OTF 5000/HS/LS-001/2/3/4 Iss 4 June 2012
22
Clamp a frozen specimen (or embedding compound alone) into the microtome (refer to section
3.2).
Release the knife block clamp lever (1) and turn the coarse advance control (18) clockwise to
bring the blade towards the specimen.
Trim the specimen or embedding medium until a suitable block face is made (refer to section
3.3).
Lock the knife block clamp lever firmly and proceed to cut sections at the chosen thickness.
Once it can be seen that regular, good quality sections are cut (albeit curled up) go on to
step 2. To check that the sections are good, it is possible to tease them off using the bristles
of an artist’s paintbrush, as shown in FIG18 below
.
FIG 18
Step 2
- Setting the Anti-Roll Plate
To ensure optimum sectioning performance the anti-roll plate must be kept clean from grease
and dirt. To clean the anti-roll plate, carefully apply a small amount of methylated spirits or
ethanol to both the upper and lower surfaces using a clean, dry, soft paper towel. Take care not
to break the side panels which are quite delicate.
It is important that the anti-roll plate is adjusted so that:
a) the leading edge of the anti-roll plate is parallel to the edge of the blade
b) the leading edge of the anti-roll plate is parallel in line with the blade
c) the under side of the anti-roll plate is at an angle slightly greater than parallel with the
facet of the blade
Swing the anti-roll plate away from the blade, rotate the anti-roll plate adjuster (10).
Turn the anti-roll plate height adjustment knob (8) fully clockwise and then fully anti-clockwise to
determine the limits of movement of the mounting arm.
Adjust the anti-roll plate height adjustment knob until the mounting arm is set approximately half
way.
Rotate the anti-roll plate adjuster to bring the anti-roll plate back on to the blade clamping plate
(16).
Loosen the T-piece clamp knob (14) and set the stem of the T-piece at the half way position.
Ensure that the front edge of the anti-roll plate is parallel with the edge of the blade. Tighten the
T-piece clamp knob.
Loosen the stem clamp knob (11) and adjust the height of the
anti-roll plate until it is about 1mm below the edge of the blade.
Lock the stem clamp knob.
Use the anti-roll plate height adjustment knob by turning it anti-
clockwise to bring the anti-roll plate in line with the edge of the
blade.
Experiment to make sure that sections now slide under the anti-
roll plate. The microtome is now ready for sectioning.
Summary of Contents for OTF 5000
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