We didn't have embedding stations when I started in histology. We had three stainless steel pitchers of melted paraffin, maybe 500 ml each, in the paraffin oven. We worked on a large, low temperature hotplate, called a "slide warmer".  We would take one of the pitchers to the "work station", place it on the slide warmer.  We would take the last paraffin container, containing the processed specimens, off the rotary processor and plug it in next to the hotplate. Take an embedding mold (these were made of paper, folded by the histotechs at the end of the previous workday), write the specimen ID on it, place it on the hotplate, pour paraffin into it from the pitcher, unwrap the tissue sample (which were processed wrapped in lens paper - no such thing as cassettes), place it in the mold, then transfer the mold to a metal plate on top of a cakepan full of ice.  When the pitcher of paraffin started to get too cool, replace it in the oven and take another pitcher. Sounds pretty primitive - mainly because it was - but it got the job done.

> ----------
> From: 	histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of Anila Syed
> Sent: 	Wednesday, January 24, 2007 5:05 AM
> To: 	histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: 	[Histonet] embedding without a station?
> 
> Dear All,
> 
> I have hundreds of carotid plaques to embedd. I have a tissue processor, but 
> no embedding station. Would anyone attempt to do this without an embedding 
> station or do you think I should go and try to find the facilities 
> somewhere?
> 
> What did people do before embedding stations?
> 
> Many thanks for your input and opinions,
> 
> Anila Syed 
> 
> 
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