Some suppliers of fine forceps (tweezers) and other microtechnology
instruments:
 
Fisher Scientific (service centers in Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati,
Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, and St. Louis.)
Headquarters: 711 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15219-4785
Phone: (412)449-5050
 
Scientific Products (service centers in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu,
Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New
Orleans, New York, Ocala, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Puerto Rico, St.
Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.)
Headquarters: Baxter Diagnostics, Inc., Scientific Products Division,
1430 Waukegan Road, McGaw Park, Illinois 60085-6787
Phone: (708)689-8410
 
Polysciences, Inc.
400 Valley Road
Warrington, PA 18976
Phone: (215)343-6484
 
All of the above carry microforceps and other instruments suitable
for working with the tiniest objects - you can easily pick up a grain
of salt with these.  But such precision instruments are not cheap.
They are made of Swiss surgical stainless steel, and usually run
anywhere from $11.00 to $25.00 a pair, with most in the $15.00-$20.00
range.
The above companies also have European affiliates.
 
The following company does not carry precision surgical quality
instruments, but offers a variety of student-grade instruments,
cheap! (most small forceps $2.00 to $3.00).  Even with their sharpest
forceps, you won't pick up a grain of salt, but you can pick up a 2 mm
shell easily enough.  They also sell large forceps, up to 12" (30.5
cm) in length, that are great for fishing shells out of cleaning
solutions, and also can be handy in the field, for getting a snail
out of a deep fissure between two boulders, for example.  They also
have dissecting needles and needle holders, plus the insect pins
Aydin Orstan mentioned, in several sizes.
 
Connecticut Valley Biological Supply Company
82 Valley Road
P.O. Box 326
Southampton, MA  01073
Phone: (413)527-4030
 
If anyone would like to see the relevant pages from these catalogs,
e-mail me privately, and I'll send you xerox copies by snail mail.
 
Paul Monfils