Pulled a residential deadbolt at 02:10 with barely-there rotational striations on the plug that only resolved under oblique light around 20° and 30x stereo; I’m debating Mikrosil (gray) versus cross‑polarized macro as the primary capture. What’s your sequence to preserve trace in the keyway — dry swab prior to casting, or cast first to lock in micro-burrs — while keeping chain-of-custody and scale placement consistent in every frame?
I cast gray Mikrosil first to preserve micro-burrs, then dry swab; ‘cross-pol’ macro backup, 20° check.
I start with cross-pol macro so there’s a non-contact baseline, then ‘wick’ gray Mikrosil into the keyway with a microspatula — no pressure, let the viscosity do the work. For trace, I’ll lightly dry swab just the face and keyway lip pre-cast and leave the warding for post-cast; a quick ‘corner swab’ also clears oils that can inhibit cure. @elena_j94’s sequence is solid too — pre‑chill the Mikrosil so it flows slower and doesn’t skate the burrs like a Zamboni.