[Histonet] the good old days

[anclg]

Hi everyone,
    you made me laugh........I`m in a time warp here too in not so sunny
Bristol. I do have a dip and dunk processor,circa 1980, but can well
remember hand processing, when I first started in the lab. in 1970, we
were using benzene as the solvent and I used to lift the lid of the wax
oven where the pots of benzene / wax and wax pots were kept and think
what a lovely smell it was! I still sharpen my knives on an old Shandon
Elliott,including the D profile tungsten carbide knives. I can certainly
remember that awful sinking feeling as I waited, breath held ,watching
the knife flip over only to see the thin slivers of copper shaved from
the plate surface again.It`s really only in the last couple of years
that I`ve used tissue cassettes for everything and even now use Leukhart
moulds and wooden blocks for large bone blocks, and all my wax is still
warmed in a jug over a bunsen burner. I make all my own stains and
fixatives, all prepared under a fume hood now though and with all the
proper safety precautions.
   I have advanced now into the age of immunohistochemistry,in situ
hybridisation, plastic embedding etc, but some old habits die hard and
will probably remain with me until I retire. Of course, if anyone would
like to donate a tissue processor, embedding station, automated stainer
........sigh......
Chris Goodall