An illuminator for ultramicrotome knife orientation and block approach

The construction and operation of a simple, inexpensive illuminator that produces high quality illumination of the ultramicrotome knife edge and the edge to block face gap resembling dark field is described. Use of the illuminator greatly speeds knife adjustment and reduces the likelihood of specimen or knife edge damage. The illuminator uses a grain-of-wheat light bulb and an adjustable bulb holder fashioned from bent paper clips. The holder permits both lateral and axial adjustment of the bulb position, which is necessary to achieve satisfactory illumination with different specimens and knives. The illuminator, with slight modification, can be adapted for use on any ultramicrotome.