Tape Lift
Definition
Adhesive tape pressed onto a substrate to recover fibres, hairs and other particulates. The standard collection method for fibres on clothing, upholstery and bedding.
- Medium
- Clear adhesive tape or gel lifter
- Targets
- Fibres, hairs, gunshot residue, other trace
- Surface use
- Clothing, upholstery, bedding, vehicle seats
- Storage
- Mounted on acetate sheet or clear plastic
Common questions
Why is tape lifting preferred over vacuuming for fibre recovery?+
Tape lifting preserves the location of each recovered fibre relative to a mapped grid on the garment, which vacuum sweeping loses. That location data can matter for reconstructing contact, so tape lifting is the standard method wherever positional information adds value.
Can a single tape lift be reused across multiple areas of a garment?+
No. Each area sampled uses a fresh piece of tape to avoid cross-contaminating fibres from one location with another, and each lift is individually packaged and labelled with its collection site.
Related terms
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- Cross-Section Shape
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- Microspectrophotometry (MSP)
- Visible-range spectrophotometry conducted through a microscope, generating an absorbance curve that fingerprints the dye on a single fibre without destroying it.
- Pyrolysis GC-MS
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- Yarn Twist
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