This week in Digital Public History it’s all about 3D printing!
Okay, it’s not ALL about 3D printing, but it’s definitely a cool aspect of it. Digital Reproduction can also include scanning photographs/textual records or digitizing audio/visual records. In any case, the digital copy of the object is intended strictly to mitigate risk to the original, never to replace the original.
Usually, when creating a digital record of an artefact or archival record, more than one copy is made: a preservation master and a reproduction master. A preservation master is a high-quality digitization of the original that is never copied and exists only as a replacement to the original should it degrade past a conservable point. A reproduction master is also a high-quality copy; however, it is the version of the object that is used to make copies. Lights from scanners can contribute to the degradation of the original if it is repeatedly scanned. The US National Archives defines the role of a reproduction master as capturing the content of the record.
“They are not optimal files for replacing the original record if the original is damaged, destroyed, or not retained. Digital reproduction masters may undergo more significant processing or editing than preservation masters. Reproduction masters are the next best copy to the preservation master. They are used to create distribution copies that satisfy most customer requests, as well as protect the original from loss, theft, and damage resulting from repeated transfers.”
In short, the reproduction master is used to make other copies.
Recently, 3D printing has come into the news again with the advent of a downloadable schematic that would allow anyone with a 3D printer to print themselves a fully-functioning gun. 3D printing works with a variety of materials including plastic, ceramic, paper, and metals.
“Material Culture and Digital Reproduction” is the official intro of this week’s class which essentially means “we are exploring the practical, ethical, and cultural issues that that 3D scanning and digital or physical reproduction present.” Not owning a 3D-printer myself and being slightly afraid of breaking extensive technology, I haven’t really explored digital reproduction myself…but friends of mine have…and they’re really good at it!
When I was in college, I had to take conservation classes. In our first year, we had to perform a repair on a broken ceramic artefact. The artefact I chose was a simple teacup and it didn’t require much more than some B-72 (and a microballoon infill with inpainting). But some of my classmates tried much more complex repairs. Another student in my program repaired an ornate candy dish with a broken handle. I have shared some of the treatment information and photographs below.
As you can see, the lid to the sugar dish has a small porcelain figurine as the handle – this was the part that had broken off that the student needed to repair.
While they had the broken piece, they decided to try to recreate the piece using 3D printing to experiment with how the technology could be used in artefact conservation. Using 57 photographs of the handle and the Autodesk 3D printing software, they were able to create a 3D replica that is almost identical to the original! Note that the image above includes the reproduction handle.
Outside of conservation, 3D printing can also be used to create replicas of sensitive, fragile, or rare objects for programming or display purposes.
Here in London, the Museum of Ontario Archaeology has paired up with Western University’s Sustainable Archaeology and the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project in an attempt to produce replicas of Indigenous artefacts that will allow visitors to physically engage with the material culture without damaging the real artefact. And to answer the bigger questions of: How do experiences with originals and copies compare with one another? And does making a copy (either digital or physical) change our view of the original artifact in any way?
Having worked on a number of digitization projects for museums and historical organizations, I think digital reproductions are not only a great preservation tool but also a great way to get more people to engage with the material these institutions have to offer. Whether its digitizing a collection of attestation papers like Library and Archives Canada just did or creating 3D prints of dinosaur bones for visitors to touch like the Canadian Museum of Nature does, digital reproductions can provide a tactile element not previously available in these organizations. While some could argue that creating a copy reduces the need to preserve the original, I think the real takeaway is that creating digital copies allows us to preserve the original longer and allows the content of the original to reach a wider audience.