"Glass" Hot Air Balloon

I had a lot of fun (and some challenges) figuring out how to make a "glass" hot air balloon.  I took some photos of some of the steps as I went along so I could share the process.

There are some things that I would do differently next time (for instance I think it could have been wider at the top) and some opportunities to add embellishments to the balloon as it is being constructed, now that I know that this construction method actually worked!

The balloon itself is actually a very straightforward construction.  I used the template available from Laura Carson (artfullymusing.bogspot.com) on her Hot Air Balloon tutorial page and just modified the length.  For details on how to construct the balloon please see that tutorial - for the balloon construction I am only including here the special steps I took to add the plastic layer.

The balloon sides are two layers - vellum and plastic.  In this photo you can see the plastic with its blue protective layers sitting on top of the template.  Note that the plastic is smaller than the template - it does not include the attaching tabs.  Not shown is the vellum piece which is cut the full size of the template.

The key to making this work was to run the vellum pieces through the Xyron to get a complete layer of glue on the vellum.  The Xyron glue holds the plastic in place when burnished well.  It also supplements the Glossy Accents which I used to glue the pieces together.

Here you can see the plastic attached to the vellum (I did remember to remove one layer of blue protective film first - that's the top blue layer you see).  I cut some strips of the Xyron release backing to protect the sticky layer on the attaching tabs.

The next step is scoring - carefully.  One pass of a not really sharp craft knife was all I did on the lines I marked on the template.  I knew from making a paper balloon earlier that there would need to be some relief above and below the middle sections, and some vertical scoring.  This is a lot easier than you might think - just a few minutes for each panel.

Future note - maybe use a black marker on the vellum first - this could look like the leaded lines between glass panels.

Here's what a piece looks like after scoring.

Five panels are needed

Now assemble just like Laura suggests in her tutorial.  Before I closed up the balloon completely I inserted a long screw post through a small hole in the top.

Photo at stage two - I let it set up for awhile before I closed in the bottom section

The next step was to reinforce the rim and add a swinging platform to hold an LED tea light.  First create 4 rings

1. Cut a hole using the 2" Sizzix circle die in a piece at least 3 1/4" square
2. Find the center
3. Insert the marked center and extend the marks to create a larger circle with a diameter that fits inside the balloon's rim
4. Cut the outside circle to make a ring

Using one of the rings and a center create I created the platform for the light.

• Trim about 1/16" from the inside circle so it can swing easily.
• Punch 2 holes on one side and another opposite
• Not shown here
• I did reinforce the holes in the center with eyelets
• I added a hole and jump ring on the inner circle only between the two that are close together - it will be used for the closure
• Add jump rings

Assembling the rim (4 parts)

1. Bottom layer - from previous step
2. Use Crop-O-Dile to provide some swing room for the jump rings in the 2nd layer
3. and 4.  Plain rings

Glue together and let dry.

Not shown.  I notched the rings in 5 places on the outside to allow space for a 3mm skewer to fit between the balloon and the rim.  The ske
wers will be used to support the basket.

Here you can see the skewers - 3 are attached and two are waiting.  I left 1/4' bare, then wrapped waxed linen thread for about 2 1/2" inches.  The bare skewer was colored black.

Using strong glue I pushed the 1/4" end up into the notches I cut and allowed to dry.






I didn't take any pictures of creating the basket.  It was simply 5 pieces of chipboard, butted side-by-side with cardstock construction strips on the inside.  I used Tim Holtz' Diamond Plate Texture Fade to emboss some metal foil tape.

I glued the other end of the skewers from the previous end into the corners of the basket.  They only extend inside about 1".  I kept it upside down with lots of clamps while they dried in position.

My plan was to allow space below the skewers for a thin metal rod to be inserted from the bottom.  The five rods could be used as long legs - an alternative to hanging the balloon.  By keeping the skewers short they would provide a stopper so the rods could only go up partway inside the basket.

I lined the basket with a strip of card stock covered in metal foil.  I made sure to keep a small space in the corners under the skewer ends as a channel for the rods.

 I cut a piece of black foam core sized to fit inside the pentagon for the base.  I put a small notch at each point for a rod to go through.  Foam core was necessary because I wanted to use some of Laura's collage characters from the Halloween Carnival digital images as riders in the balloon (Frog and Sheep Character and Moon Man).  I used her pin technique in the bottom of each character so they could easily stand up in the foam core base of the balloon's basket.

Decorating...

The light platform is held closed by a 3mm skewer with a masonite propeller on the end.  It fits through the jump rings to keep the platform closed.

I painted two corks and suspended them from a chain to simulate ballast (don't you love the irony of corks for ballast?)

I added a couple of more gears on a skewer and used an awl to poke a hole in the side and glued it in to the side of the basket.

I found some flat sided light bulbs (xxx) and glued them to the rim of the balloon.

I added a clock key and a gear to the screw post on the top and supported a wire between them which is flying the Halloween Carnival banner.

I have it standing in my Halloween Carnival by using the 5 metal rods inserted into the pockets in the basket and into a base I made out of a papier mache box

You can see the rods in this photo but when it is in the carnival the black rods blend into the black backdrop behind the carnival.

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment or send me an email and I will do my best to answer them.

See the balloon as part of the entire Halloween Carnival in the photos on the Halloween Carnival Projects page.