Holding the balloon up by the top the paraffin disc is lighted with a parlor match. It burns and creates heat that collects in the upper part of the balloon. When it is filled so that it lifts a little and wants to get away it is released carrying up the heat generator with it. The paraffin ball continues to furnish hot air until it burns out. A balloon so equipped will travel several blocks, high up in the air. The paraffin ball is also wound about with a very fine wire which is also used to attach the ball to the wires across the opening of the balloon. It will be seen at once that a good sized opening is necessary and in this design, the reed band is ten inches in diameter.
The other method of filling is by means of a stove pipe furnace or some similar device, but in this case all the heating is done on the ground. A hole is dug in the ground and the stovepipe is banked in as a chimney. A fire is built in the hole and the hot air goes up thru the pipe to the balloon that is suspended over it. If it was not for the stove pipe the blaze would ignite the walls of the balloon. Some quite large balloons have been sent up in this way. A piece of tin or sheet iron is good to make a cover for the hole in the ground so as to prevent the dirt from falling in on the fire. Some use a little oil on the fire, but there should not be too much else the blaze will reach up thru the pipe so far as to burn up the balloon. It is well to have a cord above so as to hold the balloon up and if it is too high to hold with the hand, a pole with a wire on the end of it that could be readily released might be used. As the bag gets inflated it is best to remove the pole and hold to the bottom by the hands.
In pasting the pieces of paper together, there should be about 14″ laps. Care must be observed in the pasting that there are no detached places, places where the paste does not stick well, as the hot air will escape. In the model given, one section was blue, two white, one red, and three white, making seven in all. Sometimes the colors are worked in differently. Half of a section will be one color, and the other half another, and next to each will be placed some contrasting color. Still further breaking up can be done until quite a design is worked out.
It is possible to decorate a plain balloon with surface design, but it must be bold and not over done. An example or two may be help-
