Beckman SMS

[nziegler]

Anyone out there using Beckman's SlideMaker/Stainer for the DxH's:

-what manufacturer of slides have worked best for you?

-what slide manufacturers should I avoid at all costs?

 

Thanks for the input!

Nicole z

[rrcc1974]

We’re trying the Leica snowcoat slides as well as the VWR Micro slides superfrost and they seem to be working well

[nziegler]

next question: what brand methanol do you use?

[Auntie-D]

Leica snowcoat slides are great! We have a dedicated analyser for 'urgent' samples and we put pink slides on that slide maker to make the urgent films easily identifiable.

 

The slide maker itself though is awful! We use the Adivia Autoslide. The analysers are dreadful too...

[Alan Neal]

We using Hurst Colour frost (very simular to BC, but much cheaper), good quality, very few breakages and little glass dust.

Must avoid a few cheaper brands, thinner slides and more glass dust (We did use these of LH 750's & previously OK).

Unlike Antie - we have good experience with 1601's (We have x 2) on outlet onshared Power express.

Initial issue with timimg between DxH & SMS, now all resolved (Caused analyer to lock up).

Re methanol, we use supply from commercial outlet (Provides methanol for car spraying, cleaning commercial world), cheap & works (Just need to get change frequency right - to ensure no water contamination).

Just a few other tips - if using wright stain, we mature stain for 1 day off SMS (Fill bath and take /then leave off to evapour), also if using bath 4 for diluted stain, then using fill all baths command will result in only buffer placed into this bath (Get very poor stain) - so use diagnostics to fill bath 4 (Then OK).

[nziegler]

Wow. that was a lot of information, Alan!  Thank you everyone for sharing their experience!  Unfortunately for me, our purchasing department tends to tell us what products we're allowed to use - which translates to the cheapest thing out there.  We currently use Azer Scientific clipped corner slides, but they want us to change to some Cardinal product (I think).  I'll keep my fingers crossed they work...