Hi Bruce,
	Not sure this will be much help Bruce, as I haven't cut rat
brains on a cryostat before. However, chatters may be caused by the
knife angle , as Tammaryn has pointed out, or a blunt knife, or your
block is too cold, or something is loose ( perhaps the block hasn't
bonded to the chuck too well) or you're cutting the sections too thick.
We sometimes see air bubbles under the section when cutting thicker
sections ( 10 microns ) for fat stains. Perhaps if your knife is blunt
or at the wrong angle, or something's loose, you may be cutting 'thick
and thin' which would explain why some sections are better than others.
Or just try cutting them thinner.
	Sorry if this isn't much help
		Alex Brown
		Kilmarnock, Scotland.
 ----------
From: Bruce A Rasmussen
To: HistoNet@Pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Air bubble blues,
Date: 29 March 1999 04:29


Hi histoneters,
I have been cutting coronal rat brain sections (lightly fixed by
perfusion) on an old manual crystat.  Then thaw mounting. I have been
getting a lot of air bubbles and some chatter, although that varies from
slice to slice. Help.

Even more than usual, many thanks. My back is up against the wall to get
this data out.

Bruce



 --------------------------------------
Bruce Rasmussen
Predoc Fellow in Experimental Neuropsychology
The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study
George Mason University
Mail Stop 2A1
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
Office:703-993-4358
Lab:703-993-4369
Home:703-765-4570
Fax:703-993-4325
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