[Histonet] glycol methacrylate and sectioning

[Caroline Stott]

Hi, we regularly cut thick Glycol methacrylate sections.
I am doing some right now in fact.  We apply a drop of water using a cotton 
bud to soften the surface of the resin and also create a small puddle on 
the glass knife itself.  They come off fine.  We then sink the sections to 
the bottom of a cold water bath (instead of floating them on top like thin 
sections) pick them up onto the slide, and place a wet piece of filter 
paper over the sections and use a roller to firmly stick the sections to 
the slide.  Next we put the sections onto a hot plate around 60-70 degrees 
C for approximately 10 minutes , this ensures a firm stick.  If they start 
to lift off, roll them again.  A lot of people use thick sections for 
stereology.  Hope that helps.
Caroline

Caroline Stott

Histology Service Unit
Medical School
University of Otago
Dunedin
(03) 479 7152