Page:The American Boy's Handy Book edition 1.djvu/173

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140
Summer.

until all thirteen are pasted. It will be found that the bottom gore and top gore have each an edge unpasted; lay these two edges together and paste them neatly.

FIG. 100.

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Top View of Hoop and Cross Wire.
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Wick-ball.
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Side View of Hoop showing Wick-ball hung in place.

Next you must make a hoop of rattan or some light substance to fit the mouth opening, which will be about one foot and a half in diameter. Fasten the hoop in by pasting the edges of the mouth opening around it. In very large paper balloons it is well to place a piece of string along the edge of each gore and paste it in, letting the ends of the strings hang down below the mouth; fasten the hoop in with these ends before pasting the paper over it. It will be found next to impossible to tear the hoop from a balloon, strengthened in this manner, without totally destroying the balloon.

Should you discover an opening at the top of your balloon, caused by the points not joining exactly, tie it up with a string if it be small, but if it be a large When dry, take a fan and hole paste a piece of paper over it. fan the balloon as full of air as you can, and while it is inflated make a thorough inspection of all sides to see that there are no accidental tears, holes or rips.

Fig. 100 shows the cross wires that support the fire-ball. The latter is best made of old-fashioned lamp-wick wound, rather loosely, in the form of a ball, the size depending upon the dimensions of the balloon. The sponge commonly used

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