Thank you, Paul for bringing up this issue. Like you, I've found some bivalves glued together in the collections I'm cleaning up, and wondered if we could remove the glue. And thanks to all you Conch-L ers who have responded with so much great information about how to remove it. 



---- Vicky Wall <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 

=============
I have received bivalves sealed like that. What worked for me was to put them in a pot of water and slowly warm it up. The glue softens pretty quickly and the valves come apart with no damage. 
Welcome to Conch-L! 


Vicky Wall 
Mayodan, NC 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Paul Jones" <[log in to unmask]> 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Friday, October 3, 2014 8:31:38 AM 
Subject: [CONCH-L] Question on purchasing bivalvia from dealers 


Greetings list, 
I am a long time shell collector, Conch-L "lurker" and first time poster, I am amazed at the knowledge and camaraderie of the folks on Conch-L and have learned a lot from everyone. Thank you all so much. I am also a longtime friend of Conch-Ler Harry Lee who I have considered my shell collecting "hero" for many years now. Although I lack the credentials of many folks on here, I think I can can match passion for shells and shell collecting with anyone...;o). Which brings me to a question I thought I would pose to the list to see if anyone had encountered this before. 
I've noticed for a while now that upon purchasing bivalves of all types from dealers (especially online or by mail order) that the shells arrive with both valves sealed together by what I presume is some type of glue. Some come tied together by thread or very thin string as well. I realize this practice is probably intended to keep both valves of the shells together in shipping and transporting, which I can understand. The problem is that I prefer to display bivalves in "opened out" orientation so that both valves are visible at the same time. This is hard to do if the two valves are sealed together by glue or some other bonding substance - only one valve can be seen at a time. 
Is there any way to safely separate these shells again once they have been sealed together in this way or am I left with them this way for good? Has anyone noticed or dealt with this "dilemma" before? Thank you in advance! 

Happy shelling to all, Paul Jones in St. Augustine, Florida ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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