Hi David: When I used an AO with a disposable blade holder. I had to test a blank paraffin block to get the blade the right tightness. There was no set tension that I can remember. What I would do it tighten the blade holder until the disposable blade was held securely. Test the knife with the blank block. If the blade was too tight I would loosen the lever and back the screws off 1/4 turn. Tighten it back up and test it again. I would continue doing this until I got the right tension. It really sounds complicated but it really isn't just make sure that the springs are good and the lever is clean. Once you get it set you are good to go until you clean your holder and then you have to go through the procedure again. This is the best that I can remember.
Frances L. Swain HT(ASCP) A. A. S. Special Procedures Technician Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Center for Orthopaedic Research Barton Research Building 2R28 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock AR 72205 (501) 686-8739 PHONE (501) 686-8987 FAX swainfranc...@uams.edu email -----Original Message----- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of David Waugh Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 2:08 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] AO Blade holder > I have a question regarding a AO disposable blade holder (Cat# 824). > This link should show a picture of a similar one > www.usedmicroscopes.com/images/AO820Microtome.jpg > > The blade is tightened with a lever on the right that rotates a d- > shaped cam. Two screws are used the set the tension that the cam > places on the blade, once set, the cam will tighten and loosen the > blade. The back of the holder is concave, and the front part convex, > so that when tightened, the blade will bow. I have not been able to > find any documentation on how tight the blade should be. It sounds > like most holders have flat surfaces that clamp the blade, which I > would think would have very different tightness requirements. Any > ideas from someone who uses this type of holder on how the two > screws should be set? Thanks, David > > Kent State University > Department of Geology > Kent, Ohio 44242 > dwa...@kent.edu > _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet