[log in to unmask] wrote:

> Black velvet would really be the ultimate for providing a totally black
> background, but I just use a black paper "tent" or black paper box to cover
> the shell.  As Tom said, for darker shells a lighter background is
> preferable.  Shadows on the background can be avoided by keeping the
> background well above the shell.  About 6 to 8 inches height works well for
> me.  When you lay a shell on the glass, it tends to assume its own preferred
> position, usually with the spire tilted down toward the glass, or sometimes
> the anterior end.  Smooth round shells like cowries, olives and moon snails
> roll into odd positions, and worse, they sometimes rotate on the glass during
> scanning, from the vibrations of the scanner.  I use a variety of methods to
> hold the shell in place so that I can get a straight-on view, and make sure
> the shell doesn't move.  Like Tom, I use the computer (Photoshop software)
> afterwards, to remove anything in the background that I don't want there, so
> when I'm scanning I concentrate fully on what the shell will look like, not
> the background.  Therefore I may lay the edge of a book on top of the shell
> to hold it in position.  But my usual method involves a couple of lumps of
> clay and a pencil.  A big lump of modeling clay serves as a base, off to the
> side.  The pencil sticks out of the clay, and extends out over the glass of
> the scanner, and on the other end of the pencil I stick a small blob of clay.
>  I stick the small blob lightly to the upper surface of the shell.  Then I
> can position the shell at any angle, and it stays in that position while it
> is scanned.  For example, I lift the anterior end of a cone off the glass, so
> that the central axis of the shell is parallel to the glass.  Once it is in
> position, I put the paper tent over the whole works, and scan it.
> Regards,
> Paul M.

--
Marlo
Merritt Island, Florida
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