Sorry folks! I typed the web address for the technique
wrongly. It's correct in the repeat message that follows.
 - John Kiernan
--------------------------
Agustín Venzano wrote:
> Dear Histonetters: What kind of experience did you have with the use of
> celloidin- ether for preventing tissues detachment from slides? We usually
> pour some drops of celloidin working solution onto the sections placed in
> the staining rack just between 96 º alcohol and absolute alcohol.

In my lab we regularly used nitrocellulose (celloidin) 
protection, years ago, for sections of decalcified rats'
heads that had to spend 18 hours in a warm solution of
borate-buffered (pH 8.5) silver nitrate. We also did it
for counterstaining developed autoradiographs (with alcian
blue and alum-brazilin) when it looked as if the emulsion 
was in danger of coming off the slides. We used 0.2-0.5%
nitrocellulose (Parloidin or Necolloidin) in a 50:50 mixture
of diethyl ether and 100% ethanol.

Putting the protectant solution on top of the sections did
not work; the nitrocellulose layer often floated off,
usually mutilating or removing some of the sections too. We
found that it was necessary for the nitrocellulose film to
encase the whole slide - front, edges, corners and back.

This is a useful, though rather troublesome technique. It
is essential that you follow the instructions faithfully
(and intelligently; there's a reason for every step).
For the benefit of those who would like to try it, I
have just put a detailed set of instructions on my web 
site:  http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/nitroflm.htm

The procedure is closely similar to that recommended by
Manfred Gabe in his monumental "Histological Techniques"
(Paris: Masson, 1976), but it was developed largely by
building on the advice of the late Ted Walker, who was  
our department's chief histotechnologist (technician, in
those days) from 1946(?) to 1975. 
-- 
-------------------------
John A. Kiernan
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
The University of Western Ontario
London,   Canada   N6A 5C1
   kiernan@uwo.ca
   http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/