How to Find Kaleidoscope Supplies

Sir David Brewster named his invention, the kaleidoscope, after the Greek ,"kalos," or beautiful, "eidos," or form, and "scopos," or watcher. To create beautiful forms to look at, you need supplies. Buy a kit and they're already available. But you can track down everything you need at home improvement stores or hardware stores, hobby shops, arts and crafts stores and glass shops.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Locate a mailing tube or length of PVC pipe to use as the main cylinder of your kaleidoscope. You can find mailing tubes at UPS, while you can pick up PVC at a home improvement or hardware store. Cardboard is cheaper and easier to cut than PVC, but plastic is more durable.

2. Choose reflective surfaces from glass or styrene mirrors or mylar-covered poster board. Purchase pre-cut mirror squares, styrene and mylar at craft stores such as Michael's. Work with pre-cut glass, if you find it too difficult to cut glass.

3. Construct your endpieces from plastic transparent sheets or petri dishes. Track down plastic transparent sheets at stationery stores or craft stores. Pick up petri dishes at hobby shops or biological lab supply companies. You can manipulate transparent sheets more easily than petri dishes and they're easier to find.

4. Buy small pieces of colored glass, beads, bits of foil or small marbles at craft supply stores. When you turn your kaleidoscope, the mirrors reflect these small colored objects, making the pretty patterns you view when you look through the eyepiece.

5. Find tools and other supplies such as a glue gun, masking tape, markers, a utility or craft knife, ice cream sticks, scissors, a metal ruler or square and a glass cutter at craft stores or home improvement stores.
   

Resources

• Buy kaleidoscope kits at Clarity Glass.
• Find most of your supplies here.