>I have found that bleach will remove some attachments on Xeno's, whereas they
>are not all secured well and may even have encrusting growths that are
>undermining their attachments, which may then de-cohese with bleaching.
>However, that doesnít mean you can not glue them back on.  I have bleached,
>picked, scrubbed and even spot acid-ized Xenoís and their attachments to make
>them nice looking.

Anything cemented is likely to have its attachment weakened by bleach
(sodium hypochlorite solution). It may not fall off by itself, but is
much more likely to be knocked off later during handling.

This includes tubeworms, barnacles, corals and xenophorid attachments
(as well as tubeworms, barnacles & corals living on xenophorids...).

I have had to glue back on numerous Xenophora attachments, mainly
Oligocene fossils.

Full-strength bleach will not harm well-calcified shells.

Those shells to avoid bleaching:
-those with periostracum to be preserved (esp landsnails!)
-articulated bivalves
-Pterioida & Pinnoidea (shells with a large organic content,
typically with nacreous interiors)
-Xenophoridae w/attachments
-brachiopods (nonmolluscs)
-specimens you want to keep their barnacles & tubeworms, sponges etc

If you have a specimen with attached rottables (retained animal,
sponges, ascideans etc) which you want to retain dry, soak them
overnight in 4% formalin, then rinse & dry.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be used as a bleach, but it WILL weaken
shells, as well as dissolve their pigments.

>I think those bleach pens would come in most handy when cleaning
>Spondylus and such. They get so encrusted, yet you want to leave the
>hinge intact!

Spondylus has a big fat resilium, but this dries and holds the valves
in a fixed position (wherever they're at when dried). Removing this
does not disarticulate the valves, as they have a beefy
ball-and-socket hinge... you cannot usually sepaarate the valves
without breaking one of the balls &/or sockets. So bleach is safe for
spondylids.

>Is there a "law" that says you can't glue them back on???

Certainly not! Just be careful to position them exactly and glue them
with a nonwater-soluble glue eg cyanoacrylate.
--
Regards
Andrew

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