How to Make a Sphere Hot Air Balloon With Tissue Paper
The design of a hot-air balloon allows you to use any lightweight material, including tissue paper, to form the balloon. A properly formed tissue-paper balloon will fly while handling a surprising amount of weight. Start small, creating simple balloons for your first try and then invest in larger balloon patterns once you feel comfortable with your balloon crafting skills.
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Things You'll Need
- Balloon Pattern
- Measuring tape
- Tissue paper
- Straight pins
- Scissors
- Glue
- Kite string
- Wire loop
Instructions
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1
Purchase a pattern for your hot-air balloon that has long, tombstone-shaped balloon panels. When the balloon panels form together, they make a spherical balloon with an opening at the bottom.
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2
Measure the pattern of your hot-air balloon to get the width and the length. Cut sheets of tissue paper large enough to fit under the shape of your pattern.
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3
Stack eight pieces of tissue paper on top of each other. Place your pattern panel on top of the tissue paper and pin it in place using straight pins. Place the pins 1/2 of an inch away from the edges of the pattern and at every 1/2-inch interval along the sides of the pattern.
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4
Cut along the sides of the panel to create eight tombstone-shaped pieces of tissue paper. Detach the pattern and set it aside for later.
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5
Stack two panels on top of each other. Move the top panel 1/2 an inch to the left over the top one, creating a lip. Place a thin line of glue along the lip exposed under the top panel.
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Fold the lip with glue over the top panel. Allow it to dry. Stack a third panel on top of the other two and move it 1/2 an inch to the right of the other two panels.
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Glue the exposed 1/2 inch lip of the second panel to the top of the third panel. Continue stacking and gluing your panels in this manner until you have a stack of eight, all with one side glued to the panel on top of it.
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8
Hold the top panel erect so the glued seam is exposed. Grasp the middle stack of panels and fold them in half so their edges sit against the glued seam of the top panel. Leave the bottom panel, closest to the ground, unfolded.
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9
Hold the edges of the first and last panel together over the folded middle panels. Overlap the edges by 1/2 an inch and glue them together. Allow the first and last panel to dry.
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10
Unfold all the panels and you will notice it is now a spherical collection of tissue panels. Tie the top of the balloon (the rounded of the tombstone shape) together using a piece of kite string. Place the string 1/2 an inch from the top edges of the paper.
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Open the bottom of the balloon. Place a circle of 10-gauge wire inside the bottom of the balloon (use a circle that is as large as the opening at the bottom of the balloon). Position it 1 inch deep inside the balloon.
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Fold 1 inch of the balloon inward, over the wire loop. Glue it in place, holding the wire loop in place and properly forming the opening below the balloon.
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Tips & Warnings
Use as little glue as possible to form the seams while still keeping them sturdy. Too much glue will weaken the tissue paper and weigh down the balloon.
