MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Just received an 80A Lipshaw microtome; 18" long, weighs around 100 pounds.
Anyone know the function of the 2 knobs arrowed?
Unfortunately it came with a wrong blade - a 120mm American Optical blade; microtome needs a 230mm blade!

First off, wow, cool, congratulations!
Second I am not sure, but that looks like a freezing specimen platform, in which case the white "knob" as probably a port for introducing liquid CO2. The black one might be a valve?
Third I think I might have a big Lipshaw knife - if you're interested, let me know and I will dig around.

Leonard

Thanks, PM sent.

Finally got a decent section with the 10" Lipshaw blade with a setting angle of about 8 degrees; it's a huge blade.
I was having a lot of trouble getting the wax to infiltrate the specimen; actual problem was to get the Toluene to leave the inside of the specimen.
An article in Micscape Magazine suggested using 99% Isopropyl Alcohol as the solvent for the wax. The wax did not dissolve but seemed to form a fine suspension. Allowing the alcohol to evaporate at 60C gave a fully infiltrate specimen: Hydrangea stem from last year (kept in alcohol).

I was able to get complete transverse sections at 10 microns and at 20 microns. However, during later processing the sections were very easily damaged.
Decided to get 30 micron sections. So far so good. Attached is a 30 micron section, dewaxed and in Cedarwood OIl (the black dots are dirt that will wash off).
Next job is to hydrate, stain and mount.
Photo of section: Nikon D90 on an Olympus BH2/BHS, 2.5x projection lens, 1.25x intermediate lens, SPlan Fl 2x objective.

stained and mounted in Euparal