[Histonet] The Good Old Days...

[James Watson]

OK

1.	Making formalin and Grossing with an old metal table fan to blow the formalin fumes away.  
2.	Finding the technicon hung up in the morning with the samples dried out.
3.	Figuring out how to reprocess the tissue
4.	Pan embedding and having the paper labels float away from the samples in the pan.
	a.	Bunsen burner needed
5.	Big kitchen knife heated over a Bunsen burner to make blocks
6.	Soaking re-useable metal cassettes in a bucket of xylene.  (next to where you were pan embedding)
7.	Sharpening a knife on multiple stones then stropping on leather then cloth.
8.	Over tightening the microtome clamp on the paraffin block and having to re-embed because the block broke.
9.	Making staining solutions (some of us still do this).
	a.	Making Schiffs regent without a hood
	b.	Cresyl violet stain powder floating around the room,  watch where you put your hands
	c. 	Silver nitrate spilled on the counter where you just put your hand then wiped your face. 
10.	Staining slides in open staining dishes with no fume hood.
11.	Wiping the whole room down with xylene to clean the wax up.
12.	Autopsies in the afternoon,
13.	Whole human brains soaking in the sink in 5 gallons of 20% formalin overnight.

Oh boy,  really miss them good old days.  Life was easier then!

Hey Teri,	When are we going to get our new coverslipper in?  We were spoiled by the demo unit.

Jamie


James Watson HT  ASCP
GNF  Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
Tel    858-332-4647
Fax   858-812-1915
jwatson <@t> gnf.org

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Goins, Tresa
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 11:33 AM
To: Blazek, Linda; Victor A. Tobias; Cristi Rigazio; Davis, Cassie
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] The Good Old Days...

I've stropped blades until they looked like scythes - and I got pretty good at adjusting those three screws to line up my block on the microtome.



-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Blazek, Linda
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 12:15 PM
To: Victor A. Tobias; Cristi Rigazio; Davis, Cassie
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] The Good Old Days...

How many can strop a knife?

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Victor A. Tobias
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 2:01 PM
To: Cristi Rigazio; Davis, Cassie
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] The Good Old Days...

Seems like no one has touched upon the fine art of knife sharpening. Sometimes I felt like an executioner sharpening my axe to the point of splitting a hair. Heaven forbid if you hit a staple. That part of the blade was no useless for days to weeks until the daily sharpening ground it out. Life is pretty good when you just pull out another blade from the plastic box.

Victor 

Victor Tobias HT(ASCP)
Clinical Applications Analyst
Harborview Medical Center
Dept of Pathology Room NJB 244
Ninth & Jefferson
Seattle, WA 98104
vtobias <@t> u.washington.edu
206-744-2735
206-744-8240 Fax
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-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Cristi Rigazio
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 10:40 AM
To: Davis, Cassie
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] The Good Old Days...

Hear hear!  I agree and was just saying I love hearing the stories (although I am not young).  Thanks all for sharing these memories and lessons!

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 20, 2013, at 10:13 AM, "Davis, Cassie" <CDavis <@t> che-east.org> wrote:

> I enjoy hearing sincere reminiscing...Even though us "kids" don't know how good we have it, some of us enjoy having an "old tech" beside us on the bench. I find weeding through the sarcasm can be profitable and in doing so have learned so much. What the old techs did on a daily basis, we only did in the practice lab and when the automated instruments and pre-made solutions that we have come to rely on fail, experience is so very valuable. Only by their blood, sweat and tears have we benefitted however, we have so far to go, let's do it together.
> 
> Cassandra Davis
> CDavis <@t> che-east.org
> 302-575-8095
> 
> 
> 
> 
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