Sunny and very cold

Good morning Augusta.

This morning it is clear. High of 18F with a windchill as low as -9F. Winds from the NW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight it will be mostly cloudy with a chance of snow after midnight. Low of 10F with a windchill as low as 1F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 40% with accumulations up to 1 in. possible.

The readings from my own instruments are:

The humidity is 61% with a dew point of -7.2ºF and a wind chill of 3.1ºF.

The temperature is 3.1ºF.

Presently we have   almost no winds between 1.1  MPH and 1.3  MPH.

Our Barometric pressure is 30.16/HPA 1021.6 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, sunset will be at 4:289PM with Moon Rise  at 10:27 a.m. and the moon phase is waxing crescent .

For the pilots out there: Raw METAR is –

METAR KAUG 181153Z AUTO 35004KT 10SM CLR M17/M23 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP233 T11671228 11128 21167 53020

Visibility is 10.0 miles/16.1 Kilometers with a good clear ceiling.   

We have had an additional inch of snow in the past 24 hours in this area.

Want to have some outdoor fun that costs about $4, keeps the kids busy and has a very low to moderate "irritate Mom" factor?

Why not build a hot air balloon using a painter's drop cloth.

Go to:

http://makeprojects.com/Project/%244+Hot+Air+Balloon/1895/1#.UOHesonjnP6

…and get to everything you see below with active links.

**

On a June afternoon in 1978, while most normal kids were focused on sports or getting Dad's car keys, I was busy readying another one of my quixotic contraptions, made out of junk-at-hand, for its maiden voyage. Assisted by a good friend who also enjoyed such nerdy pursuits, I stoked a fire inside an improvised burner and slowly, carefully inflated the large, fluttering balloon I had fashioned out of plastic drop cloths, Scotch tape, and coat hangers.

The sides of the plastic envelope became warm to the touch, and I could feel a slight upward tug on the hoop that framed the inlet at the base of the balloon. My friend and I took turns steadying the giant transparent chrysalis over the chimney and gleefully fueling the fire with old exams and papers from the just-completed school term. Another minute passed; the balloon felt very warm and I could feel its positive buoyancy. I wasn't sure how hot the top might be getting and didn't want to press my luck. I released the hoop.

The balloon lifted upward perhaps 10 feet clear of the chimney. It seemed to hesitate there, as though comprehending its new freedom, and then accelerated skyward with a swirling whoosh. To my total surprise, it kept climbing past treetop level, 100 feet, then 200 feet, and began to drift as it climbed. First it cleared the field, then the neighborhood, and then went out of sight over the hills.

Our elation was only slightly dampened by my father's reprimand for our irresponsibility and my mother's aggravation over the disappearance of yet more household supplies — aka "engineering materials."

We went on to fly more balloons (tethered), one even carrying a half-pound camera aloft. Years later, I bought and flew a ready-made model hot air balloon with my son. While more colorful to look at, it didn't fly nearly as well as our homemade versions had. For all you readers who enjoy that special kick that comes from seeing an unusual homemade rig actually work, here's some fun that can be had on a kite-string budget.

Specifications

My original balloons were fashioned from two 9'×12', 0.7mil plastic drop cloths, seamed together into a cylinder along their 12' sides. The finished envelope enclosed a volume of roughly 230 cubic feet (6.5 cubic meters), weighed 15oz (425g), and would lift again as much in payload when thoroughly heated. Unladen, these balloons had lots of extra lift for rapid climb and a long flight before cooling enough to descend.

 

The single-drop-cloth balloon presented here encloses about 75ft³ (2.1m³), weighs about 8oz (227g), and will provide another 4oz (113g) of extra lift when heated to the plastic's safe capacity. These smaller balloons provide shorter flights but are much easier to handle.

Read More

Embed this guideWith the HTML code below, you can embed this guide as a small widget on your website.

<script type="text/javascript"

          data-dozuki-embed='3'

          src="http://cacher.dozuki.net/static/embed/ifixit-embed.3.js#id=1895&site=makeprojects.com">

           </script><p><a href="http://makeprojects.com/Project/%244+Hot+Air+Balloon/1895/1">$4 Hot Air Balloon</a></p> Preview

Sections

Make the balloon envelope.

Close the top.

Make the inlet.

Check for holes.

Pick a heat source.

Fly your balloon.

Relevant Parts

Painter's drop cloth , 0.7mil plastic, 9'×12' (3m×4m)

Wicker or hard plastic pneumatic tubing , small diameter, 5' (1.5m) or similar

Tape , transparent, ¾" (19mm), 1 roll e.g. Scotch tape

Relevant Parts (continued)

Duct tape a few pieces

Twine , lightweight cotton, 300' (100m) or similar for the tether line, not susceptible to melting

Cardboard , or wax paper to act as a separator in Step 1

Stovepipe , aluminum or black steel, 6" (150mm) diameter, a few feet

Heat register box , alunimum or heating duct elbow, or scrap sheet metal, for the firebox

Screen , metal, about 6"×6" or slightly bigger

…there is more, but you need to go to the website to get it.

Enjoy.