Advice on easy vacuum set ups

[billben74]

Hello. I'm moving towards using my cambridge rocking microtome. One thing stopping the fly in the parrafin (sorry) is rigging up reduced pressure to get rid air bubbles.
I will actually start (bad fly joke notwithstanding) with daffodill parts that I have sitting in my home brewed FAA.

I get that air lines and valves from aquarium people along with syringes area possibilty but what about aquarum pumps or any other solutions?
If possible, if indeed any one wishes to reply, as many details as possible would be wonderful. I don't own a fish tank so do not really have any knowledge in this area.

Many thanks
Ben

[gekko]

hi Ben,
If there is a water faucet close to your setup, you might want to consider a Venturi device:
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-sim ... the-world/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirator_%28pump%29
http://www.amazon.com/Humboldt-Aspirato ... PGNQS62GTZ

[billben74]

Many thanks. Very fast reply. Will probably have a go with this first.
Although any other non-faucet based solution would be welcome.
Again many thanks

[mrsonchus]

Here's my arrangement, it's very effective and the jars can be separated from the syringe of course and stood with their tube & valve included. It works very well.

ws_vacuum_fixing.jpg (331.85 KiB) Viewed 3123 times

As the vacuum is applied the tissue rises to the top of the liquid, after a while the vacuum is gently released (by you) and the tissue 'sucks in' liquid to the now somewhat compressed spaces formerly containing air which then regain their former shape but now filled with liquid, and the tissue sinks to the bottom, a good indicator of progress.
The tissue can be left under vacuum like this for as long as you like really, I generally use about 4-hour intervals when I use vacuum.

It's cheap, easy and works..

procedure;
*connect-up (my picture shows a 'double arrangement') singles are easier to handle really..
*open valve between depressed (i.e. empty) syringe and jar contents
*pull syringe-plunger out until a decent vacuum is felt and hold it there (I wedge a marker-pen into the syringe's shaft to hold the vacuum on)
*close the valve (thus holding the vacuum in the jar) and disconnect syringe
*depress the syringe's plunger to expel the drawn-off air and reconnect to pipe
*open valve - you'll see the syringe's plunger 'pull tight' as the vacuum hits it
*draw-off some more air (i.e. increase vacuum) then close valve
*disconnect syringe, repeat if necessary or simply leave vacuum-jar for a while (30mins, 2hrs..)
*repeat if necessary

I find a couple of syringes of vacuum does the job with the setup pictured, and I usually only 'decompress' (letting the tissue sink) and re-vacuum once as this is nearly always enough..

Worth a go - really does work!

[billben74]

Many thanks to gekko and John B.
Both have helped me move closer the my holy grail of creating some "proper" slides using my microtome.