Introduction: Floating Lantern
This is a Chinese or Floating lantern
Step 1: Materials
The materials you will need for this project are:
Wire cutters
Clamp
Knife
Pliers
Wood glue or super glue
Silk head pins or ball point pins
A 12 gallon bucket or any other circular device that has an 11 1/2" circumference
A metal coat hanger
Tin foil or thin sheet metal
3 or 4 Wood rods that are 1/8"*36"
4 or 5 Balsa wood that are 1/16" *16 1/2"
Flame source can be your choice
Step 2: First Step
Take your 3 or 4 wood rods that are 1/8" * 36" and place them in you bathtub or container that will hold them and put hot or boiling water in the the container with them and let them soak for 5-6 hours.
Step 3: Step 2 on Your Wood Rods.
After soaking for 5-6 hour take all three or four of your rods out of your bathtub or container. Next take you circular device that has a circumference of 11 1/2" I used a 12 gallon bucket and that worked perfectly .And you will to have someone help you carefully take the rods and wrap them around the the device and tape both the meeting ends down and carefully let go once the tape is down to make sure the rod doesn't fall off. And one the rods are secure wait for them to dry for a day or two.
Step 4: Step 3 of Wood Rod
Once the rods have dried you carefully take the tape of the two ends and take the rods of the device. Then cut small divots or grooves on both the ends of the rods so you can have them overlap and glue them together. but once you get the glue on you want to clamp both the ends together. And once the glue dries you have your three needed circular rods.
Step 5: Step 5 Putting the Balsa Wood Strips on the Circle Rods
Now once you have your circle rods done you want to start your balsa wood supports. Now you take all of your balsa wood strips that are 1/16" by 16 1/2" and take your 8 ball head needles or silk head needles and cut the ball part off or the head part off. And take the sharp point of the needle and push it down into the end of your balsa strips on both ends and bend them around your circle rod. And once they are bent around the circle rod if its not sturdy around the circle rod you may want to put some wood glue or super glue on it.
Step 6: Step 6
Once done with gluing the bent around needle to the circle wood rod wait for it to dry and do this step to all four of the balsa wood strips.
Step 7:
once done with the gluing and bending your lantern should look like this (without the middle circle rod)
Step 8: Step 8 Middle Circle Rod
Now when you have all your balsa wood strips on you wanna start getting your middle circle rod on your lantern. now make a mark on all of your balsa wood strips at 8 1/4 " up because that's half way on your lantern. Next take 4 of your needles and clip the ball of or the head and bend it to look like the third picture. then carefully place your circular wood rod in all the little divots on the needles and glue it down on them.
Step 9:
Once you have your middle rod on it is time to get your last or top rod on. Now to do the top rod you do the same thing that you did to get your first rod connected with the balsa wood strips just this time the strips are all ready connected. So put your needle hooks you crafted 4 of them and put them at the ends of your balsa strips. Then carefully slide your circular wood rod through the hooks. Once its latched on you may be done, if it has a tight grip on the rod you don't have to do anything else your done with the framing. But if its loose all you have to do is put some super glue on the hooks and the rod to make sure it has a tighter grip.
Step 10:
Now you are beginning the the part to hold your flame source. Now take a metal coat hanger and unbend it not into a circle though just bend it into a line for now. Then take a pop can and cut in half and place in the middle of your bottom circle rod. And then take your coat hanger and cut 4 pieces out that are __" long. and hook all four of your hanger pieces to your circle rod but separate them out 90 degrees away from each other. Then place for holes 90 degrees apart in your pop can towards the top of the half can( you could use a hole punch). Then hook your 4 connected hanger pieces in the holes. Then you are done with the holding piece of your lantern.
Step 11: Wrapping the Framing in Tissue Paper
Now first thing to do is cut a 11 1/2" circumference piece of paper for the top of the lantern( maybe a 12" circumference for extra precaution, the worst that happens is you cut of the edge of the paper. Then glue the paper to the top of your top circle rod and wait for it to dry. Then cut a piece of paper that is 6 1/4" by 16 1/2" and that will only cover half of your cylinder so cut out two pieces of that out. then put glue on the all of the circle rods on the sides and place the tissue paper on it and you should be done.
