Posted by
Guy Cox-2 on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Cotton-wool-for-lens-cleaning-tp6175236p6179548.html
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Are you certain about ether being toxic? I seem to remember reading
that ether was just about the safest anaesthetic there is, and the only
reason it isn't used more widely is its flammability.
Guy
Optical Imaging Techniques in Cell Biology
by Guy Cox CRC Press / Taylor & Francis
http://www.guycox.com/optical.htm______________________________________________
Associate Professor Guy Cox, MA, DPhil(Oxon)
Electron Microscope Unit, Madsen Building F09,
University of Sydney, NSW 2006
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Phone +61 2 9351 3176 Fax +61 2 9351 7682
Mobile 0413 281 861
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http://www.guycox.net
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From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:
[hidden email]]
On Behalf Of Nina Allen
Sent: Thursday, 17 March 2011 12:23 PM
To:
[hidden email]
Subject: Re: Cotton wool for lens cleaning
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Long ago we taught using ether in the fashion described here. Ether is
very flammable. It is also not good for you.
So even if it works well it is not a recommended method.
Nina Allen
Professor Emerita
Department of Plant Biology
North Carolina State University
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 16, 2011, at 6:45 PM, Stanislav Vitha <
[hidden email]> wrote:
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
>
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy> *****
>
> Hi Aleksandrs,
>
> I like to use the method where you clean the lenses without touching
them.
> I learned this from Karl Aufderheide when he was showing this trick to
my LM
> course students.
>
> 1. Don't touch anything (even lens paper) to a lens surface except as
a last
> resort. Avoid especially commercial facial or bathroom tissue because
it could
> contain diatom frustules (glass!) as a filler. One pass of a kleenex
over a lens
> could possibly ruin it!
> 2. Hold a piece of lens paper or other tissue over a lens. Place a few
drops of
> ethyl ether on the paper and draw the paper across the lens surface so
that
> the ether flows rapidly in a circular pattern over the recessed lens
surface. In
> this way, the ether contacts the lens but the paper does not, because
the
> lens is recessed.
> 3. Inspect the lens using an inverted ocular as a magnifier. Repeat
the ether
> wash if necessary.
> 4. If ether does not remove the dirt, try first distilled water, then
chloroform,
> then xylene or benzene, in that order. If all else fails, try a 1:1:1
mixture of
> water, alcohol and chloroform shaken just before use. Follow with an
ether
> wash.
> 5. For stubborn dirt (e.g., on old student microscopes) use the above
solvents
> on a clean Q-tip.
>
>
> Because of safety concerns with ether (formation of explosive
peroxides), I
> just get a fresh bottle every 6 months, and dispose of the old one
through our
> Hazardous Waste program.
>
> Stan Vitha
> Microscopy and Imaging Center
> Texas A&M University
>
> On Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:03:31 -0400, Aleksandrs Spurmanis, Mr.
> <
[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Dear list,
>>
>> The current practice at our facility is to inspect and clean the
objectives of
> our scopes periodically (approx. once every 2-3 months for each scope)
using
> lens paper wrapped around small clean-room swabs. I had noticed,
however,
> that the field service technicians who run the PMs on our instruments
tend to
> use 100% cotton wool (which I understand to be essentially the same
material
> as your basic 100% cotton ball in the pharmacy) and are able to
service our
> lenses in a much more efficient manner (read: waayyy quicker) than
myself
> using my current methods. In the interests of improving my
maintenance
> efficiency, I've been considering trying this out myself but wanted to
check in
> with the list to see if anyone can share their experiences, insights
or advice
> before proceeding. My main concern is that the cotton might
contribute to
> premature wear on the lens coating. As cleaning solvents, I use
either Glass
> Plus, anhydrous ethanol and/or water.
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Aleksandrs J. Spurmanis
>> Microscopy Specialist
>> Imaging Facility
>> McGill University Life Sciences Complex
>> Francesco Bellini Building
>> 3649 Sir William Osler
>> Suite 137
>> Montreal, QC
>> H3G 0B1
>> tel.: (514)-398-5248
>> fax: (514)-398-7452
>>
[hidden email]
>>
http://www.mcgill.ca/lifesciencescomplex/core/imaging/________________________________
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