How to Make a Stained Glass Kaleidoscope

Everyone loves watching the colors tumble and flow in a kaleidoscope. Homemade stained glass kaleidoscopes are a great gift and you can do the project by yourself or with kids. There are many different styles of stained glass kaleidoscopes. The best part of stained glass kaleidoscopes is they can be made out of just about anything. Stained glass kaleidoscopes can be made with simple things around the house for the tube and you can either decorate the outside with stained glass pieces and add stained glass pieces to the viewer to watch the kaleidoscopic colors of the stained glass tumble.

Things You'll Need

• 7 inches of PVC pipe, 2 to 3 inches in diameter
• 3 lengths of mirror, all the same size and slightly smaller than the pipe
• Duct tape
• Glue
• Cardboard
• Colored glass beads, tiles or marbles
• Glass or Plexiglas
• Glass cutter
• Foam or packing peanuts

Instructions

1. 

   Either cut the correct length of mirror or have the hardware store cut the mirror for you. Create a triangle of the mirror pieces with the mirror facing to the inside and tape together with the duct tape.

2. Slide the triangle into the middle of the PVC pipe. Pack the foam or packing peanuts into the open spaces around the triangle gently. Make sure there is enough packing to stabilize the mirror triangle.

3. With the cardboard, cut a circle the same diameter as one end of the PVC pipe. Poke a hole in the center and glue the circle to one end of the pipe. Allow to dry.

4. Cut two circles out of the glass or Plexiglas, the same diameter as the pipe, with the glass cutters or have the hardware store cut them for you. Cut a strip of cardboard 1 inch wide and slightly larger than the pipe opening. Bring the ends together and glue, forming a circle. Allow to dry.

5. Glue the cardboard circle to one of the glass circles and allow to dry.

6. Fill the cup you just made in Step 5 with different pieces of stained glass. Leave enough room for tumbling. Glue the second piece of clear glass to the top of the cup and allow to dry.

7. Attach the cup to the open end of the pipe with glue and duct tape. Look through the viewer hole in the opposite end and watch the stained glass show.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint or decorate the outside of the kaleidoscope. Experiment with different objects and colors for different images. Use all safety precautions if you are cutting the glass yourself.

Resources

• More Kaleidoscope Ideas