# Photo Copiers



## rusty (Dec 31, 2012)

What does a photo copier have in common with a kaleidoscope, front surfaced mirrors.

Make a great project for the kids or any adult for that matter, the tube could be made from a paper towel core, tin can or even paper mache .

Tape three mirrors together and you have now entered the wonderful world of amazing images, the picture of the Canadian dime was shot looking through the mirror tunnel.

Reuse and recycle is my motto, have fun.



























[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EQNrgGrL3g&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]


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## MMFJ (Dec 31, 2012)

Wonder how much you can get for the dime collection on eBay???? :lol: 

Pretty cool - and a great project for the kids - if you happen to have a full woodworking shop and photocopier escrap around! (not knocking the idea - I do think it is really great and really like the pictures!) Wondering what kind of cool pics you could get looking at a pile of fingers (before and after refining!).

Thought just hit me - how big is the hole in the wood? Could I use a plastic or even metal pipe (much easier to get a small piece around here than making a wooden one)?

I'm off to do a dump dive in a few days - I'll have to put 'copier lenses' on my list!

I teach English to a few classes in the local school here (3rd and 6th graders so far - likely going to do some other grades soon) and such a project would be simple and easy for a 'show and tell' - both to practice their English as well as teaching them about 'reuse/re-purpose/recycle'.

Thanks for the idea!


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## rusty (Dec 31, 2012)

MMFJ said:


> Wonder how much you can get for the dime collection on eBay???? :lol:
> 
> Pretty cool - and a great project for the kids - if you happen to have a full woodworking shop and photocopier escrap around! (not knocking the idea - I do think it is really great and really like the pictures!) Wondering what kind of cool pics you could get looking at a pile of fingers (before and after refining!).
> 
> ...



If you look closely at the dime photo you will note that I have not attained the perfect mirror system, my image is not perfectly symmetric. 

Came across this info on mirror systems after I had made my first scope http://www.brewstersociety.com/mirrors.html


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## rusty (Jan 3, 2013)

MMFJ those large projection television sets have large sheets of first surface mirrors inside.

You may find this pdf file helpful.


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## yvonbug (Jan 5, 2013)

Hiya Rusty! I've got a whole bunch of photocopier mirrors and lots of beautiful colored plastic parts from this's and that's. I've been makeing kaleidoscopes for about 10 years, probably more. And I have a big load of misc. lenses from when I used to hit the Xerox dumpster. But I've never bothered to make a nice body for my kaleidoscopes. I was always tearing them apart to make a new color combination. It's endless. Uh, anyone interested in some mirrors? Optically correct!


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## rusty (Jan 6, 2013)

yvonbug said:


> Hiya Rusty! I've got a whole bunch of photocopier mirrors and lots of beautiful colored plastic parts from this's and that's. I've been makeing kaleidoscopes for about 10 years, probably more. And I have a big load of misc. lenses from when I used to hit the Xerox dumpster. But I've never bothered to make a nice body for my kaleidoscopes. I was always tearing them apart to make a new color combination. It's endless. Uh, anyone interested in some mirrors? Optically correct!



y-bug I will trade you a body for some mirrors.


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## Woodworker1997 (Jan 6, 2013)

Rusty, great job very creative.
I see that you have a 3 jaw chuck. Is that a metal lathe? Did you use a boring bar to core out the inside?
If either of my questions are not the case, then i commend you. I have a 3 jaw chuck for my wood lathe, and have never successfully cored out anything that straight or that long.

Keep up the recycling!

Derek.


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## rusty (Jan 6, 2013)

Woodworker1997 said:


> Rusty, great job very creative.
> I see that you have a 3 jaw chuck. Is that a metal lathe? Did you use a boring bar to core out the inside?
> If either of my questions are not the case, then i commend you. I have a 3 jaw chuck for my wood lathe, and have never successfully cored out anything that straight or that long.
> 
> ...



Yes I used a boring bar on the metal lathe to core the cylinder out then used a torch to burn the fuzzy material off before moving over to the wood lathe for sanding using a makeshift mandrel. 

To bore those deep holes you need a steady rest, you could make this from heavy plywood. http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/SteadyRest.html


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## rusty (Jan 6, 2013)

Sometime next week I expect the arrival of my acrylic tubing, flat and 2 inch solid rod, the tubing will be used to make my object cells while the solid rod will be turned into lenses.

Acrylic can be formed into shapes using heat, turned on a lathe, flame polished or buffed. If your going to be making a lens use the cast acrylic not the extruded. Demonstration making a lens. http://ludens.cl/photo/plens/plens.html 

The large brass tubing came from a submersible water pump, this is being made into a parlor scope, after turning the rough skin off some primary sanding now onto the buffing wheel to remove those fine sanding marks.


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## Woodworker1997 (Jan 6, 2013)

Rusty, i have already made a steady rest. I used 3 pieces of half inch plywood laminated together to make the frame. And the best thing i found for the wheels (for wood anyway) was the wheels off of an old roller blade skate. 

Again, great job! Can't wait to see the finished product. 

Derek.


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## rusty (Jan 6, 2013)

Woodworker1997 said:


> Rusty, i have already made a steady rest. I used 3 pieces of half inch plywood laminated together to make the frame. And the best thing i found for the wheels (for wood anyway) was the wheels off of an old roller blade skate.
> 
> Again, great job! Can't wait to see the finished product.
> 
> Derek.



My lack of math skills may prove to be my demise, I'm aiming for a spherical image which requires the mirrors be cut 36-60-90 degrees which give the image below.

When we moved from B.C. to MB I brought with me several thousand board feet of BC broad leaf Maple, the pattern in the piece I'm using for the end cap for the object cell and eye piece is either called quilted or tiger.

Figured Maple is highly prized among Luthiers.

BC Broadleaf Maple






Spherical Image


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## Anonymous (Jan 7, 2013)

*WOW!!!* 
That's really creative. It reminds me of around 13 years ago when I did temp work at a glass factory, and the workers there that would take the scrap (trash) glass and mirrors, and would cut them up more and make the most beautiful picture frames, statues, logos and everything else. It blew me away to see all that scrap glass being recut to be made into something totally unique. Fraternity signs, you name it. Some of those workers knew how to do their stuff with that scrap glass.

And guess what when I asked... most of them haven't been selling the stuff either. The Internet wasn't like it is now. We're talking back in the late '90's. I would bet they're selling their stuff now.

Kevin


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## rusty (Jan 7, 2013)

Hope Harold V doesn't come across this thread it surly would pain a tool and die maker to see my machine skills. Anyhow we do the best we can.

Harold if you do read this thread, question. Do you know what they call those small hammer in pins that secure serial number tags. They have a round head just like a rivet with a twist on the shank once they're hammered in not meant to come out. i would like some in brass, but can not remember the name of them.

Found them, called U-Drive. http://www.mcmaster.com/#type-u-drive-screws/=kxgiyr

Cut the slots into the object chamber this evening.

After the acrylic chamber is installed the brass tubing gets a small slot cut into it that three pins will slide into allowing the object chamber to turn, this scope gets mounted onto a pedestal with pivots. It's much to heavy for a hand held.






U-Drive Screw


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## Woodworker1997 (Jan 7, 2013)

Rusty,

You used a die grinder as a horizontal mill, BRILLIANT!
I have to get a metal lathe!

As to your earlier post. Figured maple is one of my favorites. I have only made one guitar (actually it was an electric bass guitar) I used figured maple for the fret board. It came out beautiful.
I would like to get my hands on a 2'x3'x.5" piece of burl walnut. Would make an awesome acoustic!

Looking good Rusty!


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## rusty (Jan 7, 2013)

Woodworker1997 said:


> Rusty,
> 
> You used a die grinder as a horizontal mill, BRILLIANT!
> I have to get a metal lathe!
> ...



Scroll down to item number 9, T Slots on the cross slide, Item 10 vertical milling attachment. http://homepage3.nifty.com/amigos/lathe/lathe-e.htm

My lathe does not have the T Slots on the cross slide, wished I had done my homework before buying.


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## rusty (Jan 9, 2013)

I'm not sure if this pair of cones will work as intended, the general idea is that each of the cored wood tubes is a different size i would like to get my fingers away from the chuck during the sanding operation.

My thoughts were that the cones mounted onto a 5/8" ready rod with the nuts tightened up against the backside of the cones it would center the wood core or at least hold it true once centered.

When the settlers came into the prairies they brought Caragana seeds to be planted as a wind break and help stop soil erosion. The shrub grows 4 feet in height in a years time the seed pods when ripe pop open sowing the seeds outward, many an old house left unattended becomes hidden in the massive growth.

It's unfortunate the largest diameter this shrub grows to is about 4 inches making it useless for larger projects, a neighbor gave me this small piece below, after i turned the bark and sap wood from it and gave it a light sanding the wood has some distinctive character.


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