OH! The horror of it All!

OH! The Horror Of It All

Well, it's been an interesting day in microscopy land. It started with the early arrival of Halloween.

I had a carbon black loaded polymer concentrate to examine and evaluate. I mixed some shaved fragments with LLDP/EVA melted them together. As the sample cooled I sheared the two together by moving the cover slip around. Since I was planning to photograph some of it, I had the room light off to better see the monitor. The images were surprising

The polymers were immiscible and I was greeted with dark brown and red futuristic cobwebs and Tim Burton-like nightmares. The areas of my examination showed what appeared to be moon lit, angular and eerie landscapes. Of course it brought the recent spate of "horror-suspense" programs and films I've seem to mind.

A sample of the recovered carbon black had been previously prepped for TEM examination. In the dim red light illumination of the work area the sample grid and sample rod was inserted in the TEM sample chamber. I waited for the warning light to turn off. Is it my imagination or is it taking longer for the evacuation stage.

"Must be my imagination," I thought "that's a timed cycle not a pressure related cycle."

I always check the penning gauge before turning on the high tension. The vacuum was low, too low to start. 10 minutes went by, little change in vacuum levels.

"I just used it yesterday," I thought. "The sample should be dry from chloroform after sitting all night."

I was looking at this sample, because the physical test area said it was a difficult sample.

"It didn't want to behave normally for nitrogen surface area. We can't disperse it normally of oil dispersion test," they said.

I finally turned the high tension on, went to cross over at 10KX and started saturation my filament. The filament kept going out of focus. Damn thing was fighting me every step of the way. Saturation reached at last, now to check the eccentric position. Where's the particles? For that matter, where' s the grid? I drop down to the lowest magnification and scan. I can find the edge of the sample holder on the probe, but WHERE'S THE GRID? Did I forget to mount a grid? I quickly check the little dish I use hold my samples in. There were two present and a ring were number three was. It's like, like the grid been swallowed into another dimension.

I beginning feel like the sample is from H P Lovecraft and not Mr. Smith in physical testing. I de-saturated the filament and remove the sample rod. The horrors of it all, my sample grid has vanished in to ... in to, ... what?

That when I notice it peaking out from under the retention ring arm. Oh, it moved. Mount a new grid, Add a little nitrogen to the anti-contamination device on the scope and the vacuum drops, the filament saturates and my sample shows nice, well behaved carbon black particle.

Last word, I'll never wish-list horror moves that late in the night again.