How to Make a Megaloon Arch
Megaloon balloons come in letters and numbers as well as a variety of miscellaneous shapes. With Megaloons, you can spell out a name, put someone's age on display or showcase a message like "Congratulations" or "Happy Anniversary." Megaloons come in many color options. If you are feeling really inspired, you can even put your message into the display of a balloon arch. Balloon arches make great entryways or decorative touches for any party.
Things You'll Need
- Megaloons
- Regular balloons
- Helium tank
- Fishing line
- Card stock
- Scissors
- Plaster columns
Instructions
-
-
1
Cut out a stencil the size you would like your balloons to be. You will likely only be using a few Megaloons. To make a nice looking arch, you will want to fill in the extra space with regular balloons. Your balloon arch works best if all of the balloons are roughly the same size. You can make your stencil by folding a piece of card stock in half and cutting out a half circle. Unfold the card stock and you will have a circular stencil. You can use this as a guide while filling your balloons. Place the stencil around the balloon as it is filling up and you will be able to make all your balloons almost exactly the same size.
-
2
Cut fishing line the length that you want your arch to be and attach it to something stable. Eventually you will need something strong enough to hold the balloons down. Plaster columns are a nice touch on either side of a balloon arch. You can tie each end onto a column. Make sure your columns are heavy enough to keep your balloons in check. Twenty-five pounds on each end should be sufficient.
-
-
3
Decide on a design for your arch. You will need to create your arch by moving directly from one end of the design to the other, so you need to have some idea of what you are going to do upfront. The middle of your line will be the high part of the arch, so design with that in mind. For instance, if you are placing a giant Megaloon "60" on an arch that is 8 feet long, you will want the 4-foot mark of the line to fall directly between the "6" and the "0." All of your less important balloons can fill the space around these numbers.
-
4
Fill the Megaloons and any additional balloons with helium. Using helium is the simplest way to make a Megaloon arch. Helium-filled balloons will form an arch automatically when you tie them to the line. Tie Megaloons directly to the fishing line. For regular balloons, fill two balloons and tie the ends of them together. Do the same with two more balloons. Twist these two sets of balloons together. You should be able to just twist the bases together. You can tie them together with fishing line for security if you so choose. To place them on the line, just thread the line through two side-by-side balloons. The balloons should be tightly enough together to hold the line in place.
-
5
Anchor the other end of the arch. Once you have completed your design, tie the other end of the line to the other column. If your balloons are centered on the line, your balloons will rise into a perfect arch.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Don't build your Megaloon arch too early. Helium balloons can start to lose their ability to float after as little as seven hours.
