30
Oil Bath Accessory Kit Operating Procedure
Background
Virtually all embedding media are water based. When a frozen tissue specimen embedded
in such media is stored, over time the tissue and the medium will dehydrate and degrade.
The Oil Bath Accessory Kit enables the user to coat the block face with the protective Oil
that is maintained at -8
°
C in a bath inside the cryostat chamber. Coating the surface will
not melt the tissue in the block. The Oil has a freezing temperature of -10
°
C and will
instantly freeze on the block face. The frozen Oil coating prevents tissue and medium
dehydration for up to one year if stored in a -70
°
C freezer.
The Oil can also be used to repair a damaged block. A deformation or hole in the block
face may be filled with the Oil which will freeze. The frozen Oil has the property of an
embedding medium and can then be sectioned similarly to other media.
Preparation
•
The cryostat temperature should be -25
°
C to -30
°
C.
•
Make sure there is Oil in the Bath. If Oil is added to the Bath, wait 1 to 2 hours for the
Oil to reach its set temperature of -8
°
C.
•
The Oil inside the Oil Bath should be in a liquid state (not frozen).
•
The Oil Brush should be inside the Oil Bath.
•
The right LED on the ECU (labeled Oil Bath) should be green.
