06/03/2026
*UPDATED POST, PINNED POST AT THE TOP OF MY PAGE* 🤗
New to Wet Specimens? 💦💀🫙
Want to PROPERLY Preserve them?!
I've had some questions regarding wets so hopefully this answers mostly everything basic ☺️
If you determine that you wish to take on these projects, you'll need to acquire the Proper Personal Protection Equipment. Formalin is Toxic and Requires PPE ( Propper Protection Equipment) like a Respirator Mask with 6005 Cartridges, Googles or Glasses, Nitrile Gloves, Apron etc.
Work in a well ventilated area like a garage, away from Food, Pets & Children. ( You can also work outside )
You can find most or all items on Amazon! 🤗
High concentrated Ethanol Alcohol can also be used in place of Formalin
( This process will also help preserve coloring better!) ( Please PLEASE don't just put your specimen in Isopropyl Alcohol ) (excluding Bugs and Plants like Mushrooms)
You'll inject NEW 10% Buffered Formalin ( Diluted Formaldehyde ) into all Organs, Brain, Eyes, Nose, Major Muscle groups, etc. Inject well into and throughout the Abdomen. Inject areas of about an inch apart or less! Try to get as much liquid in, without too much distortion of your specimens. ( They kinda blow up like a balloon or its also similar to rehydration ) Then soak in the same solution for a Couple Weeks to a Month for fixation to take effect. The larger the specimen, the longer it will need to soak. It WILL Stiffen up when complete. If still slightly squishy, inject any soft areas again with NEW Formalin and let sit for a bit longer.
The specimen will also stiffen the same way that you position it, so be aware of how you want to display it! Be mindful of what vessel you want your specimen to be displayed in and how it'll look once placed in your desired container! You can preserve your specimens in the same jar that you want to display them in, as long as you can also get said specimen back out! ( its ok of you can't, you'll just have to work around it ) Otherwise you can position them in other containers and transfer once preserved!
Next soak in Distilled Water for NO more than 1 day, to remove excess formalin ( 24 -48 hour leaching soak )
Finally to finish, keep specimens in 70% Isopropyl Alcahol for storage. To avoid possible shriveling, It's recommend to dilute the alc with a 1:1 ratio of distilled water (50/50) by slowly adding more of the alcohol over a couple of days until it’s 100% Isopropyl alcohol. (Ethanol or Isopropyl Preferred) in a sealed jar with non metallic lid. You can use Silicone Grease on any non sealable jars to make it "air tight"
Again, Alternatively you can try to fix with high concentration ethanol instead of formalin, but some suggest that failure is more likely until you gain more experience with injection.
Formalin may be reused a few times ( for storage and not injection ) but needs to be Disposed of at your Community Hazmat drop off location when finished. Label Appropriately. Also Include the contaminated Distilled Water. NEVER discard down Drains, or in the Environment. ( Sinks that drain into buckets is fine)
Avoid buying non-buffered formalin AKA Formaldehyde. (You can also ask your local mortuary or funeral home for disposal)
Formalin is essential because basically that's how you properly preserve specimen, Formalin is the preservative. If not they'll eventually rot from the inside out. Lots of beginners suggest to just toss your specimen in Iso Alc because they don't want to deal with the preservative, and well cause its easy. They mostly suggest this and say that they've done their specimen this way and it has "been fine" for like 2-6 years, But if you want to ensure proper LONG TERM preservation so it doesn't rot, you'll need to use Preservative! ( That's how its done for Museums and Science etc ) Isopropyl Alcohol absolutely is not a long term preservative, ( you can keep Specimen in Iso Alcohol temporarily, for a short time to gather your materials but its best to just freeze right away ) Neither is Formalin ( Buffered Formaldehyde ) or Formaldehyde, it starts to become too acidic and will eat away at the flesh. ( that's why Buffered solution is recommended also ) Eventually the specimen will start to rot from the inside out. Lots of taxidermists actually talk about this and are trying to inform how to do it properly, they can even show off pieces that were preserved in Isopropyl Alcohol that are now essentially a messy gloop of trash. If anyone is really interested in preserving and can do their research, they would realize they're doing it wrong. Other people sometimes do it to cut corners also, try to make a profit off of it for fast cash etc 🙁
Another solution if you want to use Alcohol instead, is Injection with High Concentrated Ethanol Alcohol or High Concentrated Edible Alcohol aka 190 Proof Everclear, this process is safer and doesn't require Formalin. You also don't need to do the Distilled water bath for this process ( that removes excess formalin ) and no Isopropyl Alcohol, you NEED to keep these specimen in the high concentrated Ethanol or Alcohol. This method also helps preserve coloring better, Formalin usually washes out Yellow, Green, Blue colors out turning specimen gray.
