Heating a toy hot air balloon - how?

My wife and I were blown away at the Montgolfrier (sp?) Festival in Montreal last summer and are planning to take hot air balloon rides this coming summer.

Meanwhile her mother has given me an old copy of The Balloon Handbook and a toy hot air balloon from Real Goods mail order. The instructions that come with the toy balloon (which is about 6 feet high and 5 feet in diameter) say that it should be heated with 'Any static heat source that produces the equivalent of 2.5Kw or more...' Now that's a useful statistic It suggests burning 3 or 4 tablespoons of 'methylated spirits' in a large tin can burner. Can anyone translate methylated spirits into American, or suggest some other heat source that won't be TOO hot? The balloon is made out of 'durable high density polyethylene'.

The Real Goods catalog suggests a hair dryer, but the catalog picture shows two hair dryers. My wife's hair dryer is only 1.5kw and I don't think we're going to find an outlet in the middle of a field anyhow.

I have a single burner Coleman camp stove and a cheap propane torch, but I'm worried that those might get too hot too easily.

i recall about 1935 watching my dad bury a emty qt oil can in the ground (this was when oil cans were metal. he then placed some excelsior and whitte gas in the can and fired it off. the balloon was about 6 ft high and had a cardboard reinforced openingabout 18 inches in dia. the balloon was made of strong tissue paper and was glued together witth muselege. while he held the balloon at the top, my brother held the neck over the can till he could feel lift developing and then released it. as i recalled the balloon raised 200-300 ft anyway thats a fond

I have seen somethings on the Internet about 'toy' balloons. Unfortunetally, I can't seem to find anything now. You may check out the page http://www.euronet.nl/users/jdewilde/index.html for a link. Look up under Model Balloons. You may also check for under experimental or

David,

Methelated Spirit = Methanol - I don't know what you call it in the States, but in the UK it's usually coloured blue, and is a favourite tipple with winos (though it does tend to turn them blind). Put some in a foil dish, with some cotton wool to reduce risk of splashing/spillage.

A propane torch or a small camping stove should do the trick, as long as you dont get the flame too close to the polythene. Take care using them inside, as your balloon will burn v. nicely if you catch them with a flame.

Try making a vertical tube out of chicken-wire and tin foil, and place your burner / stove at the bottom. The tube will stop the flame from being blown about in the wind, and will stop the balloon from blowing on to the flame and melting.

Have fun!

A large coffee can with both ends cut out over a Coleman stove burner works.

Safety suggestions. 1 - 'Take that thing outdoors!' Mom, 1960-something 2 - Tie a light line to the top of the balloon. Hold by hand. If the inflations goes well, release the line and enjoy. If the balloon catches fire, pull on the line. The mouth will vent heat and the balloon will not fly away to start a huge fire down wind where you are not prepared. 3 - At least one fire extinguisher IN HAND. 4 - Use enough crew. One to control the mouth over the heat source, one to hold the top with a pole (and the line tied to the top), one to hold the fire extinguisher. 5 - Do a walk through before the launch. Talk about what might go wrong and what you will do about it.

Planning for a safe flight increases your chances of having one. Safety is no accident. If you fail to provide a margin for error, you've made the error for which you have no margin.

One last thing. This is really fun to do, enjoy yourselves!

Can also see my web page for mr RC model hot air balloon:

i am not really sure myself what could do the trick. Meths is a form of alchol so you coul;d try something like that. I have also read that simple things such as smouldering wood or grass may work or even heating the balloon over a barbeque.

I hope this helps

I just ordered a 12ft tall one from Edmund Scientific online. Don't have the address handy, but should be easy to find. Ken DeLacy

Whenever you want to know what has happened or what is going on with the GREAT NON-STOP AROUND THE WORLD BALLOON RACE access the following website.

Jay Hart ARMCHAIR ADVENTURES (C)

The safest way is with the hair dryer, but if it doesn't develop enough heat, use a 'heat gun' available at electronic stores for shrinking tubing for insulation. Ii have one for heating plexiglass and it must put out 4-5000 watts...

Bill Nash. Super Soundproofing Co Quiet as a cat! (''-''-/'.

Right and then prepare to read your electric meter in RPM.

Indoors a hair dryer's the right tool. A hot-air popcorn popper works OK too. Some cautions:

1. Some hair dryers can melt carpet(!) In the excitement of seeing the balloon rise, it's easy to forget to turn it off.

2. The balloon can get sucked onto the air intake. This makes the air comming out hotter, many wrikles & holes in my homemade plastic balloons.

Outdoors a plumber's torch works well. Wind is a huge problem, I'll get up before dawn and still go weeks without suitable flying weather.
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