Ian,

Making mold release is just simply eyeballing a large amount of 95% alcohol
with a small amount of gylcerin.  Measuring is not necessary. We make it up
all the time.

Peggy DiCarlo HT (ASCP)


-----Original Message-----
From: Barbara Stancel [mailto:stancelb@msn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 18:41
To: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Re: Mould release.


Dear Ian,  We still prefer the purchased mold release, usually the stuff in 
a pump. But in a pinch, I tried using spray vegetable oil (PAM brand). It 
worked great! But we had to wash the grease off our blocks for a 
while...there was just enough grease on the blocks to keep them from making 
nice ribbons. We have also tried boiling the molds to clean them and using 
them without any release spray. It also worked well, but we had to be sure 
the blocks were very cold before we tried to get them out of the molds. Like

I said, we still prefer soaking them in xylene, dipping in acetone, drying 
and spraying with purchased mold release.

Best of Luck.
Histologically yours,

Barbara H. Stancel, HTL(ASCP)HT
USDA, FSIS, OPHS, Eastern Laboratory, Pathology
RRC, 950 College Station Road
Athens, Georgia  30604
phone: (706) 546-3556
fax: (706) 546-3589





>From: Ian Montgomery 
>To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: Mould release.
>Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 15:48:00 +0000
>
>         After what seems like an eternity I'm finally running out of the 
>proprietary mould release I use. What's next, re-order or use homemade. As 
>you'd expect the bottle doesn't give much away, releasing agent in 
>isopropyl alcohol. Anybody using homemade and what is it? At the back of my

>mind I remember people simply using a dilute washing up solution but is 
>there something better?
>Ian.
>
>Dr. Ian Montgomery,
>Histotechnology,
>Graham Kerr Building,
>Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences,
>University of Glasgow,
>Glasgow,
>G12 8QQ.
>Tel: 0141 339 8855
>Office: 4652
>Lab: 6644.
>Pager: 07625 702883
>e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk


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