Mylar Sleeping Bag Balloon

[RedCross]

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...

[Stewart Long]

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 <efo...@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...

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[Stewart Long]

Excuse me I meant to say "tight". Bundling the platform together seems to really help it handle turbulence. 

[Liz Barry]

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. 

it will look like this http://publiclaboratory.org/notes/mathew/2-5-2012/aurora-tangs-balloon-closing-method

except the balloon will be mylar, the zip ties will be regular strong string, and the metal look can be any loop of string. 

--
@lizbarry

[emma Folkman]

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.

--

Emma Folkman

 

(201) 452-4946

efo...@gmail.com

[Liz Barry]

victorian era balloonists seemed to love draping and securing their balloons with with net harnesses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brockhaus-Efron_Aeronavtika.jpg

I'm excited to see how you might develop a multi point attachment system for big oddly shaped balloons.

@lizbarry

[Jeffrey Warren]

it'd be interesting to just stuff several sleeping bags in a larger lightweight, durable bag, like the one made at ECOHACK a couple months ago: http://publiclaboratory.org/notes/shannon/4-21-2012/prototype-pufferfish-balloon-ecohack

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.

Jeff