Carla- try floating your sections onto a cold ethanol bath, this should
expand the section and get rid of the wrinkles.


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Our lab was sent blocks of fish tissue (liver, spleen and heart) embedded
> in Paraplast X-tra (aka Tissue-Path).   I am trying to cut sections at 4
> microns.  They are compressed when cut and paraffin around the tissue
> edges
> doesn't want to expand on the water bath causing lots of wrinkles(on
> tissue, not me yet).  Here's what I've tried so far:
> - after sectioning, cutting around the tissue radially and trying to
> smooth
> out with brush (didn't help much)
> - adjusting the knife angle (cuts best at 3 deg.)
> - raising water bath temp. (49C )
> - soaking blocks in ice bath from 10 min. to half day
> - changing disposable knives constantly
> - slowing my cutting speed (sectioning done manually)
> 
> Slides will be given to participants at a workshop, so I'd like to make
> them as perfect as possible.
> Please help-  I am running out of time, tissue and ideas.
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Carla (Aiwohi) Conway
> Western Fisheries Research Center
> Seattle, WA
> 
> P.S.  Do others have trouble cutting Paraplast-embedded tissues (or is it
> just me)?
>