How to Make a Homemade UFO
Look, up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, wait ... it’s an unidentified flying object! You can create your own homemade UFO to stun family members and shock them into believing something else might actually be out there. Even if you don’t succeed in fooling them, making a homemade UFO is an entertaining process and a simple craft you can enjoy putting together with friends or young children.
Things You'll Need
- Tissue paper
- Paper clips
- Pencil
- Scissors
- White school glue
- Poster board
- Thin, lightweight wire
- Wire cutters
- Utility knife
- Empty coffee can
- Nail file
- Cotton batting
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Long wooden match
Instructions
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Fold eight sheets of tissue paper in half, along their long edges. Place three or four paper clips along the long open edge, to hold the sheets together.
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2
Draw a curve that looks like the shape of a lightbulb, on tissue paper using a pencil. Start at the top left corner, angle out, then down and back in, about 2 inches from the bottom-left corner. Use a pair of scissors to cut out the half-lightbulb shape.
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3
Unfold the pieces, and lay them flat and next to each other in a line. Measure the total distance of all the bottom edges of the pieces. Cut a 1/4-inch thick strip of poster board equal in length to that of the tissue paper pieces.
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4
Bend the poster board strip into a loop, and glue the ends together with white school glue so that you form a ring with the poster board. Let the glue dry. Create a second loop of poster board in the same manner that matches the length of the top, longer side of the tissue paper pieces.
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Fold the top edge of each tissue paper piece around and across the top poster board loop. Bring the tissue paper down, so that it wraps around the bottom poster board ring. Glue the tissue paper in place on both rings. As you add pieces, glue or tape the long sides of each piece of tissue paper together. You should observe a balloon shape or something which looks like a large chinese paper lantern emerging.
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Use a pair of wire cutters to cut a piece of thin, lightweight wire into two even pieces that match the diameter of the bottom, smaller circle in your tissue paper balloon. Twist the wire pieces around each other at their midpoints, so that you form a cross or “+” shape with the wire. Poke the ends of the wire through the poster board ring, and wrap the wire around it in those spots to secure the wire to the ring.
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Cut a 2-by-2-inch hole in the side of a clean, empty coffee can with a utility knife. Position the hole so that one of the edges is the top edge of the coffee can.
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Cut a 6-inch piece of wire with the wire cutters. Ball up cotton balls or cotton batting into a ball that's 4 to 6 inches wide. Make sure the ball is wider than the opening of the coffee can. Wrap the wire around the cotton to hold it together. Leave a piece of wire protruding straight up from the cotton bunch. Form the end of the wire into a hook, and wrap it around the intersecting wires in the tissue paper balloon.
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Moisten the cotton bunch with 2 to 3 tsp. of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Seal the bottle of alcohol, and place it at least 20 feet away from your balloon.
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Stuff the cotton bunch down into the coffee can. Take the balloon outside at night to a spot that is clear of homes -- such as a large, empty parking lot or soccer field.
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Carefully light the cotton bunch in the can with a long, wooden match. Set the can on the ground, and step back. Wait for the heat to build up in the balloon and cause it to rise in the sky.
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Watch as the balloon rises higher and higher. Notice that it begins to take the appearance of a UFO as it gets higher in the sky. When the alcohol burns up, the light will go out and the balloon will descend harmlessly to earth.
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Tips & Warnings
Follow the balloon until you can no longer see it, to ensure that it does not descend shortly after lighting and present a fire hazard. Carry a bucket of water or fire extinguisher with you to put out any fire, although highly unlikely, should the worst case scenario happen.
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
