Inexpensive holder for hand‐trimming resin‐embedded tissues

Abstract

A simple and inexpensive mount for securely holding resin-embedded tissues for trimming prior to sectioning for light or electron microscopy is described. The unit is composed of a base plate from which a 12.7-mm drill chuck protrudes. A tissue block is clamped into a microtome chuck and that is mounted in the drill chuck. A standard dissecting microscope is placed over the unit and used to magnify the block for trimming. Total cost of materials is estimated to be $20-40 USD.