MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Every once in a while I like to nag everyone to pay attention to how they store their slide collection, to never leave slides in a vertical orientation as with slide boxes laid on a shelf. This is because it just isn't safe to assume the mountant in your prepared slides is solid, and all your precious specimens may end up in nasty jumble on one side. More than one exhibition arrangement of diatoms has been ruined this way. To make the point clear, I offer an image of my Klaus Kemp 8 Form Test Plate, where it's obvious the diatoms have migrated because we all know Klaus originally lined them up perfectly. This wasn't a result of improper storage, however, but from many years of rough and tumble use. Fortunately it's not ruined, just not as pretty...

The next image shows how I store my slides: in boxes set on end like books, which also takes up considerably less shelf space than laid flat, and much easier to draw one out than from a stack. They're also oriented such that the slides are not only horizontal, but hanging slip side down so specimens gravitate towards the cover glass rather than away from it. I label them with a Sharpie to show at a glance how to store or open them.

Thanks Kurt-- now that's a tip I can use!

Good tip :)

Hi Kurt,
good idea to bring this up! I store my slides this way but haven't added an arrow so far. Where I have to improve my methods: When making new slides or working on them it can happen that slide boxes lie around open with the slide vertical. I should make it a principle to properly tidy up when I finish work, as it often takes a while until I find time for the project again. Just what my wife is saying all the time!

Bob

Along the same lines, I was going through the very large cabinet of a well-respected mounter of recent times, now not with us, and discovered one or two of his larger dry mounts that had lost their 'cells'.


As you can see, the result has been rather drastic !








Then I found another, in a separate drawer...not quite as bad, but still beyond saving.

A very good point Kurt!

I have used flat cardboard slide holders while working on diatom slides and have recently obtain some nice plastic ones with clear lids so I can see whats in them. I also use the wooden Eberbach cabinet and some antique cabinets to keep my slides flat during storage. You can see my antiques ones here: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5953&p=84532#p84532
This is the Eberbach cabinet: And below are the cardboard and plastic ones I use. They only hold 20 slides, but I stack them and I like them.

Yes indeed the importance cannot be overstressed. I often see this large slide cabinets on eBay with all the slots to hold the slide on its side. In most cases probably schools and universities are buying them for smears and acrylic mounts. However they should be sold with a warning for limited use.

I bought a nice collection of slides from the late 1800's ones and a large percentage of the specimens have slide to one side.l from improper storage. Too bad!

Another thing to keep in mind. Some of the china slide boxes have the hinge mounted upside down. I didn't realize this once and broke a few when I opened the box and the slides fell out!

Kirby

Bob, that's definitely one of the benefits: I can't stand to see a slide box laying on the bench because of what happened to my Kemp test plate, and promptly put them back up before long which really helps keep the place tidy.

MicroBob wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:50 am

Hi Kurt,
good idea to bring this up! I store my slides this way but haven't added an arrow so far. Where I have to improve my methods: When making new slides or working on them it can happen that slide boxes lie around open with the slide vertical. I should make it a principle to properly tidy up when I finish work, as it often takes a while until I find time for the project again. Just what my wife is saying all the time!

Bob

Thanks You .

KurtM wrote:
"They're also oriented such that the slides are not only horizontal, but hanging slip side down so specimens gravitate towards the cover glass rather than away from it."

This may not be a good idea for all slides, depends on the specimen.
This mite, from a leaf litter sample, has several upward-pointing hairs on its dorsal surface. These show with the correct orientation in this Euparal-mounted slide.
If stored upside down and the mite did gravitate towards the cover slip it is likely theses hairs would be bent out of shape.

Generally, the less distance between cover slip and specimen the better. But, as you point out, not always. Thanks for making this post a little more useful.