Western blues

[Michael Witty]

> :Dima,
> :    here is how it might happen if the stack of paper towels makes good
> :contact with the buffer reservoir rather than just touching the gel.  You
> :have to position the papers towels _really_ badly.  Mike.
> :
> : ---------------------------------
> : -- >  ---------------------------  Badly positioned stack of gels
> : - / -----------------------------
> :   I    IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  Gel
> :   I    B    U    F    F    E    R
> :Path of
> :short
> :circuit
>
>     ^                ^                  ^
>     |                |                  |
>
> Here               here     and       here
>                                (no gel or towels)
>
>            current will be the same.
>
> As far as I can imagine, conductivity of buffer and towels
> and porous gel wetted in that buffer are essentially equal.
> In this case, you'd have to have that "badly positioned stack
> of towels" to be of enormous thickness or insert an insulator
> between gel and paper (air bubble, for example) to have
> the current bypass the gel.

I have feeling we are at crossed purposes: I am describing a blot with a
bunch of towels sucking up buffer by capillary action.  I think you are
describing electroblotting.  Am I right?  Mike.