All the protocols I used at my company were tested and modified by us for bright contrasting staining. I will try to post all my special staining protocols here. I’m working to modify them one by one to include the solutions used. We did not buy pre-made kits, we bought the individual chemicals and made our own staining solutions, with exceptions like hematoxylin, Bouin’s Fixative.

Are there more stains than this? Absolutely, yes, tons more stains and protocols. Most of these protocols were originally in histology books that we tested and modified for our use.

If you need a different protocol than found here, I suggest you look in a histology book like Theory and Practice of Histotechnology by Sheehan and Hrapchak, or Manual of Histologic Staining Methods by Lee Luna.

If these are not available to you, then try this website StainsFile.

The University of Utah is a great resource for all things histology/pathology.

If you buy special stain kits (pre-made) most come with staining protocols. I do suggest trying any new protocol on control tissues before using it on study tissues. You want to make sure the stain is perfect before staining research or clinical material.