How To Bring Back Color To Seashells.mov 

Here’s the instructions in the video (with a few researched corrections): NOTE: please read full instructions (and FOOTNOTES section) before attempting. PERFORM THIS OUTDOORS. DO NOT DO THIS INSIDE. WHAT YOU NEED: - three (3) glass jars (they MUST be glass) - one (1) LARGE glass bowl or jar, at least 2.5 times as large as the other three jars (only needed if you plan on neutralizing the acid yourself after the process) - muriatic (AKA hydrochloric) acid - water* - baking soda - towel Specific Clothing - technically optional, but still highly recommended just in case: - rubber or latex gloves - eye protection (goggles) - face mask (plain surgical mask should work) - (old) long-sleeve shirt and pants STEPS: 1. Fill your jars: Jar 1: solution of water and muriatic acid in a 3:1 ratio**. Jar 2: Solution of baking soda and water***. Jar 3. Water. 2. Using tongs or some other long grabbing tool, pick up a seashell and dip it into Jar 1 (acid), leaving it submerged for 3-7 seconds.**** 3. Remove shell from Jar 1 and place it into Jar 2 (baking soda) and gently whisk it around for several seconds. 4. Remove shell from Jar 2 and place it into Jar 3 (water) and gently whisk it around for several seconds. 5. Remove shell from Jar 3 and place it onto a towel to dry. 6. Repeat steps 2-5 for any other shells you wish to process. 7. Once finished, it’s time to deal with the acid.***** DO. NOT. DUMP. IT. DOWN. THE. DRAIN. I’d HIGHLY recommend calling your local recycling center to see what they recommend doing with it (sometimes they’re equipped to handle it themselves, otherwise they should be able to point you in the right direction of where to take it). If your recycling center can’t help and you don’t plan on using the acid again and you end up having to dispose of it yourself, then you MUST (CAREFULLY) neutralize the muriatic acid by: A. Transferring contents of Jar 2 to the larger glass container, then adding (lots) more baking soda to it. B. VERY SLOWLY pouring the acid into the baking soda solution - this may produce a lot of gas and heat, so be VERY careful and do NOT breathe any resulting fumes. C. If the resulting solution doesn’t stop fizzing or if it fizzles out of control, add baking soda until it calms down. D. Once the reaction has come to a full stop, you may pour the neutralized solution down the drain. FOOTNOTES: * Ideally, all water used should be distilled. If this is not an option, at least ensure that it’s filtered. ** For example, ¾ cup water + ¼ cup acid. Obviously you may need to increase the amounts depending on the size of your jars. Also - NEVER POUR WATER INTO ACID. ALWAYS POUR ACID INTO WATER. Pouring water into acid may cause the acid to splash out of the container, so DON’T DO IT. *** I can’t find a good agreed-upon ratio for this one, but I’d guess that 3:1 or 2:1 should work just fine (e.g. 1 cup water + ⅓ cup baking soda, or 1 cup water + ½ cup baking soda). **** I’ve seen varying opinions on how long to leave the shell submerged (someone in these comments said up to 10 seconds and they seemed to know what they were talking about), so I decided to just go with a happy medium of 3-7 seconds. ***** If you plan on doing this again sometime in the future, and since acid keeps pretty much indefinitely, I’d recommend you just keep the acid in the jar (being sure to label it CLEARLY and ACCURATELY) and store it somewhere safe for later use.

Folks ya gotta neutralize it in baking soda water!!👍 so you go from the muriatic acid to a second jar that's got a mixture of baking soda and water, then the third jar which will be just purified water your attic acid 1 part to 3 Parts is original mix so if there's not a neutralizer in there you're still leaving leftover muriatic acid residue on the shells which can be bad for anybody who messes with the shells or kids who touched them so let's keep it safe while you're having fun with RC shells so first 3 parts to 1 part muriatic acid and you can soak them for a little longer than 3 seconds as you do it you'll get used to how to work with it some shells are going to require more time like that very first one in this video she could have let that go for like 10 seconds it would have came out a lot better don't want to leave them in there cuz they will completely dissolve but I use muriatic acid to clean iron and clay and algae off a lot of stones and crystals as a rock Highlander and some things I can put in there for only a few seconds some things I can leave in there overnight but no matter what ya got to neutralize it with baking soda water and then rinse it😊 😇🙏💯 Namaste

Thanks for the tip! I raided my grandma's pool shed for some muriatic acid and dipped my entire haul from this past week. They are all gorgeous and colorful now!

Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much for this video! I retired April 2014 and I'm taking a month and redoing each room in my home and I picked a beach theme for my bedroom.these will come in handy for that. Unfortunately, I'm into the 3rd month on the bedroom....broken right hand. Lol. I thought my goal of "a room a month" was reasonable but plans changed! Hope this won't happen with every room. TFS your time and talent. Really enjoyed it.

WOW! This is awesome! I live on Siesta Key and have been collecting shells for 15 years! (particularly after tropical storms and Hurricane Charlie!) The plastic container full of them can no longer be lifted it is so heavy! I have not known what to do with them for all these years and have just been saving them for "something." I just bought a pink Christmas tree and I think they will look pretty on it!

Thanks so much for this video! Shells from the discount store often have this look and now I know what to do about it. I'm looking at this 8 years later, and I appreciate some of the comments below, particularly the one from David Hurlbert, Thanks everyone!

That's wonderful. You did a great job with this video tutorial. I'm headed to Sanibel this September so I'm sure I'll want to come home and make my shells look pretty.

Thank you so much for sharing this procedure. I can't wait to do it to my collection of shells. The after effect looks fantastic.

Thank you so much for this video, I've gotten the nice shell from the beach and I've been meaning to give it to my girlfriend, but have been reluctant to because of the color. Thanks to this video the shell looks even better. Thank you so much.

this is lovely! thank you so much for the tutorial, i have a TON of seashells that i've collected and want to use in crafts and such, i really want to try this! thanks for posting!

Very useful info, theres a lot one can take from this and the processes can go beyond only cleaning rocks. Thanks for sharing!

Did not believe this would work, but it is great. The shells that come out almost the same are already clean. I have saved shells that I would otherwise have thrown away. Thanks

I'm truly in love with shells 😙😍

Thx a lot :D I've recently harvested quite a few shells which I am going to put inside a glass jar with water and give as a gift to a girl I know. You've just aided me in perfecting my gift ^^ Thx again!

This is so cute. Helping years later!! Thank you so much

My granny has a litre of this stuff in the bathroom to clean up tiles. She's been using it for years! If only I had known I could use it to brighten shells!!! I used oil at first but the color faded a little. This acid wash thing is perfect.

thank you for the amazing tip! what percent is the acid you use? 10%/30%? the cuanteties of water and acid in the solution will vary depending on the percentage.

Wow! Awesome. Can’t wait to do this for my shells. Neutralize the acid with baking soda so you can safely dispose of it.

Wow, how surprised I was when looking for how to restore shell shine to suddenly see my friend Mary show up before me. I shouldn’t have been surprised, knowing she works with shells, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen one another and I wasn’t thinking about her when i clicked the link. What fun, and the video is good, too, heh heh.

Since you're just dissolving calcium, why couldn't you use a less dangerous method of dissolving the calcium by using 7% acetic acid (Pickling vinegar) it will still work albeit a bit slower. Some rockhounds such as myself use the vinegar method of dissolving calcite (calcium) from specimens to see (and ree up) the minerals beneath.

that was cool i have a ton of sea shells, im headed out to the local pool supply store now, great video thanks for posting!

Wow.... their natural colour is so pretty 😍

this works AMAZING! literally like getting new treasures :)

That is astonishingly cool

@ThaichicXu Home depot or Lowes. It comes in a gallon jug and costs around 15 dollars. It is usually located in the cement department. It's used for etching and cleaning up after masony work. It is also known as Hydrochloric Acid. Don't breath the fumes. Wear eye protection. and chemical gloves. Work outside if possible.

How do you dispose of the acid?

I just bought muriatic acid and I'm gonna try this tomorrow! thanks for the tip ♥

Omg! I was so excited when you pulled them out! I’m doing this ASAP!

Beautiful. Thank you sharing this wonderful video

where did you acquire those beautiful shells?!!

Is Acid Magic just as good as Muratic acid? I hear it is safer. If using Acid Magic, should it be the same procedure as using muratic acid? (put it in a jar with water and rinse with clean water) Thanks

Do you need to use a respirator when handling and neutralizing the muriatic acid?

Thanks for such a great video. Very nice!

Oh WOW!!! Good video!!!! I'll try it with my seashells!!! I would like to make necklaces with them :) DId you treat the shells with other products or tools before this passage in muriatic acid? Or did you clean or polish them after? What do you use to pearce them, if you pearce them of course? :))) Thank you very much for the video!!! :))))

I was wondering: Can you save and reuse the mixture for future shells? Also, what is the correct way to dispose of the solution that is echo friendly?

Hi Pam its sept 2014, so I wondered how those shells are now, and did it last x

Think it would work on ocean rocks too?

Where do u get the acid from Could u use limescale remover

Great technique! Please when using acids for anything- Safety first! Plastic or latex gloves, and safety glasses. Splatters are quick and acid burns even faster and scars. They turned out beautifully!

Beautiful. Thank you for the tip

Does this work for fresh water muscles? I found a dead one and it is a GORGEOUS purple.

Wow this is so beautiful

Would pool acid also work?

*1/4 cup of acid to 3/4 cup of water.* *dip for 3 seconds and neutralize in water immediately after* *Avoid contact with stainless steel and skin.*

Any advice on disposing of the acid?

You can get Muriatic acid in a pool store, it's also known as Hydrochloric acid. If you are a minor you might need your parent to buy it for you. Be very careful with the stuff it can really scar your skin if you aren't careful, not to mention make some holes in your clothes.

wow! that was soooooooooooo satisfying this video

What else could you use?

How do u get muradic acid?

How do you get the barnacles off? Mine have tons of them.

How do you dispose of the acid when you're finished?

First of all do I need to clean shell first before doing all this? Cuz it just came out of ocean and right in the clear plastic boxes and lock up ...

thank you i am excited to do this do my shells

Can you use something else instead of the acid

can i use this to clean my empty hermit crab shells and then put the shells back in the tank or will this kill the crabs ?

does it matter if it's hot or cold water?

where can you get muriatic acid?

Thanks for the great tip!

I love Your channel

Does it work on fossilized cone snails shells

what if the acid is still sitting inside the shell's coils?

I put mine in tap water and became green, does this help to put away the green colour too?

Hello Mary how to do you dispose of the acid after finishing your work.

That's quite a n amazing difference! I was wondering, how do you dispose of the acid when you're done with it?

Great video!! thank you!

But what if there’s green gunk on the shell will it come off?

Please upload new shelling videosss! Love you Pam

Will Coconut oil work? I want to use natural Ingredients to clean shells so i dont end up breaking them and, or hurting my skin wile cleaning them.

Help! I’m from the Midwest and came home from beautiful Sanibel yesterday with beautiful shells. I read many posts online about bleach and water and letting them soak to clean them. They all lost their color. I’m just sick! Is there any way to restore their color? I’ve tried mineral oil/baby oil and it helped with some but most are NOTHING like they were when we left Sanibel. 😢😢😢

What type of acid. I can't really tell.

This is so amazingly gorgeous! Had me scared your camera was going to drop in the acid though lol! Being a chem mermaid, I am going to research the acidity level of muriatic Acid and see if I can find an alternative just in case I can't find it near me. Possibly Boric Acid might be a good alternative, and in food grade form it would be safe to humans.

Thank you for show me this. Nice video

What happens to the shell if you hold it in the acid until the bubbling stops? Would the shell dissolve? I'm not entirely sure what shells are made of, so would the bubbling stop when all the calcification is gone or would it continue until the shell is gone?

Can vinegar be used?

Can you use vinegar

I found a lot of shells, and none of mine where over 1 inch. Where did you find all of these? x3

We spend a week on Sanibel every other year, and I have THOUSANDS of shells. I can’t wait to try this. But one at a time? Is there any reason why I couldn’t do “mass dipping”?

really enjoyed watching this. Thank you!

I have some shells that have an outer rough coating (tried sanding it with Dremel and sanding attachment) with underlying iridescence. I want to get rid of the outer coating to reveal all he iridescence. Would this technique work?

Also do what David Hurlburt below comment suggests. Then use dish soap, and an old toothbrush or a softer wire brush to lightly scrub then rince well and pat dry. Also instead of the muretic acid, use another acid which is vinegar and the shell can be kept longer in the solution.

Buzios sao algo esculpido pela natureza do nosso Deus .Sao lindos👍👍👍👍👍Que liquido e esse fervecente?..e o do segundo vidro ...em?

a simple way to do is use some net made of plastic, put the seashells inside that net and dip it in muriatic acid ( some call this Hydrochloric acid) , then take the net out of the muriatic acid and immediately dip it in water, unload the seashells. There are certain types of seashells that require minimum dipping in muriatic acid, a simple technique is to test it. Also i would like to add that if you over do this, your seashell would be very brittle.

Sorry I try to understand what ur saying cuz the close captions is way off...and I am deaf! I need to know how much of Muriatic Acid ( never heard) and what area to find that item? The picture show one jar for Muriatic Acid ..Nothing else? How much in it? Other jar is just water>. what to do with left over Muriatic Acid? Does shells stay that way forever in that color and shine after doing this? I just got home from Florida and did collect alots shells Two boxes! Now can I use either Dura Clear Latin Varnish or Mod Podge to keep it shine after this? Pls help me out and thx!

hi please tell me the exact amount of the muriatic mixture... thank you!

now that's awesome!!

Another, safer way to restore colour to shells is to rub oil into them with a rag. Doesn't really seem to matter what kind of oil, just choose some that smells nice

where did you gt the shells

Will Toilet bowl cleaner like Harpic do?

Wow! This just shows that I suck at finding shells!

Once the acid cleans the shells, do they require a coating of mineral oil to keep the colour?

OMG IT WORKED THSNKS

I want to try this!

How do you dispose of muriatic acid? It's not Environmentally friendly and if it seeps through the soil, it goes into the water table.

read the label carefully and follow instructions on the muratic acid container

Great job Whats the acid called again

Yes , thank you 🤟🏻❤️🥰

Aí que pena, que nao entendo nada que ela tá falando.queria saber oque é esse líquido que mergulha as conchas,alguém pode me traduzir por favor?

I REWINDED, BECAUSE I FORGOT HOW THE SECONG ONE LOOKED BEFORE AND YOU COULD HAVE USED THE TUMBNAIL A BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURE OF ALL THE SHELLES JUST A SUGGESTION 😍😍😘😘😗😗😙😙😚😚 LOVED THE VID PEACE ✌✌✌✌✌🌺🌺🌻🌻🌼🌼🌷🌷⚘⚘🏵🏵🐚🐚

WOW:) I wanna do all my shells:)

And what should I do with the acid after cleaning the shells?