Leslie,

What are you personal thoughts about using WD40? I used it on
one shell to test because I heard other people saying it was good.
It is definitely easy to get ahold of and seems to work.
Since it lists no ingredients on the can, though, I'm a little wary.

Peter



At 12:36 PM 4/13/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi Gang,  While on the subject…
>
>As a matter of personal taste I prefer:
>·  Baby Oil
>·  Silicone
>·  Ethylene Glycol
>
>Mineral Oil
>I do not like Mineral oil because Mineral oil can stain cloth (cloths, table
>cloths, etc.), leaving a permanent oil mark, it often sticky to the touch
>since it does not superficially evaporate away, and as a strange sweet ­
>rancid smell after many years.  Additionally since it is a bit sticky it
>collects dust and is hard to clean.
>
>Mineral oil is susceptible to growth of certain marine microbes, i.e. ­ the
>same class as those that are found naturally  and are hybridized to eat oil
>slicks.  Apparently they can remain dormant for years out side of the ocean
>and feed on mineral oil,  who know what this would do to the shell,
>packaging and labeling.  (source: US Geology Petroleum Institute - late 1980
>’s or early 1990’s paper)
>
>Lighter Fluid
>As for mixing it with lighter fluid, it is a solvent, highly flammable, the
>fumes are toxic, and its effects on aragonite & calcium carbonate to my
>knowledge have never been studied.
>
>Paraffin Oil
>Paraffin is wax, so paraffin oil would be a natural wax based oil.  Paraffin
>is often derived from petroleum crude. I would suppose it would leave a waxy
>coating an not be appropriate for textured and porous shells since it is
>probably a translucent rather than transparent liquid.  I would also assume
>it would take an additional bit of buffing for it to look right.
>
>Baby Oil
>Conversely, baby oil is a much lighter oil with a nice fragrance and will
>superficially evaporate, leaving a base oil coating.  I have hear that it
>can turn cloudy over time but have had no experience with it.  Large bottles
>of baby oil can be bought for as low as $1.00 for non - Johnson & Johnson
>brands.
>
>Liquid Silicone
>Liquid Silicone is costly but has no odor, it doesn’t break down over time
>like oils and is not sticky.  It acts as a moisture barrier locking in the
>moisture content of the shell.  The CS viscosity (Centre-quada Scope) of the
>Silicone determine the permeability it will have on the shell. If it is too
>thick it will not soak into the shell and be strictly superficial.  Silicon
>does not have a safe solvent to tin it, an mixing of different CS’s does not
>really thin it either.  It becomes a mixture of different size silicone
>molecules.  It is like mixing two sizes of rocks together… the rocks do not
>become one size.
>
>Periostracum Preservation
>To preserve the periostracum, and this is especially good for Fresh Water
>Mussels, I use Ethylene Glycol.  It is one of the five Esters (Alcohols) and
>is chemically half way between Ethanol & Glycerol.
>·  Methanol
>·  Isopropanol (Rubbing Alcohol)
>·  Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol)
>·  Ethylene Glycol
>·  Glycerol (Glycerin)
>
>An effective solution to not having to purchase it specifically is to mix
>50/50 Everclear (Ethanol) and Glycerin, shake well.  The solution will
>penetrate deep into the shell and into the periostracum.  The superficial
>evaporation of the Ethanol will in essence leave the Glycerol deep into the
>periostracum and shell nacre.
>
>Leslie