HowtoMakeaSkyLantern

http://blog.skylighter.com/fireworks/2008/11/howtomakechineseskylanterns.html

MaterialsNeeded

Bamboo,1inchdiameter Elmer'sGlue KraftPaper PaperFireproofer PaperTowels ParaffinWax Scissors TissuePaper Wire

SkyLanternAutopsy
Alittlereverseengineeringrevealed: Weightofaflyinglantern Thinbamboohoopatbottom Weightofhoop Bambooisabout1/16x1/8 Xofthinwiretiedtohoop Xofwireiswoventhroughwaxedclothandpaperburner 2.7ounces 45.75circumference,14.56diameter 0.3ounces(withalittlepaperandgluestillhanging ontoit)

 OriginalSkyLanternBurner,WhichWeighs0.9Ounce,IncludingWire Theburneriscomposedofa2.5x17pieceofwaximpregnatedcloth,foldedinZ fashionbackonitself5times. InbetweeneachZfoldofthewaxedclotharefive2.25x3piecesofthin,coarsefiber paper,abouttheweightof40#kraftpaper. (Thecloth/paperburnersmellsnice,sortoflikethescentofroses.Maybetheyoung Chineseladywhomadethisonewaswearingsomefragrantperfume.) Note:Ihavealsoseenskylanternburners,whichresemblefiberreinforcedblocksof wax.Idontknowhowtheyaremadeandhavenottriedtoduplicatethem. Thebagoftheballoonismadeupofwhitetissuepaper.Thispaperhasbeentreated withafireretardant;itdoesnotcatchfirewhentouchedbyaflame.Itjustscorchesa bit. Thetissuepaperbagweighs1.5ounces. Therearefourpanels(calledgoresintheballooningworld)thatmakeuptheballoon, andtheyaregluedtogetherandtothebamboohoop. Heresasketchofoneofthegores,withabitaddedtotheedgestoallowforgluing.

 SketchofaSkyLanternPaperPanel (Onesquare=1) Iflewoneofthesefirelanternsinmyhightech,windlesswindtunnel(actuallymy garage,emptiedofanygascansorothercombustibles).ItetheredtheChineselantern toaweightwithsomeverythin,lightstringasitburned.Thefuelpackburnedfor4.5 minutes. Iadded0.05ouncepiecesofwire,oneatatime,tothebottomwireXoftheballoon asitflew,andfounditwouldcarry0.25ounceofpayloadbeforestartingtosag towardthegroundgaragefloor.That0.25ounce,addedtothepaperlanternsoriginal weightof2.7ounces,addeduptoamaximumflyingweightof2.95ouncesforalantern withthisinternalvolume. Itistheinternalvolumeofapaperhotairballoon,andtheheatedairitcancontainas wellashowmuchthatairisheated,whichdeterminesitsmaximumcarryingcapacity.

SkylighterSkyLanternCarrying0.25OuncePayload

Note:Theinformationaboveisimportant.Theseflyinglanternsaredelicatelybalanced forflight,andtheyarejustlightenoughtoallowthemtofly.Iftheyweremuchheavier, theywouldnotleavetheground.Duetosomecircumstances,whichIdescribebelow, myfirstballoonendedupweighing3.9ounces,andobviouslywouldnothaveflown.

So,letsmakeapaperskylantern
IwentuptomylocalHallmarkstoreandboughtsomenicetissuepaperindifferent colors. Somecheckingonlineproducedsomeleadsonproductsdesignedtoflameproofpaper. Onecompany,UniversalFireShield(www.firechemicals.com),sellsaproduct,Universal PaperShieldP3000,designedtofireproofpaperproducts.Iorderedsome.Theysella quartspraybottleforabout$30,includingshipping.Thiswouldbeenoughtotreat aboutadozenpaperhotairballoons.

TissuePaper,andFireproofingProduct Ihung4piecesoftheredtissuepaperonaclothesline,andsprayedthemwiththe PaperShielduntiltheyweresaturated.Aftertheyweredry,Itriedtoburnalittlepiece ofthepaper,anditonlyscorchedliketheoriginalfirelanternpaper,butitwouldnot burn.

 FireproofingtheLaundry Note:Onmythirdattempttomakeoneofthesepaperlanterns,Idecidedtotryto spraytheuntreatedbottomhalfoftheballoonafteritwasassembled,inordertoskip thestepdescribedabove.Ihungitup,slightlyinflateditwithmyheatgun,andstarted sprayingit.Thetissuepapersoonstartedtoweaken,sag,andtear,ruiningtheballoon. Crud!Anotherlessonlearned. Idecidedthattheprocessofhangingthepanelslikelaundryworksbest.Theupper cornersofthesheetswillbecutoffwhenthegoresarecutout,soIdontspraythose areasbecausetheygetweakwhentheyarewet,andallowtheclothespinstotear throughthepaperandsometimesthathasthepapertotearloosefromthestring. Warning:PaperShieldhasanacidinit,anditwilldamageaconcretegaragefloor slightly.Itsbesttohaveaplasticdropclothundertheclotheslinetoprotectthefloor. Dontbreatheitsfumesorgetitonyourskin. Theredtissuewillbethebottomofthepaperhotairballoon,whichwillbetheonly partthatgetsexposedtotheflame.Thetopoftheballoonwillbebluepaper,andit doesnotneedtobetreated. IgluedapieceoftheredpapertoapieceofthebluewiththinstripesofElmers,andI didthatfourtimesforthefourpanels,andletthepanelsdry. Note:TheElmersgluetendstowetthetissuepaper,bleedsthrough,andtriestostick totheotherstuffaroundit.Inanattempttoavoidthisproblem,Iusedhotgluewhen buildingmyfirstballoon.Thisworkednicelyduringconstruction,butwhenIfiredthat babyup,thehotgluedseamsatthetopoftheballoonletgocompletely.Ididnotthink theinternaltemperaturewouldgethighenoughtocausethisproblem.Iwaswrong. (Mywife,Molly,toldmelateronthatshewonderedaboutmeusingthehotglue,and thatshethoughtitwouldmeltwhentheburnerwaslit.Oh,well.)Thehotglue,whichis significantlyheavierthanthedriedElmers,alsocontributedtotheexcessweightofthe firstmodel.

Aftergluingtheredandbluesheetstogetherandlettingthemdry,Icutthefourpanels outwithscissors,usingakraftpapertemplatethatImadebasedonthesketchabove. Foldingthekraftpaperinhalflengthwise,andthenevery6madethepatterntransfer easy.

TissuePapersGluedUpandCuttoFormBalloonPanels ThenitwastimetogluethelanterngorestogethertoformtheThailanternsbag.I laidoneofthegores,unfoldedandopen,ontheworktablewiththeinsideup.(The outsideofthegoreissimplythesidethatIthinklooksbest.)ThenIlaidagore,outside up,ontopofthefirstgore,weighedthetwodown,andgluedtherightsidestogether withathinstripeofElmers.Thetablehadwaxedpaperonitsothatanygluethatseeps throughwouldntsticktoit. Ithenfoldedthetopgoresloosesideoveronitself,sothathalfsinsidewasfacingup, insertedsomewaxedpaperbetweenthegluedsideandthislooseside,andlaidthe thirdgoreontopofthatone.Igluedthosetwolooseedgestogether,insertedmore waxedpaper,foldedtheloosehalfofthethirdgoreover,laidthefourthandfinalpanel ontop,andgluedthoselooseedges. Thenthelaststepwastofoldtheloosehalfofthetop,fourthgore,overonitself,and foldtheloosehalfofthebottom,firstgoreoverontoit,andgluetheloosehalves together.(Thisallsoundsmuchmorecomplicatedthanitactuallyis.Onceyoutryit,itll allmakesense.) ThenIpulledthegluededgesupandoffallthewaxedpapers,proppedthepanelsapart fromeachotherandfromthetable,andallowedtheseamstodry.

 GluingSkyLanternGoresTogethertoFormBalloonsAirBag AnotherFailureNote:Onmyfirstattempttobuildoneofthese,Itriedgluingthebag togetherwiththepanelsinsideout.Ilettheseamsdry,andthenItriedtoturnthebag rightsideout,sothattheseamswouldbehidden.ThisprobablywouldhaveworkedOK, butthefireproofedredtissuepaperwassomewhatbrittlebecauseofthefire treatment,andasItriedtoturnitinsideout,itstartedtotearandcrackatthebends andcreases.Ihadtotrytorepairthesetearswithclearpackingtape,whichincreased thelanternsweight,andmadeitugly,andnotsomethingtobeproudof.Idecidedto simplyallowtheseamstobeontheoutsideofthebaginfuturemodels,andavoidthe turninginsideoutstep.

Makingtheskylanternsbamboohoop
HomeDepothadsome1diameterbamboopolesintheirlawnandgardendepartment. Iboughtoneandcarefullysplititintothinstrips.Itookoneofthestripsandsmoothed itwithsandpaperandarazorknifeuntilitwasaboutthedimensionoftheoriginal lanternsbamboo.IonlysandedtheinteriorsideofthebamboobecauseIdidnot wanttoweakenthesmooth,exteriorsideofit.ThenIglueditintoahoopwiththe samecircumferenceoftheoriginal.

 TikiTorchforBambooStrips&SkyLanternBambooHoop AnothersourceofgoodbamboostripsisfromaTikiTorchpole.Theseareoftensplit toobtainbamboostripsforgirandolaframes,wheelframes,andthelike.(Oryoucan stealsomegreenbamboofromHarryGilliamsbambooinfestedfrontyard.)

MakingtheSkyLanternBurner
Ihadsomeblue,industrialpapertowels,andIdecidedtomeltsomegrocerystore canningwax,andimpregnatethetowelswiththewaxinanattempttoduplicatethe waxedfabricthatIfoundintheoriginalfirelanternsburner. Warning:Canning(paraffin)waxisveryflammable,andshouldonlybemeltedoverlow heatinadoubleboiler.Itshouldneverbeexposedtoopenflamesorhighheat.

CoatingaPaperTowelWithWaxtoMakeSkyLanternBurner Itookastripofthiswaxedpapertowel,andburneditalongsideastripofthewaxed materialfromtheoriginallanternsburner.Bothsamplesburnedidenticallyandforthe sameamountoftime. Ihadsomecoarse,recycledkraftpaper,andcutitintorectanglestomatchtheoriginal burnerspaperlayers.ThenIcutsomestripsofthewaxedpapertoweltomatchthe originalburner,andsandwiched5piecesofthekraftpaperinbetweeneachlayerofthe waxedpapertowel. ThenIstackedthelayersoftheburnertogether,punched4holesthroughallthelayers withanawl,andthreadedtwopiecesofwirethroughtheholes. Theendsofthewirewerethenwrappedaroundthebamboohoopandtwistedtightly tosecuretheends.Thehoopwasthencarefullygluedintotheendofthelanterns tissuepaperbag,andthegluewasallowedtodry.

AssemblingPaperLanternsBurner&AttachingIttoBambooHoop AsimplealternativeburnercanbemadebysimplyinstallingaplainXofwireonthe bamboohoop.Thenstripsofcottonballlikematerialcanbesaturatedwithrubbing alcohol,drapedoverthecenterofthewireX,andignitedwhenlaunchingtheballoon. Butkeepinmind,youhavetousethismethodrightaway;thealcoholfuelevaporates, andthesehavenoshelflife.

MaterialsNeededForaRubbingAlcohol,CottonSwabBalloonBurner

Allthatremained,then,wastheinstallationoftheFAAaircraftidentification numbers,andaflightinthetestchamber.

TestFlyingHomemadeSkyLantern Thispaperhotairballoonsfinalweightwas3.0ounces.Atabout50degreesFinmy garage,itwasabletocarryapayloadof.55ouncesofthewirepiecesbeforeitstarted tosagtowardtheground. Afterthistesting,somesootandmoisturecondensedontheinsideofthelantern.Iwas abletoallowittodryout,attachanewburner,andflyitoutdoorsforreal.Itwasabout 40degreesFoutsideontheeveningthatweflewit,anditreallytookoffforthe heavensveryquickly.

 MyLovelyAssistantMollyLaunchingaHomemadeSkyLantern Note:Theflyinglanterninontheright,Mollyisontheleft.ThefactthatMollysattire matchedtheballoonshewaslaunchingwasentirelycoincidental.Thatsmystoryand Imstickingtoit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VlDttanQKE&feature=player_embedded ClicktoWatchaVideooftheLaunch.

Conclusions
Thiswasafunandeducationalproject.Ilearnedalotaboutwhattodoandwhatnotto do,whenmakingoneoftheselittlehotairballoons.Thisprojectwasnotaseasyasit mightlook. Basedonmyexperiencewithflyingthepaperlanternstetheredinmygarage,Ithinkit wouldbefuntoflyoneoutdoorsinwindlessconditions,tetheredbyashortwireleader andarolloflightthread.Itcouldbeflownlikeakite,reeledbackinwhentheburner burnsout,reloadedandflownagain. Thisprojectresultedinmehavingahighamountofrespectforthefolksoverseaswho turnthesethingsoutbythethousands,whichflysuccessfullyeverytime.Imcontinually amazedbythelowcostofadevicelikethis,soldbySkylighter,comparedwiththetime andmaterialsIinvestedinproducingasuccessfulone. Itwasfuntomaketheselanterns,andIenjoyknowinghowtodoit.IfIhadtocomeup withabunchofemforaneventlikeawedding,holiday,ormemorialservice,Isure wouldntbemakingthem,though. HappyFlying,andStayGreen,Ned

Videooflanternconstruction; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imAHBk0n3GA&feature=related

http://www.solarballoons.com/candleballoon.html

DesignandInstructions
Thesearemostlymyowndesigns.Ihaveobserveddifferentdesignsandbuilding methodsforcandleballoons,andhavecomeupwithsomeofmyownvariations. Doublewickcandle ThisisthetypeofcandleIusuallymake.Itburnstwolargewicksthatputoutadecent sizedflame,butcontainsenoughwaxtokeepitburningforawhile(510minutesor more). Itisveryimportantthatthefabricusedis100%cotton.Syntheticfabricswillmeltand yourcandlewilldripflamingpiecestillthereisnowickleft. Usethickerfabricforlargercandlesforlargerballoons.Fabricfromoldbathtowelsis goodforlargecandlesandfabricfromragsorTshirtsmakesgoodsmallcandles.

Thecomponentsareputtogetherfairlysimply:

1. Tieaknotintheclothstrip;trimtheendssotheyareaboutaslongastheknot. 2. Wrapthecenterofthewirearoundthecenteroftheknotandtwistittightly aroundtheknot. 3. Soakthewickinhotmeltedwaxforacoupleminutes.Thenlettheexcessdrip offandletthewaxharden.

4. Wrapthealuminumstriparoundtheknotandtwistitshutatthetopwherethe wireistwisted.Theknotshouldnotbeshowing. 5. Thecandleiscomplete!Makesurethewireislongenoughtospanthemouthof theballoonyouaremaking. Here'saphotoofacandleburning:

Thistypeofcandleissuspendedonthewirewhichisstretchedacrosstheframeatthe mouthoftheballoon.Theframeholdsthemouthopenandkeepstheflamenearthe openingoftheballoonsoitdoesn'thangdowntoolowwherewindcanblowtheheat away. Andnowthatwe'regettingintotheframe,let'smoveon. Hoopstyleframe Thisframeismadefromflexibleyetlightweightmaterialsandholdsthemouthofthe balloonopenaboutitscircumference.Ahoopframeisoftenmadeofflexibledrinking straws,whichworkwellbutoftenwon'tholdthemouthopenifthecandleis particularlyheavy. Iprefertousebambooskewerssplitinhalfthelongway.It'snotsupereasy,butItake

arazorbladeandslicedownthemiddleoftheskewersoIhave2skewersthatareonly halfasthickasawholeskewer.Makingthemthinnerlikethisallowsthemtoflexmore easilysoyoucanmakeafairlycircularframe.

Aftersplittingseveralskewersandcheckingthemtomakesuretheyflexevenly,tape themtogetherasshownintheillustrationbelow.

Wrapthetapearoundtightlybecausetheskewerswillbebentandyoudon'twantthe seamstobeweakpoints. Makethehoopapproximatelyaswideasthemouthoftheballoonyouaremaking. Securetheendsofthewiretooppositesidesofthehoop,makingsurethatthecandleis inthecenter.Twisttheendsofthewirearoundthehoopandsecurethemwithtapeso

theydon'tslidearound.

NowthatI'veshownyouhowtobuildyourcandleandframe,hereareinstructionsfor buildingtheballoonitself. Envelope(balloon)designandconstruction Candlehotairballoonsareoftenmadeoutoftissuepaperandglue.Ipersonallyprefer usingcheap,superthintrashbagsandeitherheatweldingtheseamsortapingthem. ThebesttrashbagsIhavefoundareRuffiesColorScents.Idon'tusethembecausethey smellgoodIusethembecausethey'reaboutasthinasyoucangetandcanbe purchasedatmostWalmartstoresorsupermarkets. Nowifyoudon'tknowyethowtocutopenatrashbag,seetheinstructionsfordoingso whenbuildingasolarballoon. Ifyoudon'twanttousethescentedtrashbagsoryouwanttomakealargerballoon withfewerseams,theotheroptionIoftenuseisPainter'sPlastic.Youcanpurchasethis stuffinrollsof9or12feetwide(foldeddown)by400feetlong.Iusethe12x400roll becauseitallowsmetocutthelargestpieces. Thispainter'splasticisHDPE(HighDensityPolyethylene)film,usually0.31or0.35mil thick.It'sveryraretofindplasticthat'sthinnerthanthis.Youmayfindthissheeting underdifferentbrandsindifferentstores.ThelinkabovetakesyoutotheLowe'ssource whereIpurchasemine.

SolarBallons
http://www.solarballoons.com/index.html