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Post by jamesd on Aug 25, 2011 3:04:53 GMT -8
How are butterflies spread without a pin, to be placed in a riker mount?
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Post by jackblack on Aug 25, 2011 3:30:55 GMT -8
well I have never spead a spm for a riker mound but pinned many other insects for dioramas , pin as usual and just remove the pin later when spm is dry, when removing pin grab with tweezers or needle nose pliers and turn colckwise or similar to loosen pin before pulling it out .
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Post by exoticleps on Aug 25, 2011 4:07:24 GMT -8
I got away from Rikers years ago, and it also depends if your spreading papered/dried material, or freshly killed ones. In the case of papered material, Id let the pin in until the specimen is dry. For freshly killed specimens I always removed the pins immediatly after the wings have been positioned. In this case you'll always seem to get stubborn specimens where the body has "glued" itself to the pin and it can become very tricky and nerve racking to remove it later on without damages. Once this happens, all you can do is cut off the pin CAREFULLY!
Greg
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Post by starlightcriminal on Aug 25, 2011 5:28:49 GMT -8
I pull the pin out immediately after spreading- use spreading forceps to hold the thorax down and then pull the pin right out. Then there is no concern of pins sealed to a dried, brittle insect. I use this for insects that aren't going into a drawer immediately- does anyone ever have enough drawers? Many of my papered specimens are really "carded," that is spread but without a pin and placed on a support with absorbent lintless tissue underneath and then the whole thing slid into an envelope. For obvious reasons, insects that you don't have space in a box or drawer for can't have pins. I've taken a liking to the look of the pinless specimen anyway, I am thinking about converting over a cabinet to narrower drawers, like big riker mounts, because by conserving the added height the pin requires you can include a few extra drawers per cabinet. Of course you have to be able to build your own custom, shallow drawers, but if you have a few tools handy this is not difficult at all. Always an issue of space... Anyone else need a personal museum?
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Post by lordpandarus on Aug 25, 2011 7:05:40 GMT -8
Use a very thin # 1 pin for the thorax, then remove it after spreading
I only get a few occasional specimens where the pin is "stuck" to the thorax. If this happens, re-hydrate and loosen the pin , then re-spread once. It should be loose the second time
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Post by lordpandarus on Aug 25, 2011 20:37:09 GMT -8
By the way the most important part is placing the specimens in the Riker mounts correctly
I cut a slit in the filling with scissors for the thorax and abdomen where I want to place the specimens so there is no pressure on them. If you don't the thorax may bend to one side or the specimens move around when you close the cover. Also you must secure the covers with several pins on each side. If the cover can move the antennaes may break
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Post by ladobe on Aug 31, 2011 11:15:08 GMT -8
Back when I did Riker mounts (long ago) I made up several special pinning boards just for them. The first from 1" thick high density foam sheets, later from wood with magnetic covers so they would work the same as all my regular pinning boards I had modified. I didn't need to pin the thorax with either type for Riker mounts, so they always came out perfect.
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Post by jamesd on Sept 1, 2011 1:36:07 GMT -8
Thanks for the answers everybody. I may try this.
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