NCJ Number
174260
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 25 Issue: 8 Dated: August 1998 Pages: 56-58-60
Date Published
1998
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes a technique (super glue fuming) for obtaining fingerprint images from nonporous materials such as glass and plastic.
Abstract
Super glue fuming is a process in which nonporous items that may contain fingerprints are placed into an airtight chamber and exposed to super glue vapors. A chamber could be a fish tank, a plastic bag held up by PVC pipe, or a commercial chamber. The super glue used in fuming is an adhesive with basically the same active ingredients as artificial nail adhesives or popular glues with trade names Super Glue or Krazy Glue. When vaporized, the glue reacts to traces of moisture and organic components of fingerprint residue. As a result, fingerprint residue often turns white and becomes polymerized, or bonded, to the surface. Super glue-bonded prints generally last for years. Faint prints, which could not be seen with the naked eye or with the help of powders, can become visible after fuming, and prints that could not be seen immediately after super glue fuming can become visible with dye staining and specialized lighting techniques. John Olenik, who has developed two super glue fuming techniques, divides accelerated fuming processes into four categories: chemical acceleration, heat generation, increasing the surface area, and vacuum chamber. Each of these processes is described in this article. A technique for fuming at the scene of a crime is also described.