Salutations! I am a beginning collector with the good fortune to be in South Korea temporarily but long-term and have access to Ceratostoma coreanicum and Pteropurpura adunca, among many interesting shells. Those two named have beautiful, wide, but quite fragile varices. After two days in Clorox, most of them still have a lot of unattractive crap on them. Although I try to work as carefully as possible, after a dozen shells I still am unable to completely clean any without doing at least minute damage to one or more of the varices. I soak them well in mineral oil cut with lighter fluid to increase its absorption, and that does help, but some of the deposits under the overhanging tips of the varices are extremely stubborn and impossible to reach with anything but the tip of a hypodermic needle (which I have by prescription and keep in a locked safe except when I am using them). The shells I have finished preparing are gorgeous, but less than they could have been but for my clumsiness, and that difference gives me great pain. I would appreciate any advice in this regard. Does any of you have experience with ultrasonic de-scaling, such as dentists do, with a cleaning tip instead of a soak tank. As M. Monfils pointed out a few years ago, that tank cavitation can't remove the calcification, although it, like bleach, might remove organic material in the layers and make them more susceptible to removal, but his (your, M. Monfils) comments did not address the de-scaling use of ultrasound. Is it likely that that would help? I look forward to learning from you. Thanks, in advance. Chuck Wilder ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------