Though this post takes place mostly indoors, it began outdoors. Last…wow, October? Last October, while doing some tree surveys in Missouri, our crew came across a real rank smell. Real rank, like oh dear lord what could possibly smell so foul as that, even a dog would run away with its tail between its legs, gross.
Anyway, turns out it was an eastern box turtle. Rotting away. No head, no legs or tail, just a goop of inner squishy bits in an advanced stage of decay. But–a fully intact shell, carapace & plastron both. Being entranced by chelonians, I needed it.
Luckily I was in the company of an understanding group. We double-bagged it (it still smelled horrible through the two bags) and I carried it around in my backpack for an entire day, stench following me. Since I was flying back to Illinois, my coworker Becky was kind enough to offer to bury it in her yard for a few months to let nature work its magic. Lo and behold, when it was expertly delivered to me, it hardly smelled at all (thanks saprotrophs and Becky!).
How long does the lacquer finish last on a shell and if the shell has an intrinsic value for example if it is a collector item, unique or rare does covering it in lacquer devalue it?
It’s been 6 years, several moves, and lots of handling since I originally finished the shell and it’s in perfect shape still. The scutes are all in place and no sign of wear. These turtles are quite common in the heart of their range, so the shell isn’t rare or worth much at all.
Hi! What kind of laquer did you use?
This was a while back so I’m not 100% sure, but I think it was just something like polyurethane from the hardware store.