[Nhcoll-l] Preparation of crayfish

Wed Feb 11 10:36:22 EST 2026

I've mounted a few large lobsters and some big insects and spiders (small
things just get dried).  I last saw one really big specimen about 20 years
after the work and it was in reasonable condition.  This may not be the
best method (and it's not a method that conservators like) but it worked
using standard taxidermy materials that are likely found in most of your
other display mounts.  Here's a summary of the process:

Prep the specimen
-Disarticulate the tail, carapace, claws, and legs and remove all the meat
from everything but the legs.
--Insert light wire into the legs (for later attachment to the mount) then
pose and freeze dried them (or just air dry, maybe.) Air dry does work on
insects and small things (crayfish are probably fine.)  I worry about so
much meat in a big specimen.)  Follow similar methods for the long
antennae.  The short ones can just be supported and dried while attached to
the carapace.
-Carve urethane foam to support the carapace and tail.  (If they dry
without support, they shrink and curl up).  The foam and shell were bonded
together by an epoxy clay. I think this was an important part because dry
crustaceans get pretty brittle and can be affected by humidity.  I coated
every accessible interior surface with the clay, essentially creating an
internal plastic shell that was several mm thick, bonded to the real shell,
supported by the foam.  The tail was articulated in a way that the
swimmeretts were not very visible, requiring minimal ventral modeling. You
can always dry and plug swimmeretts into a modeled surface of epoxy clay.
Put an attachment wire in the tail.
-The claws were filled with a low density liquid urethane.  Like the epoxy,
this glued the real shell to the foam.  Use care with this method!!  The
foam can ooze out of any gaps and bond to the show surface.  Worse, it can
expand too fast and explode the shell. Before adding the urethane, I
installed some heavy wire to support the arms and provide an attachment
point.  Wire should extend from the claw tip, extending out of the arm the
length of the carapace..

Once all the parts are posed then dried/cured, rearticulate.
-Make the mount base with a little hill to support the carapace at the
right height above the ground.  This is bearing all of the weight of the
specimen, including the extended claws so it needs to be the right height
and structurally strong.
-Position the carapace and secure to the base.  (I'd use epoxy and
superglue)  paint a bit of black to provide a shadow and obscure the
touching points.  (Superglue is mostly used to hold parts while the
structural epoxy cures.  Make sure to give enough time between each stage
for the epoxy to cure completely.  I would use a slow cure epoxy, and most
useful clay is very slow cure.)
-Insert the arm wires and position appropriately for the pose and to
articulate with the carapace. Secure with liquid epoxy and superglue.  (If
you used heavy, long wire, even the most extreme poses can be accommodated
because all the weight is borne by the wire and the base,not the specimen
itself.)
-Use epoxy clay to re-sculpt the joints (The "skin" between the joints is
easily damaged during the drying process, especially in any unsupported
areas and it is likely that there will be some inaccurate spacing between
the arms and carapace.  This is all accounted for by careful epoxy
sculpting.)
--Plug in the tail into the base, as with the claws.  Once these three
sections are connected and the basic attachments are secure and cured,
spend some time sculpting the visible parts of the joints.  You might do
some painting at this point, too, since getting into some visible areas
will be challenging once the legs are attached.
--Fix any cracks from the drying process or pre-existing damage with epoxy
clay.  (Use a brand with good body so it won't sag and will take texturing
or water smoothing.)
--Now add the legs (note that they are only supporting their own weight.)
Also antennae or any other bits you prepared separately.  Superglue is
sufficient to attach these but some epoxy lay may be necessary to smooth
joints.  (You can pre-paint these before attaching.)

Paint.
-I use lacquers with an airbrush but acrylics with a bristle brush can
work, too.  The exoskeleton of crustacea and usually insects will be
discolored (spiders are often hairy enough that they don't need much paint)
but the depth of the color will be useful.  So, use a light hand as you
paint.  Let the darkness and light areas influence the depth of color on
the final product.  Too much paint, especially if it's too thick, makes the
specimen look fake.
-Finish with a high-solids-content spray lacquer,  I prefer medium gloss or
even matte.

All the best!

On Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 7:14 AM Joosep Sarapuu <
Joosep.Sarapuu at loodusmuuseum.ee> wrote:

> "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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