Anyone know how to preserve a starfish?

[GiantSquid2008]

My father preserved some starfish for us when we were kids but i don't know how he did it. They were stiff and had no smell that I can recall. After the remnants of Hanna passed NJ last weekend there were a bunch of them on the beach but I didn't know how to dry/preserve them. i'm betting this will be an easy one for you guys.

[obxfish]

Spread them on a piece of cardboard and put a pin through tip of each arm to keep them straight . Find a warm, dry , critter free place (i used above the garage) and let them dry for a few weeks to a few months. They will smell while drying. They will preserve great like this. Careful, dogs love to eat them and they will vomit them back up in the living room!!

[Avenger]

Drop them in fresh water, they straighten out and die (best thing for a starfish). Dry them somewhere where you can't smell them and animals can't get to them. As obxfish said, the smell goes away when they're fully dry. No preservatives required.

[johnnydeep]

Dogs will only eat them under two conditions...When there is the greatest possibility of makeing you hurl when they toss the dang thing back up...and right after your carpets have been cleaned...
Unless your my dog and he pulled off the trifecta...
first week out of chemo....We both left carpet stains!
Oh..by the way, they smell worse when they come back up than they do when they are drying!

[capt. jakeg]

Im gonna re emphasize how much these things stink when they are drying. It is an undescribable god awful smell. Do it far, far from the house.

[esangler]

we used to dry them out on the roof of our garage. The black shingles absorbed heat so the drying process was speeded up and it was far enough away that we couldn't smell them.

[krissi]

The best way is to soak it in 70% isopropyl alcohol overnight. (it will smell less too and get ride of parasites) then let it dry out real well in the sun for a week or so. You might also want to weigh down the legs so that it does not curl up as it dries.

[Team Boat Show Direct]

Smaller ones work better (don't stink as bad) upside down in the sun works the best

[LuckyLady]

This thread reminded me of my dog that ate my starfish!!!

I forget where I originally got it from but it was from one of my trips

Bet it made a good salty treat for Roxy

[luv2fish67]

Once met a woman, who painted them and sold them as ornaments. I believe she would boil them in alcohol before drying.
Done outdoors, on a hot plate of course. Must be some info on the net, on the subject.......It's not just for **** ....ya know.