Fixing Colours

[cabintom]

In a recent Lepidopterist's Society of Africa publication I read the following:

Immediately place the specimens, on the setting board, in an oven and bake for one hour. The fresher the specimens, the better the fixing of the colours. Reds should be baked at 70oC for one and a half hours. Blues and greens cannot be fixed, but fading is slowed down. 60oC is the correct temperature for these. Excessive baking can degrade some orange colours. After baking, the specimens should be left on the setting boards for another week to ensure that no sagging or crinkling of the wings takes place. The specimens are then ready for the cabinet and will keep their colour and lustre. (Practical Guide to Butterflies and Moths in Southern Africa Chapter 6, Preservation and Mounting)

Has anyone here tried this? Would it work with other types of insects, like dragonflies?

Tom

[Paul K]

Jan 2, 2016 6:45:30 GMT cabintom said:

In a recent Lepidopterist's Society of Africa publication I read the following:

Immediately place the specimens, on the setting board, in an oven and bake for one hour. The fresher the specimens, the better the fixing of the colours. Reds should be baked at 70oC for one and a half hours. Blues and greens cannot be fixed, but fading is slowed down. 60oC is the correct temperature for these. Excessive baking can degrade some orange colours. After baking, the specimens should be left on the setting boards for another week to ensure that no sagging or crinkling of the wings takes place. The specimens are then ready for the cabinet and will keep their colour and lustre. (Practical Guide to Butterflies and Moths in Southern Africa Chapter 6, Preservation and Mounting)

Has anyone here tried this? Would it work with other types of insects, like dragonflies?

Tom

Very interesting.
I have read that cooking above 40 C will cook insects and they wouldn't be at scientific value anymore.

Paul

PS
I have never tried oven drying method either way to dry fast nor to keep colours

[cabintom]

Jan 2, 2016 7:37:52 GMT Paul K said:

I have read that cooking above 40 C will cook insects and they wouldn't be at scientific value anymore.

Hmm... if that's the case I'm surprised the publication didn't mention it. In the same document there's instructions on how to prepare genitalia, proper labeling, etc. So practicing good science is definitely in view.

[Paul K]

Tom
I just have seen some article here on this forum. How true it is I don't know . Perhaps Lepidopterist's Society of Africa publication might be more correct in this subject.

[nomad]

I am afraid I have never heard of that, if you have a valuable specimen don't cook it. Collectors do place there specimens in heated drying cupboards but only to accelerate the drying process. 

[deliasfanatic]

I've never heard of this - I would never try it on rare material without testing (for several years!) on common items!