Bolt® Mini Gel Tank - FAQs

DTT is not stable, so it must be added and the reduction performed just prior to loading your samples.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Gel 1D Electrophoresis Support Center.

Precipitation of the LDS or SDS at 4 degrees C is normal. Bring the buffer to room temperature and mix until the LDS/SDS goes into solution. If you do not want to wait for it to dissolve, you can store the sample buffer at room temperature.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Gel 1D Electrophoresis Support Center.

Similar to NuPAGE gels with storage temperatures of 4 to 25 degrees C.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

The shelf life for Bolt gels is similar to that for NuPAGE gels: 12 months from the date of shipment.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

While they are both Bis-Tris based gels, the chemistries are very different since Bolt gels are optimized for western blotting. Another key difference is the wedge well design of the Bolt gels, which allows larger sample volumes to be loaded.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Gel 1D Electrophoresis Support Center.

Yes. While we would prefer that you use our devices, Bolt gels can also be transferred using devices from Bio-Rad, including the Mini Trans-Blot Cell, Trans-Blot SD Semi-Dry Transfer Cell, or Trans-Blot Turbo Transfer System.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

Yes. You can use the iBlot Dry Transfer System or XCell II Blot Module with SureLock tank and achieve similar transfer efficiency.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

The Mini Blot Module is designed exclusively for the Mini Gel Tank. It will also fit in the Bolt Mini Gel Tank (discontinued as of December 31, 2014) but will not fit in the XCell SureLock Mini Cell or other vendors' electrophoresis tanks.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

Up to two blot modules can be run simultaneously in the Bolt Mini Gel Tank to transfer up to two gels per run.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

The Bolt Mini Gel Tank has been discontinued as of December 31, 2014, and will be offered until inventory is depleted. To upgrade the Bolt Mini Gel Tank to run the new Bolt Bis-Tris Plus gels as well as other Invitrogen Mini gels, you have to replace the black 10.5 cm cassette clamp cam handles with gray 10 cm cassette clamp cam handles (Cat. No. A26732). Instructions for replacement of the cam handles can be found in this video.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

To run Mini gels with 10 cm gel cassettes using a Bolt Mini Gel Tank (without replacement of 10.5 cm cassette clamp cam handles with 10 cm cassette clamp cam handles), please use the instructions provided on Page 22 of the manual.

For optimal results, to run 10 cm cassette Mini gels with a Bolt Mini Gel Tank, you should replace the black 10.5 cm cassette clamp cam handles on the Bolt Mini Gel Tank with gray 10 cm cassette clamp cam handles (Cat. No. A26732). Instructions for replacement of the cam handles can be found on Page 20 of the manual or in this video. Additional resources can be found here. (https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/protein-biology/protein-gel-electrophoresis/protein-gel-electrophoresis-chamber-systems/mini-gel-tank/resources-upgrading-bolt-mini-gel-tank.html)
Note: The Bolt Mini Gel Tank has been discontinued as of December 31, 2014, and will be offered until inventory is depleted.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

We offer the PowerEase 90W Power supply that is compatible with the Bolt Mini Gel Tank. The PowerEase 500 Power Supply (discontinued as of December 31, 2013) is also compatible with the Bolt Mini Gel Tank). Invitrogen Power Supply Adapters are supplied with the tank for power supplies that are not designed for use with covered or non-retractable power leads.
Note: The Bolt Mini Gel Tank has been discontinued as of December 31, 2014, and will be offered until inventory is depleted.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

We recommend the following: When electrophoresis is complete, dispose of the buffer appropriately. Rinse the tank to remove residual buffer. Clean the surface of the Bolt Mini Gel Tank with a soft non-abrasive, lint-free cloth dampened with water. Do not use harsh detergents or organic solvents to clean the unit. Note: The Bolt Mini Gel Tank has been discontinued as of December 31, 2014, and will be offered until inventory is depleted.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

The Bolt Mini Gel Tank is impervious to alcohol, but not compatible with chlorinated hydrocarbons (e.g., chloroform), aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., toluene, benzene) or acetone. Note: The Bolt Mini Gel Tank has been discontinued as of December 31, 2014, and will be offered until inventory is depleted.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.

Our Original Bolt Bis-Tris Plus Mini gels (Cat. No. BGxxxxxBOX, discontinued as of December 31, 2014) can only be run in the Bolt Mini Gel Tank (discontinued as of December 31, 2014, and will be offered until inventory is depleted).

To run our new Bolt Bis-Tris Plus Mini gels (Cat. No. NWxxxxxBOX), as well as our Invitrogen Mini gels and NuPAGE Mini gels using the Bolt Mini Gel Tank, upgrading of the tank is necessary by replacing the black 10.5 cm cassette clamp cam handles with gray 10 cm cassette clamp cam handles (Cat. No. A26732, Cassette Clamp Cam Handle Set). Instructions for replacement of the cam handles can be found in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FtiX8Skllw).

To run Mini gels with 10 cm gel cassettes using the Bolt Mini Gel Tank (without replacement of 10.5 cm cassette clamp cam handles with 10 cm cassette clamp cam handles), please use the instructions provided on Page 22 of the manual (https://tools.thermofisher.com/content/sfs/manuals/mini_gel_tank_man.pdf).

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Electrophoresis and Western Blotting Support Center.