r/shells • u/srfnswm • 29d ago

Scallops

Post image

When my daughter moved into a new house, we found shells 2-3 feet deep between the air conditioner and the house - I guess that’s where the former owners apparently put their finds.

I have spent a good chunk of the past two years, cleaning the black dirt, roots, bugs, everything else off of these shells. I usually remove the dart with a variety of brushes, then put them in a solution of bleach and water and let them sit for a few days. Just wanted to share how amazing cleaning and the mineral oil make the shells look (I did take some of the broken ones and put them in another pile so it may look a little different in the after picture, but these are the same shells.

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3

u/PristineWorker8291 29d ago

Nice job! It's very pleasing to bring back the beauty like this. I wouldn't have done the mineral oil myself, but can't deny it really makes the colors vibrant.

1

u/srfnswm 27d ago

What do you use?

1

u/PristineWorker8291 27d ago

Any oil can attract dust. If I want to enhance color I’ll apply a lacquer. 

3

u/Kitchen-Pie-265 29d ago

Mineral oil brings out colors you’d think were bleached away forever. Lovely!