Leitz 1512 Rotary Microtome 1-25µm Section Thickness Quick Release Clamp

Leitz 1512 Rotary Microtome 1-25µm Section Thickness Quick Release Clamp

The Leitz 1512 is a benchtop rotary microtome made by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH in Austria. Rotary microtomes advance a specimen in precise incremental steps past a stationary knife edge with each rotation of the hand wheel, producing thin, uniform sections for microscopy examination. The 1512 is a manually operated instrument with a robust cast body, a large gear-driven hand wheel, and a micrometer-based section advance mechanism that allows fine control of slice thickness.

Specifications & What's Included

• Model: Leitz 1512
• Manufacturer: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
• Country of manufacture: Austria
• Manufacturer part number (data plate): 530 586
• Section thickness range: 1 – 25 µm (micrometers), adjustable
• Section thickness dial: graduated scale visible on large feed wheel (150–250 µm range markings visible); fine micrometer knob with graduated scale also present
• Specimen holder: quick-release section holder/clamp — included
• Specimen holder adjustment: ±10 degrees in any direction
• Knife clamp inclination: adjustable up to 30 degrees
• Top access panel: opens to reveal accessory storage compartment; oil bottles present
• Form factor: benchtop
• Approximate dimensions: 17 × 15 × 13 inches
• Approximate weight: 57 lbs
• Microtome knives are NOT included — must be sourced separately

Applications

Rotary microtomes are standard instruments in histology, pathology, and life science research laboratories, used to cut thin sections of tissue or other biological specimens for examination under a light microscope. Specimens — typically fixed and paraffin-embedded blocks — are clamped in the specimen holder and advanced incrementally through the knife edge with each hand wheel rotation, producing sections in the 1–25 µm range that are then mounted on glass slides and stained. The Leitz 1512 is a classic manually operated instrument from Ernst Leitz Wetzlar, the predecessor company to what is today Leica Biosystems, and dates from the era when Leitz was the dominant name in European laboratory optics and histology instrumentation (broadly the 1970s–1980s). Instruments of this type and generation are still found in teaching laboratories, veterinary pathology labs, and research settings that maintain manual sectioning workflows, and are sought after for their mechanical simplicity, durability, and ease of maintenance relative to later automated models.