Replica Prehistoric arrowhead printed on the Form

Many years ago, I happened upon a prehistoric arrowhead on the South Shore, near Duxbury Massachusetts. This particular find was laying on top soil after a strong Spring rain, in a dog run next to a house adjacent to a large cranberry bog.

I had it dated in College through the archeology department and it is many hundreds of years old (can’t recall the exact period, likely 2000-5000 B.C.). It is volcanic material from what I recall on initial findings and dating.

One of the first 3-D printed projects I did on the Form last year was the scanning and printing of this artifact. Below are some of the photos of the process. It involved 3-D laser scanning the arrowhead using my nextengine HD laser scanner, and then printing on the Form. Total project time was only a few hours from prep, scan, print, and post processes.

I do have recent plans to paint the arrowhead and fabricate the original shaft that would have gone with this item and then mount it inside a case. I will finally be donating the artifact to a local museum on the South Shore. They do have some already, but this one will put another pin in their map of finds.

Here are some photos of the arrowhead process from scanning to printing:

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Really really cool.