I'm fairly new to automated sequencing and I just ran out of Permacel
tape for taping my 373 Stretch Plates. I looked through every catalog
imaginable trying to find the stuff, consulted with the old ADS
(automated DNA sequencer--person, that is), and she told me that we buy
it from ABI. So, you guessed it. I called ABI and was told that it
costs $79.00/roll!! I felt that I was being had at the time but ordered
one roll to tide me over. When it arrived, instead of saying Permacel
tape it said "3M electrical tape." The roll was still yellow but the
color was slightly different. Anyway, a few relevant questions to you
professional sequencers:
1.Can anyone tell me precisely how to pour the plates without tape?
I watched someone do it with some 34cm wtr plates but when I tried
to do it with some 48cm wtr plates it was a disaster. I used an
automatic pipettor and the stuff never went into the plates. When
I slightly angled the plate upwards the stuff went in, but promptly
went out of the bottom of the plates!
2.Failing this, can anyone tell me where I can buy reasonably
priced Permacel tape or yellow "3M electrical tape." I just can't
believe that the ABI price is market value.
Thanks for your help!
Patricia Thomas
Washington Univ. School of Med.
Dept. of Molecular Bio. & Pharm.
thomas at pharmdec.wustl.edu
