Easy chamber slides

[Radazz]

Here are some easy chamber slides made with nylon washers, ID-3/8" (~9.5mm), OD-1/2" (12.5mm), and 1.5mm thick.
Glued to slide with Canada balsam, 1, 2 and 3 deep, making chambers 1.5, 3, and 4.5 mm deep.
1/2" (12.5mm) round coverslips fit perfectly.

Materials:
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Disregard the clamps, they do more harm than good.

CAUTION xylene is a carcinogen wear rubber gloves and don't breathe the fumes.
Use at your own risk. However, I don't know of anything more benign that thins balsam.
YOU be careful. I take no responsibility.

Glue the washer to a clean dry slide using a thin film of balsam applied to the washer (I use a glass rod)
https://s20.postimg.org/nhmn1qx5p/image.jpg[/img]adult image

Stack washers to create desired depth. Slide in foreground is two washers or 3mm deep.
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Nicely posed...
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This is a two layer stack of washers, 3mm deep. I wanted a face on mount of the spider so I removed the abdomen and stuck the back end of the cephalothorax into a small drop of balsam, and sealed with a round 1/2" (12.5mm) coverslip.

I only made one with three washers so far but I'm saving it for a whole wasp head or dragon fly head.

Enjoy,
Jim

[mrsonchus]

Great job and demo Jim - thanks. It's made me want to have a go with a few 'big bits'!

Nicely done and a great article to help make mounts to keep and peruse at leisure - nicely done old chap.

p.s. is your spider-half submerged in anything or just dry?

[Radazz]

Just anchored at the rear, and hopefully plugging up the body fluids.
I want to try thinned balsam fill, and liquid fill, but not sure what the balsam would do With alcohol or something like that.

[mrsonchus]

Just anchored at the rear, and hopefully plugging up the body fluids.
I want to try thinned balsam fill, and liquid fill, but not sure what the balsam would do With alcohol or something like that.

This may sound mad - but have a look at my easy method to apply vacuum to a liquid-infiltrating specimen - this combined with the use of hand-sanitizer gel/liquid would totally infiltrate your specimen and enable you to mount it within your cavity - if Balsam and the gel don't 'get on' (i.e. the Balsam's drying is prevented or inhibited, simply use an alcohol-base mountant to seal the cover-slip instead - one or the other option is I suspect almost guaranteed to work.
The sanitizer-gel will of course ensure the specimen and any occupants do not decay or live-on...

This may be a way to do it - I haven't tried it myself but I may run a few trials on the weekend to see what may be done old chap.

Keep up the good work!

Here are a couple of pictures of the method to apply a little vacuum - it really does work - I use it often for my fixing and dehydration stages.... The fittings, tubing etc is all fish-tank ware... extremely cheap, plus a simple plastic syringe of about 100ml and you're off - no more air inside your specimens in liquid!

The kit

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The method - close valve nearest syringe, open valve nearest specimen - draw syringe-full of air off and hold syringe in that position with a wedge or something - close valve nearest specimen - open valve nearest syringe - close syringe to expel drawn-off air - close valve nearest syringe - open valve nearest specimen - draw off air...... just like filling phials of blood-samples!

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specimen under vacuum - remember to release the vacuum altogether at some time before re-applying - this will let the liquid -'rush into' the once air-filled cavities...

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Much easier than I make it sound...

Good luck.

[Radazz]

Outstanding idea, John.
I was just whimsically looking at vacuum chambers, sighing at how very spendy they are, and you come up with this. Brilliant! The vacuum makes the aperatus stronger. I must get to the fish store. Already made friends with the manager who gives me water samples.

Does the hand sanitizer act as a surfactant?

Thanks for the best idea I've seen this summer.

Jim

[mrsonchus]

Outstanding idea, John.
I was just whimsically looking at vacuum chambers, sighing at how very spendy they are, and you come up with this. Brilliant! The vacuum makes the aperatus stronger. I must get to the fish store. Already made friends with the manager who gives me water samples.

Thanks for the best idea I've seen this summer.

Jim

Go get yer gear Jim!

p.s. don't buy the plastic valves you have to turn - they really hurt the fingers - I bought those shiny metal ones with the easy-open bar for peanuts online! Far easier when you find you are a hand short when carrying out the vacuum procedure! I find for the jars you see of mine that 2 or 3 cumulative serial pulls of vacuum per go is about right.

Have fun my friend! Let us know how you get on.

oh yes, I made a very short video of the vacuum taking-effect as I applied it,


p.p.s.
I don't think it acts as a surfactant as you're not adding it to anything the surface tension of which it may alter, e.g. water, but it's own surface-tension is unknown to me - you'll soon find out when you come to fill the cell - convex or concave on top - interesting to know!

If it's to some extent gelatinous you may find, especially if you cool the cell and gel (I cool my wax-blocks in the refrigrator - often hidden behind veg so my Darling Wife doesn't see them.. ) etc before filling it, that you can 'level-off' the top to some degree before snugly applying the cover-slip - sounds like a great adventure to me!

[billbillt]

GENIUS!!..

BillT

[Radazz]

Wait a minute, I have a hand vacuum pump in the garage for bleeding breaks.
That would be a cheap solution if it works...

Will update.

[mrsonchus]

Wait a minute, I have a hand vacuum pump in the garage for bleeding breaks.
That would be a cheap solution if it works...

Will update.

Just the job!

[Radazz]

This break bleeding hand pump, (happily NIB) will pull and hold 28 hg (95 KPA). Works fine for de-gassing mounting medium
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[KurtM]

What is that last picture, and why de-gas mounting medium?

I am very interested in learning more about using vacuum techniques, so more than mere idle curiosity prompts the questions. Thank you!

[apatientspider]

What is that last picture, and why de-gas mounting medium?

I am very interested in learning more about using vacuum techniques, so more than mere idle curiosity prompts the questions. Thank you!

You'd de-gas to get the bubbles out of the mounting medium. You know - like with woodworking varnish, you don't want bubbles in it. I presume the stuff in the picture is some sort of balsam or similar mounting with a bunch of bubbles in it.

Jim

[billbillt]

Hi,

Is the last pic the same brown jar in the first pic?.. I can't tell for sure..

The Best,
BillT

[mrsonchus]

Haha! Perfect!
All you need to add is the ability to hold the vacuum on each container, easily solved by the use of an isolating-valve (fish air-line valve) with each container.

I do this and simply apply the vacuum to whatever level 'seems right' (although the ability to measure the vacuum and so achieve continuity with this brake-bleeder is extremely useful especially when running trial protocols for different tissues) then close the valve and detach the vacuum-puller to use on the next (in my case specimen jars) application.

The brake-bleeding pump with dial is perfect for me, I'm off to buy one right now! At this moment I have 3 jars of Sunflower-stem (varying by age and therefore tissue maturity and morphology) in fixative and under vacuum - also a small jar of freshly-thinned and shaken (and consequently air-bubble filled) mounting-medium likewise de-gassing under vacuum.

Thanks for the superb idea of the brake-bleeding kit - this is now a 'must-have' for my kit!

[mrsonchus]

Just bought one for £12 delivered! Even easier to use than my syringe by the look of it!

[Radazz]

Same brown bottle in both pictures.
Had to add some xylene to thin the balsam enough to let the bubbles rise to the surface.
Then I would pull about 10 - 15 hg and hold until bubbles sat on the surface and would let off the vacuum and repeat. This got most of the air out of the balsam.
If you plug the side of the catch cup that would hook to the brake line it can hold vacuum enough to de-gas a small bottle of cytoseal. Now trying to mount it still so I can put a slide in horizontally and try de-gassing the mount before applying a coverslip.

This thing will also develop your grip.

Having a good time experimenting.

[billbillt]

I think you have developed a vacuum system here that you can find plenty of applications for..
BillT

[einman]

Great tips and ideas. Very much appreciated. I too find Salticidae fascinating.

[Radazz]

Haha! Perfect!
Thanks for the superb idea of the brake-bleeding kit - this is now a 'must-have' for my kit!

It would never have occurred to me if I hadn't seen your mini vacuum chamber idea, John.

Rub two brains together and start an idea!

This saves me hundreds of sesterci for some other toy.

Thanks
Jim