Beginner shopping list (aside from scopes)

[littlejackal]

Hey all,

I hope this hasn’t been re-hashed a hundred times and I just missed an obvious search, but I’d like some feedback on a decent “startup” shopping list. I’m playing the waiting game, both my friend who is giving me a scope AND the CH-2 auction I won on eBay should be in-town on Thursday. Until then I’m trying to figure out what other tools of the trade will give me a leg up on having fun. I gather that this could be a little dependant on what exactly I want to observe, but so far I think I put together the following list:

- Slides (duh)

I don’t know enough to know whether I can/should just buy whatever cheap slides are available on Amazon, or whether I should be looking for something more? Looks like I can buy a hundred pack of slides bundled with a hundred (.12-.16) cover slips by amscope on Amazon for roughly twenty-something Canadian dollars. I’m 100% sure that the answer here is “they’re fine for a beginner, by the time you need something more high end you’ll be skilled enough to know” and that’s perfectly fine — having a ready supply of slides I can buy with next-day shipping is good, but are there any caveats or pitfalls I should be aware of? I’m also not sure where to get anything better, what I would be looking for, or what prices I should expect to pay. That said, if something higher end is like, a few dollars more then I’m ok spending to just get something super nice from the get-go. Right now I’ve just got the amscope 100/100 pack in my basket.

- Cover slips

( see above )

- Mounting medium?

I’m not sure if this is necessary for a beginner. From all the MH videos I’ve watched I think I’m interested in making permanent slides so I think this is a necessity. Can I get away with clear nail polish for the time being, or should I be immediately looking at something like Euparal? According to the mounting medium article right here on MH it seems like the downside to nail polish is that it shrinks so mounting large specimens can be a problem, but I think I can work around smaller samples so this seems like a good use for me as a beginner? Is there any specific type of clear nail polish I should be looking for/staying away from, or is this just “eh it’s probably fine” territory?

- Isoprop alcohol

Dehydrating specimens? 99% or 70%? I have access to both and I presume 99% is where I want to be for obvious reasons.

- Fine tweezers/pincers

I’m not really sure exactly what I’m looking for here. I think I can take a rough stab based on what I see in youtube videos, but if there are any specific search terms that would lead to specialized equipment that’s probably what I’m asking about. I’m hoping Amazon can provide for convenience sake but if this is one of those “buy once cry once” scenarios I can visit the university science store with my friend when they get in to get my hands on something nicer.

- Wipes

Kimwipes? Q-tips? Cotton balls (organic)? I gather each would have a specific use. I’ve watched a few videos on cleaning eyepieces and objectives and I think have a good idea on what’s required. Kimwipes seem like a no-brainder to have underhand too.

I think this is all that comes to mind. I’m soliciting ideas from folks who remember their first day or two in the hobby and had a “oh man I wish I had that underhand” moment, I think that’s probably what I’m hoping to pin down

And obviously if I *am* rehashing something discussed at length already, either in an article or in a forum post, I apologize and am ready to take my lumps!

[BramHuntingNematodes]

I never had any luck with Hempstead halide euparal. My bottle has not worked at all. Might as well get a contemporary resin medium and a matching clearing agent. I use omnimount and histoclear 2. Barring that you could try like white glue.

Tweezers are a good investment just get some nice ones with fine tips that cost more than five bucks you should be good there. I have had good luck with dumont but other brands are fine too I'm sure.

Plain slides are fine. If you end up getting a microtome and want to mount thin sections charged slides are useful if you don't want to mix up some.egg.whites to use as adhesive.

Kimwipes are.good and cheap to boot. Might want to keep a stock of real lens paper on hand for actually cleaning the optics surfaces should the need arise. Best practice is to try not to clean your optics.

May want to look for coverslips with a thickness closer to .17mm. the usual cheap stuff are .12 I think as they assume there will be stuff between your sample and cover slip. At very high na with non-oil lenses (think your 40x and up) having a few thicknesses of coverslips on hand is useful. If your 40x is plain Jane .65 NA you might not notice, though.

Get both 70 and 99 alcohol for dehydrating. Put the fresh samplesIn 70 or dilute 70 and change it up to 99 over the course of a few days. Take note that unless you are just cracking open a new bottle, the 99 will be in fact 95 or less. 70 is cheap for whenever you need 70 or more dilute. That way you don't keep having to open new bottles of 99.

[TonyT]

Use Canada Balsam for permanent mounting. Available from Quebec, excellent product:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/252737715113?ha ... xycmBS3Yut

[JGardner]

I'd suggest reading this series of articles by Richard Howey on equipping a home laboratory:

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... hlab1.html

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... hlab2.html

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... hlab3.html

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... hlab4.html

[dtsh]

For early on experimenting with mounts, I really like the PVA glue ones (clear glue, mixed with a bit of glycerin) plenty of recipies out there. It lasts quite a reasonable amount of time, I have some in excess of 6 months that still look like they did at first.
I've also used blasam, which compared to the PVA is a hassle, but the mount lasts qa whoole lot longer.
Most of the supplies you'll want will probably be dictated by whatever catches your interest. For example a microtome is useful when you want thin slices, such as with plants and a centrifuge is handy for some things, but not others. Being for amateur use, a lot of things can be cobbled to make due as the efficiency of a professional lab isn't usually needed, so the frugal can often save a bit of money at the expense of time.

[Phill Brown]

Air dust blower, plastic/soft tip type likely to be safer than metal if it touches anything.
Fine tip soft brushes, 000-0000 sable.
Not saying my house isn't clean,just prepared for a stray dust particle if it where to ever happen.

[littlejackal]

Excellent feedback, everyone! Noticed some of this stuff is on MH's amazon affiliate site so I've given a few of these a go. At least it'll give me a leg up on "man I wish I had that on hand" which can be annoying even in this day and age of near-instant gratification and same/next day delivery

[MicroBob]

- Mounting medium?

I’m not sure if this is necessary for a beginner. From all the MH videos I’ve watched I think I’m interested in making permanent slides so I think this is a necessity. Can I get away with clear nail polish for the time being, or should I be immediately looking at something like Euparal? According to the mounting medium article right here on MH it seems like the downside to nail polish is that it shrinks so mounting large specimens can be a problem, but I think I can work around smaller samples so this seems like a good use for me as a beginner? Is there any specific type of clear nail polish I should be looking for/staying away from, or is this just “eh it’s probably fine” territory?

Hi,
in microscopy there is a lot to observe without making permanent mounts. But as soon as one gets into permanent mounting it starts to become quite complicated and the number of bottles develops eponentially. For me this is one of the most attractive parts of the hobby, experimenting with staining and mounting techniques. Other people have much less fun with this or simply don't have the space for the equipment. But unless one concentrates on one single technique a lot of stuff is needed for good results. So if I'm willing to get into permanent mounting I wouldn't look into what can be done with nail polish, I would look for the proper stuff and whether I can get hold of it. A good mountant has to have a good combination of properties and many mountants have not stood the test of time well, so it's complicated. Using nail polish would be like water skiing with two baby bath tubs as sies - it will work to some degree!
Only if it proves impossible for you to get hold of the right stuff it makes sense to look for alternatives. This is a common problem so there are options available, but with compromises.

I'm not aware of many mounting techniques that can be done well with nail polish. In my view the only use of it is impressions of snow crystals, leave surfaces etc.. I don't actually know why nail polish pops up so often while at the same time no one shows well made slides that are made with it...

Bob