with scattered stainless steel, and a clip at the tip
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10773751/ Black anodized aluminum with yellow underbelly, plus spines and a clip. Basically a copy of a previous tail.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10890989/ Stainless steel with black anodized aluminum underbelly and strip down the spine, plus spines.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11376341/ Anodized aluminum, black with yellow stripes and blue tip details. I really liked the pattern on this one.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11477167/ Purple aluminum with stainless steel underbelly, plus engravings on all the scales down the spine. Slightly short (31 inches).

Available materials:
stainless steel
anodized aluminum in red, orange (NEW!), yellow/gold, green, blue, purple, pink(NEW!), black, or brown
brushed aluminum
blackened stainless steel (slightly more expensive, also the supplier is occasionally out of stock)
jeweler's brass (more expensive, would take a couple weeks to get stock in)
bronze (more expensive, would take a couple weeks to get stock in)
mild steel (rusts in an interesting way)

Add-ons:
-Engraved scales: $5 per for a simple text message, $8 if you've got an image you want engraved. Will be laser-etched like these: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6253189 Steel and other metals can also be engraved, but in a different way. If you'd like multiple scales engraved, the price per scale drops significantly; inquire for a quote.

-I recommend having a lobster clasp put into the tip of the tail so you can clip things to it. (I do this because every time I would wear my older tails to a random dance party I'd end up trying to thread glowsticks through the weave, and just decided to put an attachment point on.) This photo has a tail with clips all the way down the spine: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10711175/ This one just has one at the tip: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/10661403/ I don't charge any extra for a single lobster clip at the tail tip; if you'd like more, they're $1 extra each.

-Claw spikes (originally made for leather-work): http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6366390 or http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9965377/ for a close-up shot, http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6692263/ for them in a finished tail. They're $2 per small spike, $3 per large . For reference, the spikes in that tail cost $38.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll keep this updated. Note me if you're interested in commissioning one of these.



P.S. Most of the commissions I get tend to be in the form "I want this pattern you've done before in these other colors." I've even been getting exact copies requested. And while I have no problem doing that, it gets boring after a while. Meanwhile, I've got a few ideas for tails that I want to make, but it's been some time since I last cleared out my commission queue, and I don't feel right ignoring commissions to make something just for my own enjoyment.

So how's this. Here's a list of ideas for designs that I'd kind of like to make. If you'd like to commission something from this list, and you're happy to let me do some experimenting with the design, I'll deduct 10% from the final price of the tail. (Also note, some of these say colors in them, but generally I'm happy to do any colors you like, these colors are just for illustration.)
IDEAS:
Charmander: orange on top with yellow below, but with a big burst of jingly scales in red orange and yellow on the tip, to mimic a plume of flame. (The plume would increase the price, but for purposes of promotion I'll call it a free add-on to a normal-priced tail.)
Super Gay: descending Vs in rainbow colors. Like this one, but gayer.
Candy Cane/Barber Shop: spiraling red and silver stripes.
Racing Stripes: wide vertical stripes running down the length of the tail.
Cheshire Cat Stripes: purple and pink wide horizontal bands.
Corrosion: a tail made of mild steel, bronze, copper, galvanized steel, etc. Materials that oxidize, tarnish, and rust. (Note: mild steel is cheap, but bronze and copper are more expensive.)
Lots-O-Spikes: I recently acquired cone spikes in various sizes. I'd like a chance to use them. How about a double mohawk of tall cones down the spine, with maybe some smaller cones surrounding it. (Note: this one will take some calculation to come up with a price, since that's a lot of drilling on a lot of scales.)
Leather Spines: I've been making stuff out of leather recently. I haven't yet had a chance to do much experimenting with attaching leather into chainmail, but I'd like to! Poke me and I'll work on it! I'm curious to try big, shaped spines made of leather.