Paraffin sections that are compressed, wrinkled, or jammed are the result of which blade tilt condition?

• A. Too Little Blade Tilt
• B. Too Much Blade Tilt
• C. Blade Tilt Has No Effect
• D. Blade Sharpness Only

Answer: (A)

Blade tilt controls how the knife edge shears the tissue. When the tilt is too little, the blade engages the block in a more perpendicular, pushing fashion. This increases friction and compresses the tissue and paraffin ahead of the edge, producing compressed, wrinkled sections and sometimes causing the ribbon to jam as it can’t advance smoothly. A proper, small but adequate tilt allows the blade to shear the tissue cleanly rather than push it, reducing compression. Excessive tilt shifts the cutting dynamics and tends to cause other defects like tearing or chatter, rather than the compression/wrinkling described.