A Recycled Aid for Microscopists

To the Editor.—Immersion oil for use with microscopes is messy when it gets on the outside of the container, which it seems to do sooner or later. Various improvised devices and containers have been used in the past to cope with this problem, such as imbedding the bottle of immersion oil in a small platform of wax. A neat and simple holder for a common type of immersion oil bottle (1 fl oz capacity) can be made from the plastic top of an aerosol spray container if the outer diameter of the inner cap measures about 32 mm (Figure).The inner diameter of the inner cap and the diameter of the bottle to be held in it vary from sample to sample, so some element of custom fitting is necessary. This arrangement is unlikely to tip over, and after a five-year trial, has not become messy.