Peter,

> Also, I've been told that cotton is not good for shells; are the
> polyester inserts that Althor sells the best thing to use (but I
> really hate the blue...I want white!).
>
I try to avoid cotton unless I know that it has a neutral or slightly
basic pH. You should be able to get polyester "cotton" from craft stores.
People use to stuff pillows, for making stuffed animals, etc. Stick with
one that is white, thus additives would be minimal. You can also purchase
it from archival suppliers such as University Products but I suspect it
might be more expensive. If you want a list of archival suppliers let me
know, I should have one somewhere.

Regards,
Charlie
.................................................
Research Associate - Section of Mollusks
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Assistant Professor - Family Medicine

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