Chris Brown wrote:
>
> Question:
>
> One of the recent posts indicated a way to remove calcareous deposits
> was to soak the shell in full strength bleach.  I was under the
> impression that this was not a good thing to do - at least for anything
> other than a short period of time.  I've got a number of specimens I
> would like to clean up, but am afraid of damaging the colors.  Is there
> a school of thought that advocates preserving the shell in the condition
> in which it was collected - or is the general preference to clean them
> up as much as possible - or is it simply a matter of personal taste?
>
> Just curious,
>
> Chris
 
Hi Chris,
 
Preferences for clean shells vs. as collected, run the gammut. If I have a few
of a species in need of some cosmetic cleaning, I usually keep the majority
uncleaned. You can always clean them later if you want to, but you can't
unclean them should you have regrets at a later date. I find it interesting to
have both types of specimens represented in my collection whenever possible. I
believe exterior cleaning was recently discussed on the list. Try checking the
archives. It's not the most easy to use, in terms of quickly finding what you
want, but try searching each batch by subject (e.g. cleaning, bleaching,
etc.), and I think you'll find something.
 
Ken Zentzis
Wichita, Kansas