Empathy List Archives

CD

Cole, David

Tue, Jun 10, 2025 6:04 PM

Dear Colleagues,

We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil.

We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface.

Thanks,

Dave Cole
School of Earth Sciences
The Ohio State University

Dear Colleagues, We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil. We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface. Thanks, Dave Cole School of Earth Sciences The Ohio State University

PL

Peter Laugesen

Thu, Jun 12, 2025 9:32 AM

Dear Dave,

Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner's naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper.

That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don't use every day - only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease.

Best regards / Med venlig hilsen
Peter Laugesen
Founder │ Senior Expert

PELCON
Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS
Industriparken 22B
DK-2750 Ballerup
Denmark
tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00
www.pelcon.dk http://www.pelcon.dk/

Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk msa-talk@minlists.org
Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04
Til: msa-talk@minlists.org
Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue

Dear Colleagues,

We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil.

We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface.

Thanks,

Dave Cole
School of Earth Sciences
The Ohio State University

Dear Dave, Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner's naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper. That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don't use every day - only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease. Best regards / Med venlig hilsen Peter Laugesen Founder │ Senior Expert PELCON Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS Industriparken 22B DK-2750 Ballerup Denmark tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00 www.pelcon.dk<http://www.pelcon.dk/> Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk <msa-talk@minlists.org> Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04 Til: msa-talk@minlists.org Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue Dear Colleagues, We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil. We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface. Thanks, Dave Cole School of Earth Sciences The Ohio State University

CD

Cole, David

Thu, Jun 12, 2025 5:51 PM

Dear Peter,

Thanks for this very good suggestion. I do recall hearing abut this compound but have never used it.

I appreciate your response very much!

Dave

From: Peter Laugesen pl@pelcon.dk
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 5:32 AM
To: Cole, David cole.618@osu.edu; msa-talk@minlists.org msa-talk@minlists.org
Subject: SV: Thin section issue

This Message Is From an External Sender
This message came from outside your organization.
Report Suspicioushttps://us-phishalarm-ewt.proofpoint.com/EWT/v1/KGKeukY!vwQdkidtD6YABRdx_o-E9-FU_ei0CkjMvtUvQO0crBfuvrispaKp0lazeJ8qv6kbYl8uzrc6S0QMEuCiHKcA6dliRaQt0C7k-G0GnPQHjQO0ECoOMe1DEQZdtBoHjWqch0R_Njq_vJMSqg$

Dear Dave,

Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner’s naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper.

That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don’t use every day – only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease.

Best regards / Med venlig hilsen

Peter Laugesen

Founder │ Senior Expert

PELCON

Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS

Industriparken 22B

DK-2750 Ballerup

Denmark

tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00

www.pelcon.dk https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.pelcon.dk/__;!!KGKeukY!2p6umV-ayKF0mRY6l3AJL-UJ4Hzi8zqpSJVPJkAURVsgIu1j5d-zuwcJ7f7U3NC7hOg__w6l78XBmA$

Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk msa-talk@minlists.org
Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04
Til: msa-talk@minlists.org
Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue

Dear Colleagues,

We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil.

We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface.

Thanks,

Dave Cole

School of Earth Sciences

The Ohio State University

Dear Peter, Thanks for this very good suggestion. I do recall hearing abut this compound but have never used it. I appreciate your response very much! Dave ________________________________ From: Peter Laugesen <pl@pelcon.dk> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 5:32 AM To: Cole, David <cole.618@osu.edu>; msa-talk@minlists.org <msa-talk@minlists.org> Subject: SV: Thin section issue This Message Is From an External Sender This message came from outside your organization. Report Suspicious<https://us-phishalarm-ewt.proofpoint.com/EWT/v1/KGKeukY!vwQdkidtD6YABRdx_o-E9-FU_ei0CkjMvtUvQO0crBfuvrispaKp0lazeJ8qv6kbYl8uzrc6S0QMEuCiHKcA6dliRaQt0C7k-G0GnPQHjQO0ECoOMe1DEQZdtBoHjWqch0R_Njq_vJMSqg$> Dear Dave, Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner’s naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper. That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don’t use every day – only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease. Best regards / Med venlig hilsen Peter Laugesen Founder │ Senior Expert PELCON Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS Industriparken 22B DK-2750 Ballerup Denmark tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00 www.pelcon.dk<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.pelcon.dk/__;!!KGKeukY!2p6umV-ayKF0mRY6l3AJL-UJ4Hzi8zqpSJVPJkAURVsgIu1j5d-zuwcJ7f7U3NC7hOg__w6l78XBmA$> Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk <msa-talk@minlists.org> Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04 Til: msa-talk@minlists.org Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue Dear Colleagues, We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil. We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface. Thanks, Dave Cole School of Earth Sciences The Ohio State University

CD

Crane, Dan - OSHA

Thu, Jun 12, 2025 7:17 PM

Good comments.

My 2¢ worth (while there still are some in circulation).

I can suggest careful use of Xylene if the naphtha fails. (Helps when the medium has cross-linked). Tetrahydrofuran will also get the job done but is significantly more toxic.
Chemical hoods and proper PPE are strongly suggested!

Some solvents leave a residue when used so after the primary clean, a secondary solvent with little to no residue must be used to remove the residue of the first cleaner.

A word about paper, please use lens paper for fiber and stray mineral particle control rather than common or printer paper.

Lab-made cotton swabs using wooden toothpicks or skewers are very useful and can be made to size. Drug-store cotton swabs (generic Q-tips) are useful for what they do, but often have lotions, lanolin or other additives for cosmetic reasons which can cause issues with critical cleaning (whether on the thin sections or optical cleaning of microscope parts). The plastic or paper sticks on them can also be a source of material that may redeposit on critical surfaces. Lignin may also extract from the toothpicks or skewers when lab-made swabs are made. So, the wood should probably be pre-extracted before they are made in order to avoid re-deposition of unwanted stuff on your sections.

SPI and other microscopy supply houses sell foam swabs for critical cleaning in clean room environments. Could be an option.

Daniel T Crane
United States Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OSHA Technical Center
8660 So. Sandy Parkway
Sandy, UT 84070

801-233-4964 (office)

From: Cole, David via MSA-talk msa-talk@minlists.org
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 11:51 AM
To: Peter Laugesen pl@pelcon.dk; msa-talk@minlists.org
Cc: Bal, Abinash bal.47@osu.edu
Subject: [MSA-talk] Re: Thin section issue

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the Department of Labor. Do not click (select) links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Report suspicious emails through the "Report" button on your email toolbar.

Dear Peter,

Thanks for this very good suggestion. I do recall hearing abut this compound but have never used it.

I appreciate your response very much!

Dave

From: Peter Laugesen <pl@pelcon.dk mailto:pl@pelcon.dk>
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 5:32 AM
To: Cole, David <cole.618@osu.edu mailto:cole.618@osu.edu>; msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org <msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>
Subject: SV: Thin section issue

This Message Is From an External Sender
This message came from outside your organization.
Report Suspicioushttps://us-phishalarm-ewt.proofpoint.com/EWT/v1/KGKeukY!vwQdkidtD6YABRdx_o-E9-FU_ei0CkjMvtUvQO0crBfuvrispaKp0lazeJ8qv6kbYl8uzrc6S0QMEuCiHKcA6dliRaQt0C7k-G0GnPQHjQO0ECoOMe1DEQZdtBoHjWqch0R_Njq_vJMSqg$

Dear Dave,

Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner’s naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper.

That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don’t use every day – only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease.

Best regards / Med venlig hilsen

Peter Laugesen

Founder │ Senior Expert

PELCON

Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS

Industriparken 22B

DK-2750 Ballerup

Denmark

tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00

www.pelcon.dk https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.pelcon.dk/__;!!KGKeukY!2p6umV-ayKF0mRY6l3AJL-UJ4Hzi8zqpSJVPJkAURVsgIu1j5d-zuwcJ7f7U3NC7hOg__w6l78XBmA$

Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk <msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>
Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04
Til: msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org
Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue

Dear Colleagues,

We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil.

We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface.

Thanks,

Dave Cole

School of Earth Sciences

The Ohio State University

Good comments. My 2¢ worth (while there still are some in circulation). I can suggest careful use of Xylene if the naphtha fails. (Helps when the medium has cross-linked). Tetrahydrofuran will also get the job done but is significantly more toxic. Chemical hoods and proper PPE are strongly suggested! Some solvents leave a residue when used so after the primary clean, a secondary solvent with little to no residue must be used to remove the residue of the first cleaner. A word about paper, please use lens paper for fiber and stray mineral particle control rather than common or printer paper. Lab-made cotton swabs using wooden toothpicks or skewers are very useful and can be made to size. Drug-store cotton swabs (generic Q-tips) are useful for what they do, but often have lotions, lanolin or other additives for cosmetic reasons which can cause issues with critical cleaning (whether on the thin sections or optical cleaning of microscope parts). The plastic or paper sticks on them can also be a source of material that may redeposit on critical surfaces. Lignin may also extract from the toothpicks or skewers when lab-made swabs are made. So, the wood should probably be pre-extracted before they are made in order to avoid re-deposition of unwanted stuff on your sections. SPI and other microscopy supply houses sell foam swabs for critical cleaning in clean room environments. Could be an option. Daniel T Crane United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA Technical Center 8660 So. Sandy Parkway Sandy, UT 84070 801-233-4964 (office) From: Cole, David via MSA-talk <msa-talk@minlists.org> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 11:51 AM To: Peter Laugesen <pl@pelcon.dk>; msa-talk@minlists.org Cc: Bal, Abinash <bal.47@osu.edu> Subject: [MSA-talk] Re: Thin section issue CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the Department of Labor. Do not click (select) links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Report suspicious emails through the "Report" button on your email toolbar. Dear Peter, Thanks for this very good suggestion. I do recall hearing abut this compound but have never used it. I appreciate your response very much! Dave ________________________________ From: Peter Laugesen <pl@pelcon.dk<mailto:pl@pelcon.dk>> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 5:32 AM To: Cole, David <cole.618@osu.edu<mailto:cole.618@osu.edu>>; msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org> <msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>> Subject: SV: Thin section issue This Message Is From an External Sender This message came from outside your organization. Report Suspicious<https://us-phishalarm-ewt.proofpoint.com/EWT/v1/KGKeukY!vwQdkidtD6YABRdx_o-E9-FU_ei0CkjMvtUvQO0crBfuvrispaKp0lazeJ8qv6kbYl8uzrc6S0QMEuCiHKcA6dliRaQt0C7k-G0GnPQHjQO0ECoOMe1DEQZdtBoHjWqch0R_Njq_vJMSqg$> Dear Dave, Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner’s naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper. That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don’t use every day – only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease. Best regards / Med venlig hilsen Peter Laugesen Founder │ Senior Expert PELCON Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS Industriparken 22B DK-2750 Ballerup Denmark tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00 www.pelcon.dk<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.pelcon.dk/__;!!KGKeukY!2p6umV-ayKF0mRY6l3AJL-UJ4Hzi8zqpSJVPJkAURVsgIu1j5d-zuwcJ7f7U3NC7hOg__w6l78XBmA$> Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk <msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>> Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04 Til: msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org> Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue Dear Colleagues, We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil. We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface. Thanks, Dave Cole School of Earth Sciences The Ohio State University

PL

Peter Laugesen

Fri, Jun 13, 2025 5:30 AM

Dear David,

Just a short follow up: In cases where the cover glass has been bonded to the thin section by hard-dissolvable glues, we have managed well by 'simply' grinding away the cover glass and finalized with a re-polishing of the TS.

Best regards / Med venlig hilsen
Peter Laugesen
Founder │ Senior Expert

PELCON
Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS
Industriparken 22B
DK-2750 Ballerup
Denmark
tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00
www.pelcon.dk http://www.pelcon.dk/

Fra: Cole, David cole.618@osu.edu
Sendt: 12. juni 2025 19:51
Til: Peter Laugesen pl@pelcon.dk; msa-talk@minlists.org
Cc: Bal, Abinash bal.47@osu.edu
Emne: Re: Thin section issue

Dear Peter,

Thanks for this very good suggestion. I do recall hearing abut this compound but have never used it.

I appreciate your response very much!

Dave

From: Peter Laugesen <pl@pelcon.dk mailto:pl@pelcon.dk>
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 5:32 AM
To: Cole, David <cole.618@osu.edu mailto:cole.618@osu.edu>; msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org <msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>
Subject: SV: Thin section issue

This Message Is From an External Sender
This message came from outside your organization.
Report Suspicioushttps://us-phishalarm-ewt.proofpoint.com/EWT/v1/KGKeukY!vwQdkidtD6YABRdx_o-E9-FU_ei0CkjMvtUvQO0crBfuvrispaKp0lazeJ8qv6kbYl8uzrc6S0QMEuCiHKcA6dliRaQt0C7k-G0GnPQHjQO0ECoOMe1DEQZdtBoHjWqch0R_Njq_vJMSqg$

Dear Dave,

Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner's naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper.

That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don't use every day - only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease.

Best regards / Med venlig hilsen

Peter Laugesen

Founder │ Senior Expert

PELCON

Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS

Industriparken 22B

DK-2750 Ballerup

Denmark

tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00

www.pelcon.dk https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.pelcon.dk/__;!!KGKeukY!2p6umV-ayKF0mRY6l3AJL-UJ4Hzi8zqpSJVPJkAURVsgIu1j5d-zuwcJ7f7U3NC7hOg__w6l78XBmA$

Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk <msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>
Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04
Til: msa-talk@minlists.org mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org
Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue

Dear Colleagues,

We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil.

We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface.

Thanks,

Dave Cole

School of Earth Sciences

The Ohio State University

Dear David, Just a short follow up: In cases where the cover glass has been bonded to the thin section by hard-dissolvable glues, we have managed well by 'simply' grinding away the cover glass and finalized with a re-polishing of the TS. Best regards / Med venlig hilsen Peter Laugesen Founder │ Senior Expert PELCON Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS Industriparken 22B DK-2750 Ballerup Denmark tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00 www.pelcon.dk<http://www.pelcon.dk/> Fra: Cole, David <cole.618@osu.edu> Sendt: 12. juni 2025 19:51 Til: Peter Laugesen <pl@pelcon.dk>; msa-talk@minlists.org Cc: Bal, Abinash <bal.47@osu.edu> Emne: Re: Thin section issue Dear Peter, Thanks for this very good suggestion. I do recall hearing abut this compound but have never used it. I appreciate your response very much! Dave ________________________________ From: Peter Laugesen <pl@pelcon.dk<mailto:pl@pelcon.dk>> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 5:32 AM To: Cole, David <cole.618@osu.edu<mailto:cole.618@osu.edu>>; msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org> <msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>> Subject: SV: Thin section issue This Message Is From an External Sender This message came from outside your organization. Report Suspicious<https://us-phishalarm-ewt.proofpoint.com/EWT/v1/KGKeukY!vwQdkidtD6YABRdx_o-E9-FU_ei0CkjMvtUvQO0crBfuvrispaKp0lazeJ8qv6kbYl8uzrc6S0QMEuCiHKcA6dliRaQt0C7k-G0GnPQHjQO0ECoOMe1DEQZdtBoHjWqch0R_Njq_vJMSqg$> Dear Dave, Any old and hardened oil can be easily removed by cleaner's naphtha and a soft cloth/piece of paper. That also goes for your good old microscope when it becomes hard to e.g. move the diaphragm or other parts you don't use every day - only apply one small drop at the time to prevent spreading any dissolved oil to other parts of your instrument (I use the tip of a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaners naphtha.), finally clean with paper and add a tiny bit of silicon grease. Best regards / Med venlig hilsen Peter Laugesen Founder │ Senior Expert PELCON Pelcon Materials & Testing ApS Industriparken 22B DK-2750 Ballerup Denmark tlf.: +45 39 56 50 00 www.pelcon.dk<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.pelcon.dk/__;!!KGKeukY!2p6umV-ayKF0mRY6l3AJL-UJ4Hzi8zqpSJVPJkAURVsgIu1j5d-zuwcJ7f7U3NC7hOg__w6l78XBmA$> Fra: Cole, David via MSA-talk <msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org>> Sendt: 10. juni 2025 20:04 Til: msa-talk@minlists.org<mailto:msa-talk@minlists.org> Emne: [MSA-talk] Thin section issue Dear Colleagues, We have gained access to some thin sections from the Ohio Geological Survey that have cover slips adhered to the slide with some kind of oil. We wish to assess these with our SEM so we welcome informed thoughts on how to best clean this oil off so as to not damage the polished surface. Thanks, Dave Cole School of Earth Sciences The Ohio State University