How can “stripes/scratches” or splits in sections be avoided?
• Paraffin might have accumulated at the rear of the back plate of the disposable blade holder or on the front or back of the knife edge: Please remove paraffin debris regularly from the pressure plate. Clean knife with a cloth moistened with xylene. Do not use xylene to clean any other microtome parts – use solvent free cleaning reagents, such as Paraguard. Stroke the cloth in an upward motion away from the blade edge, not down on the blade edge. Try to move blade or replace. TIP: Use a wooden stick or a Q-tip and run it across the blade once and check again. • Hard particles (calcium fragments, bone splinters, foreign matter) in the specimen or embedding medium: Please filter paraffin. Decalcify, disilicate, thoroughly wash out remainders of crystal. • There might be nicks in the cutting edge of the knife or blade: Move to a new area of the knife or blade and observe if scratches move with it. If so, replace the knife or have the knife sharpened. Possibly there is a staple or a threa
