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Seems like we are not the only ones with this problem!

There are a number of great ideas posted now:

- fabric-covered hair elastics as oil dam and to absorb small amounts of oil; 
cheap and available everywhere, probably the first thing I'll try

- parafilm around the entire objective to let excess oil run down on; could 
even be combined with hair elastic, and is another fix that I will try 
immediately

- felt rings to absorb oil; sounds like a good idea, I will hunt around for local 
supplier

- Zeiss "immersion suction rings" seem to be a variation to the felt rings; 
unfortunately not available in Canada

- Zeiss "Aqua-Stop"; may or may not be suitable to divert excess oil, and is 
certainly the most expensive solution

Thanks to everyone for the overwhelming response.
Regards,
Elke


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Elke Küster-Schöck
CIAN (Cell Imaging and Analysis Network)
Proteomics & Genomics Coordinator, Microscopy Associate
McGill University, Montreal QC, Canada