How do you clean shells?

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Scotttyd

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Location
Raleigh, NC
# of dives
500 - 999
On my last dive trip I found a multitude of conch type shells. I brought home two that were completely intact. How do you clean/polish the shells? They have a few barnicles on them, but basically clean, just dull?
 
My mother is a shell collecitng nut and she uses several different techniques. For shells that are uninhabited, she usually will soak the shells in a 50/50 bleach solution overnight. This helps kill any algae or other organics on the shell. It also helps remove the white flaky stuff on the shell.

She uses dental picks for scraping off barnicles. With a little work you can remove all the remnants. You can use a little muratic acid as well but you have to be careful because it will eat up the shell.

The shell should be looking pretty good by this point, but you can polish the shell with some mineral oil to give it a nice shine. Let the mineral oil sit for a few hours and then wipe it off.

Make sure tha you look into local regulations regarding the collection of sea shells in the area you are diving and please don't take any shells that are occupied.

If you do find a shell with a dead animal on the beach or elsewhere and you want to clean the shell, the best thing that my mom has found for that is boiling the critter out. Be warned, however, that this will stink up the house big time!!

Good luck.
 
Why rob the ocean when you can buy ready to go shells that have all ready been robbed?

Not judging, just asking.

the wreck I dove was a rarely dove site with a plethera of shells, for the two that I took, I probably left thousands. The captain said that he dives this site, maybe 2-3 times a year (he runs daily and twice daily charters). The literally were piles and piles of them. People walk along the shore and take shells all the time by the bucket loads, so if there are two abandoned shells in a pile, am I "robbing" the ocean?

And why do I take two where I an buy them, there is something a little special about saying "these are two that I found" not "I bought these at some over priced boutique"

No I would never take a shell with a critter in it, so do not worry about that.
 
She uses dental picks for scraping off barnicles. With a little work you can remove all the remnants. You can use a little muratic acid as well but you have to be careful because it will eat up the shell.

What is an alternative to the dental tool for us non-dentists?
 
Call your dentist, maybe he has an old rusty one he's willing to part with. Other than that, check a sewing or craft store.
 
It is pretty easy to pick up some old dental tools if you look around a bit. You might also have luck with a small flathead screwdriver, a heavy needle, or even a pair of tweezers. You just need something hardrer that the barnacle to scrape it off of the shell. The shells are usually pretty solid so you can get pretty aggressive with the barnacles.
 
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:popcorn: Say... aren't some type (or all) Conch shells illegal for importation into the US ?
 
If you're still looking for dental picks, just Google "dental picks." You'll find lots of sites where you can buy them. Also good to have in your save-a-dive kits for removing stubborn o-rings............

And thanks for not collecting occupied shells. I don't care for taking lots of shells, but do enjoy finding one special item for special occasions, such as my 60th dive.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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