How to cast a Scorpion

Please help-- I would like to know how to preserve a live scorpion
in able to cast in gold or silver. I cannot find a wax pattern but
can find a scorpion. Any help from anyone would be appreciated and
inadvance, Thanks

Bob Goll

Freeze it solid. It will kill the critter without maiming it, and
it will stay solid enough to invest. You just don’t get to pick the
final “pose”. Being organic, the arachnid will burn out.

P.S. Use a “black light” to find the bug, most scorpions fluoresce
under black light.

Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL
@Ron_Charlotte1 OR afn03234@afn.org

Bob, Try dipping a dead scorpion in a saturated solution of wax in
xylene. The biggest problem is the joints, as they are too small to
allow good metal flow and often fail to fill the extremities
properly.

Lester C. Wetherell II
Austin, TX

how about contacting a pet store or looking for a dead one rather
then sacrificing a live one for your design. Pet stores end up with
dead creatures during the shipping process and normally just throw
them out…Lisa

Hi Bob, I did just what you are talking about with a scorpion I had
as a pet. When it died I simply sprued it up, burned it out a little
longer than I would with a wax model, and cast it in 14k. It turned
out perfectly, even the stinger was sharp as a needle and all of the
other detail was as the original. Good luck!

Best regards,
John

You should be able to spray it with clear lacquer, several coats for
strength. there was some other ideas passed around on this subject a
few weeks ago, so some others can add to this topic. The lacquer I
use when I am going to put an conductive coating and plate Clint

Hi Clinton,

I don’t think the laquer is necessary for a scorpion, unless it is
very small. I have cast an adult, about 2.5" long, simply by spruing
it at the tail and belly. The legs, stinger, etc. all came out in
perfect detail with no additional build up.

John

I cast dead cicadas (I do not kill them, but find them dead) by
simply spruing the bug, no wax or anything, and it burns out and
works!

i have had great success casting large spiders and cockroaches i
flowed soft wax into joints and got the pose i wanted and built up
thiner spots i would vent it well to get a good burn out and i would
agree with a previos poster if you could find one that died of
natural causes that would be great the spiders i cast were all ones
i found dead in the bath tub in the vigin ilsands though i do admit
to being the cause of death of a few cockroaches.

heather

Hi All, Along this same topic of casting creatures, has anyone cast
dragonflies? I tried it long time ago and the wings were eaten away
by the investment. One of my cats brought one in the other day in
perfect condition so I want to try again. Also, when casting
organics, do you weigh them and figure out how much metal is needed
like you do with a wax model?

Thanks, Marta

I put a very thin piece of wax on one side of the wing and make sure
that the edges adhere. I have made necklaces and many other pieces
of jewelry from them.

I recently stumbled upon the following:

Martsch, Nancy. 1975. Preparation and casting of Arthropods - Or
how to cast a bug. Lapidary Journal, January, 1975: 1556-1561.

Perhaps it will prove to be a useful reference.

Debby in hot and humid Michigan, USA

    Along this same topic of casting creatures, has anyone cast
dragonflies?  I tried it long time ago and the wings were eaten
away by the investment. 

you need to thicken the wings by coating the undersides of them with
something like melted wax painted on. It might be possible to use a
spray on varnish also, but I haven’t tried this, and I know the wax
method works. P.S. if the head falls off while you are working on
it, melted wax will work to stick it back on. Have fun, Christine.