----- Original Message -----
From: "Monson, Frederick C." <fmonson@wcupa.edu>
To: "'Dr. Ian Montgomery'" <ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 9:25 PM
Subject: RE: Canada Balsam.


> Ian,
> If I'd only known.  I have two, really old 30ml cork-stoppered
> (really viscous) bottles of Leitz Canada Balsam.  I have one that I keep
in
> the event someone wants to mount some fleas (from our cats).  If you would
> like the other two, for a first-class ticket and some salmon fishing I'll
> bring them over, or......, I'll drop them in a box.
> They can't have any solvent left in them, but they're not
> crystallized.  Interesting materials, these natural resins.
>
> What a thing to muse about!  What solvent is yours in?!?
>
> My own preference for mounting has always been Damar.  I've prepared it
> twice and still have about a liter left.  It behaves much like the balsam,
> but I've never seen it crystallize.  Don't know if I've ever seen balsam
> crystallized either.  When I started in the late '50's, Permount had been
> out a while, I think.  My boss told me that he didn't use balsam for
slides,
> BECAUSE it did crystallize.  In any event, if the stuff is rare, you've
got
> some here if you want it.
>
> Regards,
>
> Fred
>
> > ----------
> > From: Dr. Ian Montgomery
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 10:56 AM
> > To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> > Subject: Canada Balsam.
> >
> >         Sitting this morning mounting larvae using Canada balsam when I
> > thought, am I alone, or do other labs still use Canada balsam. For
larvae
> > etc it's still the best, good penetration and the mounts last for years
> > without loss of colour. It's only interest but do other Histologists
still
> > use this mounting media and for what.
> > Ian.
> >
> >
> > Dr. Ian Montgomery,
> > Microscopy Service Unit,
> > Graham Kerr Building,
> > Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences,
> > University of Glasgow,
> > Glasgow,
> > G12 8QQ.
> > Tel: 0141 332 8855
> > Office: 4652
> > Lab: 6644.
> > e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk
> >
>
>