We recorded a video for the alignment of the Anton Paar SAXSess instrument. This may be of use to some of you, although I will not make any claims about its accuracy. Please also take note of the notes in the video comments / info. This video has not been sponsored or endorsed by Anton Paar, and should also not be seen as a sponsoring or endorsement of Anton Paar. It is what it is.
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Is it really safe to cover the hole from the sample holder with tape? What about X-ray leakage?
Yes, it is quite safe. Being light, or electromagnetic radiation, X-ray photons will travel in a straight line only until they are absorbed. This means that the rays from the source will have a very hard time getting through the collimation and out that small exit hole at an oblique angle to the source.
The only way you might get a stray photon through is if the (majority of the) beam hits an unobstructed iron-containing surface right in front of the hole, creates fluorescence in the material, and a (lower energy) photon might exit at just the right angle. The chance of this happening is very, very slim, the hole very small, and the exit direction (to behind the instrument) quite harmless.
I wrote a post on radiation safety in the lab a while ago which may be of interest in this regard: http://www.lookingatnothing.com/index.php/archives/1557