Do they still make Riker mounts with soft cotton lining?

[lordpandarus]

Just wondering. The last few years I've been getting some that have a harder filling (still works) but a long time ago the upper layer of the filling was much softer and I liked those better


And where could I buy some?

[beetlehorn]

I still have a few of the older riker mounts like the ones you mentioned here. I am also looking for the older cotton filled mounts, but so far have come up empty handed. Not only is the cotton softer, and thereby easier on the specimen, but the overall quality of the riker frame with things like data and scientific formats on the back, as well as the material and texture of the borders, makes them a much better storage system for cherished specimens. The cotton does turn a dull yellow in time, whereas the polyfill remains white, but I can overlook this characteristic for the better quality of the older rikers.

[trehopr1]

Perhaps, some enthusiasts on the forum here have some unused ones still lying about tucked away. Maybe they would sell them to you. I have not seen the riker's of old sold for many years. Seems whatever place bought the rights to own or sell them decided to cheapen their cost further by using that lousy fiberfill crap. It might be good for coins,stamps, buttons, or postcards; but, risky with leps.
The old ones were definitely easier on any specimens and the quality of the cardboard was a little thicker (thus better). I know a friend with an EBay store who sells leps in the modern rikers. Two issues crop up in their use. He cuts a divit in the fiberfill to accept the body. Upon closure, sometimes the anal angles of the hindwings are so stressed by the "firm" matting that cracks or stress fractures appear in the wings around the area of the abdomen. Meanwhile, the specimen was otherwise perfect condition before closure. Also, the unforgiving firmness of the fiberfill sometimes snaps antennae no sooner than one closes the lid and prepares to insert the holding pins.
Quite frankly, modern ones are absolute junk for lepidopteran use. I certainly would not risk putting anything of value or sentimental captures into them. My friend says most of his goods are likely going up on someone's home or office wall and his buyers are just ordinary folks who wouldn't notice minor indiscretions about the specimens.

[morphonut]

These newer Riker mounts with the synthetic material inside are definitely worse for leps. However, I bought a roll of cotton wool and have peeled off thin sections from it and placed them over the synthetic material and cut around all sides to create a thin cotton layer on top of the synthetic material. This is pretty easy and inexpensive to do and allows a better and more workable surface for the specimens to rest upon. I hope this helps.

[lordpandarus]

I can still use the modern ones with no issues like wings splitting or broken antennae but I did prefer the old ones . They are tricky to use but over the years I've become sort of a Riker specialist. I still think specimens are safer in Rikers than pinned for the long term if you can manage to use them

Takes about 1 whole day of work to get the specimens properly placed and lined up though. I actually measure the distance of the forewing tips from the frame and make micro adjustments to get them all straight . After a while they sort of "mould " into the filling and stay put even if you re-open the frame . Multiple pins on the side of the frames prevents cover movement and problems like antennae breaking

I've seen other people even displaying butterlies Verso Up in Rikers but I have no idea how that's possible!

[lordpandarus]

cover off

[trehopr1]

Well, your stuff looks amazing !

I have seen you post photo's of your goods before and have always been impressed with the layout of your specimens and the true skill it takes to evenly space and orient the specimens.... You are a true master of your craft indeed.

It amazes me further that you can actually work with that fiberfill stuff in the modern rikers (as evidenced by your present photo). My hat's off to you for your skill.

I will ask around if any fellow hobbyists I know have any of the old "unused" rikers lying about. If so I will contact you.

You know, come to think of it I recall the old rikers also still had the same fiberfill present underneath the nice white soft layer of cotton. The thing is that it was literally 1/2 as thick so as to allow room for that 5mm or so of white cotton on top.

With the modern fiberfill being as thick as it is I don't see how one could put another layer of cotton on top without "over stuffing" the riker. Who knows, maybe the fiberfill "gives" or compresses more than I think...

[lordpandarus]

You have to cut quite a big slit for the body and stretch it out with your fingers before putting the specimen ,that removes the pressure on the anal folds

Adding cotton on top would make it too thick

Another cool thing is the specimens become ultra flat over time. If you re-pin one it looks better than when you remove it from the setting board

I remember trying to make frames with pinned specimens to hang on the walls. I could never quite get them the same height, or place them exactly like I wanted and at the right angle, and after a few years the wings would start drooping or the specimens got loose on the pins and rotated , abdomens fell off or wings got cracked ...that's when i decided to go with Rikers.Specimens I put in there 25 years ago are still perfect

[morphonut]

Adding a very thin layer of cotton on top does not make it too thick but instead facilitates the placement of specimens. I have been doing this for years ever since the newer Riker mounts came out with synthetic replacing cotton and it is the easy solution. Try it.

[lordpandarus]

where do you get the cotton?

[morphonut]

You can purchase cotton wool roles at Amazon, Walgreens and even Walmart in the USA. Normally it is used for medical and packing purposes but works great to cover Rikers. It comes in various sizes, ranges in price from about $9-15 and one role is enough to cover many Riker mounts. The actual cotton role is rather thick but is made up of countless thinner sheets which can easily be separated, then stretched and spread over any size Riker and cut around the edges taking just a few minutes for each. As you know cotton is much more friendly to work with as the synthetic really stuck to and broke legs, wings and antennas. I guess the synthetic was much cheaper for Riker to use so they changed; but this is the answer.
It is good to see that many of us use Rikers in spite of the prejudice from drawer users. The advantages of Rikers are many and have been well documented in previous blogs on this site. I use both drawers and Rikers but have found the only advantage of drawers is the ability to move around specimens and see undersides. Otherwise, all advantages go to Rikers such as less cost, less weight, less space, no cabinets needed, no spinners, no drooping nor uplifting, no falling off of abdomens, only one day to dry before removing from the setting boards, specimens stay flat, and easily displayed on walls if so desired. Of course you need to keep them in a dark area to avoid light damage as you do with drawers and put in no pest pieces to prevent dermestid damage every year. I block the ambient light simply by blocking the window of the bug room with a thick curtain and then simply turn on the lights when entering. We Riker users need to unite and fight to gain acceptance! Yeah! Thanks.

[lordpandarus]

yeah I blocked the window in my butterfly display room and have minimal lighting most of the time

I never wanted to keep my butteflies in drawers because i want to see them on display at all time .My collection is purely for my enjoyment and not for future donation to a museum when i die . I'd probably never look at them if they were in drawers . Plus those wooden drawers must be incredibly expensive


I freeze the entire Riker in a plastic bag with specimens inside for 3 days to prevent parasites (thaw in plastic bag). Only had a few random dermestids in 30 years .The no pest pieces discolors specimens over time so I stopped using that. I also freeze every new papered specimen I receive

Broken legs. Yeah they sometimes fall off in rikers, but I always break a few when setting the papered specimens anyways so I guess it's sort of unavoidable. I'm already obsessive about the wings (chips, rubs) so I'd go insane if I started worrying about the legs .Anyways I think of it as a trade off...maybe break a few legs in Rikers but the specimen stays in much better shape over time

[trehopr1]

I find your comment about no pest pieces dicoloring specimens in time --- curious. As regards Riker mounts would this be because of the tight confines ? I have seen several collectors post photo's of their specimen drawers with vapona in the drawer. Yet, have not heard of anyone stating a discoloration in their specimens. I am old school so I have always used naphthalene exclusively without incident.

[lordpandarus]

It affected the wing directly over the strip only and I think it's the tight confine

I used to pout the Vapona in the bottom corner of my 16X12 Riker frames and the hindwing of the specimen in the corner would become discolored (like a grease stain)

it happened in all cases so I'm not imagining things. It's doesn't affect the specimens a little further away

[Paul K]

Feb 2, 2019 12:08:51 GMT -8 lordpandarus said:

It affected the wing directly over the strip only and I think it's the tight confine

I used to pout the Vapona in the bottom corner of my 16X12 Riker frames and the hindwing of the specimen in the corner would become discolored (like a grease stain)

it happened in all cases so I'm not imagining things. It's doesn't affect the specimens a little further away

Vapona stripe does release oil substance which will penetrate thru cotton or fibrefill and stain wings.