Once you put Mineral Oil on the shell the film will probably disappear
altogether.

Bobbi

Ellen Bulger wrote:

> The shop is closed and it's dreary and rainy. I've been cleaning shells
> today. Found a long-spined star shell in the bottom of my dive bag. I
> couldn't pry the operculum out, so I popped it in the microwave. What a stink
> bomb! Immediatly all the kids came running downstairs. "Who farted?" "What
> died!?!"  I am not Miss Popularity around here now, so made it up to everyone
> by baking raisin bread, a much better smell.
>
> I pulled one of those funky helmets out of the bleach and sat out on the
> porch scraping off the encrustations. Carol came out and watched. I told her
> "You must think I'm a nut job or a dental hygienest wanna-be." No, she
> allowed as how it looked kinda fun and could she try it. So I handed it over,
> feeling very like Tom Sawyer. After a while she gave it back and said "Thank
> you, that was very satisfying."
>
> Getting the big encrustations off the back of the shell was fun and not hard.
> But the front is another matter. It has filmy patches and I'm anxious about
> damaging the shiny surface. Or is there a shiny surface anymore? Is this
> stuff simply the deteriorated shell?
>
> Now I'm wishing I had taken that pristine live specimen I'd found snorkling
> the last day off of Pigeon Key. It was gorgeous; bright colors, clean shell
> and nary a chip, not even on the siphonal canal or notch or what you call it.
>
> Any suggestions on cleaning this film off the glossy part of the shell?

--
Jim and Bobbi Cordy
Specializing in Self Collected Caribbean Species
Merritt Island Florida

2001 SHELL ODYSSEY
July 7-11
Port Canaveral, FL