steve
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Posts: 231
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Post by steve on Nov 1, 2012 18:51:02 GMT -8
Does anyone know about using vodka to relax butterflies for setting ?
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Post by paradesia on Nov 1, 2012 20:11:06 GMT -8
Steve,
I use Vodka or Gin exclusively for relaxing my butterflies. You can lay the butterflies directly on top of / or between paper towels soaked in Vodka or Gin and seal them in Tupperware containers stored to next to heaters, hot water heaters,etc. For butterflies that tend to have oily abdomens (Ornithoptera, Teinopalpus) which spread onto the wings I do the acetone bath after mounting and drying the specimen. I have found the butterflies dry quicker and more thoroughly with less risk of mold growth using Vodka or Gin. I gave up the hot water injection technique a long time ago. Vodka or Gin will relax the specimens to the stage of being very pliable and with the use of a weighted tool ( I use a stainless steel letter opener), I can easily force the wings down onto the spreading board with the weight of the letter opener alone.. Good luck.
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Post by simosg on Nov 1, 2012 23:09:14 GMT -8
How long do you store them between the towels? Are the wings also within the wet towels or just the thorax and the abdomen? I think stains at the wings are not a problem with this method?
Hannes
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Post by wollastoni on Nov 2, 2012 0:56:31 GMT -8
I personnaly have used the gin method for one year and I've just decided to stop.
It's true that it relaxes leps faster than hot water, but with time some of my specimens don't keep a nice spreading form. I hadn't those problems with hot water.
True that Delias are more difficult to spread as you need to spread them upside down, a perfect relaxing is thus mandatory.
So I'm back to hot water injection...
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Post by boogtwo on Nov 2, 2012 15:35:13 GMT -8
I've used warm (not hot) water and PineSol for nearly 5 decades, cheap, no problems ever, and not a waste of booze that I have a much better use for.  My "chambers" are airtight Tuppaware types with multiples of various sizes for easy stacking, and i don't crowd the leps in them. I fold layers of paper toweling just put on the bottom, soak with the water/PS mix, then plastic window screen on top of the toweling with plexiglass stand offs so the leps don't actually touch the wet toweling at all. How long depends on species and where I put the containers. I do not put them in hot places... a couple of days extra is better than wet leps. On greasy species I separate the abdomen from the specimen soon after killed. Easy enough to reattach after the wings are spread and dried. Can't see the difference and never get greasy wings. My huge synoptic collection has had very few losses over all those years, and what were lost was not due to mold or grease or pests. I still have thousands of leps I papered up to 40 years ago not mounted yet, and some collected in the 1800's that are as fresh as the day papered. |
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Post by Christof on Nov 4, 2012 14:02:55 GMT -8
I strongly support the use of Vodka to relax the butterfly setter instead of the butterflies themselves! Cheers...
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steve
Full Member
Posts: 231
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Post by steve on Nov 4, 2012 14:40:17 GMT -8
I agree, Christof !! I currently relax them in a moist container, inject boiling water and cut the wing ligaments with a scalpel. Larger ones I will also place some glue in the cut area.
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Post by admin on Nov 4, 2012 23:15:15 GMT -8
I've used warm (not hot) water and PineSol for nearly 5 decades, cheap, no problems ever, and not a waste of booze that I have a much better use for. My "chambers" are airtight Tuppaware types with multiples of various sizes for easy stacking, and i don't crowd the leps in them. I fold layers of paper toweling just put on the bottom, soak with the water/PS mix, then plastic window screen on top of the toweling with plexiglass stand offs so the leps don't actually touch the wet toweling at all. How long depends on species and where I put the containers. I do not put them in hot places... a couple of days extra is better than wet leps. On greasy species I separate the abdomen from the specimen soon after killed. Easy enough to reattach after the wings are spread and dried. Can't see the difference and never get greasy wings. My huge synoptic collection has had very few losses over all those years, and what were lost was not due to mold or grease or pests. I still have thousands of leps I papered up to 40 years ago not mounted yet, and some collected in the 1800's that are as fresh as the day papered. Pinesol!? I've never heard that one before. What effect does it have? |
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Post by thanos on Nov 4, 2012 23:28:22 GMT -8
steve, I wouldn't cause such damage to my specimens..and I hate glue  . |
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steve
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Posts: 231
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Post by steve on Nov 5, 2012 2:10:25 GMT -8
I know what you mean but they never spring !!!! It is destructive but I hate resetting specimens
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Post by boogtwo on Nov 5, 2012 12:32:58 GMT -8
[Pinesol!? I've never heard that one before. What effect does it have? A very good mold and mildew preventative, kills pests if present. |
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Post by admin on Nov 6, 2012 19:04:08 GMT -8
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Post by admin on Nov 6, 2012 19:08:06 GMT -8
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Post by paradesia on Nov 16, 2012 16:36:41 GMT -8
Hannes,
Sorry for not replying earlier......I just saw your post. Yes, I will sometimes place the specimen between a layer or two of paper (both top and bottom)towels wet with Gin or Vodka. Will it stain the specimen? It hasn't from my experience. In fact, by the time you're finished mounting the specimen the true colors on the wings will have mostly return due to the relatively rapid vaporization of the gin/vodka. In fact, if you just place the body of the specimen in paper towels wet with water, I have found that specimens with oily bodies ,the oil (being hydrophilic) will concentrate to the leading edge of the moisture line sometimes making removal of the oil longer to disperse in a acetone bath. The alcohol in Vodka is hydrophilic to oil and will disperse the oil in less of a concentrated gradient making acetone removal easier in my experience. After reading the pine sol method, I'm convinced that there are many other methods just as good as any other......and one should stick the method you feel most comfortable in.
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steve
Full Member
Posts: 231
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Post by steve on Nov 16, 2012 17:21:01 GMT -8
Thank you everyone for the info. I will give it a go.
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