Carolyn J. Decker (cdecker at mail.wsu.edu)
> I am looking for advise on tetrad dissection tools. I have made several
> dissection tools for my Nikon dissection scope using a glass rod and a
> piece of fiber optic cable that I cut with a razor blade or scalpel. The
> tools pick up tetrads well but do not release them efficiently. The tips
> of the fiber optic cable are not perfectly flat so I may be losing
> tetrads/spores in crevices in the tip.
>> Are dissection tools commercially available?
>> Does anyone have advice on how to make tools with flat tips?
We also use a Nikon tetrad scope. We purchased from Carl Singer a
needle holder that mounts on the existing mechanical linkage,
and several boxes of precut needles. I accidentally broke the
first needle I mounted, which I did not realize for a bit, because
even broken, *it still worked better* than hand-cut.
Also, the needles last a good long time. Definitely
worth the investment for us! In fact one of the students
now claims doing tetrads is like playing a video game....
I have no official connection with Singer Instruments, just
a satisfied user.
--
-susan
:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;
DON'T REPLY to the email address in header.
It's an anti-spam. Use the one below.
:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;
S L Forsburg, PhD forsburg at salk.edu
Molecular Biology and Virology Lab
The Salk Institute, La Jolla CA
http://pingu.salk.edu/~forsburg/lab.html
Women in Biology Internet Launch Page
http://pingu.salk.edu/~forsburg/bio.html
:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;
"These are my opinions. I don't have
time to speak for anyone else."
:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;