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Devices that mechanically restore the cutting angle of knives that are used to cut thin tissue sections for microscopic examintion. Some sharpeners use a reciprocating process in which the microtome knife is affixed to a mechanical arm extending from the drive mechanism of the device. The arm lowers the knife onto a stationary, abrasive-coated glass or copper sharpening plate and moves the knife back and forth. Other sharpeners use a sliding mechanism that draws the knife back and forth across pairs of honing and stropping wheels. Another method uses an arm to hold the blade against a rotating horizontal lapping disk that contains an abrasive compound. Most sharpeners allow the operator to adjust the angle of the knife; many instruments also have automatic controls for setting the duration of the knife sharpening.
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