When preparing a bacterial slide, start by turning on the gas to the Bunsen burner. The knob is usually located either at the bottom of the Bunsen burner or where the Bunsen burner tube connects to the gas line. Once you hear the hissing of gas, light the flame using a spark striker. The Bunsen burner should have a knob located on the side so the user can adjust the flame size. Once the flame is lit, place the loop end of the inoculating loop into the flame and allow the metal to turn orange. Then take the sterilized inoculating loop out of the flame and allow it to cool off a few seconds.
Take the sterilized loop and swirl it around in the bacterial culture. Then smear the bacteria covered loop in the middle of the microscope slide. You can get a second sample of bacteria and add it to the slide, but make sure the slide sample isn't too thick or it will be harder to make out colony characteristics under the microscope.
Wait five to ten minutes for the slide sample to air dry. If a second or third sample of bacteria is added to the slide, make sure to air dry the full ten minutes. Once this is done, pick up the end of the slide with a set of tweezers and pass the slide quickly through the Bunsen burner flame to kill and heat fix the bacteria to the slide. Do this two or three times. The bacterial slide is now ready to be looked at under a microscope.
When making slides using samples other than bacteria, the key is making sure the sample does not move when viewed under a microscope. If using a hair sample, for example, simply taping the ends down to the slide will make sure it remains motionless. Another way to keep the sample in place is using a cover slip. Simply add a drop of water to the sample and place the cover slip on top of the sample. The water will facilitate suction between the cover slip and the microscope slide, thereby rendering the sample motionless.