Liminzheng (lxzst+ at pitt.edu) wrote:
: I need to sharpen tungsten needles for dissecting the flies. I was told
: that there was a chemical way to do this. Does anyone know the recipe?
: Any advice will be much appreciated.
Tungsten sublimates. So, an extremely easy way to produce a very sharp
needle is to position the tip of the wire, or dull needle in the flame of
a Fisher burner. After 10s of seconds to a minute or so, the tungsten at
the tip will have sublimated differentially, leaving a sharp point. The
tungsten oxide deposited on the shaft can be removed by flaming the
needle.
Good luck.
--
Terry Viancour, Biological Sciences | inet: viancour at umbc.edu
Univ. Maryland, Baltimore County Campus | phone: (410) 455-2267, 455-3800
Baltimore, MD 21228-5398 | FAX: (410) 455-3875
