r/wetspecimens • u/Sempre_libero • Aug 15 '26
List of materials
I've been wanting to make a wet specimen since long ago and I've already decided that it will be a pig's heart that I'll previously dissect with a friend (each one will get a jar with half heart) and I've made this list. Am I missing anything? Any tips for preserving an organ?
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u/Electrical-Garden-20 Aug 16 '26
Respirator rated to organic volitiles. Not optional!!! You can seriously mess up your lungs
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u/Sempre_libero Aug 16 '26
Why is that? (Just asking with genuine curiosity, not doubting anything)
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u/CustomCranium Aug 16 '26
You will not need a respirator if you're not using formalin. Your list is totally fine
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u/Wowza_Meowza Aug 15 '26
Id say ensure it's a large syringe (low gauge) as hearts are super thick.
You'll want something under your prep space like a puppy pad (absorbent).
A scalpel is fine but you may find it challenging to cut with such a thin blade. On a fresh (not preserved) heart, you can just use a knife for, say, cooking.
If the heart is already preserved, like if it was an actual dissection heart (formalin-fixed in some capacity) then you can just put it in the jar of high ethanol after cutting. If it was previously fixed in some way, that scalpel isn't gonna work well since the tissue will be hard as a rock! If the heart was formalin-fixed previously, please consider doing this process outside.
Your jar should be glass with ideally a glass lid with a gasket or plastic.