u/Frequent_Truck2776

Hey everyone,

​I've returned! To be completely honest, I'm usually way too lazy when it comes to social media and posting regularly. But then I remembered this sub and how much you guys appreciate a good kaleidoscope, so I dropped everything to post this right away 😆😆😆.

​Hope you all like this new piece I've been working on at the bench. Let me know what you think of the views inside!

It's not complete yet, but please give me your feedback.

Hey everyone,

​Here is my latest project. When I first showed it to my friends, they completely thought it was just a regular picture frame sitting on a desk rather than a kaleidoscope 😆. Only after I told them what it actually was did they believe me!

​The client gave me permission to share this, but I've blurred out their family photo for privacy reasons, so I appreciate your understanding.

​Hope you all enjoy looking at it! Let me know what you think.

Handcrafted this piece specifically for moments like this. There is something incredibly therapeutic about watching chaotic colors naturally fall into perfect symmetry. Whenever things feel overwhelming, I just look through the lens and let it be.

​Hope this brings a little peace to your feed today!

Hey everyone,

​I wanted to share a recent custom piece I just wrapped up in the studio. A client reached out asking for a ladybug-themed kaleidoscope and, honestly, the best part was that they gave me complete creative freedom to run with the design.

​As a maker, getting that kind of trust is the best feeling. It allowed me to really focus on keeping the exterior lines crisp and clean, while making sure the visual explosion on the inside was perfectly dialed in.

​It took some time at the bench to get the details exactly right, but seeing the final patterns light up made all those hours totally worth it. It’s getting packed up and heading off to its new home soon.

​Let me know what you guys think of the view inside!

Hi everyone,

​I wanted to share a piece that holds a very special place in my heart. A client all the way from Germany reached out and put their complete trust in me to create this custom kaleidoscope.

​Having that kind of creative freedom and trust from someone halfway across the world is the greatest feeling for a maker. To be completely honest, I am not sure if I will ever recreate this exact design again. It feels like a true one-of-a-kind piece that belongs perfectly to this specific moment and the creative flow I was in.

​Since it’s about to be carefully packaged and shipped off to its forever home in Germany, I wanted to post it here to preserve the memory and let you all enjoy the magical view inside.

​I'd love to hear your thoughts on the visual effects! Thanks for looking.

Hey everyone,

​Following up on my last post, here is the second piece of the matching kaleidoscope set commissioned for two sisters.

​This one was made specifically for the younger sister. Her original request was super simple and elegant: she only wanted blue and white. However, when I was putting together the glass for the interior object chamber, my artistic side kind of took over. I felt like the visual needed a little more depth and pop, so I took a risk and sneaked some vibrant pink and purple into the mix.

​I’ll be honest, I was holding my breath when I sent her the final preview video since I deviated from her prompt. But thankfully, she was completely obsessed with how the colors blended together! 😆

​Like the first one, this is built using the copper foil method for the exterior and first-surface mirrors inside for the crisp optical illusion. I really love how the cool blues and whites balance out those pinks and purples to create a dreamy, galaxy-like vibe.

​Have you fellow makers ever gone a little "rogue" on a custom order? Let me know what you think of this color palette!

Hi everyone,

​I wanted to share a really special custom project I’ve been working on. A client reached out to me with a beautiful request: she wanted to commission a matching pair of kaleidoscopes—one for herself and one for her younger sister.

​The concept behind it is that no matter how busy life gets or how far apart they might live, they will always have this shared piece of art. Whenever they hold it up to the light and watch the patterns shift, they’ll be reminded of their bond and of each other.

​This video shows the first completed piece of the pair. As a maker, working on projects with such deep emotional meaning makes the entire crafting process feel incredibly rewarding. There’s something truly special about knowing your art will be used as a tangible connection between two siblings.

​I'd love to hear what you guys think of this concept and the visual effects inside! Thanks for looking.

Hi everyone,

​I recently had the honor of working on a custom order for a couple celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary, and I just had to share the beautiful concept behind their piece.

​They commissioned two separate kaleidoscopes with a very specific vision. They wanted one with a cool, blue exterior to represent the wife, and one with a warm, orange exterior to represent the husband.

​But the real magic is on the inside. When you look through the wife’s blue kaleidoscope, the internal mandala pattern is made of fiery red and yellow . Conversely, when you look through the husband’s orange kaleidoscope, the interior reveals cool, soothing blue patterns.

​Their message was simple but profound: inside each of them, there is a balance of "hot" and "cold" elements. It is the blending and embracing of these contrasting traits that makes their marriage whole and creates a happy family.

​For the display stand, they completely trusted me and gave me total creative freedom with absolutely no specific requirements. I spent a lot of time brainstorming and designing a base that would do their story justice. Instead of making two separate mounts, I engineered a single, unified stand that cradles both pieces at the same time. The design implies that when placed side-by-side, their contrasting colors complement each other perfectly—symbolizing their enduring bond and the promise to be together forever.

​Creating a piece with such deep personal meaning was an incredibly rewarding experience as a maker. I just wanted to share this little story with you all. Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone,

​I’ve been working on integrating traditional stained glass art with kaleidoscope optics, and I’d love to get some feedback from this community.

​For the exterior body, I used the Tiffany copper foil method with standard, smooth solder lines. For the interior, I used first-surface mirrors to create the optical illusion.

​Since this is a tactile piece meant to be held and rotated, I’m trying to perfect both the structural integrity and the aesthetic balance. I would really appreciate your critique on:

​The exterior craftsmanship: How do my solder seams look? Are there any weak points you can spot in the construction?

​The integration: Does the vibe of the exterior glass colors complement the interior optical pattern well?

​Any general tips for constructing 3D objects like this out of stained glass?

​Please don't hold back—I'm here to learn and improve my craft. Thanks so much for your time!

Occasionally, the idea of ​​mixing three colors—orange, black, and purple—comes into my head, and this is the result.

Hi everyone,

​I recently finished this new kaleidoscope piece along with a matching display stand. I used the Tiffany copper foil method and applied a decorative beaded edge soldering technique to give the exterior a rustic, handcrafted feel.

​I would love to hear your honest thoughts on the overall aesthetic:

​Do the kaleidoscope and the display stand complement each other well?

​Does the decorative soldering technique look balanced with the glass colors?

​But I have to be honest... there is something about this piece that is really bringing me down. Despite all the hours I put into the exterior and the stand, there is a visible "blackline" (the seam/gap where the mirrors meet) on the inside when you look through the lens. To me, it feels like this tiny flaw shatters the optical illusion and completely ruins the whole piece. It’s incredibly frustrating as a maker.

​Am I being too hard on myself, or is this a dealbreaker for a piece like this? Do any other kaleidoscope makers here occasionally run into this "black line" issue too?

​For those of you who work with first-surface mirror systems, how do you completely eliminate that blackline? Any technical advice or tips for my next build would be deeply appreciated.

​Thank you so much for your time and feedback! 🙏