How to make heavenly lanterns with your own hands.

Heavenly flashlights are also called balls of desires. This is not just a balloon - it's an art that allows you to create the lightest, but at the same time, truly gorgeous flashlight that will smoothly rise skyward towards the stars. The technology of manufacturing lanterns has been developed by Chinese masters for a long time. For their production, special paper is used, impregnated with a flame retardant solution, the finest wire, combustible materials and a light bamboo hoop.

For those who want to create heavenly lanterns with their own hands, then a detailed technology will be provided.

The paper used to make weightless sky lanterns in its qualities strongly resembles "tracing paper". In thickness, it is slightly smaller, but it is much more difficult to tear. Some fans start sky lanterns, create them from plastic bags, but it should be borne in mind that domes of similar materials can catch fire not only at the moment of launch, but also in flight, which can cause a fire.

So, the first thing to do is to choose the dimensions and shape of the Chinese sky lantern. If you have never made heavenly lights with your own hands, then it's best to start with a rectangle. This form is quite easy to manufacture and is well suited for launching.

Next, go to the choice of paper. It is the key to the production of a flashlight. The color of the paper you can choose any, it all depends on your tastes and preferences. Its weight should be a maximum of 25 grams per m². Such a density of paper allows the celestial ball to fly up even in the absence of wind or at high air temperature.

The paper from which the air lanterns will be made by oneself must be impregnated with fire retardants. This lowers its vapor permeability, it practically does not get wet and does not absorb moisture, which allows storing lanterns long enough and starting them even with insignificant precipitation. In addition, such formulations reduce the risk of fire of the entire flashlight even when a certain area of paper is burned.

By design, ready celestial lanterns with their own hands can be very different. Very difficult are the three-dimensional forms, since for the most part they consist of separate four canvases and are quite complicated in execution. For the first time, you can make flat lanterns made of two separate canvases.

To do this you will need a pair of paper sheets from which two droplets are cut out. Then the edges are neatly glued together, and the width of the seam should be at least 1 cm. In order for the ball to be better fixed along the entire edge of the fabric, it is desirable to stitch it in addition.

When the dome is ready, you can start building a bamboo frame. Why is this material used to make heavenly lanterns with their own hands? The peculiarity of this material is that it is flexible enough and very durable at the same time. Such properties allow you not to break through the thin paper of the ball.

At the base of the fixing structure is laid a circle, in the center of which two wires are crossed. Then they fix the burner, which must be coated with a polymer substance. It is quite difficult to make a burner independently, but it is possible. To do this, you need any fuel, for example, dry alcohol tablets and an iron frame. You can also use ordinary floating candles, but you should be careful, because a hot wax can pour a flame. Also, they are not suitable for large size lanterns. In order to make a celestial flashlight, it is possible to use a burner made from a cloth impregnated with wax and combustible material.

When everything is completely dry, you can mount the frame to the paper cupboard with glue.