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7/29/2019 Kaleidoscope Review V1N1.pdf
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 1
KALEIDOSCOPE
REVIEWVolume 1, Issue 1
Copyright 1999, 2013 B. Bensley, Bensley Enterprises
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 2
Welcome to The NewKaleidoscope Review!By Brett Bensley, EditorBensley Enterprises
It is such a good idea, it shouldnt be left undone.I have heard this over and over again. That is
what this new version of The New Kaleidoscope
Review is all about: not leaving it undone.
History Repeats Itself.
The original Kaleidoscope Review started in
1999. It was intended to be a magazine
dedicated to information about kaleidoscope and
kaleidoscope making. Costs were involved in
producing it at that time, and thus a fee was
charged. The current technology allows thosecosts to be reduced substantially, so you will
note this magazine is free. Yes, free. There will
be no advertisements. Well, not blatant ones.
Each artist, or retail establishment wants to
promote their product, or this magazine wouldnt
exist.
I do allow people to share this as freely as they
wish, and they may charge to put this in printed
form, as the paper and ink costs something. I
have no problem with this. Some may even
charge to mail it to others. I have no problemwith this either. Just dont go overboard.
We want your input!
This is to be a magazine for the readers and by
the readers. Please help us make this dream come
true by submitting information, pictures and
articles to me at [email protected] snail
mail it to TNKR c/o Brett Bensley, 306 W.
Pierce Ave., Charleston, IL 61920.
All material submitted must be your original
work or must have written permission of the
original author/artist to be included. I should
also be granted written permission to include it
in this magazine.
Thank you for your help!
Cover picture: Gerald Bonsacks back yard.
Gerald Bonsacks Brass kaleidoscope.
Christmas Lights Through Teleidoscope
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]7/29/2019 Kaleidoscope Review V1N1.pdf
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 3
My Love of Kaleidoscopes -Teleidoscopes too!
By: Gerald A. Bonsack
I guess my love of kaleidoscopes comes as a child,
as where else can one look into a cardboard tube,
with mirrors and colored bits and pieces and see anever changing pattern. I cant remember when I got
my first kaleidoscope but I know I wore it out by
shaking and turning it until the clear end piece was
frosted from the scratches.
This passion for scopes became even more intense
as I grew older. In the late sixties I was working in
a local night spot, while going to school and with
the ever changing bands and their lights, I got
hooked on building color organ light panels (light
boxes where the different colored lights are drivenby the frequency and intensity of the music,
creating a dancing wall of light). Now by placing
diffusion panels in front of the light sources, I took
the points of lights and created squares of various
sizes, based on the distance from the diffusion sheet
to the light bulb. WOW! Music and synchronized
dancing lights just think what a kaleidoscope
mirror system would do with that.
Also at that time I was playing around with idea of
projecting the colorful patterns seen in akaleidoscope, onto the wall. After a few tries I
managed to construct a projector, complete with a
drive motor and re-focusing lenses, which projected
a six foot mandala. Today all one has to do is down
load an app and connect the computer to the large
screen television and hit play. This unit was used
nightly at the night spot, until I removed it for lack
of payment. The projector and my proto-type color
organ light panel sat collection dust for several
years, as the family and work took precedent.
In the late Eighties, I got my first camcorder and
with my love of kaleidoscopes, along with
fireworks, I start to engineer my first teleidoscope
(kaleidoscope / telescope combined), with the idea
of videotaping the Fourth of July fireworks. After
eight attempts and many months later, try number
nine took the real world and placed imagery at
Continued on page 4
This passion for scopesbecame even more
intense as I grew older.
The image of the object before the teleidoscope lens is used.
The chopper above through teleidoscope lens
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 4
the correct location where the kaleidoscope
object cell would have set. That unit weighed in
at nine pounds, between the thick mirrors I had
and the large diameter optical elements required
to focus the world. I still have the optical frame I
built, to fine tune the lens placement and
remember switching one lens element withanother and sliding the lens elements back and
forth until I was happy with the viewed
kaleidoscopic image. Now add in the weight of
the old camcorder and one needed a massive
tripod and frame to do any videotaping or
photography.
Since that time, that monster teleidoscope has
attended many regional photography club
conventions, photography workshops,
kaleidoscope artists and collector gatherings andtraveled to dozens of States, while on vacation
with me. Regardless of where it was, someone
would always ask me, Whats that? and thenask if they could take a photograph or shoot
some video footage too. At the local Clown
Camp, even a television production crew from
Japan got in line for footage. That lens was so
popular at photographic events; even I would
have to stand in line to use it.
Years later, I had a liquid filled kaleidoscopestart leaking, so I pulled the liquid cell off of the
scope and dug out my box of old scrap lenses.
Since I had engineered the optics location before,
I had the lens holder designed and made by a
local tool and die shop in no time and slid it over
the end of the old kaleidoscope tube. This
smaller teleidoscope made the walk through the
Christmas light display one to remember and
again people were asking, Whats that? Sincethat scope was small, it wouldnt pair up with my
35 mm SLR and the small point and shootdigital camera I had at that time.
As time went by, the small point and shoot
digital cameras improved and webcams came
into being, so I decided to build a slightly larger
teleidoscope model that would work with those
cameras, so anyone can capture the world
Continued from page 3
Cars photographed through the teleidoscope.
Continued to page 7
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 5
The images created
are wonderful to
behold as can be
demonstrated by
these images of the
clowns. In the
picture to the left,you can see how a
normal camera can
be used with the
lens (on the tripod).
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 6
The farm equipmentand the ground it sets
on make a fantastic
subject of interest
and color in the
teleidoscope lens.
As mentioned in
Geralds article, it
isnt limited tostationary objects.
With a video camera,
it takes exciting
images of moving
objects.
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 7
kaleidoscopically. Imagine you pull into a town
out west and there on the side of the building is
this massive Indian blanket artwork - grab your
teleidoscope and camera and have full. At an old
car rally, with lots of chrome - grab your
teleidoscope and camera and have full. Out for
your morning walk downtown, with lots of
shadows - grab your teleidoscope and camera
and have fun.
The idea of having a teleidoscope to play with
makes one think in patterns and reflections.
Think of cleaning up after a good party, leftover
pizza, cans, wrappers, ribbons and bows and
whatever, grab your teleidoscope and camera and
have fun, as the mess is now beautiful. Also with
a teleidoscope in hand, ones imagination can
run wild, just thinking of things to create and
photograph.
I have gone back in time and re-constructed my
color organ circuit and now use it to drive a six
foot by seven foot light wall, with four hundred
miniature Christmas tree lights (100 per color).
Once I have the music scored, I fire up the color
organ and select one of my teleidoscopes and hit
play and start videotaping. To view a sample
video, go to YouTube and type in my name:
Gerald Bonsack. For still imagery remember
seeing the rainbow colors in soap bubbles, well
many blow molded and injection molded clear
plastic parts will show the same color effect
(birefringence), when subjected to polarized
light, but more on that next time.
Gerald A. Bonsack
Continued from page 4
Fireworks
through the
teleidoscope
lens of Gerald
Bonsack!
Video of
kaleidoscopic
fireworks is a
specialty of
Mr. Bonsack.Birefringement image of sundae dish.
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The New Kaleidoscope Review 8
Gerald Bonsacks new teleidoscope. Read more of this interesting art form inside!