Relaxing specimens

[bugboys3]

I am looking for a better alternative to using moth crystals (paradichlorobenzene) for suppressing mold when relaxing specimens. The smell can be over powering and it can't be good for you. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[ornithorchid]

You might want to try camphor, borneol, isoborneol, thymol. All are volatile with the borneol/isoborneol having a pleasant smell. But all of them are chemicals, yet natural but still toxic. Surely safer than paradichlorobenzene. You should be able to access these on eBay. Do a test by relaxing a lesser value specimen so that no mold is growing.

I use these for my boxes but still use paradichlorobenzene for the relaxing chambers.

Hope this helps.
Emmanuel

[bandrow]

Greetings,

I believe that the relaxers we use at work are infused with chlorocresol. We re-use relaxers for months at a time, keeping them constantly humid, without any mold growth in the chamber itself. However, if one leaves specimens for more than 3 days, the specimens can develop mold.

I'll have to get more details on Monday as to the exact chemical we use, as well as info on where we obtain it. I think chlorocresol is also used as a mold retardant in the field by some collectors when on lengthy trips - anybody else here have experience using it?

Cheers!
Bandrow

[papilio28570]

This subject comes up from time to time and I learned of a really great method here. Use mouth wash like Listerine. I place a good layer of paper towel in the chamber then saturate it with mouthwash. This is covered with clear plastic film upon which to lay the specimens. Leave about 1 cm or 1/2 inch of the paper towel uncovered around the edges of the plastic.

I have left specimens for over two weeks with zero mold problem. Clean the chamber and use fresh paper towel regularly.

[africaone]

i don't use chemicals (to dangerous today). I change paper (absorbent for kichen, don't know the name in English) and water each session, and clean the relaxing box sometimes.
none mold, none cancer ....

[compsulyx]

Hi,

This topic was discussed many times and not so far ago. Members gave us some nice tips about how to relax some precious specimens like Ornithoptera, etc....The method is to use vodka, gin or other alcohols. Personnaly I made some trials with pure vodka on Saturniidae and big Noctuidae, and the results were fantastic !...but you need to be careful, never soak the entire body and back of wings in the mix, because you will get a wet appearence of the piling parts, which will need to be brushed to recover the natural aspect. Best is to soak just the base of the thorax and abdomen, placed on a paper towel soaked into vodka at the base of the container. A vertical container like tuperware, used to store some food for example, are perfect. The wings must not be soaked at all. Advantages of this method is a faster relaxing, a disinfection of the entire body and wings (with the vapors of alcohols). With water system, as all the body and wings contains some bacteria germs and molds, etc....the saturared ambiance enhance the growth of these germs, which can make a bacteria film on the surface of wings and give a non natural appearence to the wings. With alcohol it's perfect, and the last good effect is that alcohol can also take off some small greasing parts. For me this method with wodka is the best !...Many thanks to the members who forwarded us this method.
Thierry

[Chris Grinter]

I'll post this again: www.theskepticalmoth.com/techniques/relaxing-lepidoptera/

In general I discourage using PDB/Napth/chlorocresol in the relaxing chamber. They are highly toxic and seemingly unnecessary if you pay attention. Just wash your chamber between uses and discard paper towels that can harbor mold spores.

[bandrow]

Greetings,

I checked further into the mold inhibitor that we use in our relaxers and I was mistaken in stating earlier that it was chlorocresol. In fact, we use methylparaben dissolved in 100% EtOH. We use a layer of fine sand in the bottom of the chamber, covered with a layer of paper toweling. The methylparaben solution is used to saturate the sand. This method allows for a continual use of the chamber in a constant state of humidity for months on end without mold developing.

Cheers!
Bandrow

[johnnyboy]

A few crystals of phenol, dissolved in the relaxing solution, inhibits mould effectively, is non-toxic when diluted and has only a slight antiseptic odour.

Johnny

[bugboys3]

Thank you for all of your responses. I am going to try a few of the suggestions. I know this is a redundant topic, but an important one none the less. This will also make my wife happy as she always complained about the fumes when I opened my relaxing box.