Fingerprinting

• Fingerprints do not change over time and age
• Each individual has a unique print
• Prints are classified into three basic fingerprint patterns. (Arch, Loop and Whorl)

Arch 

Loop 

Whorl

We carried out 4 different methods to obtain our fingerprints. 

Glue
We applyed glue on our fingertips and allowed the glue to dry before removing the layer of dried glue. The glue dried with the pattern of my fingerprint imprinted on it. This showed a very clear imprint of my fingerprint. However because the glue was not totally dried when I removed it the print was torn in half :(

Superglue Fuming
We pressed our fingertips onto a clear piece of plastic which was then placed in a glue fuming chamber. The superglue sublimed and the vapours of glue condensed on the oil left behind by our fingers. This produced a clear white print on the clear plastic.

Dusting
We pressed our fingertips onto a clear plastic again. By scraping off lead scraps from a pencil and then using a brush to dust the print, the lead dust stuck onto the oil from our fingers. This produced a dark dust print. Then, we used clear tape to lift the dusted fingerprint off the plastic to preserve it.

Iodine
The iodine test involved us pressing our fingertips onto a piece of filter paper then putting it into a flask with iodine crystals in it. When the iodine crystals sublimed, the prints appeared on the filter paper.

These four methods can be used to discover and lift prints left behind in a place from when a person made contact with a surface.

After fingerprinting (inking) myself on the worksheet and observing them through a hand lens, I have observed  that my prints are mostly of a loop pattern. Specifically, a left slant loop. But the loops curve in different directions on different fingers. The prints on my left and right hands are not mirror images of each other.