First, a question: what are you after? Can you dissect away the 
exoskeleton to get at your subject material?
If not, I'd try decalcifiying with EDTA (crustaceans have calcite 
rods in their cuticles), and possibly treatment with a chitinase. For 
which I don't have a recipe -- my references to my past life as a 
crustacean biologist are packed away.
Exoskeletons of small crustaceans can be sectioned with glass and 
diamond knives, but given the size of lobster claws ... you're not 
sectioning the whole thing are you?

Phil

	Lobster claws and don't start all the various methods of 
preparation that have the final destination of the human stomach. 
Although that's the method of my first choice. Been fixed in 
Davidson's so any hints and tips on the processing that won't leave 
me with a crunchy, knife blunting exoskeleton.
Ian.

Dr. Ian Montgomery,
Histotechnology,
Graham Kerr Building,
Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences,
University of Glasgow,
Glasgow,
G12 8QQ.
Tel: 0141 339 8855
Office: 4652
Lab: 6644.
Pager: 07625 702883
e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk


-- 
Philip Oshel
Supervisor, BBPIC microscopy facility
Department of Animal Sciences
University of Wisconsin
1675 Observatory Drive
Madison,  WI  53706 - 1284
voice: (608) 263-4162
fax: (608) 262-5157 (dept. fax)