by Brian Johnson, Application Engineer, GoEngineer

My enthusiasm for Halloween comes from memories of my father dressing up as something scary and trying to give the kids (and sometimes parents) a little scare. Even today, I am still inclined to make a costume, glue things to my face, and change my skin and hair color to get ready a Halloween party.

In the spirit of another great Halloween, I want to share with you how I used 3D printing to make a pirate costume.

Inspiration First
This pirate theme was inspired by the last television season of Black Sails, the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and our trip to Cuba (to see all the Spanish colonial forts and castles). I’ve watched several videos on making the hat and jacket required to pull off the authentic look. I already have the shirt, boots, and pants needed not to mention the facial hair. What I lacked were the things that make a pirate a pirate—weapons!

I ventured through Halloween costume shops looking for a sword, flintlock gun, and a hook. I found some decent flintlocks to carry but the swords and hooks available were the typical blow molded toys, too lightweight, and not very convincing.   So, I decided to custom design one for myself and 3D print it at work using one of the Stratasys Fortus 3D printers at GoEngineer.

Measure Twice CAD Once
First, I took measurements of my hand and transferred those into SOLIDWORKS to start designing the fit of the hook.

Once I figured out the angle and ID of my loosely clenched fist, I printed the first prototype. I didn’t put any detail in the prototype as it was purely created to check the fit and dimensions of the hook over my hand and wrist. (Plus, I didn’t want to waste any material.)

After checking the measurements and making adjustments to the CAD model, I created the finished version and printed it. The last step in the process is to give it a light sanding and paint it to look like shiny metal.

More Than One Way to Hook a Pirate
For the hook, I went to Thingiverse.com. If you are looking to print this hook for yourself, you can find the hook file on Thingiverse.com. This is also where I downloaded the file set for the sword I will be using as well.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

GoEngineer
www.goengineer.com

Brian Johnson is an Application Engineer for GoEngineer and has been a SOLIDWORKS user since 1999. The first half of his career was in the automotive and RV industries covering a wide spectrum of manufacturing processes and design from plastic injection to roll forming. He also spent a couple of years as a CNC programmer on precision routers, punch presses, and lasers. The latter half of his career was in the oil industry as an equipment designer and CAD/PLM administrator. Brian is very dedicated to simplification and learning day to day operations. He is familiar with Lean Six Sigma and knowledgeable of both ASME welding and GD&T standards.