F30 cartridge problem
Bill Tivol
tivol at caltech.edu
Wed Oct 13 17:36:35 PDT 2004
Dear List,
Lately we have been having trouble when trying to extract a cartridge
from the stage into the insertion rod. The cartridge stays in the
stage after the thread has been unscrewed. This has occurred with
cartridges of all types--screw ring, c-clip, and flip-flop. The only
way we know that works to extract successfully is to put hot water in
the dewar on the insertion rod and heat the rod to ~50 C. Even this
method is not always successful, and, of course, if we wish to continue
studying a frozen-hydrated specimen, such as when taking a dual-axis
tilt series, such a warm-up is unacceptable. Has anyone 1) seen this
problem, 2) managed to determine the cause, and/or 3) found a way to
extract the cartridge that does not spoil the specimen? TIA for any
help.
Yours,
Bill Tivol, PhD
EM Scientist and Manager
Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility
Broad Center, Mail Code 114-96
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena CA 91125
(626) 395-8833
tivol at caltech.edu
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