[Nhcoll-l] Alternative fluid storage methods

[Simon Moore]

Hi Jessa,

I know that shipping flammable fluid-preserved specimens around can be expensive. I used to send out specimens in a semi-dry state resting on ethanol-soaked cotton wadding and then double sealed in polyethylene. There are other fluids available including the two that you mentioned. There are however (and inevitably) a few caveats.
Basic one, is that the specimens has been properly fixed (formalin et al.) if it’s been reversibly fixed (pseudo-fixed) as in ethanol, then this won’t work.
Two, is the preservative of a similar osmotic pressure or specific gravity to the one that you’re proposing to use otherwise the more delicate specimens can undergo osmotic shock leading to swelling or shrivelling.
Three, if sending to a hot and humid country, ensure that the preservative (esp. if derived from corn syrup) cannot become infected with fungal growth.

The embedding in resin blocks - if using an acrylic resin, these usually come dissolved in styrene and would need prepping through extreme dehydrating agents to prevent misting the resin.  Instead I would look for a different type of embedding resin that doesn’t using aromatic solvents and experiment a bit.  This is one area where there are opportunities to develop technology further but it may take a bit of experimentation to find the correct resin and which is more user-friendly. 

With all good wishes, Simon.

Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian,
www.natural-history-conservation.com 




On 29 Nov 2016, at 21:20, Watters, Jessa L. <jwatters at ou.edu> wrote:

> I have been asked by a colleague for assistance regarding methods in which to ship out fluid preserved specimens for educational purposes in K-12 schools.  Teachers receiving the specimens will not normally have access to ethanol to transfer any cheesecloth-wrapped, ethanol-soaked specimens to a jar for use by their students (which is how I would send to another museum, university, etc.).  We definitely do not want to break any laws regarding shipping of hazardous materials, so we are looking for other methods of sharing fluid specimens that still maintains their integrity.  The hazardous shipping cost for leaving them as-is in jars of ethanol is also prohibitive when the kit is sent out every 2 weeks.
> 
> A. Is there another fluid that could be used? (i.e. Carosafe or Carolina Perfect Solution or others?). 
> 
> B. Does anyone have experience with sealing specimens into those acrylic resin blocks?  Do specimens need to be prepped in a certain way before this is possible?  Or can you take a standard formalin-fixed, ethanol-stored specimen and seal it?  
> 
> Thanks!
> Jessa
> 
> 	Jessa Watters
> Collection Manager, Herpetology
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