Have you tried to coat your slides with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane?  We
use home made coated slides with better success than commercial ones for
large sections of bone and cartilage in our lab.  You can buy the solution
from Sigma, cat. # A3648.

We use two changes of APES.

Histochemical Journal 1986:18, 271-276.

My humble experience.
Su

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	StephnJill@aol.com [SMTP:StephnJill@aol.com]
> Sent:	Sunday, April 22, 2001 10:30 AM
> To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject:	Tough Toenails
> 
> Dear all: 
> 
> I work in a dermpath lab where we receive numerous toenails for
> processing.   
> We have no problem with processing, the trouble occurs trying to keep the 
> nails on the slide for H&E or PAS stains.  There is gelatin in the water 
> baths.  We have used pol- poly-l-lysine slides, positively charged slides,
> 
> Elmer's glue slides and we leave these cut slides in the oven for 1/2 hour
> or 
> an hour.   
> 
> Does anyone have secrets for toenails?  I would greatly appreciate any 
> suggestions. 
> 
> Thank you 
> 
> Jill Gilbert