Im making a series of preserved squids as sculptures...Heres my first one which was basically done to learn the best ways to preserve them. My future ones will have more artistic flare to them. This guy is 2 feet long!

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2880/dsc01725medium0ie.jpg

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5237/dsc01947medium1rk.jpg

What do you think?? Gross?? Cool??

Makes a good spooky nightlight :lol:

Very cool! Look forward to seeing more. Out of curiousity, which species is that?

Cheers!

Im actually not positive about the species, but I suspect it may be a small humbolt squid. If I look closely on some of its suckers on its feeding tentacles, there are circular serated edges.

:cool:

Can I have it?

:cool:

Can I have it?

No. Me, me me!

Glorious work!

Nice! I want one! :D

Very cool!

Very cool.......now to raid the lab reference collection :twisted:

J

Thanks for the comments!!! Im probably going to sell some soon. However, theres a lot to think about in how I would ship them to people since they are big and heavy. About 2 gallons of liquid to preserve some of these big guys!! Materials such as gthe glass and wood makes these guys not cheap to make. Then theres also the availaility of a good specimen.

I actually just made a cthulu head today....Ill post pics after it is fully preserved. Im trying to get a few ready for an art show in a couple months.. Hope I didnt gross anyone out!!

What do you use to preserve them? If you steep them in Formalin for a few days/weeks, and then drain and wash them you can just send the preserved animal in the glass tank and add a label "Just add water!" The formalin inside the cells already means that it'll be pretty much indesrtuctible.

Graeme

What do you use to preserve them? If you steep them in Formalin for a few days/weeks, and then drain and wash them you can just send the preserved animal in the glass tank and add a label "Just add water!" The formalin inside the cells already means that it'll be pretty much indesrtuctible.

Graeme

Nope! for good preservation you need to store it in some form of alcohol....usually ethanol or isopropyl alcohol (the latter being the best!).

Water is a universal solvent and will eventually destroy your specimen!

J

How about tequila? I'm going to have a nice new bar in my nice new basement in 2-3 months...

Nope! for good preservation you need to store it in some form of alcohol....usually ethanol or isopropyl alcohol (the latter being the best!).

Water is a usiversal solvent and will eventually destroy your specimen!

J

No more long baths, I'm washing with ethanol from now on!

Melissa

How about tequila? I'm going to have a nice new bar in my nice new basement in 2-3 months...

Well on my fourth year field trip we brought some specimens back for one of the academics........but as we hadn't planned to collect any specimens we had no preservative with us........so we went to the local hotel and bought a bottle of vodka (and one or two OTHER drinks at the bar :wink: ) which we used as a stop gap. But that's a very pricey way to preserve stuff!!!!!

J

I use an alcohol soultion for preservation...Otherwise known as rubbing alcohol hehe...

I recall hearing somewhere that a long time ago, if a crew member on a boat dies they often place the body in a barrel of wine or alcohol, so it doesnt start rotting on the boat during a long voyage...

I use an alcohol soultion for preservation...Otherwise known as rubbing alcohol hehe...

I recall hearing somewhere that a long time ago, if a crew member on a boat dies they often place the body in a barrel of wine or alcohol, so it doesnt start rotting on the boat during a long voyage...

Adds new meaning to the idea of a rum-sotted sailor... :arr:

OK, now I have to change my answer for that 'Sobering Question' poll.

Nope! for good preservation you need to store it in some form of alcohol....usually ethanol or isopropyl alcohol (the latter being the best!).

Water is a universal solvent and will eventually destroy your specimen!

J

But after its soaked in formalin, will it not be practically indestructable??
That was my understanding of the stuff. Once you get that nasty stuff right through a specimen, it turns to the consistency of leather.

Graeme

But after its soaked in formalin, will it not be practically indestructable??
That was my understanding of the stuff. Once you get that nasty stuff right through a specimen, it turns to the consistency of leather.

Graeme


It's true that formalin does wonders for helping the specimen hold its shape for a very long time, but eventually (over a hundred years) can turn the specimen to mush. Some of the original specimens from the Voyage of the HMS Challenger were preserved in gin, which did a great job for a long time, but eventually alcohol (especially at high concentrations) makes specimens brittle. A combination of fixing in formalin and preserving in alcohol seems to be the best bet. If you fix in formalin and preserve in water, the specimen can mold.

But after its soaked in formalin, will it not be practically indestructable??
That was my understanding of the stuff. Once you get that nasty stuff right through a specimen, it turns to the consistency of leather.

Graeme

It can get very.................crumbly! We have a squid specimen that has been sitting in formalin since 1953 and its looking very sorry now. Prob is that it's in a container we can't breach to change the chemicals and it's too badly damaged now to really make it worthwhile :sad: So we'll need to prep another!

J

:periscop: Hmmmmm. It should be fine in formalin for centuries, if not longer. Please do a pH check; if not 7 then you have problems.

Life without formalin is akin to life without oxygen! I :heart: formalin!

Im making a series of preserved squids as sculptures...Heres my first one which was basically done to learn the best ways to preserve them. My future ones will have more artistic flare to them. This guy is 2 feet long!

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2880/dsc01725medium0ie.jpg

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5237/dsc01947medium1rk.jpg

What do you think?? Gross?? Cool??

Makes a good spooky nightlight :lol:

WOW!!! I'm sorry, I'd never checked this thread out (been rather preoccupied). This is fantastic - incentive to get my own pickled monsters on show!!!! Pickled monsters rock .... administration doesn't!

All I can say is WOW...who would have throught to have a huge preserved squid in your living room....I think my roommates would hurt me for that!

Life without formalin is akin to life without oxygen! I :heart: formalin!

Crazy cladist! (Clado-masochist?)

Formalin's all well and good, but I'm not going to give up my oxygen for it until I give up the ghost-- and I probably wouldn't make as attractive a pickle exhibit as a squid. Speaking of which, has anyone considered leaving their corpse to the "body worlds" exhibit? And I wonder if the plasticification stuff they do would work on our cephalopod friends and overlords?

And I wonder if the plasticification stuff they do would work on our cephalopod friends and overlords?
Hello Monty,

I believe that process is already underway for one or two Architeuthis specimens. It's in a thread somewhere around these parts. Should be nifty, when complete.

I would donate my body to be plastinated, but only if the body were then sectioned and sold as festive coasters and placemats.

Cheers,
Clem

I believe that process is already underway for one or two Architeuthis specimens. It's in a thread somewhere around these parts. Should be nifty, when complete.


that's another exhibit to look forward to-- I wonder where they would be displayed... I'll look for the thread.

I would donate my body to be plastinated, but only if the body were then sectioned and sold as festive coasters and placemats.

Clemware-- for a classy dining experience-- register for your set at Macy's today.

"look mom! I got the a section that has liver and both kidneys!"

:goofysca:

:periscop: Hmmmmm. It should be fine in formalin for centuries, if not longer. Please do a pH check; if not 7 then you have problems.

Life without formalin is akin to life without oxygen! I :heart: formalin!

Will suggest it to the PTB's the specimen looks really skungy! I think we'll be after a new one..........wonder if whoever did the original forgot to buffer it????????

J

This is an old thread, but Ive been working on these since then!!

Four..or was it Five squids later, I think Ive refined my preservation articulating techniques and wood work. The pictures dont rally do them justice, but they are over 2 ft tall!!

What do you think??

heres a pic with the internal light off..

http://thetentacleparadox.com/images/SquicScultpures/Fourth1.JPG

Light On:
http://thetentacleparadox.com/images/SquicScultpures/Fourth6.JPG

more pics and a brief description can be found on here

http://thetentacleparadox.com/PickledMonsters.htm

Im getting ready to sell some, but I havent decided on a price yet. I consider them art, so Ill price them according to that. They do cost a lot to make and take over a month to complete one. Plus I live in an apartment!! So my room is a woodshop and squid preserving factory!!

This reminds me of something that you might see at the Mütter Museum only squiddy. Really outstanding work!

You're cuttlefish setup is very interesting. How many have you been able to rear from your setup thus far?

jesus... that thing would give me nightmeers....COOL!!!!! although i would prolly feel wired about having a dead squid as a decoration...but..hey...


chris

Ive always wanted to goto the Mutter museum...Its on my things to do list =)

Im on my 3rd batch of cuttles at the moment..I dont know off hand how many ive had total, but probably around 20 went to adulthood of 8-11 months. I probably lost 10-12 from accidents and mysterious curcumstances. Ive learned a lot along the way though!

This is an old thread, but Ive been working on these since then!!

Four..or was it Five squids later, I think Ive refined my preservation articulating techniques and wood work. The pictures dont rally do them justice, but they are over 2 ft tall!!

What do you think??


Awesome. If I had more of a "mad scientist" or "Chas Addams" decor, I'd be all over these as an "alternative to a lava lamp" conversation piece. (I probably can't afford one anyway, though).

thanks Monty...Its funny you mention lava lamp...

My first versions of these guys had a incandenscent bulb and no ventilation in the lighting box. So you can imagine they got really hot and warmed the liquid. It made little squid bits float up and down the glass. Just like how lava lamps work!!

Really nice work!

This is an old thread, but Ive been working on these since then!!

Four..or was it Five squids later, I think Ive refined my preservation articulating techniques and wood work. The pictures dont rally do them justice, but they are over 2 ft tall!!

What do you think??

heres a pic with the internal light off..

http://thetentacleparadox.com/images/SquicScultpures/Fourth1.JPG

Light On:
http://thetentacleparadox.com/images/SquicScultpures/Fourth6.JPG

more pics and a brief description can be found on here

http://thetentacleparadox.com/PickledMonsters.htm

Im getting ready to sell some, but I havent decided on a price yet. I consider them art, so Ill price them according to that. They do cost a lot to make and take over a month to complete one. Plus I live in an apartment!! So my room is a woodshop and squid preserving factory!!
Outstanding, Paradox!!! :notworth: