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Post by greenie on Jul 15, 2012 14:59:50 GMT -8
I remember an older post on how to attempt to return a beetle back to their original color after they have " browned up".Can someone direct me to that post or suggest a method to return the beetle (tityus) back to its green coloring from the brown it has turned.
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Jul 15, 2012 15:15:05 GMT -8
A good soak in acetone or even rubbing alcohol should do the trick. I have used both. The acetone works wonders on D. tityus though the alcohol should work in a pinch.
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Post by bandrow on Jul 20, 2012 19:34:17 GMT -8
The acetone is a good suggestion, but before alcohol, I would suggest ethyl acetate. You need something that will dissolve the lipids that are causing the greasing and darkening. Alcohols may wash some of the surface junk off, but will not effectively permeate the integument. Acetone or ethyl acetate will act as stronger solvents and dissolve the problematic fats in the body, reducing future darkening. It could take several rounds of soaking to clean up something as big as a Dynastes.
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by bathcat on Jul 24, 2012 11:49:44 GMT -8
In the same vein, I’m wondering if a plastic Tupperware tub is suitable to degrease pinned specimens with acetone. I put some acetone in a no-name plastic tub and let it sit for a few hours, then rubbed my thumb on the inside under the surface of the acetone, then saw a thin film of white material (the plastic of the tub, I guess) on the surface of my thumb.
Is glass the only good material for the reservoir? I know that if you do degrease pinned specimens it’s a good idea to let the acetone evaporate completely before trying to handle the nylon pins, but I’m wondering if the vapors will seal a rubber-topped glass bowl shut.
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ckswank
Full Member
Posts: 239
Country: USA
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Post by ckswank on Jul 24, 2012 13:50:44 GMT -8
Unless the plastic is acetone compatible, the acetone will soften & dissolve it. Try a search of acetone chemical compatibility on Google & you should come up with charts of different materials. About the only things I can think of offhand are glass & polypropylene. Stainless steel (316 grade or better) might be another option, but would be quite costly and of course not clear.
Charlie
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Post by bichos on Jul 29, 2012 7:17:44 GMT -8
Acetone works for me  not all the time, but most of the time. |
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Post by nosorog on Jan 19, 2013 11:45:43 GMT -8
My experience getting browning out of Stephanocrates preussi. First photo from the left - the specimen papered; not easy to see through the wrapping, but some browning of the right elytron can be noticed. Second photo - relaxed and spread. Right elytron is almost completely browned  I tried acetone, kept the specimen in it for a week, 3 changes. No change at all! Then I used regular gasoline, 2 changes, one day each. Dried the specimen overnight. Result is on the third photo from the left. Brown staining is gone, beetle looks shinier. And the last photo shows beetle's underside. Attachments:
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Post by wolf on Jan 19, 2013 13:37:44 GMT -8
Out of curiosity. When u dip the specimen in gasoline, does the smell ever go away, or do u end up with a specimen that smells like gasoline, ultimatly getting a whole drawer or collection smelling like gasoline??
Does acetone smell??
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Post by nosorog on Jan 19, 2013 19:15:23 GMT -8
Out of curiosity. When u dip the specimen in gasoline, does the smell ever go away, or do u end up with a specimen that smells like gasoline, ultimatly getting a whole drawer or collection smelling like gasoline?? Does acetone smell?? It's the first time I used gasoline, so I don't know yet. The specimen is still in my garage. I took it out of gasoline only yesterday late evening. It still smells a little. I hope gasoline smell will go away eventually. Acetone evaporates quickly. I soaked several beetles in acetone and there was no acetone smell the next day. |
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Post by boghaunter1 on Jan 20, 2013 10:40:36 GMT -8
Acetone has an extremely powerful & wicked smell & should only be used under very well ventilated conditions indoors or even outdoors if possible. White gas (naptha)... ordinary camping fuel (Colemans or similiar) works great & is available in any hardware or camping store. There is absolutely zero odor after the specimen dries after soaking in white gas... multiple soakings may have to be used on tough cases as with all solvents...
John K.
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Post by 58chevy on Jan 20, 2013 19:57:48 GMT -8
I use a Tupperware container with acetone to degrease specimens. The plastic doesn't dissolve. The acetone works great. No smell after the specimen has dried.
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