The only way to fly, at least in our lab.  No struggle, but it does takes
practice and a good tungsten carbide blade, D profile (DDK sells excellent
blades, some designed for cryostats!) We use it in a Leica Cryocut 1800,
standard clinical type cryostat, and take it out (not permanently
installed!) when we don't need this technology.  

Have done it both ways with tape transfer winning the day, the expense was
worth it. There are some things to get used to with polymer coated slides,
but this can be tweaked, plus we cut bovine lung, snap frozen using tape
transfer, morphology is maintained, huge sections!! no OCT in alveolar
spaces otherwise it is like cutting overhanging sand dunes.   

Bone sections look good, a good sharp TC blade is mandatory. Don't bother
with other knives to cut bone, crunchy sections. For lung, we use a
standard disposable blade.

25 cents worth - 



  
Gayle Callis
Veterinary Molecular Biology
Montana State University
Bozeman MT 59717-3610
406 994-4705
406 994-4303