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Hello TFF, I have been interested in micropalaeontology for a bit, especially after @Shamalama sent me some wonderful micro matrix samples along with slides for micropalaeontology. The tiny organisms like ostracods, conodonts, bryozoans and crinoids are so amazing and getting to see them under the microscope is very special. However, I have been limited in my ability to collect these fossils due to a lack of these slides, I got two from Dave which were beautiful and very helpful but similar ones online cost quite a bit, especially since most were from outside the US. For a while, I put this on hold and didn't expand my micro collection because of this but a couple of days ago I saw someone selling 3d printed slides on the auction site and this inspired me to make my own. I thought it would be a nice and quick solution and I can always just make more as I needed them. I took some measurements of the glass slides I had on hand and quickly threw together a model, This first one you cannot see in the photo below because the gaps for the glass to slide into ended up being just too narrow and my slide got stuck in it so I had to melt away the plastic and break it to retrieve it. The second one I decided to alter the model and increase both the height and width of the gap by .5 mm, this ended up being way too big and the slides just fell out. This is the slide you see at the top of the photo. Next, instead of tampering with the original model I just kept all the proportions and increased the size to 100.5%, this ended up being a perfect fit and would allow the glass to slide in and out while keeping it secure when needed, this is the middle slide you see in the photo, these early prototypes were done in red because this is the plastic I had the most of. Finally to finish the model up, I added a cutout in the side to allow you to remove the glass easier and without covering it in fingerprints and started printing it in black. You can see the final version at the bottom of the photo These slides are fully customizable, I can make the hole in them any shape that I would want, currently I am thinking about making a version with multiple circular compartments. I could probably even add some writing on the space in the front or on the back of the slide. I am not sure if there are any other interesting or helpful changes I can make to the model, I am open to suggestions so please tell me if you have any. I just wanted to share this little project with everyone, maybe it will get someone inspired to make something similar or perhaps someone will just find it interesting. Also if anyone wants it, I would love to share the files to these for anyone wanting to print some yourself, they should fit the standard glass slides for microscopes. Send me a PM if you are interested.

Hello everyone, I have been interested in fossil fishes from the Ordovician- Devonian for quite a while now, and recently I have begun to venture into the field of micropalaeontology a bit more. This has led me to purchase matrix samples from the Harding sandstone and I am also interested in getting some Maple Mill stuff. The problem is I currently only have one more vacant slide to use for these fossils, it was sent to me by @Shamalama with some other microfossils but I don't know where I could get more. The slide has an aluminum case with a piece of thin foam board inside and a glass on top. The foam board has cutout with a grind going from 1 to 64. I was wondering if anyone else might know where I could get some of these as I have not been successful in tracking them down myself. Thank you, Misha