How to Make Your Own Night Vision Scope

When it comes to making your own night vision scope, you have many options. You could choose to go with a complex, powerful scope that requires expense and experience. Or you could make a basic scope that requires simple techniques and accessible materials.

Most of these materials are readily available at home. Others are affordable items available at camera shops, electronic stores and super centers. You can use a night vision scope as a regular optical device with night vision capability or as part of a rifle or binoculars.

1. Buy a small infrared LED light that uses a button battery, a Congo blue filter and a primary red filter. For the LED light, find a product that simply requires twisting the lamp cover to turn on the light. For the filters, use transparent colored gels. As a guide, each filter piece should be about 5-by-5 inches. Store-bought filters are usually bigger; use the leftover pieces as spares in case of emergency.

2. Cut an empty toilet-paper tube in half. You will need only one half. Discard the other or make two identical night vision scopes.

3. Trace around your toilet-paper tube over your Congo blue and primary red gels with a pen.

4. Cut each single piece of traced Congo blue and primary red filters.

5. Use a glue gun to surround the rim of the cut piece of primary red filter with hot glue.

6. Attach the red cutout piece directly on the top hole of your toilet-paper tube. Allow the glue to set for about five minutes.

7. Repeat the glue gun application around the Congo blue filter cutout. Place it on top of the primary red cutout attached to the toilet-paper tube. Allow the glue to set for about five minutes.

8. Apply hot glue on the bottom part of the infrared LED light. Secure it anywhere on top of the toilet-paper tube. Make sure the light faces the opposite end of the filter covers. The light illuminates the subject you intend to look at. Allow the glue to set for about five minutes.

9. Turn on the infrared LED light. Go to a dark place to test your night vision scope. Use your scope by looking through the filters.

Tips

Close your infrared LED when not in use to avoiding wasting the battery. Once you run out of power, replace the battery.