Hi everyone
Our slides of hair shafts from human and animals are starting to look a little worse for wear after 5 yrs. So I am wanting to make a new set. The last ones were made just using sticky tape, which is OK, but I wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a better method??
Kathryn
Well you can make them with nail polish, add a little drop of nail polish ( clear obviously) mount the hair and cover slip. Problem with nail polish is that you get a fair few air bubbles. have you made slides before? You can use, the blunt end of a skewer to push these bubbles out, but with nail polish will end up with some anyways. Alternatively I have a recipe for a proper mountant (grey & wess) which I can bring in and give to you tomorrow. I used this last year and worked wonderfullly. I took some photos of my hair slides, which I will attach, maybe you will be able to use them.
Well the proper mountant is better, you get nicer results and they keep for longer. But nail polish will do the jub, I just made some fiber slides with nail polish and they turned out ok, just make sure it is new and not old, less risk of getting bubbles. The best way to make slides is to put the mountant in a cross on the COVER slip, place the hair onto the cross and the gently lower the microscope slide onto it. Turn it around and using the blunt end of the skewer gently push the air bubbles out, take care not pushing to hard or you will break the cover slip. Have a look at the photos, the cat slide is dane with nail polish whereas the other ones with grey & wess.
Good luck
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I would love to know your mountant recipie! Thanks. I think I would like to have a go at doing that! Thanks for the pictures too. How did you take them? What is your set up?
Tina
well done, we were just talking today how our slides with sticky tape look old. I love the idea of clear nail polish however the recipe would be good to see also.
Thanks
OK Sassi,
You have a number of us waiting and very to keen to see your recipe. We would all hope to achieve slides like you have!
Or are you teaching us the definition of how to keep a labby in suspense?!? (It's working!)
Lou.
Ohhh gosh! I am so sorry you guys, did not mean to keep you all hanging, hehehehe It has been so busy here this week that I have not had time to check up on you... I will give you the recipe first thing monday morning, as it is still sitting at home on the hall table (ooops!) waiting to be brought in. The recipe is quite simple, I guess it just comes down to whether or not you have the ingredients, but I think you might.
DIY "micromount" slides are a good and fast way to make slides with everyday specimens, especially for Forensics topic "whodunnit".
I also use for the material fibre prac.
They are available from Haines
I think I have made you wait long enough now... I am sorry, been so busy here, but here it finally is. Good luck, it reallly is very simple and rewarding as you get nice slides that will last a long time!
All the best, and let me know how you go with it
Sassi
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It has been so busy here this week that I have not had time to check up on you... I will give you the recipe first thing monday morning, as it is still sitting at home on the hall table (ooops!) waiting to be brought in. The recipe is quite simple, I guess it just comes down to whether or not you have the ingredients, but I think you might. 
