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BVDA GELLIFTERS

Lift your evidence to the highest level

Unlike other lifting media, BVDA Gellifters have been especially developed for the lifting of fingerprints, shoeprints, dust marks and micro traces. The thick, non-aggressive, low-tack gelatin layer allows traces to be lifted from almost every surface, including porous material such as paper and cardboard.

Risk-free lifting - Gellifters make it possible to lift the same print multiple times without the risk of destroying it. Also, there is minimal or no risk of damaging the surface of the exhibit.

Easy to use - The flexibility of the Gellifter makes it easy to apply on any surface. The low-tack adhesive makes it easy to remove.

One product, many applications - Lift powdered fingerprints, untreated fingerprints, fingerprints developed with cyanoacrylate, fingerprints in/on latex and vinyl gloves, shoe impressions in dust, traces in blood, dye-stained finger- and shoeprints in blood, earprints, indented writing, micro traces and fibers.

Lift from virtually every surface - Porous or non-porous, flat or curved, smooth or rough: a black, white or transparent Gellifter will do the job.

No air bubbles - The thick gelatin layer of Gellifters eliminates the risk of trapping air bubbles when lifting prints from rough surfaces. This ensures a complete lift of the print, without gaps

Weak traces are clearly visualized - Even the weakest traces become clearly visible when lifted with a black Gellifter. Its jet-black color and the high-gloss finish of its gelatin layer provide the right background to visualize the weakest traces.

Sharpness and rich contrast - The jet black color of the black Gellifters and the high-gloss finish provide a perfect combination of absorption and reflection.

Used with the right illumination, it achieves a crisp image in which the print is perfectly constrasted with the background.

Quality from start to finish - High standards of quality are maintained both in the production and packaging of Gellifters. We check every single Gellifter, just before packaging, to make sure that only the best ends up with you at the crime scene.

Unlike other lifting media, BVDA Gellifters have been especially developed for the lifting of fingerprints, shoeprints, dust marks and micro traces. The thick, non-aggressive, low-tack gelatin layer allows traces to be lifted from almost every surface, including porous material such as paper and cardboard.





Applications:
  • Untreated fingerprints
  • Fingerprints developed with:
    Powders (all types, even black)
    Cyanoacrylate
    SPR
    Powdersuspension used on the adhesive side of certain tapes
  • Fingerprints in/on latex and vinyl gloves
  • Old fingerprints (relifting or improving)
  • Postmortem fingerprinting
  • Shoeprints in dust
  • Muddy shoeprints on paper
  • Earprints
  • Micro traces
  • Indented writing
 

Gellifters Black

The gelatin layer of these Gellifters features two special qualities: jetblack color and the high-gloss finish. The high-gloss  provides for a reflection of light from the illumination source. Any light not reflected by the gelatin layer will be absorbed. Traces picked up by the Gellifter, however, will reflect the light in all directions.The result is a high contrast between the lifted material and the gelatin layer.
 
Applications:
  • Shoeprints in dust
  • Shoeprints developed with fingerprint powder
  • Muddy shoeprints on paper



EXAMPLES:


Product #
Description
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Shoeprint sizes
B-12000
Gellifters Black, 13x36 cm / 5.2x14.4", 2/p
 
B-12500
Gellifters Black, 18x36 cm / 7.2x14.4", 2/p
 
B-12900
Gellifters Black, 36x45 cm / 14.4x17.7", 4/p
 
Finger- and palm print sizes
B-10400
Gellifters Black, 5x5 cm / 2x2", 12/p
 
B-10500
Gellifters Black, 5x10 cm / 2x4", 12/p
 
B-10600
Gellifters Black, 7.6x10.2 cm / 3x4", 12/p
 
B-11000
Gellifters Black, 13x18 cm / 5.2x7.2", 10/p
 
B-11500
Gellifters Black, 9x13 cm / 3.6x5.2", 10/p
 

Searching for shoeprints

Position of mirror and light

Figure 1: Positioning the light source and mirror

Searching for shoeprints on dark-colored surfaces can be successful if oblique lighting is used. The shoeprints that may be present normally contrast well against a dark background. Unfortunately, this technique is rarely useful for light-colored surfaces, on which shoeprints contrast poorly or not at all.
If fingerprint powders are used to find and visualize prints, the fine details in a print may be damaged or completely obscured.
In the worse case, the shoeprints are overlooked completely.

A good technique to visualize shoeprints on lighter floors and other surfaces uses high-intensity oblique lighting and a mirror.

Use two laser pointers to indicate the shoeprint on the floor

Image 1: Use two laser pointers to indicate the shoeprint on the floor.

Apply the Gellifter so that the center-point of each end covers one of the laser dots

Image 2: Apply the Gellifter so that the center-point of each end covers one of the laser dots.

The shoeprint is lifted

Image 3: The shoeprint is lifted.

Step 1
Position a mirror to stand on the floor to be examined. It should not stand upright but lean backward at a slight angle (figure 1).
The angle depends on the distance between the mirror and the point from which you view the mirror. The closer you are to the mirror, the larger the angle must be. For example, if you are 6 feet from the mirror, its angle should be about 20 degrees from upright. At 12 feet, the angle is about 10 degrees.

Step 2
Use a high-intensity light to create oblique illumination (search light, ALS, or alternatively a slide projector). The path from the light-source to the mirror must be diagonal, at an angle of about 30 degrees in relation to the mirror surface (figure 1). The shoeprints, if present, are now visible in the mirror. However, your distance from the mirror and the angle of the mirror are crucial to the result. Adjust these two factors until you get an image in the mirror that approximates what you would see without the mirror if you laid your head on the floor.

Step 3
Once the traces are visible in the mirror, they can be lifted. This will require that you move toward the mirror. In doing so, you will note that the traces you just saw in the mirror will disappear. (As already mentioned, your distance from the mirror and the mirror angle are of utmost importance.) To prepare for this, use two laser pointers to indicate the shoeprint on the floor. Place one in the center of the toe of the shoe and one in the center of the heel (see image 1). Aim with the laser pointers on the floor in front of the mirror, and follow the movement of the dot while looking at the mirror.

At this point you know exactly where the print is located, and you can lift it with a black Gellifter. Holding the Gellifter by its two short ends, plan to apply it so that the center-point of each end covers one of the laser dots (see image 2). Apply one end first, then work toward the other. We recomment using a rubber roller to avoid any air bubbles.

Step 4
The shoeprint is now lifted and can be taken to the lab for photography and further examination. Image 3 shows the actual color of the floor from which the sample print was lifted.

Download this information as a PDF

Brochure on the mirror technique

 

Gellifters White

The gelatin layer of the white Gellifter absorbs blood and dyes from staining solutions. These traces can easily be copied onto the gelatin layer and then viewed free from a interfering background. The extreme white color of this Gellifter has a low fluorescence. Staining solutions which fluoresce when excited with green light (e.g., Hungarian Red) will therefore show up in high contrast to the gelatin layer. We advise that shoeprints in dust be lifted with the black Gellifters, even when lifting darkcolored prints that intuitively would seem to contrast better on white Gellifters. A clearer and better contrasting result is always obtained with a black Gellifter.
 
Applications:
  • Traces in blood
  • Traces in blood after chemical enhancement
  • Old prints (improving)
  • Prints in staining solutions
  • Muddy shoeprints on non-porous surfaces stained with Safranine O



Product #
Description
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Shoeprint sizes
B-15000
Gellifters White, 13x36 cm / 5.2x14.4", 2/p
 
B-15500
Gellifters White, 18x36 cm / 7.2x14.4", 2/p
 
B-15900
Gellifters White, 36x45 cm / 14.4x17.7", 4/p
 
Finger- and palm print sizes
B-13400
Gellifters White, 5x5 cm / 2x2", 12/p
 
B-13500
Gellifters White, 5x10 cm / 2x4", 12/p
 
B-13600
Gellifters White, 7.6x10.2 cm / 3x4", 12/p
 
B-14000
Gellifters White, 13x18 cm / 5.2x7.2", 10/p
 
B-14500
Gellifters White, 9x13 cm / 3.6x5.2", 10/p
 

 
 

Gellifters Transparent

These Gellifters are used mainly to lift fingerprints and to make comparison shoeprints. Their advantage is that they provide
positive image of a print. Unlike tape products for lifting prints, the Gellifter has a low-tack adhesive layer which is thick  enough to lift complete prints from rough or polluted surfaces. Fingerprint powder and impurities that may remain on a print after powdering do not cause missing spots in the lift due to bubbles caught between the adhesive layer and the surface.
 
Applications:
  • Comparison shoeprints
  • Shoeprints in dust
  • Shoeprints developed with fingerprint powder
Product #
Description
#
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Shoeprint sizes
B-18000
Gellifters Transparent, 13x36 cm / 5.2x14.4", 2/p
 
B-18200
Gellifters Transparent, 18x36 cm / 7.2x14.4", 2/p
 
Finger- and palm print sizes
B-17022
Gellifters Transparent, 5x5 cm / 2x2", 12/p
 
B-17024
Gellifters Transparent, 5x10 cm / 2x4", 12/p
 
B-17034
Gellifters Transparent, 7.6x10.2 cm / 3x4", 12/p
 
B-17000
Gellifters Transparent, 13x18 cm / 5.2x7.2", 10/p
 
B-17100
Gellifters Transparent, 9x13 cm / 3.6x5.2", 10/p