Bio-Rad GelAir Drying System - Manual (Page 10)

9. Lift the clamped drying frame off the assembly table and slide it onto one of the shelves
of the GelAir dryer. Always place wet assemblies below any partially dried gels. Water
dripping on a drying gel may cause cracking.
10. Turn on the dryer using the timer knob. Choose either ‘continuous on’ by turning the
knob counter-clockwise or ‘timer’ by turning clockwise. Select heat or no heat with the
heat on/off switch. Gel drying times are primarily dependent upon gel thickness (Table 1).
Table 1. Approximate drying times for polyacrylamide gels in heated GelAir
Dryer.
Gel Thickness Drying Time
0.5 mm 30-45 minutes
0.75 mm 40-55 minutes
1.0 mm 45-60 minutes
1.5 mm 65-80 minutes
11. To test gel dryness, remove the frame from the oven. Feel the entire gel using the back of
your fingers or hand (fingertips are less sensitive for this purpose). If any part of the gel
feels cold or slightly damp, the gel is not completely dry and needs more time in the dryer.
If a gel is removed from its frame before it is entirely dry, it may crack and (or) wrinkle.
12. To remove a dry gel from the drying frame, lift the clamp latches to release the clamps
from the frame.
Fig. 9. Trimming a dried gel.
13. Separate the cellophane from the frames and cut away any unnecessary cellophane from
around the gel. You can trim the cellophane right up to the edge of the dried gel (Figure 9).
The gel will not peel or separate from the cellophane.
14. The gel is now ready for densitometry gel documentation or any other appropriate appli-
cation.
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