A. Preparation of specimen Specimen embedded Microtome arm in paraffin wax or plastic resin Metal or glass blade Ribbon of thin Ribbon of sections on glass slide, stained and mounted under a cover sIp c Figure A-18 Sectioning with a Microtome. The fixed specimen is embedded in paraffin wax or plastic resin and mounted on the arm of the microtome. As the arm moves up and down through a circular arc, the blade cuts successive sections. The sections adhere to each other forming a ribbon of thin sections that can be mounted on a glass slide stained, and protected with a coverslipA. Preparation of specimen: