[Histonet] Embedding technique

[peptolab]

I use room temperature molds for everything (Tissue Tek Plastics). They are
filled leaving 0.5-1 mm empty at the top. Saves lots of time cleaning the
blocks and everything is level and fine at the bottom.
 The only things that get melted on the warm plate are any needle biopsies-
melt the
bottom layer, place em in and position, move to cold plate and quickly tamp
with the little tamper thingies. The larger sized rectangular molds are
banned from my lab.

I embed from the holding reservoir filled half way or less. Everything sinks
to the bottom and comes out fine, the relative chill though enables most
curettings to come out in one cake- easy to transfer to the mold.

Tricks:
TURP, I gross in a "monolayer" of prostate chips in the cassette. When
embedding, I invert the cassette over  the base mold and tap, everything
falls into place (if your lucky) and there is no need to  mess with the
chips further.

Gunk wrapped in lens tissue can be cooled ever so slightly, scraped off the
paper with a slide, as the layer of wax and gunk builds up on the edge, one
can warm the bottom of the slide gently and scrape it off in one piece right
into the mold.

One thing though- I sure miss my bunsen burner.  It would keep us warm
during these frigid winter days.

Jeff Silverman
Southside Hospital
Bay Shore NY