For: Russ Allison,
	Of course I expected you to know this - I thought you knew
everthing:-)  The answer - if you can call it that - is "It depends"!
	It depends on :
	How well the blade was sharpened in the first place.
	Are you cutting tissues containing metal(i.e., stents)?  Yes, you
can cut some metals.
	Which hardness of plastic embedding media are you using?  More
plasticizer in the media helps the blade last longer.
	How many pints you had at the pub the night before:-)  Do they have
pubs in Wales?
	Seriously, a professionally sharpened tungsten-carbide blade will
last me through about 40 cross sections of undecalcified goat femur,
hundreds of blocks of polyethylene - but only ~ five arteries containing
stents.
	Absolutely, use them in the cryostat for undecalcified bone - works
great!

	Just how long is a piece of string?
	Linda



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Linda Jenkins, HT
Clemson University
Department of Bioengineering
Clemson, SC
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