How to make a Chinese sky lantern with your own hands. How to make a flying sky lantern How to make Chinese flying lanterns yourself

How to make a Chinese sky lantern with your own hands.  How to make a flying sky lantern How to make Chinese flying lanterns yourself
How to make a Chinese sky lantern with your own hands. How to make a flying sky lantern How to make Chinese flying lanterns yourself

To make an air Chinese lantern you will need:
- 1 wide tape;
- 1 square of cardboard 30x30 or 40x40 cm;
- 1 pack of thin colored garbage bags with a volume of 120 l;
- 1 bottle of fire starter or medical alcohol;
- 1 roll of tracing paper;
- ruler, tape measure or measuring tape for measurements;
- thin wire;
- 1 pack of cotton wool.

Chinese sky lantern: manufacturing technique

Having prepared all the above materials, you can begin assembling the flying flashlight. It is quite simple - a wick and an outer shell are attached to a wire frame.

First, take a garbage bag, open it, and then measure the diameter. Make a continuation of the bag from tracing paper and attach it to it with tape. After this, cut strips 1.5-2.5 cm wide from a piece of cardboard. Attach the strips from the outside to the tracing paper using tape.

Make a wire frame for the Chinese lantern. To do this, twist a circle out of wire and additionally attach 2 pieces of wire to it crosswise. This way you will be able to give rigidity to your structure and have somewhere to attach the wick.

On the wire in the middle of the frame, attach a ball of cotton wool, pre-soaked in fire starter fluid or medical alcohol. It is advisable to prepare several wicks at once, and also check how well they ignite and what the size of the flame is. Thanks to this, you can choose the perfect wick for your product.

Place a bag of tracing paper on the frame and run chinese lantern. If the resulting design seems small to you, you can make it larger. To do this, simply glue several garbage bags together, take large quantity cardboard, tracing paper and other materials.

Chinese sky lanterns: launch rules

Flying lanterns are only allowed to be launched at open area, away from parking lots, tall buildings, forests and dry meadows. And most importantly, if the wind becomes strong and gusty, reschedule the launch of the lanterns to another time.

Light the wick and, with the help of an assistant - a friend or - straighten the dome so that it does not come into contact with the flame. Then carefully lower the Chinese lantern to the ground, holding it by the frame. This is necessary for faster heating of the air inside the structure.

After about one minute, raise the flashlight to chest level. As soon as it starts to pull upward, release it. Do this slowly, lightly holding the product by the rim. And then all you have to do is enjoy the stunningly beautiful flight of the Chinese lantern in the night sky.

Today it is fashionable to launch hand-made Chinese lanterns into the sky. The lights flying into the sky are a wonderful sight that both children and adults enjoy admiring. So where did this popular fun come from and what rules are important to follow to ensure the safety of others.

Story

For the first time, a Chinese paper lantern was mentioned in the chronicle description of the military campaigns of Zhuge Liang. This legendary Chinese general imitated the intervention of divine powers, instilling fear in his enemies. To do this, he used a paper bag and oil lamp. The rising cloud of light convinced opponents that higher power on the general's side.


Similar devices were also used to transmit signals between military units located far from each other. Information about this dates back to the third century BC. Some experts claim that flying lanterns were also used to perform religious rituals.

The history of the mass distribution of glowing lanterns in Europe dates back to 2005. The reason was a tragic event: the 2004 earthquake in Indian Ocean. A commemorative event about this tragedy and its victims was the mass launch glowing lanterns in Thailand. And thanks to the photograph of this event, which became a World Press Photo winner, the Chinese ritual became popular among Europeans.

Device

The Chinese flying lantern consists of the following elements:

  • bamboo frame;
  • a burner made of fuel-soaked fabric attached to a thin wire;
  • dome made of rice paper impregnated with a non-flammable composition.

The shape of the product can be any - most often spherical or cylindrical.

Operating principle

Chinese sky lanterns easily soar into the sky, acting on the same principles as Balloons. Remember the Montgolfier brothers? Their invention is shells filled with hot smoke and capable of flying for kilometers. The fact is that due to heating, the air becomes lighter due to a decrease in density. The difference between the density of air masses inside and outside the shell becomes the driving force.

That is why among the tips for launching flying lanterns you can often find the following: “in order to launch a lantern, choose a clear frosty night.”

Some characteristics

A traditional Chinese lantern has the following parameters:

  • approximate weight from 50 to 100 g;
  • height size from 70 to 170 cm;
  • burning duration is about 20 minutes;
  • diameter of the lower ring from 28 to 50 cm;
  • The approximate possible lifting height is up to 500 m.

Is it possible to display Chinese lanterns in the city?

Unregulated launching of flashlights often entails unpleasant consequences. Among them:

  • fires, including forest fires;
  • disabled power plants;
  • death of livestock that accidentally ate a fallen wire frame;
  • injury to animals.

Therefore, in some states there are bans associated with this beautiful and exciting event. Relevant regulations were also adopted in Russia.

Law prohibiting the launch of Chinese lanterns in Russia

In 2014, changes to the Rules were approved fire protection regime. In accordance with the document, structures that rise to a height by heating the air inside with the help of an open fire are prohibited from being allowed in cities, other settlements, or near forested areas. Lawyers warn: fines have been prescribed for violators, individuals These amounts are up to 1.5 thousand rubles, for legal entities – an order of magnitude higher.


According to the law, when planning an event with a mass launch of Chinese lanterns, prior approval is required from air traffic control authorities.

Operational safety

But even in places where it is allowed to run flashlights, it is important to follow the rules that ensure the safety of others. The launch of Chinese lanterns is allowed on open spaces, on which you can control the location of the fall. There should be no residential buildings nearby. You should not use flashlights in windy weather.

Responsible fans of launching sky lanterns recommend: use a small amount of fuel, this way you can control the crash site and can not only make sure that it burns completely, but also remove debris after you.

Kinds

Chinese lanterns can vary in both shape and purpose. Often Chinese lanterns are used simply for decoration. Similar hanging options often decorate Asian cafes and restaurants, oriental shops. Glowing hearts can often be seen at wedding celebrations. And the simplest paper crafts decorate the house for the New Year or other family holiday.

DIY Chinese lanterns made of paper

A Chinese lantern can be easily made at home. Teachers recommend: involve children in joint creativity, because they so love to participate in the creation of a fairy tale.

Option for children

The simplest craft, resembling a flashlight, was carved by almost everyone in childhood. To make it, you only need one sheet of colored paper, as well as scissors, glue, a ruler and a pencil as auxiliary materials.

The process consists of several short steps.

  1. You need to cut a strip two centimeters wide from the sheet.
  2. Fold the remaining piece in half.
  3. Draw the workpiece: draw a horizontal line at a distance of 4 cm from the edge and from the fold draw many vertical lines to it, located at the same distance from each other.
  4. Make cuts along vertical strips and unfold the sheet.
  5. Glue the edge and attach a handle from the strip cut at the beginning on top.

According to all traditions

For such a hanging lantern you will need a template. You can find it on the Internet or draw it yourself. For the drawing you need to take a sheet with an aspect ratio of one to two. The long side is placed horizontally and three horizontal lines are drawn: one in the center and two at a short distance (the same) from the edges. Then they divide the sheet with vertical lines into six sectors and draw another line in the center of each sector. Circles with a diameter of approximately 2 cm are drawn around the points of intersection of the central vertical lines with the outer horizontal ones. Then rounded lines connect the center of the upper circle, the points of intersection of the vertical lines limiting the segment with the central horizontal ones, and the center of the lower circle.

As a result, the template should consist of six identical segments connected along the center line. A blank is cut out of it from red cardboard. Important note: the workpiece cannot be divided into segments!

Next, you need to connect the outer segments together. Then combine the lower circles, stitch them with red thread and decorate them with a tassel formed from threads. The same thing needs to be done with the upper circles, only instead of a tassel at the top we leave a thread by which the flashlight will be suspended.

sky lattern

To make a Chinese lantern you need a frame. It can be made from wooden fruit skewers wrapped in foil. As a simple fuel, you can use candle tablets or cotton wool soaked in alcohol. The candle or cotton wool is attached to the frame with metal wire.

The shell can be made as was traditionally done from rice or tissue paper. But on the Internet you often find another piece of advice: use a regular garbage bag for a flashlight.

Decor for products

It makes sense to decorate lanterns that are intended for decoration, not for launching. One of the decor options can be done as follows. Using a hole punch, we make many, many (several dozen) holes on the decorated paper. We glue the fallen circles onto the already made lantern according to the principle of husks. Important: the circles must be distributed evenly, making sure that the product is completely covered.

Today everyone can make their own Chinese paper lantern. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a luminous object soaring into the sky or decor for interior decoration. The main thing is that ancient traditions are alive and doing daily life filled and beautiful.

Sky lanterns that came to us from the Celestial Empire are called “Hum loy” or “Hum fairy” in their homeland. Such lanterns are very popular not only in Asian countries, but throughout the world. Chinese sky lanterns are used in many celebrations, flash mobs, and in Thailand there is even a separate holiday, during which residents and guests launch lanterns into the sky en masse. Recently, sky lanterns have become popular in our country. They can be purchased in various stores, but you can also make them yourself, which we will try right now.

So, before we start, let’s watch a video of the flashlight:

There are many ways to make sky lanterns, but the simplest one allows you to do it without much effort and expense.

We will need:
- Regular 30 liter garbage bags. (take packages bigger size not recommended since they are usually made of thicker polyethylene);
- Stationery tape;
- Wire diameter 0.5 mm;
- And also a tablet of dry fuel.


The materials have been collected. You can begin the process of making a flashlight. The ball that we will launch into the sky is made from several packages. It is recommended to use two or three bags, depending on the air temperature. In winter, for example, you can be content with one package, on a summer evening a balloon of two will launch, and during the day in hot weather- out of three. First of all, we cut off the bags along the soldering line and insert one of them into the other. The resulting seam using tape.


Next we need to take care of the holder for our burner, which we will make from wire. To do this, we need two pieces of aluminum wire 40 cm long, which need to be twisted around the candle.


The bags will be attached to the holder, so special clamps need to be made at the ends.



Homemade sky lattern ready.

All that remains is to take dry fuel, which we will use as fuel. One tablet needs to be broken into four even pieces. In some cases, the flashlight may not take off immediately. The reason for this may be the severity of the fuel. In such cases, you should wait a little until some of the fuel burns out.

Sky lanterns- an amazing sight, thanks to very simple inventions. The flashlight has a very simple design, which means you can do it yourself! This will require very few materials, which nowadays cost mere pennies.

How to make a sky lantern with your own hands?

For the flashlight we will use:

Rubbish bag;

Cocktail straws;

Once everything is ready, you can start creating.

1. We take the tubes and make a cross out of them. We fasten them together with tape or glue. Don't be too zealous with the tape, try to keep the design as light as possible.

2. We glue candles to the tubes. We used the lightest, most festive ones, and we also advise you to take them.

3. We attach the resulting structure to a garbage bag. Again we use tape or glue.

The flashlight is ready! You can start launching!

How to launch a sky lantern?

Launch a flashlight- it’s not an easy task, you need to follow several rules for the launch to be successful.

1. Spread the flashlight.

2. The launch is best carried out by two people. One holds the dome, the second sets it on fire.

3 . Keep it like this until it warms up well.

4. As soon as the flashlight heats up, lift it up, if it pulls out of your hands, then let go, if not, then hold it still. Repeat the up and down motion until the flashlight flies up.

24 29 454 0

This is not the first time we have encountered luminous fakes with our own hands. You already know how to do... Today we will learn how to make aerial “fireflies”.

Sky lanterns are a traditional holiday attribute that came to us from Japanese culture. With the help of this simple item you can decorate and diversify almost any celebration, ranging from a cheerful corporate party, ending or wedding.

You can buy such a holiday accessory for $5-10, depending on the quality and size.

But, you see, it’s much more pleasant to launch your own, homemade mini-balloon into flight. So if you want to make Chinese sky lanterns with your own hands, then be patient, free time, as well as some materials.

You will need:

Size and shape

First, estimate the approximate height of the finished flashlight. As a rule, one meter is enough. A flashlight of this size takes off well and does not get lost at altitude. After that, think about what shape it will be (eg heart, cylinder, etc.).

Type and color

After this, we move on to technical side selection - determining the type and color of paper. It must be not only durable, but also soft, light and thin, so that the flashlight can soar into the heavenly heights without hindrance

Consider one important point: if the weight of the paper is more than 25 grams per square meter, then the mini-balloon simply won’t take off.

So choose your paper carefully - this is one of the most important points.

Preparing the paper

To begin, saturate the selected material with a fire retardant. This is necessary in order to prevent the possibility of the ball catching fire, and also to protect it from getting wet.

If you want to make a meter-high Chinese lantern, then cut the prepared paper into four pieces measuring 100 by 80 cm, which will be longer at the bottom and flattened at the top. Glue them together using regular glue PVA.

Making a burner

In order to make a paper lantern, which will later fly safely, we will definitely need a burner. To make it, melt the wax and dip a piece of lint-free cloth into it, saturating it with it.

Let the wax cool, and at this point the process of making the burner can be considered complete.

Frame making

We wrap two foil tubes onto a knitting needle. After this, we place these same tubes in a cross, and attach our burner to the center. We wrap it all up copper wire so that the structure does not fall apart.