Stargazer
Stargazer is a 3 mirror Kaleidoscope, or to be more precise, a Teleidoscope, as the mandala-like patterns are the result of the outside world being reflected over and over again. It prints without supports and is easy to assemble.
Printing
- No supports required
- Add a brim if needed. I printed it without one on my P1S
- Requires accurate printing within +/- 0.2mm.
Hardware
Assembly
- Print the body and the cap. I used grey PLA, applied black primer and finally some Brass Rub'n'Buff, for that Steampunk-y finish.
- Cut the mirror tile into 3 long strips, each one about 23mm wide (see image). The body is designed to be forgiving to mirror width deviations of up to +/-1mm. It took me about 30 mins to cut the mirrors with a cheap glass cutter ( https://amzn.eu/d/cO0ttFj ) and without prior glass cutting experience. You should end up with 3 mirrors sized 150x23x3mm.
- Glue the glass ball into place on top of the body. I used a glue gun. Make sure to only apply glue on the sides where residue will not block the path of the light or leave visible artifacts!
- Slide the three mirrors into the body (see image). It is important to offset each one slightly to prevent visible gaps. You can glue them in as well, but mine were fitting tight enough that no glue was necessary.
- (Optional) Cut the microscope slide or other thin glass into a rectangle of 17x17mm or smaller. Its not important to match the cutout of the cap perfectly, as long as the glass is covering the eye hole. Glue the glass into the cutout on the inside of the cap. This is done to seal the inner part of the Teleidoscope from dust.
- Close the body with the cap. This can be either friction-fitted or glued into place.
- Enjoy the entrancing mandala-like fractal patterns. It works best in broad daylight.
Cruvax
