Preparing the acrylamide gel

Step one: open the package containing the gel
the gel is packaged with a buffer-saturated piece of filter paper and may drip buffer when the gel is removed from the package
dripping off extra buffer onto the plastic package. Note the piece of filter paper behind the gel.
Step two: open the seal on the bottom of the gel by cutting along the black line with a razor blade and then pulling off the seal using the plastic tab.
Step three: remove the comb. The comb has lines on both sides to provide a place to grip the comb. Pull the comb out evenly on both sides.
a view of the comb being removed. Note the grip lines.  Once the comb comes out, the wells become nearly transparent. The wells of the gel are outlined on the frame so you will know where they are.