Tire Track Impressions

[ekuadam]

Quick question for you all that do tire track collection and comparison. SWGTREAD says to put chart board down when taking known impressions of tires. Could anyone who uses this method tell me where they get their board at to take known impressions? What other ways do people use to collect them?

I have seen some labs just apply Vaseline to tires and roll on butcher paper (or chart board). Some places ink tires. Just trying to get a good idea of what people do and where they buy their supplies.

[Ernie Hamm]

Forensic Source sells a Tread Print Kit that includes a Tread Print Applicator and pre-cut cardboard segments sized for an inked recording of full tire rotation of 80”. The Tread Print Applicator is treated with their Perfect Print ink that can be applied to the tread surface of a mounted tire which is then driven over the cardboard. This ink does not dry on the tire tread, but dries very quickly on the cardboard without smudging.

However, the ‘trick’ to recording tire tread standards is first locating the area of the tire tread that corresponds with what features are being observed in the questioned track. Depending on the features seen in a recovered track, it may be possible to isolate an area in agreement on the tire without needing to make a full rotation standard of the tire. The noise treatment feature in a tire design can readily be used to locate a section of the tread and then making a standard of that area.

Another method of recording a tread pattern does not involve ink, but a form of shoe polish. You can get a shoe shine sponge and apply the substance to the tire tread, drive over the cardboard and “develop” the features with black magnetic fingerprint powder (a span type magnetic applicator makes the powdering easier). The resulting standard can be protected with a fast drying clear acrylic spray.

[Heather Baxter]

We've purchased the chart board in brick and mortar office supply stores, most recently Office Max if I recall correctly. In our training program with Lesley Hammer, the highest quality known impressions from tires came from using the ink on chart board to create a big ink pad essentially and then rolling the tires onto an acetate film. We get good detail on a medium that serves as our overlay.

[ekuadam]

We've purchased the chart board in brick and mortar office supply stores, most recently Office Max if I recall correctly. In our training program with Lesley Hammer, the highest quality known impressions from tires came from using the ink on chart board to create a big ink pad essentially and then rolling the tires onto an acetate film. We get good detail on a medium that serves as our overlay.

Thank you!

[ekuadam]

Forensic Source sells a Tread Print Kit that includes a Tread Print Applicator and pre-cut cardboard segments sized for an inked recording of full tire rotation of 80”. The Tread Print Applicator is treated with their Perfect Print ink that can be applied to the tread surface of a mounted tire which is then driven over the cardboard. This ink does not dry on the tire tread, but dries very quickly on the cardboard without smudging.

However, the ‘trick’ to recording tire tread standards is first locating the area of the tire tread that corresponds with what features are being observed in the questioned track. Depending on the features seen in a recovered track, it may be possible to isolate an area in agreement on the tire without needing to make a full rotation standard of the tire. The noise treatment feature in a tire design can readily be used to locate a section of the tread and then making a standard of that area.

Another method of recording a tread pattern does not involve ink, but a form of shoe polish. You can get a shoe shine sponge and apply the substance to the tire tread, drive over the cardboard and “develop” the features with black magnetic fingerprint powder (a span type magnetic applicator makes the powdering easier). The resulting standard can be protected with a fast drying clear acrylic spray.

Thank you Ernie!