How to Make a Pinhole

A pinhole camera is a light-proof box with a tiny hole on one end and photographic paper on the other. Pinhole cameras do not use lenses and can be made from ordinary household objects. The art of pinhole photography is largely dependent on the quality of the pinhole and the ability to block out all light inside the box. Follow the steps below to make the best quality pinhole for your pinhole camera.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brass shim stock (0.005 inch thick)
• Round toothpick
• Stone hone
• Metal needle
• Block of wood
• Pen
• Black paint

1. Cut the piece of brass with metal snips about 1 square inch in size.

2. Lay the brass on a block of wood and make a small dimple in it with a blunt instrument (such as a pen or the handle end of a butter knife).

3. Make a hole with a needle in the center of the dimple from the concave side. For a very small pinhole, don't push the needle in all the way.

4. Remove the jagged edges of the pinhole. Gently use a stone hone to smooth the metal down around the hole while turning the brass and smoothing from every direction. The hole must be perfectly smooth and round to make a good image.

5. Paint both sides of the brass black to keep light from reflecting inside your pinhole camera.

Tips & Warnings

• When honing the rough edges of the pinhole, use a round toothpick to poke up the jagged edges. Be careful that you don't make the hole any larger.
• Be sure the needle goes straight in and not at an angle. Otherwise the hole will not be round.

References

• Unblinking Eye: How to Make a Pinhole by Ed Buffaloe
• Pinhole Crafting: Larry Bullis--Pinhole Crafting
• Alternative Photography: Pinhole History