Coleman Vacu-Print™ Glue Fuming Unit

Fuming with glue under vacuum conditions has proven to be very effective. It prevents several problems which are present with glue fuming under normal conditions, such as, using a fish tank or other closed chamber. Processing large garbage bags in a medium-size fish tank is not effective, since the glue fumes do not reach all parts of the bag evenly. Some parts of the bag have heavy white residue and other parts show none at all.

When glue fuming under vacuum, it is nearly impossible to overfume items. There is no white residue buildup on the evidence or inside the chamber. The most exciting part of all is that items, such as wadded-up garbage bags and baggies, do not have to be hung up or spread out. In a fish tank, evidence which is closer to the glue many be overdone on one side with virtually no residue on the other. With the vacuum, all sides fume evenly.

Until recently, vacuum systems were very expensive and quite large. Doug Coleman of the Santa Maria Police Department in California researched and developed a vacuum system that performs well, yet is reasonable in cost and fits on a counter top. It is made of high-tensile strength, aircraft aluminum. This material was chosen over PVC, because PVC may degrade with time and usage.

The Coleman Vacu-Print™ Long Chamber, shown above, is used for processing large evidence, such as, rifles and bats, or if larger quantities of evidence must be developed. It is 48" long and has a 7 3/8" inside diameter. It comes with a plexiglass stand. The Pump/Motor is 1/3 horsepower with 3 CFM vacuum. The same pump/motor will operate either chamber. It is possible to purchase both chambers and only one pump/motor. Store each piece away in a closet or cupboard until needed.

To use the vacuum system with either the table top or long chamber, place several items inside. They may touch the sides of the chamber and each other. Cut a small strip from a Hard Evidence™ pouch and tape it to the inside of the chamber or put five to ten drops of liquid glue in a small dish and place it inside the chamber. Evacuate the chamber and allow the items to fume under vacuum for about twenty minutes. When finished, the evidence will not have a thick layer of white powder residue, although the latent prints are "locked on" the item. Allow them to remain in the air for about ten minutes before processing them with powders or chemicals.

If a forensic light source or ultraviolet lamp is available, it is recommended that fluorescent dye staining or powders be used to visualize the latent prints on these pieces of evidence. If the evidence is fairly fresh (within about a week), use fluorescent powders, such as Redwop™ and Greenwop™ or Blitz-Red™ and Blitz-Green™ magnetic fluorescent powders. If the evidence is older than a week or so, liquid dye staining is recommended. Some of the liquid dye stains available are Ardrox, Rhodamine 6G, and Basic Yellow 40.

 

Code	Name	Price
1-4700	Coleman Vacu-Print Table-Top Chamber	$843.00
1-4701	Coleman Vacu-Print Long (Rifle) Chamber	$993.00
1-4702	Vacuum Pump/Motor	$499.95
1-4703	Vacuum Pump/Motor, 220 volt for export	$595.00
1-4704	Dual Connector	$75.95
1-4705	Vacuum Pump Oil, 1 Quart	$6.95