Kate
The coverglass thickness (or thinness if you are a dieter) that you use
should primarily be determined by your microscopy setup. Most objective
lenses are designed to be used with 0.17mm thick coverslips (#1 and a 1/2).
Some lenses, especially 40X and above, have a correction collar which
adjusts the internal lens arrangement for optimal microscopy and for
different coverslip thicknesses. For oil immersion the thickness of the
coverslip is somewhat immaterial (as long as it is no so thick that
focusing is impossible) as the oil, coverslip and slide should all be
approximately the same refractive index.
Barry 

At 10:59 PM 8/11/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Kate:
>
>	Do you mean 1.5 mm thick or No. 1-1/2 thickness cover glasses?  The two are
>not the same.  1.5 mm thick would be half again as thick as a micro slide,
>which I'm sure you don't mean.  If, however, you mean No. 1-1/2, you don't
>want that thickness for cytological or histological applications.  You
>really want, whether you know it or not, No. 1 thickness cover glasses.  No.
>1-1.2 cover glasses are correct ONLY if the specimen is in direct contact
>with the underside of the cover glass -- which NEVER occurs in routine
>practice.  You should be asking for "coverslippers" that handle No. 1
>thickness cover glasses, which are thinner but which anticipate the added
>thickness of the mounting medium.  Mounting medium interacts with light as
>though it is glass and is usually substantially thick in terms of the
>tolerance limits of high dry objectives to deviations in thickness from that
>intended.  Obviously, No. 1 thickness cover glasses are also recommended for
>manual coverslipping applications.
>
>Gary W. Gill
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kate_E_Rhodes@sbphrd.com [mailto:Kate_E_Rhodes@sbphrd.com]
>Sent: August 11, 1999 1:14 PM
>To: Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: Coverslipper vendors
>
>
>Hi coverslipper vendors-We are searching for a new coverslipper that uses
>glass coverslips (1.5mm thick) for use in our pharmaceutical lab.  Please
>contact us directly.
>
>Thank you,
>Kate Rhodes
>SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
>709 Swedeland Rd.
>King of Prussia, PA 19406
>610-270-7340
>FAX 610-270-7202
>
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