MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

What if any spacers are recommended for providing a space between a coverslip and a slide for permanent mounts.
A strand from a fine braided electrical wire is one I can think of.
Are there commercial outlets? Stainless-steel wire, tungsten filaments of calibrated diameters?

Fishing line will work nicely.
There is a source for fine glass beads, but I can't remember it now.

Bob

(Jewelry) Bead threads may work too.

In USA, stores like Hobby Lobby offer many bead threads of different thickness.

lperepol wrote:What if any spacers are recommended for providing a space between a coverslip and a slide for permanent mounts.
A strand from a fine braided electrical wire is one I can think of.
Are there commercial outlets? Stainless-steel wire, tungsten filaments of calibrated diameters?

Hi, if the specimens are so thick that they require a spacer, as a lot of whole-mounts do, the coverslip is probably not critical in as much as the spacers used don't need to be keepint the coverslip absolutely parallel to the slide?

I've seen the round paper hole-reinforcers recommended, or perhaps grains of sand may well be suitably inert with respect to any mountant used for longevity of the mount?

There are always of course fixed biological (botanical probably) parts that may also prove useful and of appropriate stability, uniformity and thickness. Would various thicknesses of say cotton be suitable - probably better longeity and neutrality than metals?

An interesting area whole-mounting for permanence, not one I've really tried except for a maggot's head from within the head of a fly (see 'return of the fly' post a few years ago) which I simply mounted directly into Euparal after alcohol-dehydration. I looked at this ghastly slide only 2 days ago and the head is still as mounted....

lperepol wrote:What if any spacers are recommended for providing a space between a coverslip and a slide for permanent mounts.
A strand from a fine braided electrical wire is one I can think of.
Are there commercial outlets? Stainless-steel wire, tungsten filaments of calibrated diameters?

Very uniform metal wire is made and marketed for winding e. g. transormers, and heating elements. For the latter, the wire is wound on a ceramic rod. It is not made of copper but rather from more durable metals. A range of thicknesses is available.

Alternatively, forum memebr Charles described "posts" made of - I think - thick-walled aluminum foil circles, cut wih an ordinay office paper borer. About 1-2 years ago.

Aluminum sheets are great! I have used them as spacers. Need to keep it flat though.

zzffnn wrote:Aluminum sheets are great! I have used them as spacers. Need to keep it flat though.

That sounds like a great idea - a 'frame' for the specimen within the mount may be cut in one piece, and will of course flatten really well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOe5VbaTexY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_wki4O8urc

One person used a opened hard drive. No pictures were given.

microb wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOe5VbaTexY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_wki4O8urc

One person used a opened hard drive. No pictures were given.

I don't know if that was me but I did cobble one together from a hard drive, pipe fittings and some scrap wood. It works pretty good but a real one would be nice.