Renee,

We use the Histoprep pens for our slides, and, yes, they do dry out quickly.
There are supposed to be replacement tips available for these pens, but I
have never tried them and do not know if they help the pen last longer.

You could also use Shur/Mark pens from TBS.  We use only these pens on our
cassettes, but they will work on your slides, too.  The tip is not as fine
as the one on the Histoprep pens, but they seem to last longer.  You can
"pump" the tip to get the ink flowing.

Laurie Colbert
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Burbank, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Renee Escalona [mailto:renee@tca.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2000 2:28 PM
To: HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: slide labeling


Fellow histonetters,

We've been having problems with our slide labeling.  We currently use pencil
to label them.  However, after continuous handling of the slides, the lead
eventually starts to fade which is no big surprise.  At one time we tried
using those Histoprep pens made by Fisher but they often dried out before we
got a decent amount of use from them.  Did we just have a bad lot or has
anyone else had problems with these pens?  Also, can anyone suggest a
different type of pen that withstands the staining procedure?

Thanks in advance,

Renee Escalona, BS, HTL(ASCP)
Veterinary Laboratory Technologist
TX Vet. Med. Diag. Lab
College Station, TX