Dexter
New Aurelian
Posts: 8
Country: Australia
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Post by Dexter on Nov 18, 2021 7:05:30 GMT
Any advice is appreciated.
I have pinned a few specimens now, but they never seem to be as flexible as in the videos/tutorials I watch.
Something isn’t working, I started with rehydration chambers and put the specimen in with wet paper towels under and over for 48 hours (I’ve tried this outside and in the fridge to no avail). Then i tried injecting them with warm water, still the wings stay snapped shut..
Do you wait after injecting specimens? That is what I will try next but I’m just not sure what I’m doing wrong, I wonder if the dry Australian climate could be a small factor?
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Post by Adam Cotton on Nov 18, 2021 10:18:35 GMT
48 hours is often not enough to soften species with a larger thorax, sometimes it may take 4-5 days for them to relax properly. If you inject them with water after initial softening for 48 hours you should put them back in the relaxing box for a few hours or a day before trying again. It is not a good idea to inject dry specimens for collections as the process will damage them.
Also for stubborn specimens you will need to pinch the thorax several times immediately below the wing joints to soften the muscles. They need a bit of working on to make the body more flexible before trying to spread the specimen, otherwise the forewings may bend at the costa near the base rather than opening properly.
Adam.
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Post by exoticimports on Nov 19, 2021 0:49:43 GMT
Beyond what Adam wisely advised, on tough specimens i grab the forewing near the body and bend it down a few times.
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Dexter
New Aurelian
Posts: 8
Country: Australia
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Post by Dexter on Nov 19, 2021 7:35:46 GMT
Okay thank you Adam and exoticimports!
That’s very helpful, it seems I’ve barely been letting them rehydrate. I’ll report back after I try your suggestions.
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yorky
New Aurelian
Posts: 20
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Post by yorky on Nov 19, 2021 16:37:12 GMT
Depends on the size of the specimen. I put them in the relaxer for 24 hours and then inject with boiling water. They are so relaxed they almost spread themselves,just as pliable as freshly caught material. That being said injecting does require a modicum of experience, you don't want any moisture on the wings.
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Post by wollastoni on Nov 19, 2021 16:38:29 GMT
Putting the rehydrator in the fridge does help a lot too.
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Post by exoticimports on Nov 19, 2021 22:26:01 GMT
Putting the rehydrator in the fridge does help a lot too. After discussion on this topic last year, that is not my experience |
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Post by Adam Cotton on Nov 20, 2021 8:26:32 GMT
Putting the relaxing box in the fridge may or may not help soften the specimens more quickly, but it will certainly slow down growth of mould on them.
Adam.
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