Thomas E. Eichhorst wrote:
>
> Samual,
>
> Seahorses should be laid out on a couple of pieces of paper towel to dry
> out.  As for your broken sand dollars, there is an old trick to help with
> the preservation of these guys.  Soak your sand dollars (we are assuming
> these are dead, bleached white sand dollars) in a mixture of Elmer's glue
> (or any other white glue I suppose) and water).  The mixture is probably no
> more than 1 part glue to five or more parts water.  I just squirt a bunch of
> glue in the water, stir until dissolved and then leave the sand dollars in
> the mixture overnight.  When you bring them out, pat them dry with a paper
> towel and then let them really dry out on a sheet of wax paper.  This should
> greatly strengthen your sand dollars -- although they will always be a bit
> fragile.
>
> Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA
Hey, Tom;-
    Elmer's glue is a good piece of advice. With sand dollars that are
found on the beach (all cilia gone), I have just used a thumb and worked
a bit of glue into the sand dollar. It is surprising how much it will
take. Just like you can shake and shake and the sand never stops coming
out of the SD. Generally, I'll spread two or three coats of EG on each
side, giving it plenty of time to dry.
    Art