[Nhcoll-l] Preparation of crayfish

[Shoobs, Nate]

We have several specimens of crayfish that were pinned like insects and dried, but they tend to be very brittle.
Eric Lazo-Wasem at Yale Peabody told me about preparing some crustaceans, including a large lobster, for dry displays a year or two ago when I was visiting the newly renovated museum. The specimens looked great!

You might want to reach out to him directly (if he doesn’t see this post himself). His email is eric.lazo-wasem at yale.edu
-N

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Nathaniel F. Shoobs, Curator of Mollusks
College of Arts & Sciences Dept. of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University
Museum of Biological Diversity
1315 Kinnear Rd, Columbus, OH 43212
614-688-1342 (Office)
mbd.osu.edu<http://mbd.osu.edu/>
________________________________
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Callomon,Paul <prc44 at drexel.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 8:58:54 AM
To: Joosep Sarapuu <Joosep.Sarapuu at loodusmuuseum.ee>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Preparation of crayfish

Dear Joseph, My experience in such preparations is limited, but I think your main choice is between a form of preservation that maintains flexibility in the specimen, such as oiling, and full drying followed by painting. The latter probably


Dear Joseph,



My experience in such preparations is limited, but I think your main choice is between a form of preservation that maintains flexibility in the specimen, such as oiling, and full drying followed by painting. The latter probably works best if drying is preceded by immersion in some kind of surface stabilizer, such as an aqueous solution of PVA, which will “plasticize” the surface and create a better substrate for paint. I’m sure other folks here know of more suitable stabilizers. There is relatively little “meat” in most crustaceans, so depending on the size of the specimen and your drying technique you may not have to remove it first.

Retaining flexibility by immersing the specimen in e. g. mineral oil (or painting/spraying it on) will preserve more natural shapes, particularly with things like antenna and tail fans, but you won’t then get the predictable, stable color of paint. On the other hand, many crustaceans are iridescent, so an oiled specimen with proper lighting (such as an LED array that constantly changes hue and/or position, with a UV filter) might be more attractive to look at than an obviously painted one.

One thing to think about with paint is gloss. Although it seems logical to use gloss paint, animals in water are not shiny (though they may be iridescent), so to give a “natural” impression it might be best to use matte paint. Folks who do this a lot use airbrushes and can get very realistic results.



Paul Callomon
Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates

________________________________

Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia
callomon at ansp.org<mailto:callomon at ansp.org> Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170





From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Joosep Sarapuu
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 7:14 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Preparation of crayfish



External.

"Hi everyone,



I'm seeking advice on preparing crayfish (like Astacus astacus) for a museum display. My goal is to produce dried, painted exhibits.



Do you follow a process similar to pinning insects, or does the meat need to be removed beforehand? I'd appreciate any tips on the best techniques for achieving a beautiful final specimen."



Sincerely,

Joosep Sarapuu

Estonian Museum of Natural History
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