Repairing torn wings & gluing.

[grasshopper]

Hi there everyone,
Can anyone help with repairing torn butterfly wings?
What is the best glue to use? I have used white PVA in the past but with mixed results, I have some rare birdwings to repair so I want a good job.
Any help would be great.
Kind regards,
Lance.

[Deleted]

I have found that a mixture of white Elmer's Glue and isopropyl alcohol works well. I pre-mix a plastic squeeze bottle with about 50/50 of each. The alcohol evaporates and leaves a super thin layer of glue on the wings. One could probably mix a 75 percent isopropyl and 25 percent Elmer's and.do alright too. I also use very small amounts/dabs to do this. I would strongly advise u to try this on some cheaper less special material so u are both liking the results and are totally at ease with this before doing the pricey stuff. When I do this, I find that there are no real glue spots that show up and......should u ever decide to re-do it/undo it, it is water soluable.......can be undone by thoroughly relaxing the repaired specimen or placing a drop of water specifically on the repair itself.

Good luck and if u try it, report your results.

[grasshopper]

Ok Bill,
Thanks for that I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes.
Kind regards,
Lance.

[nomad]

Watkins and Doncaster sell special non shrinking wing repair glue that is excellent and cheap.

See www.watdon.co.uk/acatalog/Ento_equipment.html

[foxd]

I generally use an aerosol of Spray Mount made by 3M or similar(used for mounting photos or pictures)as this avoids any potential damage to the wing when trying to apply the glue evenly to the damaged area.
To avoid overspray cut a hole slightly larger than the repair area in a sheet of paper and lay this over the the specimen and then lightly spray it. This will leave a tacky area the right size and shape to which you can apply the patch with no shrinking or after effects. it's quick,simple and effective because the spray does no damage when being applied ulike glue.

[lordpandarus]

White glue can work , but it's difficult to apply and tends to "bead" on some wings

I also tried clear bandage stuff, it works but if you mess up the wing will curl up on itself and your screwed

I hate repairing butterfly wings, it always feels like a bit of a crap shot

maybe I should try that entmological glue. I also need something that gives consistent results and not work "sometimes"

[o0osteve]

On the subject of repairing Butterfly wings...... How do you repair the Antenna which i am always breaking to my frustration. I can glue them back on BUT they always look terrible

[lordpandarus]

If it breaks at the base , I use Crayola 3D Project Glue. it gives perfect results and dries completely invisible (no glue apparent glue glob). Regular white glue can become undone and leaves a matt glob. Other glues can leave a shiny glob

If it breaks midway it's hard...I look for a replacement antennae