MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion as to where I can get some No.0 cover slips. Any suppliers anyone would like to recommend. Not having much luck on eBay or Amazon.

Thanks in advance!

You might try Ted Pella:

http://www.tedpella.com/histo_html/coverslp.htm

Thank you!

By the time the shipping to Canada is added in, a one ounce box of coverslips from Ted Pella gets to be pretty expensive. Ebay is a much better option. Almost every size and description shows up.

apochronaut wrote:By the time the shipping to Canada is added in, a one ounce box of coverslips from Ted Pella gets to be pretty expensive. Ebay is a much better option. Almost every size and description shows up.

You might want to check that again.. A search on Ebay shows only one listing for a size "0" cover slip, and they list for $60+....

BillT

I do find it strange that No.0 cover slips are not as easily available as all the other sizes.

A lot of microscopy is done with very thin smears or sections and with objective lenses that are not overly demanding . This is the reason that 40x .65 high dry objectives have become the de facto objective on off the shelf microscope systems. They combine enough resolution capability to be able to tolerate 15X eyepieces and with a degree of flexibility, when it comes to sample thickness. Generally speaking, a sample of .20 um or so doesn't cross the border with such an objective. If it was a 40X .85 , or 60X .85 there would be problems, yet with a more refined sample preparation and a total sample thickness down around .17, you will get better imaging.
With specialized contrast techniques , such as phase, DF, DIC, Hoffman ; the sample thickness becomes more critical, so zero coverslips can help counteract that issue but you are still laying a thin high refractive index substance over a thicker low refractive index substance , usually to obtain a target sample thickness, when the actual spec. is a thicker high refractive index substance over a thiner low refractive index substance.
The combination of n's will cause slightly differing results; moreso with higher N.A. objectives, less with the workhorse 40X .65 combination and a little worse with specialized imaging techniques.
I have a few thin covers around, down as low as .07 but I find that I seldom need much below .12 and quite often use .14 or so as a default.

0.14 mm cover slip sounds about right for live water mount, which is usually around 0.04 mm thick (yes, I have measured it before).