Actually, masking up really helps when you are cryosectioning.  I
have several individuals who routinely mask up, and others who hold
their breath when collecting.  It makes a big difference in how
things cut.  If you are breathing heavily into the cryostat, ice
crystals will form on the surface of the block, and it simply won't
cut as well.  This becomes especially important in a research
environment, where you often want a complete set of serial sections.

Karen in Oregon




>Hazel,
>We defrost our 2800N Frigocut about once a month in the
>winter/fall/spring, and in the summer we defrost EVERY weekend!  Of
>course, we do some Mohs' procedure, so we have more time to breath
>our humid warm breath into the chamber.  Hmmm, maybe we'll have to
>hold our breath when we're doing frozens in the summer.....
>
>Bec the Tec
>
>>From: "Horn, Hazel" <HornHazelV@exchange.ach.uams.edu>
>>To: 'Gayle Callis' <uvsgc@msu.oscs.montana.edu>, histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>>Subject: RE: cryostat frost build up woes
>>Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2000 14:48:12 -0500
>>
>>I too have a Cryocut 1800 and we have the same problem.    In fact, it's
>>more than frost it's and actual build up of ice!!!!      We turn it off for
>>a weekend about every 2-3 months and let it completely thaw and dry out.
>>It's not a perfect solution but it works for us.
>>Hazel
>>
>>>  -----Original Message-----
>>>  From:	Gayle Callis [SMTP:uvsgc@msu.oscs.montana.edu]
>>>  Sent:	Tuesday, June 27, 2000 08:46 AM
>>>  To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>>>  Subject:	cryostat frost build up woes
>>>
>>>  In Montana, land of little humidity, we suffer from same frost buildup in
>>>  our Cryocut 1800 as you do.   We live with it, and defrost/clean cryostat
>>>  more often.  I get a glacier of ice build up in the back of microtome big
>>>  enough to cause the moving parts of microtome to bump into it. High usage
>>>  is the biggest problem with steamy hands, etc in the machine.  We try to
>>>  minimize keeping the sliding door open when not working in the chamber.
>>>
>>>  One thing we have done is make sure the fans, etc on innards of cryostat
>>>  are free of dust.  DO THIS DURING CLEANING OF MACHINE. Take back off the
>>>  cryostat AFTER UNPLUGGING and blow dust out with compressed air.  We had
>>>  temperature flucuations one time, but do this about once a year to insure
>>>  cooling (as with refrigerators!) is not impeded with dust bunny build up.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  Gayle Callis
>>>  Veterinary Molecular Biology
>>>  Montana State University
>>>  Bozeman MT 59717-3610
>>>  406 994-4705
>>>  406 994-4303
>>
>
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