Try making your PTAH by a slightly modified traditional formula.

Hematoxylin    1 g
Phosphotungstic acid  9 g
Grind together with a pestle and mortar.
Triturate with about 50 ml water.
Bring the volume of water to 1L.
Add 0.2 g sodium iodate.
Bring to the boil.
Use when cooled to room temperature (overnight usually).

Method.

1. Bring to water.
2. Try one of the following:
    a. Stain at room temperature for 30 minutes to overnight.
    b. Stain at 56C for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
3. Wash quickly with water.
4. Dehydrate with ethanol
5. Clear with xylene.
6. Mount with a resinous medium

Note:
1.  On the few occasions I have used this method, the blue staining has been
intense.  Control it by timing the staining and by the water and ethanol
treatments after staining.

2.  Treatment with iodine-hypo is probably not needed for striations.  If
you want to include it, insert it before step 2.


Bryan Llewellyn



----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel & Linda Botsford" 
To: "HistoNet Server" 
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 5:04 AM
Subject: PTAH Staining inconsisitant