kaleidoscope review v2n1

8/12/2019 Kaleidoscope Review V2N1

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The New Kaleidoscope 1

KKKAAALLLEEEIIIDDDOOOSSSCCCOOOPPPEEE

RRREEEVVVIIIEEEWWWVolume 2, Issue 1

Copyright 1999, 2013, 2014 B. Bensley


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TOOLS and how to make

kaleidoscope fun!By Brett Bensley, Editor

I hope you have enjoyed our previous issues. I

also hope that each issue imbeds a desire to helpmake this publication greater than it is. If so,please send articles, pictures, and otherinformation to bdbensley@ gmail.com.

What does this have to do with tools?

This may be a very short issue, but the start ofsomething big for many kaleidoscope artists. Formany years I have been trying to help increase theknowledge of kaleidoscopes and to increase thecapabilities of the artists, both novice and

advanced. As such, I am offering a unique tooldesigned to simplify one of the most troublesomeactivities to artists; measuring mirrors to fit a tube.Just read the article and enjoy.

As for the next issue, get your kaleidoscopeinformation in!

Brett Bensley

A tool to help make those

mirrors fit.By Brett Bensley

For many years I have wanted to share this, and

many other, unique tools I have designed andcreated to make my kaleidoscope making easierand more effective. For a very simple reason, Inow share one of my simple tools to help you findthe size of mirror to cut for your round bodytubes: the Bensley Mirror Ruler.

Before we get started, I must tell you that I firstmade these in the early 1990s and wanted to share

them with other artists. As such, I hold all rightsto this and any other tools/devices I describe in

this publication, unless specifically attributed inthis publication to someone else. I am sharing thisinformation so you can make one for yourself, andyou can make one for a friend. You cannot massproduce or sell them without my writtenpermission. Got it? Then lets get started.

For many of us, we measure the interior of ourtubes and then go through calculations to get asize to cut the mirrors. This is based on the tubeinterior diameter and the angle between themirrors. Wouldnt it be nice to just take a ruler

and measure the mirror size? Here is the basicdesign of that ruler and how to make it!

This can be made on paper or stiff cardboard, butI prefer to make it on acrylic or other clear sheetmaterial.

The first step is to cut the material. I prefer asquare or rectangle. The one used in this article is3 inches by 3 inches, but you can make themsmaller or larger as you need.

You will then need tools such as a compass (theone used to draw circles and not the one used tofind North) or dividers, a ruler, a protractor, andsomething to help you mark or score the material(acrylic). Paint or colored permanent markers willhelp. See Figure 1.

The first step after getting your material cut is tomark a starting corner, the point of where we start

Figure 1 - Tools needed


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Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

our lines and pivot our curves. I start by scoring aline across the piece lengthwise as shown in Figure 2.

Near one of the corners, I mark, usually by crossscoring, my start point. This will be my pivot point.In Figure 3 I am pointing to the pivot point. You willnote that I painted the initial score line so it can be

seen. This needs to be marked or even slightly drilledto keep it consistent with the tools you will use.

Using the protractor, put the pivot point of theprotractor on the tool pivot point and line up 45degrees down from the first center line we scored.This will give a line under the center line 45 degreesfrom it. Why? This is where some math comes in.

The common degrees for symmetry in kaleidoscopesare:

60 degrees = 6 images and a

3 pointed star45 degrees = 8 images and a



6 pointed star27.5 degrees = 14 images and

a 7 pointed star22.5 degrees = 16 images and

a 8 pointed star20 degrees = 18 images and a


10 pointed star16.8 degrees = 22 images and

a 11 pointed star15 degrees = 24 images and a

12 pointed starI included 90 degrees for reference.

To get the angle between the mirrors and make thistool work, we divide the angles we want in half, sohalf the angle is above the centerline and the otherbelow. So our 90 degree reference will have a line 45degrees from and below the center line and 45


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Figure 5

Figure 6

degrees from and above the line. This results in 90degrees between the two lines. I hope you get it asthis is what makes this work. See figure 5.

Some artists create 90 degree mirror systems, but thais not common. We will now add the 60, 45, and 30degree lines to our tool.

We now score from the pivot point and the centerline the half angles of these degrees. Figure 6 has theillustration of the two 30 degree angles from thecenter line and how together they make the 60 degremirror angle. Repeat this with any angles you want.

TIP: I dont recommend adding all the angles as they

can be easily confused. Instead I would recommendmore than one of these having the angles that areapart. For example, I would put the 90, 60, 30degrees on this one, while I would have another withthe 45 and 36 degrees. You will see that the 45degree angle marks are very close to the 60 degreeangle marks in this example.

We now need to add our ruler to make this work, anto do so, we need a ruler.

Place the ruler with the zero point on the pivot pointand along the center line. Next mark the center linewith all the ruler marks to your level of accuracy. Ithink for most of use, this can be 1/8 of an inch. Inthis illustrative project, I limited it to inch markersso it is easy to see how to make it and use it. SeeFigure 7.

Once our scale is marked, we take thecompass/dividers to mark the curves we need tocomplete the tool. Place one leg of thedividers/compass on the pivot point and mark/scoreeach of your measurement lines. Make sure you crossall the angle lines you have scored previously andplan to use in your scopes.

Figure 8 shows how to mark the center line with the

measurements needed. A finer marker would bebetter or use a tool to score the marks.

Figure 9 shows the use of the compass tomark/score the lines for measurement. Accuracyhelps make this project work, but may not be neededif you plan to include packing for your mirrors.

After scoring all the lines for this tool, I usuallydecide to color the lines different colors to help


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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

distinguish them. In this example I colored the hainch marks as red, so it is easier to read. You mayalso want to color the corresponding angle marks color as well, instead of the plain black used here.

Your tool is now complete.

How does it work?

Figure 10 shows how to place it against the tube.The pivot point is located along the interior wall othe body tube. The centerline is located along thecenter of the tube, which can be helped by makingthe sure the mirror lines and measurement marks aequal on both sides.

To get your measurement, find the angle you wantbetween the mirrors. In this case I will use the 45

degree lines. I then follow the curve back to themeasurement (center) line and see that I will needabout 1 inch mirrors to fit this 2 inch tube. Agthis tool it not marked for such accuracy, but itshows that the point where the angle lines hit theinterior walls of the tube are at about 1 inches. Figure 10.

This is a lot better than having to always calculate mirrors or look it up in a table, right?

TIPS: I drill a hole in the pivot point, just large

enough to add a bulletin board pin. Then I place pin against the inside wall of the tube to make mymeasurement. There are many ways to make thismore accurate and easy to use. I might describethose in future issues.

Figure 7


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Thank you for your

support!Brett Bensley

I want to say thank you to all those who have given supportfor this and other works benefiting the kaleidoscope world.

It is nice to hear something pleasant, rekindling everyones

efforts to promote the art of kaleidoscope making.

Remember that this issue is free and may be printed and

copied, provided that nothing is charged to those receiving it.

Below, those who want to mail them to a friend,

acquaintance or customer may do so by providing the

appropriate information and postage.

Anyone wanting to contact me and to provide materials or

articles for future issues of this publication may do so bysending it [email protected]. Please be sure to

include either kaleidoscope review or TNKR in the subject

line.

Thank you very much.
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