Serial-Number Restoration
Definition
Specialist examination intended to recover an obscured or removed identifying mark using methods suited to its material, marking process and condition. A result may be complete, partial or unsuccessful. Restored identity assists enquiries but does not independently identify an offender or reconstruct ownership history.
Related terms
- Firearm Tracing
- An authorised enquiry using a firearm’s identity and available records to investigate its commercial or other documented history. Tracing differs from fired-evidence...
- Magnetic-Particle Serial-Number Examination
- A restoration approach using a magnetic field and particles to reveal relevant indications in suitable ferromagnetic material. It does not inherently remove...
- Optical Surface Profilometry
- Measurement of accessible surface relief to produce height information across an area, using an appropriate optical system and documented settings. It can...
- Partial Serial-Number Recovery
- A restoration outcome establishing only some characters or positions in an identifying mark. The report should preserve the distinction between supported, uncertain...
- Subsurface Deformation Zone
- Material beneath and around a mechanically stamped mark whose structure has been altered by plastic deformation. Some alteration may survive removal of...