Good question, Fred.
I don't know the answer but I do have an experience to share.  I was training
someone once and told her to rince the silver from the von kossa stained
sections with the tap deionized water after exposing it to UV light.  She was
hard of hearing and sometimes I don't speak clearly, so she thought I said rinse
in tap water and although it goes against all that I have learned relating to
silver staining, those were the blackest, most specifically stained von kossa's
(calcified tissue)  I have ever seen.  In Colorado we have very mineral
concentrated water and it is very alkaline, I used it exclusivly for 20 years to
blue hematoxylin with excellent results.
Patsy

"Monson, Frederick C." wrote:

> So, many in Br. Isles and Western Europe use tap water for silver stains,
> and the anecdotal information doesn't have the desired effect in me, but
> rather stims a further question.  No matter where I have been in an around
> the Delaware River and its tributaries, I have always found the use of
> extended distilled water rinses following Schiff's reagent to diminish the
> intensity of the final magenta color.  For silver staining, I have always
> followed the axiom that dgdHOH [double glass distilled water] was required
> for success, though I would certainly defer to those who have used these
> methods for more than reticular fibers.
>
> The question then is this.  What's(re) the magic ingredient(s) in tap water
> that must be used to 'fix' the magenta color in the PAS method, or to do the
> same for the mordanted hematoxylin dyes?
>
> Thanks all,
>
> Fred Monson
>
> > ----------
> > From:         Dr. Ian Montgomery
> > Sent:         Monday, June 24, 2002 7:05 AM
> > To:   histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> > Subject:      Fwd: RE: Water.
> >
> > Andy,
> >         Hope you checked upstream for a dead sheep.
> > Ian.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >       Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 08:56:31 +0100
> >       From: Andrew.Shand@north-bristol.swest.nhs.uk
> >       Subject: RE: Water.
> >       To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> >
> >       When I worked in Glasgow we used to use Newcastle tap water for our
> >       Bielchowsky's.  I also seem to remember that Cajal insisted on
> > Madrid water
> >       for his silvers.  "Water, water everywhere" even distilled it's a
> > variable
> >       we should all keep in mind when trying to follow a new method.
> >
> >       Despite that there is nothing better than drinking water straight
> > from a
> >       Scottish mountain stream.
> >
> >       Andy Shand
> >
> >       -----Original Message-----
> >       From: Pamela Marcum [ mailto:mucram11@earthlink.net]
> >       Sent: 23 June 2002 14:16
> >       To: Histonet; Ian Montgomery
> >       Subject: RE: Water.
> >
> >
> >       I can't speak to this water issue however, I do know some silver
> > stains
> >       work very well in one country with the water and not all in another.
> > We
> >       had the problem years ago with a protocol for a silver stain from
> > Norway or
> >       the Netherlands and it just did not work doing everything exactly
> > the same.
> >       Finally out of pure frustration we ask them to send us 2 liters of
> > water.
> >       Suddenly the stain worked perfectly.  We tried exactly the same
> > protocol in
> >       a side by side and only the imported water worked.  We found another
> > silver
> >       fiber stain and told our collaborators we couldn't keep importing
> > water.
> >       They couldn't do the stain we picked there.  Go figure and we take
> > water
> >       for grant.  Pam Marcum
> >
> >
> >       > [Original Message]
> >       > From: Ian Montgomery 
> >       > To: Histonet 
> >        > Date: 6/23/2002 5:15:27 AM
> >       > Subject: Water.
> >       >
> >       >     John made a few interesting comments regarding Welsh water but
> > English
> >
> >       > beer! I always sample the local beers on my foreign travels but
> > English
> >       beer
> >
> >       > is the major reason I never venture over the border. It's flat,
> > warm and
> >
> >       > with a horrendous taste, it's awful. Now, mother nature gave
> > Scotland
> >
> >       > perfect water, and you can use it for silver staining, indeed
> > Bielschowsky
> >
> >       > Gros works better with tap water than distilled. Plus of course we
> > were
> >
> >       > blessed with the ability to make the amber nectar, whisky. While
> > other may
> >
> >       > claim to make the king of spirits, single malt whisky is the king
> > of
> >       kings.
> >
> >       > From the Orkneys to the Lowlands, Skye to Arran the distilleries
> > produce a
> >
> >       > drink so pure and filled with complexity of flavour that a single
> > sip
> >
> >       > transports you to a world of delights.
> >
> >       >     It's a wet windy Sunday morning here in Scotland but as I look
> > out my
> >
> >       > lounge window in the distance peeping out from the mist I can see
> > Ben
> >
> >       > Lomond, Narnain and Vorlich stretching into the distance. I agree
> > the
> >       Welsh
> >
> >       > hills are beautiful but we have mountains, awesome mountains and
> > arctic
> >
> >       > habitats over the entire Cairngorm massif. Mmm, maybe my postings
> > on
> >       Friday
> >
> >       > were a bit harsh and the UK and it's nations are not so bad. So,
> > if you
> >
> >       > fancy spending some time here your more than welcome.
> >
> >       > Ian.
> >
> >       >
> >
> >       >
> >
> >       > Dr. Ian Montgomery,
> >
> >       > Histotechnology,
> >
> >       > Academic Support Unit,
> >
> >       > Graham Kerr Building,
> >
> >       > Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences,
> >
> >       > University of Glasgow,
> >
> >       > Glasgow,
> >
> >       > Scotland,
> >
> >       > G12 8QQ.
> >
> >       > Tel: 0141 339 8855.
> >
> >       > Lab: 6644.
> >
> >       > Office: 4652.
> >
> >       > Fax: 0141 330 5971
> >
> >       > e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk
> >
> >       >
> >
> >       >
> >
> >       >
> >
> >       >
> >
> >
> >
> >       --- Pamela Marcum
> >       --- mucram11@earthlink.net
> >       --- EarthLink: The #1 provider of the Real Internet.
> >
> > Dr. Ian Montgomery,
> > Histotechnology,
> > Graham Kerr Building,
> > Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences,
> > University of Glasgow,
> > Glasgow,
> > G12 8QQ.
> > Tel: 0141 339 8855
> > Office: 4652
> > Lab: 6644.
> > e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk
> >