The Origami Forum

Chinese flying lanterns, ones that you place a tealight or flame inside it and it floats upwards into the night sky like a balloon.

Would there be any suitable origami diagrams or designs for these?

The usual way is to use gore-tapered strips like [these] to build up a balloon using glue, or to make something similar to this:



... but I wondered if any there could be any different and considerably smaller origami designs which still work? (the one shown in the picture is about 5ft tall!)

Tissue paper would be a dead cert (low weight) for the body, with possibly a cylinder wrap of metal foil around the tealight protecting the flame from the sides.

With taking strict safety precautions, it might be a bit of fun.

Welcome to the forum! I imagine it fairly simple to design something like that, just make something like a vase! I like the idea of using fire and paper to make something fly, though

ive always wondered how you made thoughs thers a bit in james and the giant peach were james makes one and it floats out of the window it's defiantley origami because he folds it out of newspaper