> I kept waiting for someone to jump on this... keep using white glue, the
cheaper the better.  Standard Elmer's
> and
> other white glues dissolve easily in water, thus enabling a person to
> investigate the operc at some future date.  The better the glue, the
> worse
> for future attempts to free the operc from the cotton.  I have spent
> days
> soaking opercs in hot water and then chemical solvents (like
> fingernail
> polish remover) in an attempt (occasionally futile) to loosen some
> glues.
> For shells with hard opercs, like nerites, I put the operc inside the
> shell
> and seal the aperture with a wad of cotton, or I wrap the operc in a
> bit of
> tissue and stuff it in the aperture, or...I just leave the operc loose
> in
> the Zip-lock bag with the shell.
>
> As for natural cotton ruining shells, I have many shells from a
> collection
> dating back to the 1930s and 1940s.  The old cotton in many of these
> shells
> is often stained and dirty, but there has yet to be any evidence of
> damage
> to shell or operc caused by this small amount of cotton.

I agree wholeheartedly. I have seen no evidence that even old cottonwool
damages shells. Plastic "cottonwool", as Tom says, is elastic and won't
compress well or hold the operc in place. I use the normal wad of cotton
and glue with hard opercs; if the operc moves it can always be tacked to
the shell wall with a touch of glue. "White" glue is PVA
(polyvinylacetate), an emulsion in water. It is easily reversible with
water. I have found that acetone (propenone, also known colloquially as
nailpolish remover) works well on those annoyingly incorrectly or
messily-glued opercs I get from dealers.

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