Candle Powered Hot Air Balloon

Candle Powered Hot Air Balloon
Build a candle powered hot air balloon using painter's plastic, balsa wood, and birthday candles.
 
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Step 1

Cut the plastic and heat-seal the edges.

Layout your materials on a large sheet cardboard.

Pull out approximately 6 feet of the painter's plastic and cut it forming a sheet 9 x 6 ft. It's important to have plastic that is 1/2 mil (12 microns) or thinner. Thicker plastic is too heavy to fly.

Fold the sheet in half along the 9 ft side forming a two-ply sheet 4.5 x 6 ft. Use a hot knife to seal the two 4.5 ft edges. An electric hot knife makes this really easy, but it can also be done with an old metal knife heated over a flame.

Check your edges and correct any large holes. A few small holes won't cause problems.
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232 comments
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Jan 4, 2012. 1:02 PMali reza says:
Hi
I'm a High school student .I'm work About the physics of Paper (lanterns)hot air balloon
Please Help me for physics and make a Paper hot air balloon.
Especially About (physics of) Form this Paper hot air balloon.


Oct 31, 2011. 12:19 AMdrbill says:
We did this in 6th grade some 40 years ago. We used crossed kite sticks, Sterno in tinfoil cups one cup for each stick, and a black plastic garbage bag.
We flew it on an almost windless day. It went up and drifted away.
I am glad it didn't start a fire in the woods.
Sep 10, 2011. 3:44 PM~bRiGhT_LiGhTs~ says:
To make this, do you have to use painters plastic ? Can't it be anything else other than painters plastic ? Can someone answer before Friday 16th, i need this for my science Project ! Tnx :D
Jul 17, 2011. 11:42 PMjavajunkie1976 says:
How easy would it be to make a longer tube and power it with a Sterno can? I'm looking to build a hot-air airship for a steampunk design.
Aug 31, 2009. 6:07 PMIncrediblyCondensedBlackMatter says:
modded dollar store lighters would work i think. take off the metal cover and set the flame real high. tape it to the frame, tape the button down, then light it with another lighter. light fuel source and would go for a while. not very wind resistant tho, and probably a fire hazard......
Jul 8, 2011. 10:37 AMHuntman00 says:
yea it is a fire hazard cause if the flame is BIG and it burns for a while the valve starts to melt then it kinda just explodes.... its actually pretty cool to watch
Jun 18, 2010. 4:06 PMnjoneer says:
A common dry-cleaning bag also works. It would let you skip this step.
Jul 8, 2011. 10:15 AMHuntman00 says:
yea my step mom is the manager of a dry cleaners so i can get thoes bags... but the problem is sealing the hole in the top of thoes bags because of where the hanger hook goes.
May 22, 2011. 2:39 PMsbridges1 says:
Hey thanks for the advise guys!! I wanted to do thease at my guide camp but i think we will but we'll teather them to the ground - on a long bit of string so we dont burn the site down!!

Also we'll do them on a 'small' scale with swing bin liners.

May 30, 2009. 4:24 PMpalog says:
wouldn't birthday candles just melt really fast
Jul 10, 2010. 7:13 PMFurtherThanTesla says:
thats the point. they burn fast. if you usedd a slower burning candel, it wouldnt generate enough heat to keep its own weight in the air
May 17, 2011. 6:20 PMilpug says:
you could possibly use some jellied alcohol fuel like William Gurstelle suggests in Backyard Ballistics (only the best book ever)
May 17, 2011. 6:17 PMilpug says:
would it be possible to put a bit of aluminum foil between or around the balsa wood and the candles to prevent the candles from burning the wood? or would that be too heavy?
Apr 28, 2011. 5:35 PMhogey74 says:
In Australia we call these UFOs and make em out of big garbage bags. I hear what people are saying about the fire risk so common sense is obviously needed. The answer is to only release em just after rain when the whole landscape is wet. Maybe not upwind of an oil refinery though. Some would say never do it but I say: let those UFOs fly!
Sep 17, 2009. 2:58 PMwbsbadboy says:
A word to the wise here. I think it was around 1989 when a close friend was launching these about once a week or so just to hear the reaction on his police scanner. Well one night he launched one and it started a fire on a wood shake shingle roof about a mile away. He had no idea that this had happened as he didn't listen to the fire department frequencies. Just the police. Two more launches and they had his general area down to a three block radius. Two weeks later he was arrested and charged with Arson. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Police said that he was lucky that no one was killed or injured. If someone would have been killed he would have faced premeditated murder charges. If injured he would have faced attempted murder charges. Please do not launch these things as "UFOs". Keep them teathered or inside. Here in California it is illegal to release anything that is burning that is not short lived (like a bottle rocket or fireworks that leave the ground). These balloons are easily carried miles away still burning. If you are caught you could face up to a year in jail, and/or fines up to 5,000.00 for the first offence. Be Safe, Be Sure, and Be Happy Best, Smitty
Jan 25, 2011. 2:46 PMmondaymonkey says:
How did your friend get 4 years in prison when towards the end, you said you could face up to 1 year in prison?

Jan 26, 2011. 6:57 AMwbsbadboy says:
He was convicted of arson. Just getting cought doing this without burning something down can get you a year
Nov 30, 2010. 3:03 AMrendermatt says:
haha wow thanks for the info
Jan 21, 2011. 1:24 PMnerfer192 says:
we built these in my science club with trash bags, wire, and alcohol soaked cotton balls
Dec 18, 2010. 3:37 PM_-MacGyver-_ says:
Anyone Remer the a-team Episode where Murdock and Hannibal used TARASSH BAGS, hair dryers, and lawnchairs to escape from prison.. Id liek to see someone do somethign similar :D
Dec 6, 2010. 12:10 PMflamesami says:
hmm...maybe you could make a "kid-safe", indoor version....
If you substituted the candles for a VERY small weight, and used a non-attached hair-dryer as a heat source, you could have several on the go at once, with no fire hazard...not as fun without fire though...
Dec 4, 2010. 2:22 AMzilcho says:
This could be an awesome windless kite
Aug 22, 2010. 2:07 AMnutsandbolts_64 says:
Can't you just suspend the candles with steel wire? Then suspend cardboard under the candles so that you won't need a large piece of cardboard lying around on the floor of your warehouse.
Oct 14, 2010. 6:53 AMsurbhi patidar says:
how i can attach candel to that........
Oct 20, 2010. 7:50 AMnutsandbolts_64 says:
Uh, it's wire, you can bend it everywhere. You can make a basket out of it or whatnot.
Jul 25, 2010. 4:18 PMtinstructable says:
If you didn't want to worry about it floating away, you could probably tie some fishing line on it.
Jul 10, 2010. 7:23 PMFurtherThanTesla says:
I recently got inrested in rigid zepplins, and wanted to build an RC non-rigid blimp< however, found myself lacking any helium. I figured i coul make a mini hot air balloon and put RC fans on it... i would have a flap controled by a servo to redirect heat from the flame to lift of lower the balloon...
Jun 12, 2010. 8:55 PMthedogsaysocho says:
So will one big candle jack up the ba
Jun 19, 2010. 11:40 PMTheBestJohn says:
others may not have gotten this but I did good sir! +10 Internets for you!
Jun 14, 2010. 10:30 PMhammertong says:
I actually spotted and shot down (with a bb gun) one of these. Me & my brother thought we were crazy because we saw a fire just floating in the sky as the balloon slowly made its way towards us. Finally it got close enough to tell what it was, and to keep it from lighting anyone's house on fire we shot enough holes in it to bring it safely to the ground.
Jun 14, 2010. 5:51 PMtech53 says:
How about using chemical hand warmers in an aluminum pie tin or something? That should provide sufficient heat, and if you don't want to wait on the hot air you could fill the balloon with air using a hair dryer or a candle or something.
Jun 12, 2010. 10:38 PMdesotojohn says:
This is DANGEROUS. In the 1960's, I remember newspaper accounts of this type of hot air baloon causing roof fires. Don't do this!
Jun 12, 2010. 7:39 PMWhales says:
I saw this a long time ago on one of those 90's kids science shows. That guy was crazy, but it oddly made me want to make it. good chance now. I'll let you know how things go!
Jun 12, 2010. 3:16 PMac1D says:
You should try to power them with a wax fuel, I Don't know where to get them, but there is two include with this product: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.23486 and it make it fly really well.
Sep 9, 2009. 1:10 PMFilAmFighter01 says:
I saw this done before from the American Boys Handy Book, by Neally Croft just different materials. I like the new materials being used. BIG Caution is Balloons can start fires easly, carefull where you fly them!
Apr 20, 2010. 4:58 AMdevon1996 says:
what do u need to make it
Sep 17, 2009. 8:06 AMoakspoor says:
GREAT BOOK!!
Sep 13, 2009. 6:34 PMmatrix43547 says:
I'm pretty sure the american boys handy book is by Dan beard.
Sep 17, 2009. 6:39 AMMetalcaster14 says:
Yeah its Daniel Carter Beard. Also that's a paper balloon and a ball of twine soaked in alcohol
Oct 1, 2009. 12:12 PMLegend in your Mind says:
Probably not a good idea, but maybe not.. If your baloon is big enough and you use a material not so suceptible to heat how about experimenting with something like a warning flare? Of course your balloon is going top have to be much bigger than what is pictured here and flares do give of ash and embers.. Another idea if you have a big enough balooon is how about a semi-remote fuel source from the ground using a very thin plastic tube? That way you can cut off the fuel source and heat when needed. Or with micro electronics I'm sure someone could figure a way to use a model airplane remote controller to control a heat source from the ground and maybe even a remote control vent to let heat escape instantly in the event of a run away wind gust carrying your flying arson package over a crowded populated area...just a thought. I'm not smart enough to do the details, but the ideas i can cook up all day long. ;)
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Author:ewilhelm
Eric J. Wilhelm is the founder of Instructables. He has a Ph.D. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering. Eric believes in making technology accessible through understanding, and strives to inspire others ...
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