Dry mount

[jgaglio1]

Does anyone have instructions on doing a dry mount for a large T?
I have one in a nice shadow box that was a gift from Bryant Capiz many years ago (1994), a seven inch T.apophysis (then Pseudotheraphosa) and it is appreciated? by everyone who visits my office. I would like to mount a larger one but have no idea how.

[Darrin Vernier]

Hello Joe,

As you may know molts are relatively manipulable after being soaked in water than contains a few drops of soap. They can then be moved into various postures in which they remain upon drying. I usually leave them 'au naturale' myself but others have reported success stuffing the abdomen with a cottonball soaked in Elmer's glue. Elmer's glue is a fairly standard tool for repairing broken insects in museum displays because it dries clear and nonreflective. A few people have suggested various methods of filling the legs with various solutions but, in practice, if the molt/mount is simply carefully handled, mounted, and hung on a wall such treatment can be unnecessary.

[jgaglio1]

Darrin:
Thanks for your reply.
Actually I am looking to mount a deceased spider, not exuvia. I have accumulated some great shed skins over the years but want to learn to do a mount of the whole bug.
Joe

[Ancientscout]

I know this does not deal with a "dry" mount but it may be of some help here regardless. There is a way to preserve dead tarantulas that with a bit of practice comes out nicely. The method I speak of is using the clear plastic that they sell at hobby shops such as Michaels in my area. I don't know about where you live. You've seen this done with centipedes and tarantulas that have been made into bolos and desktop paperweights.

You would need a form, the materials, a few paint brushes as used for say oil paints and a place to work. This takes some practice so you might want to freeze a dead species or otherwise preserve it so you can practice on some bugs or something else first off.

Once you have your form made up for whatever shape you want the outcome to be then you can go to work. This stuff is hot so becareful. Pour slowly using the brush to work out any air bubbles or air pockets. Take your time. Make sure to position the tarantula the way you want and then go from there. If done properly it makes a nice and lasting display.

The thing is, if there are any body fluids or other substances that would cause the tarantula to decompose then it would decompose in the plastic as well. Your mount has to be fresh as a dead tarantula can be and completely self contained such as a natural death.
This is a good way to preserve the thing. Try it on something else first, then get the process down and when you feel you can mount good go for the prize and you will have a mount you can be proud of if thats what you want. Just an alternative method.

[Kari McWest]

Since spiders are soft bodied, drying them is more of an artform due to the removal of "rottable" tissues.

I don't know this, just coming outta my head, but I would think that pickling them completely, injecting alcohol into the abdomen (common practice for larger invertebrate specimens), then waiting several days for the alcohol to "purify" the tissues, remove the tissues with a syringe and replace them with ... something else that will either harden or stay the way you want it. In some cases pickled T abdomens have been replaced with cotton as Darrin described.

I keep my larger scorpions and tarantulas pickled (80% alcohol) in large jars as display items, and I get comments about them. Since my specimens have data, being pickled keeps them in the loop of scientific study.

But you can't nail a jar to a wall. Keep it next to the family photos on your desk at work! Still works as a great paperweight, too!

kari

[ErikH]

I should think that there is no reason why you can't imbed your tarantula in lucite after pickling it in ethyl alcohol for a week or so. My father used to work for a company that did this with specimins. I will have to ask him what the procedure was.

[TheVez2]

Check this site for instructions on casting your T in Resin:

http://atshq.org/articles/rhysresin.pdf

-VEZ

[ErikH]

Interesting article. I may have to try it sometime, but I think I will practice with coins or something until I perfect the technique. I did know about doing it in layers. This not only keeps you from cooking your specimen, it also makes it easier to keep air bubbles out of the block, and allows you to suspend the specimen, and a label if you wish, in the middle of the block.