Alternative to "well" or "depression" sl

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twebster
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Alternative to "well" or "depression" sl

Post by twebster »

Hi y'all :D

Do any of you use something different than "well" or "depression" slides when viewing/photographing "pond-critters"? I've been using depression slides and have noticed a great deal of distortion as I near the edge of the depression. What other alternatives are there?

Thanks, my friends. :D
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Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!

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Kenv
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Post by Kenv »

Tom I just use a straight flat slide, I've always found them better than well slides unless I want to use a very low power objective.
Kenv
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Mike
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Post by Mike »

Hi Tom,

I 'roll my own' using a ringing table made from a VCR head bearing set with a 3/4 steel turntable (will rotate for >5 minutes with a good spin!)

Recently I have been using clear nail polish, right from the jar applied with the little applicator brush in the bottle cap. The cosmetic industry spends $$$$ to get thixotropes that will cause the polish to flow and 'level' to a smooth finish, and by using single or multiple coats, I can make shallow or deeper 'wells'.

Obviously, you should make the rings to fit the diameter of the cover glasses you are using.

Works a treat, and you can't beat the price.

All the best,

Mike

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

I would have to agree with KenV there Tom. I use a regular flat slide and coverslip myself. Well slides are nice for large critters like worms, hydra, nymphs, etc. at 50X and 100X but well slides above those mags. seem to hinder observation because you give the critters more room to scoot around and it makes it much harder to keep them in focus. :) If you want a well, someone posted a set up here some months back using in O rings and coverslips for sand samples. You could probably do the same with a very thin teflon washer, vasaline (for a non toxic sealant), and coverslip. :D
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gpmatthews
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Post by gpmatthews »

Image

The original idea comes from Freshwater Microscopy by Garnett, 1953 (see diags). The spacer can be made from polystyrene sheet and glued to the slide. Polystyrene sheet for modelling purposes comes in a range of thicknesses such as 5, 10, 20, 40 thousandths of an inch, hence different depth aquaria can easily be constructed. The sheet can easily be cut to suit the sizes of coverglass available. The coverglass may be held on by capillary action of water alone, or by a smear of vaseline (white soft paraffin) on the top of the spacer. It's easier to clean if you avoid vaseline. The water will not escape, being held in place by surface tension.

This method has the advantage that the slide and coverglass are both planar, so there is none of the distortion you can get with the depression type of cavity slide. You can also introduce new material into the open edge easily with a pasteur pipette drawn to a fine tip. Great for anaesthetics, dyes, or just topping up water lost by evaporation.
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twebster
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Post by twebster »

Hi ya' guys :D

Thank you so much for the responses. There is a lot here for me to digest. I have tried gluing flat nylon washers to a standard slide but the glue I used didn't hold. What glues should I use? Ken, believe it or not I'm allergic to Vaseline! Certain types of petroleum products make me break out in hives.

I've seen plans to make a ringing table from a VCR head, Mike. They do look like they work well. I think I've got an old VCR someplace in my mess. I'll try making one.

I've tried flat slides with coverslips, Ken. I agree they work well but evaporation here in Arizona is a problem. I think I'll try Matthews method this weekend. I have some very long coverslips that just may work for this idea. In the meantime I'll go back to flat sides and try to keep the water level up.

Thanks for your help, gentlemen :D
Tom Webster
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Steve West
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Post by Steve West »

Tom,

Using an inverted rig, all my pond observations are done in wells. The bottom of the well is a coverslip which must be glued watertight to protect my objectives.

RTV silicone II clear works perfectly and the adhesion to glass is super.

Steve

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