After watching the movie “Tangled” and seeing some cool fireworks, I’m inspired to provide the instructions to make Sky Lanterns. After doing some research, I’ve found some debate as to how ecologically safe and fire safe they are or are not. Having covered that– here are some instructions.
Things You’ll Need
2 yards of tissue paper
Scissors
Elmer’s glue
Universal Paper Shield Flame Retardant Spray
String
4 dowels of 3/32-by-18-inch balsa wood
Candle wick
2 fishing hooks
Hot glue gun
Rubbing alcohol
Long match
1
Cut out two 2-foot-wide and 3-foot tall rectangles from tissue paper. Spray these with flame retardant on each side and allow them to dry. Cut the upper right and left corners of each tissue paper sheet. Brush on a thin coat of Elmer’s glue on the top, left and right side edges of each piece of tissue paper. Do not glue the bottom edge. Press these pieces together and allow them to dry.
2
Hot-glue two fishing hooks together so that the hooks are upside down and pointing out. Wrap a candle wick string around the fishing hooks to form a ball.
3
Soak two 3/32-by-18-inch balsa wood dowels in a bucket of water for 24 hours. This will make them extremely pliable. Bend these two dowels into a circle and tie them together. Lay two dowels across this hoop so that the dowels intersect the hoop vertically and horizontally. You can also purchase pre-made circular dowel wood from a craft store.
4
Cut four lengths of string into 6-inch segments and spray with flame retardant. Tie all four of these strings to the hoop. Tape the tips of the string inside the tissue paper bag.
5
Soak the ball of wick in alcohol. Have a friend hold the bag up and slightly open as you place the wick ball on the hoop frame. Carefully light the wick ball with a long match. Allow the bag to begin to inflate with hot air before letting go.
also see: http://blog.skylighter.com/fireworks/2008/11/how-to-make-chinese-sky-lanterns.html
Do It And How 