New "PAP" pen :The GnomePen

Carl · **Carl**

Saar kindly introduced us to this hydrophobic pen.
I agree with Saar and hrn, so far, regarding it's effectiveness.
It feels strange having a ballpoint dispenser tip, rather than the felt nibs on the "traditional" "PAP" pens ( I use "" because only one is called a PAP pen but, like the "Hoover", it is now used as a verb.)
Let us test and please will anyone using the Gnome Pen please post any comments here?
Price will be a major consideration for me to change as I already only use the fine nibbed/tipped PAP pens, ever since they came out as they, as hrn pointed out, allow one to mount more than one section per slide.
Eg: 4 sections to allow 4 different Abs or 4 different dilutions of the same Ab when assessing new Abs.
I have posted an image of slides thus mounted under "PAP pen" key word.
Any further info re the Gnomepen would be appreciated....like, Saar, how did you come to use it?
Or, lol, are YOU the owner/inventor/retailer of this pen????

Curious carlos

saar_tal · **saar_tal**

Hi Carlos,

Sorry, no, I'm not the owner/etc.

I didn't find the gnomepen either.
I originally got introduced to the barrierpaste (their first and only product back then). As I mentioned, I had a LOT of problems with the local cheap pap pens (and doing a LOT of IHC couldn't afford the better ones).
Anyway, a local salesperson (I think they were selling only in Israel back then, something like a year or two ago(?)) gave me a sample of their barrierpaste. It worked well and the price was ok (similar to the thin pap pens sold here) so I bought it since then on.
As they moved to the pen - I tried it too and I'm using it now.

I often say that if we could remove the little problems/bugs/etc we see daily doing science, then we could finish a doctorate in 1 year. Sadly, we can't...

Good luck with the expriments.

Cheers,
Saar Very Happy

saar_tal · **saar_tal**

Hi Carlos.
I posted a reply last night and logged in today to see if you answered it, or anyone else - and couldn't see it anymore.
I'll repeat it shortly below and if it re-appears the web administrator may feel free to delete this message.

As for the gnomepen and your questions:
I had IHC problems about a couple of years ago (if memory serves me right) when the company started selling it's BarrierPaste product. I tried it and it worked well. The price was ok too so I started buying it instead. As they genereated their second product I tested it too and it worked well for my needs so now I'm working with their GnomePen.

Best of luck with the expriements.
Saar

Carl · **Carl**

cheap "PAP" pens!??
That is an oxymoron, surely Wink

I tried the G-pen on some BIG sections of human spleen that somebody gave me to use...they are very valuable as it is very difficult to get hold of human control tissues in the UK without filling in 12-page forms and justifying it to Ethical committees.....sigh
So, if I get large sections, I divide them up, using a PAPpen.
I tried it with the G-pen....very good/ better than PAPpen.
I posted an image.
Sure....there's always somebody going to say Don't do that cos of x-contamination issues.
However, I mostly use this method for titration of one Ab.

I have an issue with the G-pen, tho and I wonder if you/any other User have xperienced it: the rollerball refused to "roll" on the second day of use
It took me several goes to get the flow going .
Does it dry and thus clog up the ball nib?
No, I was careful to NOT leave the lid off the pen.

Also, I assume that you buy the G-pen, Saar?
If so, how much does it cost you?
Carl

Carl · **Carl**

cheap "PAP" pens!??
That is an oxymoron, surely Wink

I tried the G-pen on some BIG sections of human spleen that somebody gave me to use...they are very valuable as it is very difficult to get hold of human control tissues in the UK without filling in 12-page forms and justifying it to Ethical committees.....sigh
So, if I get large sections, I divide them up, using a PAPpen.
I tried it with the G-pen....very good/ better than PAPpen.
I posted an image.
Sure....there's always somebody going to say Don't do that cos of x-contamination issues.
However, I mostly use this method for titration of one Ab.

I have an issue with the G-pen, tho and I wonder if you/any other User have xperienced it: the rollerball refused to "roll" on the second day of use
It took me several goes to get the flow going .
Does it dry and thus clog up the ball nib?
No, I was careful to NOT leave the lid off the pen.

Also, I assume that you buy the G-pen, Saar?
If so, how much does it cost you?
Carl

saar_tal · **saar_tal**

Hi Carl,
Cheap? well... relatively speaking, of course.
EVERYTHING that has "bio" attached to it costs a LOT more than it should.

A "regular" pap pen is sold here at around 300shekels or 80$ for the small version which contains 2ml (I checked). The larger ones cost around 500shekel or 125$ for (I guess from usage) about 5ml. The DAKO pap pen is the most expensive one costing at around 800shekel (200$) for the larger pens (I don't know how much they charge for the smaller ones). So "cheap" means less than 200$/pen, not a 1$ store item...

Sorry - I have heard of the G-pen from other forums and advertisment but it's not sold, as far as I know, in Israel - so I have never tried it.
I buy Invignome's GnomePen - not the G-pen (OT- the term "G pen" reminds me that NASA designed a gravity free pen that works in zero gravity. The development price was very high - six figures and above - and the pen price was also very high. The russians, btw, used a pencil...)

Regarding your samples -
Can't you ask for samples from people that volunteered their body to science or possibly from biopsies?
Why don't you ask an internal physician, maybe he will find a way to get you the samples? For example when a person undergoes a surgery to remove a tumor they also remove some of the healty tissue around it, so maybe you can get hold of that?
What about the hospital pathology unit? Did you ask them? I'm sure they have all sort of sampels and they don't use all of them.

Best of luck with the sections.
Regards,
Saar

Carl · **Carl**

G-pen= Gnomepen.
I just couldn't be ar**d to type it all out again again Embarassed

Re tissues; no, it's highly regulated now.
I spent 15yrs working in clinical Path labs and could help myself to all that "leftover" tumour and surrounding normal tissue as it was incinerated.
Sure, no Patient ID was ever retained.
Ideal for teaching practicals and controls.
Can't do that now.

Did you know that we have to also have separate clinical waste bins to put Pwax human tissue section waste into?
Same with any slides that are disposed of...crazy.
Ta for your info.
How much does your G-pen cost you?

Re "bio" premium; indeed you are right.
Before dedicated HIER pressure cookers came out, I could only obtain the Wallmart Tendercooker ( microwave oven, pressure cooker) from Menarini, in the UK. It cost me £120: one could buy it in Walmart for $30!!
Not in the UK, sadly.
However, one can buy on ebay.
I still use them ( I have 3)
Reminiscently,
Carl

saar_tal · **saar_tal**

Hi Carl,
As for the GnomePen (I don't mind writing the full name as I'm typing blind fairly fast) the cost here is around 50$ if memeory serves me right (It's midnight now).

Too bad on the tissue supplies/accessebility problem. It's sad to hear this. This is killing scientific progress.
Things are getting mad all over this world, I think.
Think of animals - the committees drive us nutz with paperwork over mice/rats/etc when we as biologists are responsible for less than 0.1% of all the animals killed in IL per year (mainly are killed for food consumption of course). And we do make sure they don't suffer the best we can, anyway.
Crazy indeed.

As for bio-cost relationship, here is a nice story.
We had an item (lets skip exactly which) where the pump had died. We took it apart and checked the pump for manufacturer details. Sure enough we had all the details, found his website and in a line of 20-50$ pumps there was ours - reserved. So we asked the company (the "bio" company) how much. Answer? 900$ for the pump, 400$ for the technician services + VAT.
While I can understand companies that have a unique product, or a product they had to design and make themselves - they do have a high manufacturing cost and they need to get paid - but this kind of a rip-off I don't get. Ask for 100% for your import costs, handling costs, warehouse costs and even enjoy a little profit - fine. But that much for an item you don't even make yourself and is cheap?

And I have more examples where this came from, but I'll post it to the complaints forum... Wink

Well... best of luck with the IHC/etc
Good night... Shocked

Regards,
Saar

Carl · **Carl**

well, now there's an idea Idea

Lol.

G-pens in USD:
1:49
2:93
6-Pack:245

Good morning.
carl

Carl · **Carl**

Yes, the non-flow is still there every morning.
It is a bit like me....takes some time to get going every day
I must squeeze quite the body of the pen to get the "flow" going.
I worry that the plastic case might split.
I emailed him/her/them and he/she/them replied that it is being worked on....however, some Users like this, apparently.
Saar/hrn...do you xperience this?

saar_tal · **saar_tal**

Hi Carl,
Sorry for the lag... busy busy, you know...
Yes, I do have some experience with this.

I keep the GnomePens upright so they last longer (says so in the website) and if the pen tip gets dirty (from going over samples) I wipe it clean with some tissue paper.

The squeezing is not a problem - I asked. The pen body is very flexible and will not split.
I actually like it since it allows me to make wider or thinner lines around the samples (important sample - wider, less important - thinner).

Best of all - I love the colors, especially the red. I seldom make any mistakes with my negative control slices with it now. I buy the red pen just for the negative controls and now it's a reflex (not adding primary Ab. to red slides). Hmm... a bell is ringing... food!
Got to go...
Saar
Very Happy

ole · **ole**

I have tried the pen for a time now. I also got a sample of the paste wich seems good for IHC - singlestaining.
Both pen and paste works fine. The only problem i got is that ppl borrow it a bit much. Its their new favorite pen for eg lactase tests.
Too bad they dont distribute in Europe or global:(
I asked about the progress reg global distribution but no reply yet.

Ole

Carl · **Carl**

I hope that you are well.
Lol....yes, it is popular in my Lab also!
Did you get the free samples or...did you order via Paypal, for example?
Yes, I would buy if available via Institutional order form.
However, I am still waiting for further progress to make that fluid flow more freely.
Best wishes.
Carl

ole · **ole**

Im fine, except for the seasonal bugs - that bugs a bit;)
We got samples of the paste and pen, not purchased any yet.
I have not used paypal or such yet - guess i could if they and they accept it;) I prefer institutional form too.

I just got a Vina Green sample - gonna try it over the weekend - see how it works. Hopefully it will work GREAT together with htx, HrP-DAB and a AP kit for triple-stainings.
Im also trying the intellipath flx stainer now - so .. well ... kinda busy atm. But that whats most fun beeing a immunotech - trying stuff lol.

ole

Immunohistochemistry	In Situ Hybridization	Immunostaining
Immunohistochemistry Images	Tissue staining	Pathology
Tumor Markers	IHC Reagents	Tissue Micro Array
Immunofluorescence Staining	Positive Control Slide	Polyclonal Antibody
Monoclonal Antibody	IHC Staining Protocol	In Situ Hybridization Images
Immunohistochemistry Protocol	Immunofluorescence	Immunohistochemical Staining
.................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................