Steampunk Ursula

I'm working on a steampunk Ursula costume for DragonCon this year and I'm stumped on the tentacles. I'm planning more of a tentacle bustle rather than full length tentacles all around. But I don't want to make them out of cloth. I've seen some cool ones, but that's just not the look I'm going for. I'd really like to make them look like segmented metal, but I still need to be able to move around through the halls. Sitting would be nice, but I'm pragmatic about that. I don't know that craft foam would be strong enough.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!

Plumbers tape (aluminum usually, but also copper for a higher price) can be used to make surfaces look and feel metal

Sent from my Nexus 4

Very cool, thank you.