When we had this very problem, we found that we were not getting them cold enough before removing the block.  If your cold plate isn't getting cold enough, put the blocks in the freezer for a little while - that is what we had to do until we purchased a new embedding station.

Jane


Kelly Pruitt wrote:

> Hi Histoland!  I need help.
>
> What can I do to keep my base molds from sticking to my blocks?  We clean them in xylene and then soap and water.  We air dry them.  We treat/spray them while they are clean with Histo Prep after they have air dried.  I give them a good coating when I use the Histo Prep.  The larger molds are usually good for one use.  On the biopsy molds, they stick every time.  It doesn't matter what I do.
>
> We have bought some of the plastic disposable molds, but they slow embedding down for me.
>
> Does anyone have a clue what the problem is?  Does anyone know what I can do?  Please help!
>
> Kelly S. Pruitt, HT (ASCP)
> Texas A&M University
> College of Veterinary Medicine
> Dept. of Veterinary Anatomy & Public Health
> Histology Laboratory
> College Station, Texas 77868-4458
> kpruitt@cvm.tamu.edu
> phone: 409-845-3177
> fax: 409-847-8981