[Histonet] STATIC AT THE MICROTOME

[RCHIOVETTI <@t> aol.com]

Bob,

Dry atmospheric conditions could be the culprit, also the clothes that you 
wear.  Synthetic fabrics can cause real headaches.

For dry conditions, some folks gently breathe on the block before sectioning; 
others dip their thumb in water and then gently rub their thumb on the block 
surface.  Some folks use a small humidifier in the vicinity of the microtome.  
Others burn a small alcohol lamp somewhere nearby.  Anything to increase the 
humidity in the vicinity of the block is worth a try.

There is an interesting discussion in the Histonet Archives about this 
problem.  The discussion thread mainly concerns static electricity in cryostats, and 
of course breathing on a frozen specimen is a no-no!  But look for messages 
concerning "Breathers" and "Huffers" (the posters' choice of words, not mine!)  
These messages talk about static electricity and paraffin sections.

For the Histonet community that might not know about it, the Histonet search 
engine is fantastic.  I use it a lot.  Here's the link:

<A HREF="http://www.histosearch.com/">Click here: Histosearch: The Histology 
Search Engine</A>

(that's <www.histosearch.com>).

Just click on the box and select "Histonet Archives" as the database to 
search, enter your search words, and you'll get more info than you thought was out 
there.  I used "static electricity" as the search words (without the quote 
marks).  You would probably get more pertinent results by searching for 
"breathers" and "huffers."

Good luck, hope this helps.

Bob Chiovetti
GTI Microsystems
Leica Exclusive Regional Dealer
Desert Southwest Region, USA