my point is that salt crystals are most harmful when trapped in small cavities. These crystals will not easily become dissolved and some shaking, to get the water in places were salt can be trapped, e.g. by tiny air bubbles (remember we're talking beached shells) does help. And of course shaking, also means bringing more water in contact with the salts, speeding up the process.
What we need here, obviously, is a comparative experiment. Meanwhile I have James Bond on my side!
Marien
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Van: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]> namens Callomon,Paul <[log in to unmask]>
Verzonden: woensdag 1 juni 2016 15:52
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: Re: [CONCH-L] Washing seashells
I would caution about using sonicators to get salt off small shells as from experience I can confirm that the vibrations can damage the shell itself. Whether your cleaning medium penetrates right into the shell depends on whether there is air or body residues trapped in there. A sonicator can help bring air bubbles out of a shell, but at some risk. It's better to use a syringe.
I'm also dubious about "quick" ways of removing salt crystals, as their breakdown is an electrical process that happens at the surface of the crystal. Soaking allows this to run its course and ensures that all the salt naturally dissolves in the water.
PC
-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Marien Faber
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2016 9:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] Washing seashells
I would advocate the use of an ultrasone cleaner in combination with distilled water. That will work much better, especially deep in the shell (and, for instance, in the microscopic holes made by boring sponges, often present but not quite visible in any marine shell), and much faster (think of seconds to minutes, in shells between 1-25 mm). Refresh the water regularly, be careful with fragile shells, especially if they once have been preserved in formalin.
Marien
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