We have decided to use mylar sleeping bags as our balloon and have secured them together length-wise with gaffer tape. We were planning on sealing up the opening most of the way, then going to get it filled with helium and then sealing the hole up (also with gaffer tape).
Does anyone have suggestions on how to secure our line to the "balloon"? We were thinking of tying the line around the balloon and securing it with tape...
I have seen people successfully use a harness around the balloon. You might
need to use a pair of sleeping bags for enough lift depending on how heavy
the camera is and the weather. Keeping the whole rig bundled together seems
to help it fly. Mathew Lippincott and I noticed that you could make the
mylar balloons themselves more taught if you do something with the corners
like the following:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14397636@N07/5574053165/
On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 10:14 AM, RedCross <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> We have decided to use mylar sleeping bags as our balloon and have secured
> them together length-wise with gaffer tape. We were planning on sealing up
> the opening most of the way, then going to get it filled with helium and
> then sealing the hole up (also with gaffer tape).
> Does anyone have suggestions on how to secure our line to the "balloon"?
> We were thinking of tying the line around the balloon and securing it with
> tape...
> wrote:
> I have seen people successfully use a harness around the balloon. You
> might need to use a pair of sleeping bags for enough lift depending on how
> heavy the camera is and the weather. Keeping the whole rig bundled together
> seems to help it fly. Mathew Lippincott and I noticed that you could make
> the mylar balloons themselves more taught if you do something with the
> corners like the following:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/14397636@N07/5574053165/
> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 10:14 AM, RedCross <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> We have decided to use mylar sleeping bags as our balloon and have
>> secured them together length-wise with gaffer tape. We were planning on
>> sealing up the opening most of the way, then going to get it filled with
>> helium and then sealing the hole up (also with gaffer tape).
>> Does anyone have suggestions on how to secure our line to the "balloon"?
>> We were thinking of tying the line around the balloon and securing it with
>> tape...
basically, tie off the opening with string and leave extra mylar at the
end. place a loop of line and double back the end of mylar, then tie around
the doubled over mylar.
> Excuse me I meant to say "tight". Bundling the platform together seems to
> really help it handle turbulence.
> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 11:02 AM, Stewart Long <
> stew...@publiclaboratory.org> wrote:
>> I have seen people successfully use a harness around the balloon. You
>> might need to use a pair of sleeping bags for enough lift depending on how
>> heavy the camera is and the weather. Keeping the whole rig bundled together
>> seems to help it fly. Mathew Lippincott and I noticed that you could make
>> the mylar balloons themselves more taught if you do something with the
>> corners like the following:
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/14397636@N07/5574053165/
>> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 10:14 AM, RedCross <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> We have decided to use mylar sleeping bags as our balloon and have
>>> secured them together length-wise with gaffer tape. We were planning on
>>> sealing up the opening most of the way, then going to get it filled with
>>> helium and then sealing the hole up (also with gaffer tape).
>>> Does anyone have suggestions on how to secure our line to the "balloon"?
>>> We were thinking of tying the line around the balloon and securing it with
>>> tape...
Thats a great suggestion. We ended up having very little control of the
balloon when we just wrapped the string around it like a package. Think we
may have to go back to the drawing board so that we can gain a little more
control over the balloon.
On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 2:02 PM, Stewart Long
<stew...@publiclaboratory.org>wrote:
> I have seen people successfully use a harness around the balloon. You
> might need to use a pair of sleeping bags for enough lift depending on how
> heavy the camera is and the weather. Keeping the whole rig bundled together
> seems to help it fly. Mathew Lippincott and I noticed that you could make
> the mylar balloons themselves more taught if you do something with the
> corners like the following:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/14397636@N07/5574053165/
> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 10:14 AM, RedCross <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> We have decided to use mylar sleeping bags as our balloon and have
>> secured them together length-wise with gaffer tape. We were planning on
>> sealing up the opening most of the way, then going to get it filled with
>> helium and then sealing the hole up (also with gaffer tape).
>> Does anyone have suggestions on how to secure our line to the "balloon"?
>> We were thinking of tying the line around the balloon and securing it with
>> tape...
On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 8:52 AM, emma Folkman <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thats a great suggestion. We ended up having very little control of the
> balloon when we just wrapped the string around it like a package. Think we
> may have to go back to the drawing board so that we can gain a little more
> control over the balloon.
> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 2:02 PM, Stewart Long <
> stew...@publiclaboratory.org> wrote:
>> I have seen people successfully use a harness around the balloon. You
>> might need to use a pair of sleeping bags for enough lift depending on how
>> heavy the camera is and the weather. Keeping the whole rig bundled together
>> seems to help it fly. Mathew Lippincott and I noticed that you could make
>> the mylar balloons themselves more taught if you do something with the
>> corners like the following:
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/14397636@N07/5574053165/
>> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 10:14 AM, RedCross <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> We have decided to use mylar sleeping bags as our balloon and have
>>> secured them together length-wise with gaffer tape. We were planning on
>>> sealing up the opening most of the way, then going to get it filled with
>>> helium and then sealing the hole up (also with gaffer tape).
>>> Does anyone have suggestions on how to secure our line to the "balloon"?
>>> We were thinking of tying the line around the balloon and securing it with
>>> tape...
that allowed for any number of attachment points, protected the balloon
inside (though it as a rubber balloon) and made an aerodynamic "lifting"
shape. It was just 2 six-foot diameter nylon circles sewn together with
ribbon loops for attachment points.
> I'm excited to see how you might develop a multi point attachment system
> for big oddly shaped balloons.
> On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 8:52 AM, emma Folkman <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Thats a great suggestion. We ended up having very little control of the
>> balloon when we just wrapped the string around it like a package. Think we
>> may have to go back to the drawing board so that we can gain a little more
>> control over the balloon.
>> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 2:02 PM, Stewart Long <
>> stew...@publiclaboratory.org> wrote:
>>> I have seen people successfully use a harness around the balloon. You
>>> might need to use a pair of sleeping bags for enough lift depending on how
>>> heavy the camera is and the weather. Keeping the whole rig bundled together
>>> seems to help it fly. Mathew Lippincott and I noticed that you could make
>>> the mylar balloons themselves more taught if you do something with the
>>> corners like the following:
>>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/14397636@N07/5574053165/
>>> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 10:14 AM, RedCross <efol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> We have decided to use mylar sleeping bags as our balloon and have
>>>> secured them together length-wise with gaffer tape. We were planning on
>>>> sealing up the opening most of the way, then going to get it filled with
>>>> helium and then sealing the hole up (also with gaffer tape).
>>>> Does anyone have suggestions on how to secure our line to the
>>>> "balloon"? We were thinking of tying the line around the balloon and
>>>> securing it with tape...
