Here is another vote for Klaus!  We received our first Leitz (1512) in 1983, 
the second in 1987. Through regular maintenance and yearly PMs (preventative 
maintenance)Klaus has kept them working like new. In 1995, we received four 
more 1512s from closed 'sister' laboratories. Klaus cleaned and updated 
them.  (Their care before Klaus was poor....no wonder their labs didn't make 
it!)  We keep four 1512s working daily and only because of Klaus. Other 
service people have tried to duplicate his work, but not one of them could 
hold a candle to his skill and abilities with Leitz equipment.

Klaus also manufactures a marvelous blade holder.  It holds our disposable 
blades so tight we no longer have chatter or venetian blind 
effects.(well...sometimes on bones that could have used a few more minutes 
in decal.)

It too bad there are not more of his kind out there......
        Joyce, what are we going to do when he retires???????


Barbara Stancel
Lead Technician
USDA, FSIS, Eastern Lab
Athens, Georgia



>From: "Weems, Joyce" <JWEEMS@sjha.org>

I have news for those of you who love these old workhorses and would like
repairs instead of replacement microtomes! Klaus Dern, my friend and
microtome service man for many years, can make parts that are no longer
available for this instrument! I was chatting with him about this and
volunteered to tell the Histo world only as a service to you. He can
completely refurbish the 1512s. He formerly worked at Ernst Leitz Wetzlar
G.mb.H. in Germany, and just does wonders with these machines.

This recommendation comes from me - only as a friend of Klaus and as a lover 
of these old microtomes. I can still sometimes sit down in front of our new 
Leica and reach for the knob in the front! Old habits die hard. :>)

If anyone is interested, please email me privately for phone no. and
address.

Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta



_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com