Insect pins

[2] They can also be used in dressmaking for very fine silk or antique fabrics.

[2] Instead they are nickel-plated brass, yielding "white" or "black" enameling, or even made from stainless steel.

[4] Similarly, the smallest sizes from 000 to 1 used to be impractical for mounting until plastic and polyethylene became commonly used for pinning bases.

[4] minutens are headless micropins that are generally only made of stainless steel, and used for double-mounting.

The insect is mounted on the minuten, which is pinned to a small block of soft material, which is in turn mounted on a standard, larger, insect pin.

A species of hoverfly double-mounted with a minuten pin and a size 3 pin
Insect pins on sample card from entomological supplier.
Pinning block, used to set specimens and labels at uniform heights. [ 1 ]