Home made (Very Basic) Microtome

[MicroBob]

Hi Michael,
this is the type mostly used here:[imghttp://www.microbehunter.com/microscopy-forum/ ... d=13922img].
You can clamp the stem embedded in carrot pieces. My one is old, made by Sartorius.

Bob

[MichaelG.]

Thanks, Bob
I’ve not seen that style before.
... Every day is a learning day !!

MichaelG.

[MicroBob]

Hi Michael,
we here in Germany on the other hand side nomally never experience a Camebridge rocking microtome or copy of it. Regional differences.
For the cylinder hand microtome a blade holder is known for along time under the name SHK-Halter. It takes Leica 818 single use microtome blades. These have become more and more expensive and now cost 100€ per pack of 50 - unattractive in my eyes. To be able to do plant sections on a group meeting I developed my cutter blade holder.
It carries the edge in a distance to the table so the edge touches nothing but plant material.
Interestingly nobody was interested in my offer here. Probably there are fewer people doing plant sections with a cylinder microtome here.

Bob

[Roldorf]

HI Bob.
Posts about plant sections seem to get very high numbers of 'views', but I don't think there are many people actually making plant sections. There are not many posts on plants, most seem to be about pond life.

Alan

[mrsonchus]

Plant-section posts! Have a look over my posts -- over 3k posts re plants!

Hand-sectioned plants, May 2017, see my post.
Some great results are possible with hand-sectioning, even without a hand-microtome. I take mine without using a microtome, just the 'back of a fingernail' does the job.



Here's a more recent post, bamboo hand-sectioned...

Keep at it, the results are fascinating and well worth the small effort.

[MicroBob]

Hi John,
nobody will have forgotten your botanical sections, I'm sure! I always enjoy your threads a lot and read them carefully.
But apart from you there are few members here who post on botanical sectioning and staining.
In the german forum there are a lot of people who make plant sections and a few who are very productive. Most use AFE fixated material, carrot enclosing, cylinder microtome, blade holder, Etzold or Wacker differentiating stain. They have developed a certain method with little variation and concentrate on the subjects. A couple of members write really nice reports that are very informative. After covering many frequent and well known plants they show more and more very special plants:https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index. ... ic=27181.0

Early this year we had group meeting about plant sectioning and staining and had an absolute record attendance. The lab looked as if a wheelbarrow full of carrots had been bombed!
Maybe there is just a lot of interest in plant sectioning in Germany?

Bob

[mrsonchus]

Great link Bob - some great examples there! There's nothing more colourful than a hand-section! Some truly beautiful examples, and I love the labelling and interest.

I may have to have a look at that forum. What's the German for 'Hello'!

Many thanks Bob. A superb lead.

[Roldorf]

Hi Bob.

There is indeed many plant studies on this site.

See here for a linked list of all the posts on plant microscopy. A virtual Alladin's cave. From A to Z

https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index. ... ic=21220.0

[Roldorf]

Hi John 'Guten Tag'

Edit:- You could always use google translate to see what they are talking about. Just copy and paste the text into here:-

https://translate.google.com/

[mrsonchus]

Sounds-good!

I'll have a visit later, maybe even join-up.
I have to take the dog to the vet' soon..... bad teeth and partial deafness, the dog that is, not me!

Thanks agin Bob, I'll let you know how I get on.

[MicroBob]

Hi Bob.

There is indeed many plant studies ...From A to Z

https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index. ... ic=21220.0

Only problem: Whatever you want to section, somebody has done it before!

[MichaelG.]

I have to take the dog to the vet' soon..... bad teeth and partial deafness, the dog that is, not me!

So can we safely assume that the vet is healthy ?


MchaelG.

[mrsonchus]