Butterflies in Resin

[avery]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.
I'm throwing in a bit of backstory here, so if you want to skip that I'll sum up my question at the bottom.

So I should start off by saying I really don't know anything about insects. I played with them a lot in my childhood and I always thought they were cool but I've got little more than a working knowledge.

I've had Gulf Fritillary caterpillars eating my passion flower all summer. My dad killed a few waves of them with some sort of pesticide. I was tired of seeing my plant covered in dust and I think the butterflies are one of the more beautiful local species, so when I noticed my vine once again overrun with larvae I collected them.
Now I've got ~11 chrysalises, probably more forming over the next few days.
I've looked up a few tutorials on drying/mounting and I think I can handle that.

I haven't given a whole lot of thought as to what I'll do with all these butterflies afterward, but I've got these nieces and nephew, ages 5-8, and I thought it would be really cool if I could give them each a butterfly, encased in resin so they could inspect it without worrying about damaging it.

I couldn't find a whole lot of information online regarding butterflies in resin. I know that butterflies have colored scales covering their wings, but how easily do these rub off?

Summary:
Basically, I'm asking if anyone has had experience casting butterflies in resin? Any tips? Brand suggestions? Would pouring resin over a dried specimen knock off all the color?

I'll probably end up doing a little experimenting, anyway, but I thought I'd check here first.

Thanks in advance!

[lepidofrance]

In Bantimurung (Sulawesi, Indonesia), souvenirs sellers use to propose butterflies (and beetles) included in resin ...

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[lepidofrance]

Looking for Delias photo on Google, I found this on the page :

konchu-tengoku.com/item/GK-28/index.html

When we think of all these prohibitions collect butterflies are multiplying around the world and we see that some are doing (massively) with butterflies: key chains!

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[Zacatak]

the only problem with this display is it makes the butterflies look see through and ruins the look. the colours are not as bright and less attractive

[avery]

Oct 16, 2012 12:52:08 GMT -8 lepidofrance said:

Looking for Delias photo on Google, I found this on the page :

konchu-tengoku.com/item/GK-28/index.html

When we think of all these prohibitions collect butterflies are multiplying around the world and we see that some are doing (massively) with butterflies: key chains!

Wow. I can't believe that. Surely they're bred and not collected? I don't know much about it but it seems like collecting would be so much more expensive/time-consuming

Oct 16, 2012 13:03:42 GMT -8 Zacatak said:

the only problem with this display is it makes the butterflies look see through and ruins the look. the colours are not as bright and less attractive

That's a bummer. Good to know, though. I'll probably still try in on at least one, to see if it would be satisfactory for a kid, even if it's not up to normal collection quality.

[prillbug4]

Most of us started when we were young. I started collecting when I was 9 years old. I simply collected in my area of Illinois and gradually acquired more equipment when I could. My first display cases were made by my grandfather. Later, I began building my own when we got a good table saw. However, chipboard (cardboard and glass) cases are relatively cheap and can be relatively pest free. Ianni Butterfly Enterprise sells them. Also, BioQuip. A good case for beginner collectors. It's just a matter of maintaining interest and doing a lot of entomological research.
Jeff Prill