Mining Our Past
A Comparison of Peruvian Silver Refineries with West Virginia Coal Mines
3-D Printing
Creating artifact replicas from 3-D models
All 3-D prints were made at the Open Lab at Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh.
Original Artifacts Before Printing
 Spindle whorlThis is what the weaving tool looked like after being excavated. |  Stone scraper and toolThis is what the red chert stone tool looked like. |
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3-D Printing
Right: Two 3-D printed spindle whorl replicas. The one on the left was printed with a traditional FDM 3-D printer that laid down layers of grey thermoplastic filament. The one on the right was printed by a SLS printer, using a laser to cut out the object from liquid resin.
3-D Printing and Public History
After printing, the replicas were painted by University of Pittsburgh forensic anthropologist Alicia Grosso. They will now be used in the visiting exhibit at the WV Mine Wars Museum. Visitors will be able to pick up and touch the objects, giving them an up-close view of the history of mining.
3-D prints in progress
Click through to see various artifacts in different stages of 3-D printing
