Special Project - Building Kaleidoscopes
Back to Constructing a Kaleidoscope
Everyone has looked through a kaleidoscope. But how many people know how they are made or how they work their magic? The kaleidoscope was invented by Sir David Brewster, a physicist, in 1816, There are many varieties of kaleidoscopes on the market today. Some scopes have colored glass or plastic that tumbles about the end section creating an infinite series of symmetric patterns. Some have nothing in the end section but a lens and the designs that are created depend on what the kaleidoscope is aimed at. Some have a marble on the end. Some modern scopes have colored non-mixing liquids in the end section that create flowing symmetric designs. Some handcrafted kaleidoscopes sell for well over $100.
Your project as a group is to:
- Design a kaleidoscope.
- Make a diagram showing your kaleidoscope plan.
- Collect the raw materials and tools necessary to make your kaleidoscope.
- Build the kaleidoscope.
The diagram on the right is an exploded view of a typical kaleidoscope. This entire scope must be rotated for the colored pieces to tumble into the different designs. To create a kaleidoscope with an end cap that turns while the body remains stationary is a little trickier. This involves a slightly larger piece of tube for the rotating end cap. The material for a kaleidoscope can vary, depending on what the group can find and/or afford. The tube can be a cardboard cylinder found around the home. For a kaleidoscope to last your lifetime, use plastic plumbing pipe (PVC). The round clear pieces can be glass, lenses, clear plastic, or clear acetate. The three reflecting surfaces can be mirror glass, glass painted black on one side, or clear vinyl painted black on one side. The colored pieces that go into the end chamber can be almost anything translucent. Don't put too many colored pieces in between the spacers! If you use too many, they don't tumble well and they may block out too much light. 
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