Blocking: Once Technovit® 7100, 8100 or 9100 has hardened, the Histobloc support element is placed in the opening in the PTFE embedding form Histoform S/Q or Histoform N intended for this purpose. If Technovit® 8100 or 9100 was used for embedding, the Cover Film must be removed from the specimen before the Histobloc support element is put into place. For Histoform N, the aluminum lid is removed and the PE film is removed.
Mix Technovit 3040® until it is as viscous as possible (mixing ratio 2–3 volumetric parts of powder to 1 volumetric share of liquid). Pour the mixed material into the opening in the Histobloc.
Technovit® hardens and the Histobloc tightly bonds to the specimen in 5–10 minutes, depending on the room temperature.
The specimen can now be removed form the form and is ready to be sectioned. Through blocking with the very hard Technovit® 3040, the elastic Technovit® 7100 or Technovit 8100® is stabilized in such a way that even the thinnest sections are possible.
Clamp the specimen on the microtome:
The square form of the Histobloc allows for the specimen to be directly clamped in the rotary microtome's specimen vise clamp system. |