Best pin manufacturer

[Deleted]

Hi all.
locally there has been some discussion about the best insect pin manufacturer. In the discussion almost everyone has been praised, as well as disparaged. The sample pool to do a full statistical analysis on opinions however has been a bit small, so I am hoping to get a few more opinions from the wider group out there. Uses here include student use, professional museum level and coastal as well as inland.

Stainless steel pins are better than enamelled but I would like to get some opinions on the best manufacturer if possible.

Any advice and experience would be much appreciated.

many thanks
David

[leptraps]

I may not be correct and I am sure someone from Europe, especially Austria will know or remember, Austerlitz was one of the better brands. And, if I remember correctly, the equipment or machinery that Austerletz used to produce the pins was originally came from from the company that produced Elephant Brand of insect pins.

I always liked Elephant Brand of insect pins.

A fellow Lepidopterist in Ohio whom I knew and collected with, Leland Martin, past away in the late 1980's and I went to help move his collection to the Cleveland Museum N. H. I offered to purchase his spreading boards, pins and other items. Instead, his Widow gave them to me. It included 10,000 plus Elephant Brand #2 Black Enameled Insect Pins.

I really liked liked Elephant Brand and all of my collection of Lepidoptera were mounted on Elephant Brand Insect pins.

Several years past and I needed pins, I could no longer find Elephant Brand nor the another brand, Morpho.

I switched to BioQuips Brand of pins and over the years have purchased 50K of them. No. 2 Black Enameled.

[wollastoni]

Even if they cost a little bit more than black enameled pins, stainless pins are better :
If you want your specimens to live for "centuries" in coll, you don't want the pin to rust.
Also if one day you have an issue with humidity in your collection room, stainless pins are better.

I have used both in collection but now I try to use only stainless ones only.

I buy Entosphinx pins during insect fairs.

[Paul K]

For N.American entomologist, Entosphinx ships their pins to Canada and they are much cheaper than Bioquip.

I really dislike Bioquip after they tried to charge me $50.00 US for shipping of 500 pins from California to Ontario. After talking to one of their sales person, the shipping dropped to $27US, I cancelled the order and got my pins from Europe for total cost of shipping around $7.00, go figure, I have never order anything from them again.

[beetlehorn]

May 11, 2018 4:14:19 GMT -8 Paul K said:

For N.American entomologist, Entosphinx ships their pins to Canada and they are much cheaper than Bioquip.

I really dislike Bioquip after they tried to charge me $50.00 US for shipping of 500 pins from California to Ontario. After talking to one of their sales person, the shipping dropped to $27US, I cancelled the order and got my pins from Europe for total cost of shipping around $7.00, go figure, I have never order anything from them again.

I think that Bioquip caters mostly to US buyers. I have ordered from them many times, and am quite pleased by their service, although they do tend to use FedEx as their carriers. I know if they used the postal system, shipping would be cheaper, and faster. In regards to their pins, I think they use Kostal brand pins (but I could be wrong). I have used Kostal for years, and am please with them. I also once ordered from Paradox and was rather satisfied with their product. I agree that stainless pins last longer than black enameled, but I like black pins better because I don't like the shiny silver appearance of stainless pins. I guess I'm too traditional in my ways.

[miguel]

Austerlitz pins are still available for SHILAP members(SHILAP is one of the assiciations that I belong),the prize is around 6 dollars for 100 pins.


Miguel

[Adam Cotton]

May 11, 2018 2:35:36 GMT -8 leptraps said:

I may not be correct and I am sure someone from Europe, especially Austria will know or remember, Austerlitz was one of the better brands. And, if I remember correctly, the equipment or machinery that Austerletz used to produce the pins was originally came from from the company that produced Elephant Brand of insect pins.

I use the excellent Austerlitz pins. When I ran low on my original supply I bought a box of 10,000 pins from Omnes Artes (Bozano) some years ago and still have quite a lot left.

Adam.

[beetlehorn]

I am curious since Iv'e never used Austerlitz pins. Is there a link I can access to purchase them?

[leptraps]

I believe that Austerlitz is no longer in business(??). I do not know who owns the equipment, but I think they are making pins for BioQuip(??). Not sure who is who anymore.

Back in the early 1990's I (Leptraps) made an attempt to purchase Elephant Pin. The equipment/machinery was relatively small and the cost of transport to the USA was almost as much as the cost of the machinery. I was not the largest offer and I cannot for the life of me remember who bought it.

On another note, my wife and I were visiting antique stores looking for a type of country dish sets. In a store in Chardon, Ohio I found a quart jar full of Insect Pins for two bucks. Various sizes and all but a few were Black Enameled.I still have the jar, currently full of State Quarters. I use most of the pins to hold down the card stock strips on my spreading boards.

While in the Antique Store I heard a gorgeous blond break wind. But that's another story.

[58chevy]

I remember when the standard price for 100 insect pins was 60 cents.

[leptraps]

How long ago was that.

[beetlehorn]

I'm sure that was some time ago. I just found a website that sells Austerlitz pins. The price for the pins was very reasonable (3.80 eu.), but the shipping cost was 45.00 euros from Italy. Needless to say I didn't order them.

[T.C.]

Where can a guy get them the cheapest?

[Deleted]

Hi All
thanks for the replies. most informative. I have seen some places offering Austerlitz, but when you try to contact them, there is no reply, so I guess they are not available generally. Does anyone know who makes the pins offered by www.pinservice.eu/. I read on the Bioquip webpage that their pins are Czech made - Entosphinx?

Leptraps - that other story of yours is just one begging to be told... haha
thanks again for the advice. much appreciated.

David.

[58chevy]

Here's a link to some cheap pins, but they are black enameled. Not sure of the quality.

www.insects4sale.com/store/products/498/Entochrysis-Insect-Mounting-Pins