Mount insect to pose for photography

[sreynolds]

Any suggestions for mounting insects for posing them to photograph? So far I've tried gluing to a toothpick with Elmer's Glue (too long to dry), and cyanoacrylate glue (better). Are there very fine needles? I want to be able to position my subject for various views that aren't possible with whole mounts. Example below of mosquito adult, with toothpick edited out. I'm using a clothes pin to grasp the toothpick, which isn't great.

2023-07-26-09.36.18 ZS DMap a.jpg (111.18 KiB) Viewed 2217 times

[Chas]

Black entomological pins eg here:
https://www.watdon.co.uk/acatalog/insec ... ories.html
They used to do a dense synthetic foam for pushing the pins into, but I dont see this is sold anymore (maybe people use EVA foam ?) .

For posing the things can I suggest that you experiment with small round neodymium magnets that have a circular hole through the middle ...sucked onto a ball bearing? I have been experimenting with this connection for the last couple of days and it seems strong but also very flexible/positionable.
Here is a quick lash up ; Ball bearing hot melted to a base , three little magnets with a bit of foam down the middle into which the ento pin goes:

magnets ball bearing foam ent pin dfly.jpg (46.06 KiB) Viewed 2197 times

This is using the same kind of joint:

A bigger circular flat magnet with a hole .. to make a horizontal platform , so that things can rest on it using only gravity ... same general idea (but this is really for a microscope that tilts):

Ball and magnet.jpg (94.61 KiB) Viewed 2197 times

The platform can be tilted and rotated and the whole thing can be moved up/down left/right using the normal controls.

Yes, my shed is pretty dusty!

The bigger magnet for the gravity platform is actually countersunk one like this:

countersunk neodymium.jpg (65.89 KiB) Viewed 2186 times

The bearing ball is about 1/2 inch diameter.

[MichaelG.]

Excellent idea, Chas !

MichaelG.

[Chas]

MichaelG, the magnet with a hole & steel ball connection is not my idea. I have, sort of, stolen it (from the genius who came up with it).
I think it could a very useful joint.

[MichaelG.]

‘Sort of stealing’ is a tradition in product development

MichaelG.

[TonyT]

To get an accurate alignment it is best to use 2 goniometers.
White foam on top of the upper goniometer.
For a lateral shot use a headless insect pin (recent pins have a nylon head, use a flame (match) to remove it, pushed halfway into the bug, pin into the foam.

I bought 2 (a long time ago) and they screw together to let me adjust roll and yaw (or is it pitch?). They are tiny but work OK.
I was able to line up the 2 wings on this fly, an impossible feat without them.

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[MichaelG.]

Handy diagram for reference:
.

IMG_8697.png (19.16 KiB) Viewed 2068 times

.

Thinking in Aircraft terms X is the direction of normal flight.

MichaelG.

[Chas]

Have you tried the paper glue that comes in a lipstick-type tube? (known as 'Pritt' in the UK).
Stick a mounted needle (the sort of thing that comes in a dissection kit) into the end of the tube and then touch the insect.
The stuff is instantly sticky and doesn't really harden ... things can fall off the needle but then you do get another opportunity to pose it again!

If you get the thing to stick to the needle then get a glob of plasticine and squish it onto the microscope stage, in the best place, and then sqidge the needle's handle into that.
You can then rotate the needle and move it about using the stage controls.

eg

Beetle on mounted needle using Pritt.jpg (49.19 KiB) Viewed 2046 times

Here is a pic of the plasticine & mounted needle setup :

Table tennis ball as diffuser.jpg (40.62 KiB) Viewed 2043 times

[sreynolds]

To get an accurate alignment it is best to use 2 goniometers.
White foam on top of the upper goniometer.

Tony - I of course had to find out what a goniometer is - what to me is similar to a carpenter's bevel square. Can you please post a picture of your setup with the foam attached to the upper?

[einman]

I use the following:






All of these instruments can be rotated along various axis and utlize generic entomological pins.

[TonyT]

Two views of my paired goniometers.
Instead of a single piece of horizontal foam I actually use a L-shaped piece.

Top: back view showing the top goniometer angled at 10 degrees, bottom goniometer at 0 degrees.

Bottom: shows the top goniometer angled away from the front (at 10 degrees); bottom goniometer at 0 degrees.
in this view the top goniometer moves the foam towards and away from the front view, the bottom goniometer
moves the foam right-left.

The goniometers are small, only 1" x 1"
(I had not realized how dirty/worn they have become!)

[Chas]

sreynolds, quite a few dead insects will happily grip onto a cotton bud, which is quite nice if you dont want to 'commit' by using glue.
Some will fall off, but that does give an opportunity to get a photograph from a different angle

The cotton bud will slide into a Biro tube and you could squish that into a blob of Plasticine if you wanted.

[sreynolds]

These are all great ideas, thanks a lot.