# Kaleidoscopes I made



## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

I make Kaleidoscopes and have made several dozens I mostly have made them as family gifts but have sold a few also.


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*More scope pictures*

Here are some images taken from my scopes.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Now that's cool!!! a lighthouse at that.

Kepp up the beautiful work.

Have a Blessed day in Jesus,
Tim


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Different scopes*

These are some different scopes i have made


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I have to say that I love the lighthouse scope. With my family being from the east coast of Canada, that would be very popular with us. Great work.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

I really like the kaleidoscopes and the lighthouse. :thumbsup: I would have never thought of that. 
I have considered salt & pepper grinders modeled after lighthouses on our NC coast.


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## Michael Short (Nov 10, 2007)

I am a fan of lighthouse and Kaleidoscope both.... so to put them together as one is top notch.


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Does anyone think I should teach how to make them*

I was curious if anyone would be interested in Kaleidoscope making I was once told less than 100 people knew how to make them. I can offer this later when I have all the training modules perfected?

I would hate to see this craft become extinct, but if no one teaches the craft I can see this happening. 

As I mentioned though it will take a while to put it all together but I can upload the instructions as I go.

Let me know your thoughts.

Wayne :thumbsup: or :thumbdown:


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## New Yankee (Oct 31, 2010)

MrWayne52 said:


> I was curious if anyone would be interested in Kaleidoscope making I was once told less than 100 people knew how to make them. I can offer this later when I have all the training modules perfected?
> 
> I would hate to see this craft become extinct, but if no one teaches the craft I can see this happening.
> 
> ...


I'm in, my kids would love those. I would like to know how you took the images of your scopes?


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## tmoll (Mar 1, 2011)

go for it mr wayne

my wife loves them


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

I'd LOVE to learn how to make them... :thumbsup: :yes:

I think they're COOL... I think yours are COOL!! :yes:

I wait, anxiously, for you to continue... :yes:

Thank you very much. :thumbsup:


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## okiebugg (Dec 6, 2010)

*MrWayne, I just sent you a pm about your thread*

your thread


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

okiebugg said:


> your thread


 
He can't PM till he has 25 posts. :no:


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Mr Wayne52

Post a few messages... any kind... to anywhere... get to 25 of them...

You will then qualify to Pm and do other things...

You posting 25 times is the magic number to do...

Thank you....


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*25 post limit*

Thanks guys for letting me know about the 25 posts minimum needed to PM and do other things. This seems generous as one forum I belong to requires 50.
thanks again

MrWayne 52


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*okiebugg please add your picture*

Okiebugg

Please post a pic of your work. there are 1000's of different designs for kaleidoscopes and other pictures of other scopes makes them more interesting for everyone. As you know the scope rises and falls on the mirrors. Having your picture will start the creative juices flowing in all of us.

Thanks

Have a safe day

MrWayne 52 email: [email protected](dot)com


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## okiebugg (Dec 6, 2010)

*Here is a couple....*








Pics are in the wrong format. I will change them for later


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## okiebugg (Dec 6, 2010)

http://www.i-freeimage.com/out.php/i5471_Picture064.jpg

http://www.i-freeimage.com/out.php/i5470_Picture063.jpg

One of the more elaborate K's I've made over the years. 23 varieties of hardwoods. Hand made gearset for turning the tumbler. Tiltable. removeable C-ring turned on the lathe made of Coco Bola. This is made to be able to easily change the trinkets to watch parts or other stuff. It has a self contained light (switch activated) for easy viewing.


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## MGP Roofing (Jul 10, 2010)

okiebugg said:


> http://www.i-freeimage.com/out.php/i5471_Picture064.jpg
> 
> http://www.i-freeimage.com/out.php/i5470_Picture063.jpg
> 
> One of the more elaborate K's I've made over the years. 23 varieties of hardwoods. Hand made gearset for turning the tumbler. Tiltable. removeable C-ring turned on the lathe made of Coco Bola. This is made to be able to easily change the trinkets to watch parts or other stuff. It has a self contained light (switch activated) for easy viewing.


Nice work.


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Wow okiebugg cool scope*

Okiebugg 

That is a very elaborate scope. I will bet you have more than a weekend in crafting that work of art. Thanks for contributing.

Wayne


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Okiebugg,

Would you like to share with us How you made them? :thumbsup:

Sure would be nice... :thumbsup:

Plans anywhere? 

Thank you... :thumbsup:


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes first mudule*

As an introduction to my teaching how to make Kaleidoscopes I feel a brief history of the Kaleidoscope is in order.

Sir David Brewster invented them in 1816 however his patent failed to withstand a challenge in the courts of his day and as a result Sir Brewster enjoyed little economic benefit from his invention.

In 1986 Cozy Baker founded the Brewster Society which is still in existence today. Those interested in pursuing more history on Kaleidoscopes can go to www.brewstersociety.com and learn huge amounts of helpful and interesting history.
 
I first learned about making Kaleidoscopes around eight years ago from a gentleman in Atlanta Georgia. Jim spent a full Saturday covering the basic skills needed to make a Kaleidoscope. Jim was a caring and devoted artist and freely shared his talent with anyone interested for free.

Moving on, a Kaleidoscope consists of mainly five major components. There is a barrel, an eye piece, a mirror system, an object cell and an object cell housing. By far the most important component is the mirror assembly. Without a well crafted mirror assembly the Kaleidoscope would be nothing more than a beautiful trinket for the mantle.

Turned wooden Kaleidoscopes are not the only shape they come in. Many people make them from stained glass, there are wet cell and dry cell scopes, metal, and plastic or cardboard. Just about anything you can imagine can be made into a Kaleidoscope as long as you can fit a mirror system into the barrel. Don’t worry all these foreign terms will mean something soon.

I happen to make wooden turned Kaleidoscopes because this is my preferred medium. You however may prefer to make scopes out of other materials. By visiting the Brewster Society you can let your imagination go free.

This is about all the time I have tonight but when I return hopefully tomorrow I will get into the nuts and bolts of the mirror systems and explain why Kaleidoscopes rise and fall on the mirror system.

Hope to be back soon

Wayne email: MrWayne52(at)aol(dot)com


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Those are really very well done. I remember Kaleidoscopes from when I was a kid, and I think they were made from cardboard. Yours are beautiful. I like the wood look.












 







.


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes second module*

Ok let’s talk about Kaleidoscope mirrors. But first, there is not only one way to make them, some are big some small there are short and long mirrors. There are some things though that should not be tinkered with when it comes to having a quality image in the Kaleidoscope. I recommend only using what is called a first surface mirrors. The reflective mirror media is on the top of the glass where on standard mirror glass has it on the back surface facing the top of the glass. This causes a double reflection of the colored objects in the Kaleidoscope object cell. This is because the top of the glass will create a reflection then the back surface reflector will do it again making a somewhat distorted image.

Our next important issue is to decide how many mirrors will be used. To explain the mirror assembly consists of mirror strips that run the length of the barrel they are housed in. Looking at the scopes I make the center barrel is 8 inches long so my mirrors are cut 8 inches long. Kaleidoscope mirrors I make are either 2 or 3 mirror assemblies. The mirrors are made into a very accurate triangle. A 2 mirror system has the base made of a black painted piece of plain glass I paint this piece flat black. The 2 sides are the mirror pieces. I make the triangle either 45 degrees or 30 degrees. ( I will include a picture later when my Digital camera comes back home). For a 3 mirror system all 3 pieces are mirror and again are 45 or 30 degrees.
Let me stress the importance of the accuracy of the triangle mirror assembly. If the angle formed at the apex of the mirrors is not extremely accurate the image when viewed through the Kaleidoscope will not be symmetrical and will have an unpleasing look. I will go into more detail about how to cut mirrors to get this accuracy later. Do not let this section of the discussion discourage you I have resources available to get pre made mirror assemblies if needed.

As should be noted there are many different ways to craft the mirrors. There are more than 3 piece assemblies but I have no experience with them. So rather than give untested information I will defer these to those experts.
This is enough for tonight so I will try to move on to other things tomorrow like wet or dry object cells.

Hopefully people are getting some value from this thread. I am very excited about doing this and look forward to giving away my Kaleidoscope craft.

Wayne


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes third module*

There is much more that could be said about Kaleidoscope mirrors but for the sake of time and space all I want to add is the two mirror systems I have discussed 45 degree and 30 degree are about all I use. One other mirror I have made was a 36 degree system. This mirror makes a 5 pointed star and is quite beautiful.

Our next area to consider is the object cell. This is where the colored media is stored. When someone views the Kaleidoscope through the eye piece and rotates the object cell housing the colored media tumbles and creates the cascading ever changing symphony of beauty. The speed of the media tumbling is controlled by what is in the cell along with the colored beads. There are dry cells meaning only the beads are in the cell. With this type object cell the beads tumble quickly and are even a bit noisy. Dry cells are easier to make than wet cells because there is nothing to leak out and spoil the housing. Wet cells have some type liquid inside, when rotated the beads quietly and gracefully tumble at a slower speed. I personally use medium weight clear mineral oil. Some Kaleidoscope makers use glycerin, either will work, and since a friend gave me a 5 gallon bucket of mineral oil I stick with it :smile:. All colored beads I use are available at craft stores in most fair sized cities.

I usually put 2 or 3 of each color I decide to use into the object cell. I lean strongly towards red, blue, green, and a pink one or two. Be careful to avoid using to many beads, if you do then the beads will not have enough room to tumble and this will diminish the cascading effect. All the beads must be of the type that light can go through them, otherwise the beads will just be a black shape without any color showing. There are some scopes that solid beads will work but that is a type I have no experience with.

To recap I have covered briefly the mirrors, and now the object cells. However there is much more I could have mentioned but this will do for now. I don’t want this to overwhelm anyone so I will stop here. 

Tomorrow I will discuss making the wood parts and what I do. In reality I will only scratch the surface so you will be free to use your own turning skills and imagination.

MrWayne


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

*Awesome right up!*

This is very interesting, please continue posting. :smile:


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## Woodworkingkid (Jan 8, 2011)

They look great and I would also would love to learn how to make one so thanks for explaining indeapth about them

Sent from my iPod touch using Wood Forum


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*I plan to continue*

Thanks everyone for the kind words you have said here. I am really enjoying doing this and intend to continue. I plan to eventually put all the instructions into a downloadable ebook that will not be chopped up into bits and pieces. I envision a complete video series and if all works out I hope to publish a Kindle version for those with the Kindle, Nook and the soon to be released Google ebook reader.

Again Thanks

MrWayne


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Thanks for taking time to share with us. You have some rapt listeners here! :yes:


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## okiebugg (Dec 6, 2010)

Joe Lyddon said:


> Okiebugg,
> 
> Would you like to share with us How you made them? :thumbsup:
> 
> ...


As one old retired fart to another, I hope that you feel up to doin a little digging. A kaleidioscope with a few similarities was shown as a project in 1985 thru 1990-My memory is...what was I talking about??? Oh, fine woodworking Magazine.
I'll go back in my files and see if I have some project scopes in all of my junk. I don't know what your skill level is, but between the two of us, we surely could come up with something...If you have questions, Email me and we will get together over the phone...Jim


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

okiebugg,

I thought you would be talking to all of us... NOT just me...
Just start out with something Elementary... and easy to understand.
Then we can grow from there... :thumbsup:


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Would an ebook be helpful?*

After posting Kaleidoscope making techniques in this thread, I started, and thinking about a complete ebook with all the information I posted compiled into one document might be helpful.I feel like the information chopped up like this would make it cumbersum to follow if people try to build one. So I thought a complete ebook that could be downloaded and then printed out might be a valuable addition. Of course that would have to be done after all the posts I plan to do were posted here first.

Let me know your thoughts.

MrWayne


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

MrWayne,

Sounds like an eBook would be better & easier for you/us in the long run.

You be the judge... I can take either way... 

I do think the eBook would be better... all in one place, like you said.

Are you going to have pictures too?

Thank you...


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*ebook.with pictures*

I would think an ebook would be useless unless there were pictures. I think the best value to people would be to have a ebook rich with pictoral. One picture would save a lot of typing

MrWayne


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

... I agree... :blink: :blink: :yes:


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Think of this as your first draft!


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes module 4*

I have made several dozen Kaleidoscopes from various wood species. There are black walnut, cedar, zebra, canary, cherry, and cocobolo, woods that I have used so be creative and just select something you think you would like to use.

For the type scopes I make there are three basic components in the scope the barrel, object cell housing and the eye piece. When I purchase wood it usually is in the ¾ inch thickness range. My finished barrel is 1¾ inch diameter and the two end pieces are 2 3/8 inch diameter. When I start out I rip a strip of material 2 inches wide and then I cut the strip into 3 pieces 8 ¼ long. I make sure the shorter strips are as flat and straight as I can make them. This makes for a very small glue joint when I glue the three pieces together on their faces. I also don’t have to clamp them together with extreme force to get a tight joint. You now have a 2 inch wide by 2 ¼ thick block. Before I proceed with anything else I trim both ends to make the block exactly 8 inches long. Next I take a straight edge and draw a line diagonally from the corners on the ends. This will give a center point for positioning the live center in the tailstock and a point to place the drive center in the chuck for turning between centers.

This same procedure works for the end pieces except I rip one strip of the wood 2 ¾ wide and long enough to get 4 pieces 6 1/4 inches long. This way when I turn the two end pieces I turn both at the same time. Easier doing these both. Again glue the 4 pieces together to form a block 2 3/4 wide 3 tall and 6 1/4 long. This piece looks a little wasteful but it works best for me to just turn away the excess and not worry about it. Trim the ends and arrive at approximately a 6 inch long block. Mark the ends and set aside. We will get back to it.

We now have to make the barrel round. I place the barrel piece between centers and rough turn it to something like 2 inches in diameter. I choose this size because my lathe chuck will only open that big. Got to get a bigger chuck.

Since I use 8 inch long mirror assemblies for my Kaleidoscopes I have to get a hole all the way through the length of the barrel. With the assembly going through the barrel this hole must be drilled as straight as possible. The mirror will not tolerate any bending. I do not even attempt the drill all the way from one end but drill half way through from each end. This averages out the mismatch. I drill it with a 1 ¼ drill. The mirror assemblies will fit nicely.

Tomorrow I will delve deeper into finishing this piece and then get on to the rest of the wood pieces. I promise when I get my digital camera back there will be pictures uploaded.
Wayne


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes module 5*

Lets talk some more about drilling the hole through the barrel. As I said I do not drill this hole from one end but rather from both ends. To digress a bit I failed to state that after turning the barrel to 2 inches I chuck it into the lathe chuck. This necessitates getting it running true in the chuck. Now I drill half way through. Turn around and Re chuck the piece and drill until I meet the hole from the other end. There will be some mismatch but it will be provided it isn’t to much. With the barrel being 2 inches in diameter chuck jaw marks are not a worry we have one last finishing turn to do and any marks will go away.

To start the final turning operations I make a dummy plug to fit the hole in the barrel with slight resistance to going in. This will support the end of the barrel, when the tailstock live center point is forced into the end. 

To finish turn I make a friction mandrel by chucking a scrap piece of wood about 3 ½ inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter into the chuck. I turn this piece of wood back about 2 inches to fit the hole in the barrel this must be a snug friction fit so I usually make small cuts until I get very close then out comes the 80 grit to 100 grit sandpaper and I sand it down until the barrel will slide over it to the shoulder. This fit needs to be fairly tight but not so much that you can’t get it back off later when finished.
Now I slide the barrel onto this mandrel and insert the plug into the tailstock end and tighten the tailstock live center into the plug until it forces the barrel against the shoulder on the mandrel. The final sizing and finishing can now be done. Here is when close attention to precision comes into play. The outside of the barrel must be turned the full length to slightly under 1 ¾ inches in diameter. That is if you plan to spray it with clear lacquer or some other clear finish. My scopes after sanding thru 400 grit paper are coated with 6 or 7 coats of clear lacquer.

My scopes have a rotating object cell housing on them so the person viewing the image can rotate the housing without having to rotate the whole scope to make the image do it’s magic. This has always held a sense of wonderment for people as to how I do this without the housing pulling off. Well here is the secret. I use a coated wire locking mechanism to retain the housing. The wire I use is 1/8 diameter and what I do is I cut a groove a little more than the wire is wide and deep enough that it is completely below the out side diameter of the barrel. I cut a piece of wire long enough to wrap all the way around the barrel but short enough that it doesn’t have both ends meet. This groove needs to be deep enough so the cell housing with a 1 ¾ hole will pass over the wire in the groove when side onto the barrel. This will make since when I upload the assembly procedure pictures. I position this groove a half inch from one eng of the barrel. To do this I scribe a line onto the barrel ½ inch from the end I chose and center the groove at this line and widen both sides until it is 3/16 wide to the proper depth.

I know all this is probably confusing and overwhelming at this point but please bare with me and all the pictures I upload will clear it up. My wife will be home Sunday and I will start putting pictures up as soon as I can.

This has been longwinded so I will stop here. Over the weekend I will post more about turning the end pieces and then you will know all I know about Kaleidoscopes by next weekend.

I know you have questions and to help anyone with that I set up a email account for questions and comments. Please feel free to email me and I will try to answer them here so other people can benefit. Suggestions are welcome and your email will not be used to spam you.

MY email [email protected] 

Wayne


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes module 6*

I want to go over how I make the two end pieces. At this point they are both just one large rectangle glued up block. What I do here is hold between centers again and rough turn the whole block into a cylinder approximately 2 ¾ in diameter. As I said earlier my lathe chuck will only open enough to chuck on a 2 inch piece of wood so I turn a tenon on the tailstock end 2 inches diameter and a ½ inch long. Next I turn the cylinder around and chuck on the tenon I turned earlier.

Here I drill 3 holes in this end I drill with fostner style drills so I get flat bottomed holes. I start with a 1 ¾ diameter drill and I drill 1 ¾ deep these drilled depths need to be held fairly close but don’t get to fanatical with it plus or minus 1/16 inch will be fine. Next I use a 1 ½ diameter drill and drill ¾ inch deep from the bottom of the 1 ¾ diameter hole. This hole will create a shoulder for the object cell to install to. Now I use a 1 ¼ Diameter drill and drill 5/8 to ¾ deep from the bottom of the 1 ½ hole. After drilling the holes I next cut a radius shaped groove into the 1 ¾ diameter hole, this groove will allow the wire I discussed earlier to spring into when the wire is installed into the groove in the barrel and this housing is slid over the barrel creating the locking mechanism to keep it from falling off. Locate the groove 1 inch from the end and cut it just deep enough to have a well formed radius. Just keep in mind that you will cut the end off when finishing the final shape if it is cut to deep. You can now finish the final shape. Be very gentle here as this part can fly out of the chuck and make a mess of your face. Gentle cuts and no catches. You can now do most of the sanding and prep work for the final finishing. When ready part the housing off to about 3 inches long making sure it doesn’t bounce all through your shop.


We need a new friction mandrel that we will use to finish these pieces. Make it to fit snugly enough into the hole so we can do the outside turning without them flying off. By making it about 2 inches long I can use it for both pieces.

Now I am going to mostly finish the eye piece. I make sure that I have the final shape in mind and I turn it to that shape. The only rule to keep in mind on this final shape is to make it pleasing to your eye. You can look at my finished scopes for an idea to start with but use your imagination for yours. This part is much easier, we drill a 1 ¾ diameter hole 1 5/8 deep. I use the 1 ½ diameter drill and drill a very shallow hole from the bottom of the 1 ¾ hole 1/8 deep. This is a cavity to install a clear glass lens to keep out dust and debris. Last I drill a hole 3/8 diameter through the rest of the piece. Rough the final shape and get it mostly ready for the final finishing steps part it off 2 inches long.

Now chuck the friction mandrel back in the chuck and blend the ends to suit the shape you want them to be and do all your finish sanding.

We are pretty much done with all the wood pieces and can now apply the coating of your choice. I spray my finish sanded scopes with clear lacquer about 6 or 7 times until they look like I want.

Next time we will discuss cutting mirrors, making the object cell, and installing it in the housing and installing the glass lens in the eye piece.

Wayne email: [email protected]


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## WoodBen (Jul 21, 2011)

*Exciting ideas!!*

OK!! I can see right now there are going to be a whole BUNCH of new ideas I am going to get excited about on this forum!! Thanks for the post and pics. I'm going to have to look into this one for sure. I know my grandkids would LOVE a kaleidoscope from Papa!!:thumbup:


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes module 7*

Kaleidoscopes module 7​We have covered the wood turning part and how I get them to the final stage for assembly. Now we need to concentrate on making the mirror assembly, object cell and installing the eyepiece lens.
Let’s get the mirror out of the way first. As I mentioned earlier the best mirror type is the first surface mirror type. I have had people that have made scopes tell me that they wanted to test their cutting glass skills on regular mirror that was not so expensive. First surface mirror is expensive and I do recommend practicing on less expensive mirror glass to get the hang of it. Most big box home improvement stores have mirror tiles that are 12 inch square. I got a few when I started out and made a jig the hold the tiles steady and made a few practice runs to get the hang of it before I started cutting on the expensive stock. Get the store clerk to show you how to cut the mirrors with the stock glass tools they sell. There may be videos on Youtube that will help.

As I said earlier the three pieces of glass make a triangle. There is a base glass piece that is painted flat black the two sides are first surface mirror in a two mirror system. For three mirror systems all three pieces are mirror. My barrels are drilled 1 ¼ inch in diameter. Therefore the finished mirror system must slid all the way through the barrel. The mirror systems cannot bend and flex this would at the very least force the angle to shift and ruin the final image or break the mirror. Both cases would be tragic for the scope.

So the question arises how to get the mirror to the correct size so it will slide in smoothly. All the pieces must be cut to an exact size to form a triangle that will both be the proper angle and the proper size. My most common triangle is formed to be 45 degrees where the two mirror pieces come together at the top. Making the mirror pieces and the base piece is done with a glass cutting device and they can be bought at most Hardware stores. Cut the parts to the following width and lengths. Everything is cut 8 inches long the piece of glass that I paint flat black is ¾ wide the two mirror pieces are cut 1 1/16 wide.

Now to make the triangle. I use electrician tape to make a triangle by cutting three pieces of tape place the sticky side up onto my kitchen table one piece of tape will be at one end of the mirror one in the middle and one at the other end. Don’t put the tape where it will cover the end of the mirrors. These tape pieces are parallel to each other. Now lay the black glass perpendicular to the tape in the center of the length of them, next place a mirror piece on each side of the black glass right against the edge on the black glass. Gently lift the two mirror pieces up to form a triangle with the two mirror pieces touching each other. Both mirror pieces should touch exactly on the peak edges inside the triangle. The tape should have followed the mirrors up as you formed the triangle so now wrap the triangle with the tape diagonally to secure the parts and keep the pieces from slipping. Great care should be exercised to not force the mirrors to shift. Once the triangle is secured with several wrappings of tape see if it will go into the barrel with no resistance. If the mirrors slid in easily we now take the best tape in the world and make the mirror system snug in the barrel. I use good ole duct tape and start at one end of the mirror system and wrap all the way to the other end diagonally being careful not to cover the ends. Check for fit and repeat until the mirror is just snug when you insert it all the way through the barrel.

The mirror needs to be just snug enough to not rattle around in the barrel. We don’t want a jittery image later when finished. Now you can set the mirror aside and we will make the object cell in the next module.

Believe me I am taking pictures and will put them into my photo album as soon as I can and this will not be so foggy then.

Mr. Wayne email [email protected]


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures...

Looking good...

Thank you. :thumbsup:


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

Joe 

I really do intend to post pics soon. I have a house full of Grandsons so this isn't the best time to assault the picture project. I everyone will understand.

MrWayne52 email [email protected]


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

No problem... the grandkids are more important! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Pictures coming*

Folks


How is the best way to upload my pictures on making scopes? Am I better to put them in a post or load them to my photo gallery? I want you all to get the best results. Please post back so I get it right.

Wayne


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes Module 8*

Kaleidoscopes Module 8​



We are getting close to the end of the instruction on how I make a kaleidoscope. I hope some of you here go for it and make your own scope. Even though some of the processes aren’t easy I believe everyone here can master all the details. If I can learn it all in one day all you can too. I did have the advantage of being taught by both a master scope maker and a master trainer as well.

Our next and almost last component to discuss is the object cell. I use gemstone jars make from acrylic plastic. If you Google “gem stone jars” (without the quotes) there are several companies that offer them. One of the companies listed is FetPak in New York. These folks are where I bought my object cells. I did buy several hundred cells but I think they will sell much fewer. The order page at their web site offer 3 different sizes I get the medium size. They also say they come in white or black. This is nothing to us I throw the foam insert away.

Ok here is what we do to make this critter. I select the colors I want a few reds, blues, greens, whatever suits my mood for the day. I put them into the cell and make sure there is room for them to move freely. Once the beads are in the cell I fill it with mineral oil. You should have a most steady hand with this next function. Fill the cell all the way to the top without running over. I always place the cell on the most level table top to do this. Now take the lid and use superglue to spread a thin film all the way around the lip. You must get glue 100% around this lip or the oil will leak out. You will know when you have 100% coverage as the rim will look frosty everywhere the glue is. Don’t puddle it up but do get en even coverage. I go so far as to turn the rim downward and let any excess run out. Once you have the lid glued I carefully place it onto the cell and once it slips all the way shoulder I carefully turn the top about a half turn to make sure I have spread the glue around. Do not pick the cell up to do this rotation of the lid. Keep the cell flat. This is to prevent any oil from splash onto the rim. If by accident any oil contacts the rim You must completely start over. The cell must be emptied and washed with soap and water to get all oil off the rim. Just be very careful during this operation. Allow the cell to completely cure before moving it. To make sure you do not have a leaker after it has had a few hours to cure turn the cell upside down and place on a piece of white paper for 24 hours. If all is well there will not be any oil stain on the paper. At this time if all finishing operations on the object cell housing are done slip the cell lid first into the housing. The cell should slide all the way to the bottom of the 1 ½ inch hole in the housing. You may have to trim some of the lid away with a file or pocket knife to get it in just be gently and don’t scratch the top or bottom of the cell. I use clear silicone glue to glue it in. Just run a small bead all around the edge of the cell at the housing. Avoid getting glue on the middle of the cell. Let it sit overnight to cure.
Wayne


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Pictures are in my album*

Folks

I uploaded 23 pictures into my album and did a caption on each picture.

There in still some final instructions to do and I will get back tomorrow if all goes well.

Wayne email [email protected]


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Looking forward to seeing it... :thumbsup:


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes module 9*

Kaleidoscopes module 9​ 
Moving right along let’s talk about final assembly. I put the glass lens into the eye piece end at this point. What I do is take the eye piece and inside the large hole we drilled a 1 ½ spot 1/8 inch deep. This is where the lens resides. I put a small amount of silicone adhesive around the edge of this cavity. Make sure there isn’t any close to the viewing hole edge. I then carefully place the glass piece into the cavity and press downward enough to imbed the glass into the silicone just don’t make it squeeze into the viewing hole.
Mirrors must be installed into the barrel of the scope. I make sure the mirror assembly is snug in the hole and push them all the way through the barrel. There are three voids between the mirror assembly and the hole in the barrel. Carefully squeeze silicone into the voids making sure no silicone gets onto the inside mirror surfaces. Let the silicon contact the wood of the barrel and the outside edges of the mirror just not inside the mirrors. Any contamination will be visible and ruin the final image. Do this to both ends. This operation will prevent dust from creeping out of the barrel and messing up the view. Set all these parts aside and leave them overnight to cure. Let’s not ruin everything this close to the end. 
Our last assembly task is to put the two ends on. Take the tube of silicone and reach deep into the eye piece and apply a generous amount around the bottom of the hole right next to the sides. Carefully align the barrel with the big hole in the eyepiece and slid it onto the barrel end without the groove until it hits bottom. Be careful not to twist and turn the eyepiece, just let it touch bottom.
We’re almost done. Remember the wire we discussed earlier? Well now it comes into play. Place the wire into the groove in the barrel. Make sure it will go all the way into the groove and wrap all the way around without the ends touching. If the ends touch cut the wire shorter. Hold the wire in the groove and slide the object cell housing onto the barrel and over the wire. Continue sliding the housing onto the barrel until the wire enters the internal groove you cut in the hole in the housing. If all is right the housing will rotate and not come off when given a slight tug. At this point I would set the scope aside for an hour or two and let everything cure before too much handling so we don’t get unwanted silicone contamination. 
For a display stand I use drawer pulls available at any hardware store or big box home improvement store. You can get as creative as you want or plain and simple. I use a round over bit on my router table and run around the edges of a piece of wood of the same type I make the scope from.
For a finish on the stand I spray it with clear lacquer clear coat.
There are pictures in my photo gallery that help explain the different aspects of making a kaleidoscope. I hope everyone that read these posts will now go out and make a scope for themselves. Feel free to contact me via email. My email is [email protected] . 
If some folks don’t want to try their hand at making mirror systems or object cells I will offer to make and sell these parts to anyone needing them. Just use the email above to get in touch.
Thanks for your interest in this endeavor and happy kaleidoscoping.

Wayne


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

A lot to digest, Wayne...

I would consider buying parts from you... depending on the cost and whether I thought I could make'm... or not...  :yes:

Thank you.


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

Joe

I am very sure you can make a kaldeiodscope. All the explaining in words takes so much effort it is like reading a car manual and when you get done none of it makes since. Even starting the engine is a confusing thing until you turn the key and the engine roars to life.

At any rate I will keep adding new stuf as I think about it.

Wayne


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## Michael Short (Nov 10, 2007)

Thanks for taking the time to explain the process. I have enjoyed it and plan to attempt to make one. I will post here if I get it done.


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

Michael

It ain't over til you win. You can do one if I could do one. If you have any problems just email me and I will get back to you asap. 
Wayne [email protected]


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## Shellacker (Aug 7, 2011)

I would be very interested in learning how to make kaleidoscopes. 
Thanks Wayne!
Randy


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## txpaulie (Jul 21, 2010)

Thanks Wayne, and welcome!

This will be on my short list of projects.

Very neat idea!

p


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Kaleidoscopes module 10*

Kaleidoscopes module 10​　
I know it looks like I have abandoned the kaleidoscope posting but I have not gone away. I have had some extra long days at work and I have just had no gas left when I got home. Thanks for a job. 
Well so much for that dribble. Let’s kinda summarize what we have covered so far. I have pictures in my photo album and maybe they will clear up most questions anyone has up to this point. 
I would think the main bullets for this project could go as follows.

1) Decide what wood you want to use. Anything you find pleasant will work. One scope I made was from plain bass wood. When I got it to the right point I handed it over to my wife and she painted a marble faux finish on it. Very stunning.

2) I would think about which mirror system you want , a 2 mirror system, a 3 mirror system. Now is the time to decide if 45 deg mirrors are ok. Actually this is probably the best angle to start with since I haven’t posted the dimensions for the glass and mirror widths. If anyone wants them I will post them later. Let me know is needed.

3) Do all the wood glue ups and turn and drill the wood pieces and cut the groove for the retainer wire. Finish all the wood parts to the shape and finish you prefer.

4) Cut the wire to the proper length to slip into the groove. Make sure the ends do not touch shorter is better.

5) Make the object cell either dry or with mineral oil. Just make sure the oil doesn’t leak out when turner lip end down.

6) Cut a 1inch square clear glass lens to go into the eye piece end. Place a small dab of silicone into the hole way down in the eye piece. Just be mindful not to squeeze silicone into the viewing are.

7) Install the object cell into the object cell housing into the 1 ½ diameter pocket we drilled. Make sure it pushes all the way down to the bottom. Squeeze silicone around the object cell at the outer edge of the cell at the hole side.

8) Insert mirror system into the barrel. Apply silicone into the 3 voids on each end of the barrel, just do not get any into the inside of the mirror. Should some get in the mirror don’t panic. Let it cure then peel it off the mirror with a sharp knife. Be careful not to damage the mirrors of cut yourself. Blood in the mirrors does not enhance the view. J

9) Now go take a rest, take in a movie or anything to keep your mind off the scope, it needs time for the silicone to cure.

10) Place the wire into the groove in the barrel and slide the object cell housing onto this end slide it over the wire and on down onto the barrel until you feel the wire snap into the internal groove in the housing. This will retain the housing so it rotates without falling off.

11) Sparingly smear silicone around the inside of the eye piece hole and slide the eyepiece onto the barrel. Just slide it straight on and do not rotate it any. Slide it to the bottom and stop.

12) Let everything just sit there for a while so the silicone cures then start looking through the eyepiece and rotate the object cell and enjoy the view. 
　
Since the colored beads randomly fall as the cell is rotated the view will never repeat the same pattern. Every movement of the object cell make some of the beads shift creating a brand new image. So if you never want to miss the view you can never stop looking and rotating.

This is mostly the end of this series of instructions. I hope they have been of some value to everyone that has read them. I will be posting again from time to time about anything I think may help.

I can be reached at [email protected] feel free to get in touch with questions or suggestions I am open to offering and help or additional topics you want to know about.
It has been fun, it has been real, and it has been my pleasure.
Mr. Wayne [email protected]


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## darins (Feb 24, 2010)

MrWayne,

I would be interested in seeing a tutorial on this as well. My son would go bonkers for one.

Thanks.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I just saw this thread for the first time. And how timely. Last week I told my wife I wanted to make k-scopes for our twin grandboys. I had no idea how involved it is. I had done a little looking around but never found much nuts&bolts about making them. 

This would be one of the better how-to threads on the entire forum if it had images showing the descriptions in each respective post. I know you said they're in your gallery (haven't looked yet but will) but they need to be in this thread within each relevant post. I'm all for the e-book because i know for certain I want to build some. 

Thanks a million. 5 stars. 




.


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

*TexT:*

I agree 100%... :thumbsup:

I hope you will have no problems making them for your GrandBoys!

... maybe you could include pictures in *your* story...
...* if *you choose to post one... :laughing: :thumbsup:

Looks like he wants to be contacted directly... etc., etc. :whistling2::innocent:


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## MrWayne52 (Jul 2, 2011)

*Thanks for your comments*

Guys,
Thanks for your comments. I am currently building my website. It is under construction and should be finished in a couple weeks. Learning all about websites and how to make them work is a big job.

Must of the pictures in my gallery section shows the steps I take. I will try to get some more that will explain better how to do each step.

There has been many issues in my family in the last few months and that is why I haven't been more active.

I can be reached at [email protected] 

Thanks for the interest.

MrWayne


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## Robocop52 (Jul 25, 2011)

Great work Guys :thumbsup:

Cant wait to see details on how to make them! Must take a lot of patience.

Gus


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