>I found an interesting UV lamp source.  LED.
>LED Club Scorpion UV "Black Light" LED Key chain light.
>
>Looks like a 'logo' on the hand unit.  - But when out buying shells
>at a show .... a local spot might be useful.  [ sandpaper off logo...?!]
>
>Just remember some soaps and detergents (as in laundry) glow.
>So first test on yourself to see the effects then you will know
>if it was washed in xyz or the unique line absorbed more and
>shows nicely the crack.
>
>I used to spend my 'martini' lunch at this place, money went better
>than the other fellow section managers.
>
>Might find something else.  It is in Sunnyvale Ca.
>The LED is either 10,000 or 100,000  they state 100,00 Hr LED bulb life.
>
>www.weirdstuff.com      it is down the page on the left - with color LED
>flashlights ?
>or sku # (use number only in search)  20157
>
>I just happened into it - might be handy.

Hmmm... wonder if it would be enough to bring-up a color-pattern
where preserved in a fossil shell?

I have used strong UVs for this, and managed to take some images
(some digital cameras' CCDs are UV-insensitive, making them useless;
others do fine). Color film works for UV too. Recent shells can have
magnificent colors under UV. But for fossils color-patterns have
always been entirely neglected in taxonomy, while it is actually as
important as patterns are in Recent forms. Not all fossil specimens
retain a pattern (even if they originally had one), but a significant
number of Cenozoic specimens (¾65ma) do (some visible to the naked
eye).

(Yes, I do like parentheses).
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<[log in to unmask]>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------