[NHCOLL-L:5049] Re: Labeling frozen, ethanol and nitrogen tissue tubes

Mon Nov 1 09:43:23 EDT 2010

Kirsten

There are lots of better systems out there for labeling tissue tubes.  Most of them involve a printer and specially designed label materials that can withstand the very low temps of cryostorage and overlapping adhesive portions to be able to stick to frozen tubes.  We use a small handheld labeling system from Brady called the Brady LabPal and print onto cryo safe labeling material from the same company.  The LabPal is at the lower end of cost and functionality and we use it simply to print numbers for tubes - both in the field and back in the lab.  There are more powerful versions that can be used to print barcodes etc. too.  Brady has a complete range of cryosafe labeling materials available from their website.

http://www.bradyid.com/bradyid/pdpv/LABPAL.html

http://www.bradyid.com/bradyid/scpv/Labels,-Markers-and-Tapes~Cryo-Vial.html

Andy

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 Andy Bentley
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 University of Kansas
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From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Kirsten Nicholson
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 8:17 AM
To: atrox10 at gmail.com
Cc: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:5024] Re: Labeling frozen, ethanol and nitrogen tissue tubes

Good info, I'm always looking for better instruments for this sort of thing; thanks for sharing, Carol!

I'm coming late to this conversation, but I'm wondering about two things. One is, why not put labels inside the tubes instead of writing on the outside where there is the risk of rubbing off or coming off altogether? Its slightly more work, but the payoff is tremendous in terms of being sure of which tube has what inside.

The other is, I find it incredible that somebody hasn't produced a better system for this given that so many of us are faced with this problem of labeling tubes permanently.  I've seen ads for label makers that print labels out for tubes, but have not tried them, and generally these are not practical in the field, but might be useful once back in the lab.  Do you or does anyone out there have experience with these labeling machines for the lab?

Thanks,

Kirsten
-- 
Kirsten E. Nicholson, Ph.D

Asst. Prof. Biology          
Dept. of Biology             
217 Brooks Hall               
Central Michigan Univ.   
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859                  
989-774-3758            

and

Curator of Natural History
Museum of Cultural and Natural History
103 Rowe Hall
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
989-774-3829

On Fri, Oct 22, 2010 at 6:24 PM, Carol Spencer <atrox10 at gmail.com> wrote:

Hi NH-Coll:

Awhile ago I requested information from researchers about pens/markers to be used for writing on cryotubes for ethanol, frozen, or liquid nitrogen usage. Since that time we at MVZ have gone through a couple of marker types and seem to have found one that works well in all types of fluid. 

This is the VWR Histology Chemical-Resistant Marker, see information below.

Previously VWR had changed their formula and their markers were not working, so we switched to the Moist-Mark Cancer Diagnostics Pen (http://www.labsafety.com/Moist-Mark-Plus-Pen_s_141667/Label-Accessories_24541186/). This Moist-mark pen is very good with frozen or nitrogen tubes, BUT it will run when used with ethanol or other chemicals, especially when used on tubes that are very smooth and do not have a white area for writing. Since we keep our tubes in -80C, switching to liquid nitrogen, and we also use them when sending loans of tissue in 95% ethanol, we needed to mark with ink that will not come off in all situations.

When using the VWR marker, you should still allow the writing to dry completely (several minutes) before put any ethanol or other liquid into the tube.  If you rub the writing a lot, it will fade a bit, but overall this pen seems to work the most consistently.
Thanks,
Carol

VWR® Chemical-Resistant Marker

Supplier: VWR International

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Precision ultrafine tip permanently marks slides and cassettes. Ink is waterproof, smearproof, odorless, and resistant to most chemicals, including alcohol, formalin, and xylene. Color: black. 

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$55.70 

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 <https://www.vwrsp.com/globalimages/white_img_restricted_icon.gif>  Please verify that you have logged in. This item is restricted for purchase to customers with an established account and the proper documentation on file. If you are logged in and believe you should have access to this item, please contact us for additional help at 1-888-320-4357. 

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-- 
Carol L. Spencer, Ph.D.
Staff Curator of Herpetology & Researcher
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
3101 Valley Life Sciences Building
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA 94720-3160
atrox10 at gmail.com
atrox at berkeley.edu
TEL: 510-643-5778 /FAX: 510-643-8238

http://www.herpnet.org
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