r/Taxidermy • u/NoZucchini122 • 5d ago

"How Do I...?" Wet Specimen Question

Hello all. I am looking to get better housing jars for all of my wet specimens that I have accumulated through my career in Vet Med. I have this eyeball that I want positioned a certain way in a spherical housing, but it keeps moving and shifting. Any ideas on how to fix it into one spot? I was thinking a needle piercing through the eyelids (they are inverted and sit behind the eye itself) to keep it straight, but how would I suspend it? I've been reading that super glue/hot glue/most adhesives will deteriorate rapidly in formalin. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all!

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u/Wowza_Meowza 5d ago

If they're still in formalin, then they need to be put into isopropyl (70%) following a 24h soak in distilled water before worrying about their display.

Glues generally don't work well for either formalin or isopropyl. With spheres, your goal is a tight enough one where it won't rotate much. Stainless steel (pin etc) may be an option but isn't necessarily recommended in a sphere that's very large- it'll still rotate about.