RE: Blades

From:Nancy Klemme <nklemme@corp.sakuraus.com>


Accu-Edge Disposable Microtome Blades are manufactured by "Feather", a
company in Japan.
By visiting the Sakura Web site, you can access a two-page article featuring
the area of the plant where these blades are manufactured.

The Web site address is below my signature.

Once on site, choose the "Histo-Logic" subject...then "Archives."
In the search field, type: manufacture, feather, blades.
The one successful search will bring up the issue from September, 1997.
After you click on that search result, page through the newsletter to
display pages 12 and 13 to read about the Accu-Edge microtome blade
manufacturing.

Dr. McCormick's posting gave beautiful explanation of disposable blade
conditions.   I'd like to add one more variable for you to consider.  What
has the weather been like where any of you are?    I am thinking of the
blades and the environmental conditions they may be exposed to - -
especially conditions inside warehouses or trucks that would simulate
baking.    We don't treat this product as we do reagents by keeping them
from temperature extremes.   There may be the possibility of the coating on
the blades changing in composition a bit as a result of heat...becoming
harder.  And instead of simply wearing off when we section, it simply wears
down as we section but still doesn't expose the steel edge of the
blade - - - unless, as noted by Dr. McCormick, we purposefully remove the
material intended to protect the cutting edge between manufacturing and
microtomy.

Having visited hundreds of labs during  my years of histology, I've been
privileged to witness quite a variety of blade treatments during sectioning.
Some of these techniques include the use of a blank paraffin block, piece of
cork, eraser, tongue depressor, gauze dampened with xylene - sometimes
followed with gauze dampened with alcohol - sometimes a mixture of both.
With the exception of the dampened gauze, the items would be placed on the
cutting edge and drawn back and forth 4 or 5 times with gentle pressure.
When using the dampened gauze, the action begins on the blade holder -  with
the gauze moving at a broad angle towards (and past)  the cutting edge of
the blade.   There may be more techniques that are not coming to mind, but
these are a couple more to consider with Dr. McCormick's suggestions.

If things are going well, there may be no reason for you to change your
behavior.  If you are challenged by the blades you use, be ready to
incorporate some of these behaviors in order to the get good results you
desire.   And don't forget to report your issue to the
manufacturer/distributor - the company whose name is on the product.  If
there is a quality issue with the product, the company needs to hear about
it from the user in order to obtain accurate cutting details so that they
can duplicate the condition at their site with unused blades you've returned
and work toward resolving the negative condition.

Kind regards,
Nancy

Nancy Klemme (HT)ASCP
Customer/Product Support Mgr.
Sakura Finetek USA, Inc.
1750 W. 214th Street
Torrance, CA    90501
Phone = 800/725-8723
Web site = www.sakuraus.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Owens [mailto:ohenry@dfw.net]
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2001 12:26 AM
To: HistoNet Server
Subject: Blades


SNIP: Connie asked:
>Is Leica
and Dura Edge made in the same plant, maybe???


That's a good question Connie...And what about 'Accur Edge' blades....WHO
really makes all these different blades?......There are many blades out
there sold under different names. I would find it hard to believe there are
as many different manuf.blades plants. More likely, one or two manuf. plants
make and package blades for several different companys.....Does anyone have
any info on this?

Susan-Tx
ohenry@dfw.net



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Date: 19 Jun 2001 14:52:52 -0500
From: Connie McManus <conmac@cc.usu.edu>
Subject: Re: Dura Edge Blades

Primarily, I use Surgipath teflon coated blades and have no problem with
them at all.  However, I also use Leica blades from time to time and I have
noticed this last shipment of blades has not been very good.  Some blades
fresh from the dispenser  cut just like something I would discard!  I
prefer the Surgipath blades over the Leicas because they last longer and
cut much nicer sections, but these Leicas are worse than usual.  Is Leica
and Dura Edge made in the same plant, maybe???

Connie McManus

At 07:50 PM 6/17/01 -0400, Histo-Scientific Research Laboratories wrote:
>Dear Jim,
>
>DITTO!  We are having the same exact problems with our latest shipments of
>DuraEdge.  It is happening on all of our microtomes:  Our Leitz, Leica,
>Reichert, Microm.  We have been having a real time of it--I also will be
>calling DuraEdge to file a complaint!
>
>Beth Poole
>HSRL
>137 South Main Street
>Woodstock, VA  22664
>(540)459-8211
>fax: (540)459-8217
>www.hsrl.org
>beth@hsrl.org







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