Balloon Kits:
How to Build

RC Kit Build Instructions

This will take you through all the steps needed to put together a model balloon kit. Specific instructions are provided to make the process as simple as possible. Still overwhelmed or don’t have the time? We can build a model balloon for you!

1. Lay out all panels by letter. Make a stack of all the A’s, B’s, C’s etc.

2. Make a stack of each gore. (column of panels) There will be 24 gores. Start with the Nomex piece, then P, N, M, etc, all the way to A and end with a parachute piece.

3. Roll all the pieces for each gore into what my kids called “dragon scrolls” as they do in Kung Fu Panda. Then tie up and number with the fabric strips to indicate which gore they are for. 
Undo one gore at a time for sewing. 

4. You will start by sewing the parachute piece to panel A. Lay the poly side down of panel A. Lay the poly side up of the parachute piece on top of A. Line the pieces up to the top of A. (this is the only piece that won’t line up exactly. You will have a lip that you can cut off after you sew it. It won’t affect it. Sew using a half-inch seam. You will use this same half-inch for the entire balloon.
Add panel B to panel A by lining up the top of panel B to the bottom of panel A. Sew. 

5. Continue adding panels of the gore until you have added the final piece, the Nomex. It works best if you label each gore on the Nomex. The label will be removed once all 24 gores are sewn together. You may also want to pin the pieces together before sewing, especially with the silicone panels (light blue, teal, etc.)

6. Sew out all 24 gores. Place them in stacks in the number of gores that you want to sew together at a time. I recommend no more than 7 gores in a section. Divide them however it best makes sense for the pattern.

7. Figure out between what 2 gores you want your velcro vent to be. Set these 2 gores aside. There are special instructions for these in step 10 below.

8. Begin sewing the gore sections together. Lay out gore 1, poly side down. Lay out gore 2 on top of gore 1 poly side up. I recommend pinning at the seams to hold the gores in place for sewing. Start pinning down at the Nomex and work your way up to the parachute panel. (This is when you’ll want 1 Rubbermaid on each side of the sewing machine or tables laid out.) Begin sewing the 2 gores together. You’re going to want to open and check to see that your seams are lining up every couple of panels in the beginning, especially where the nylon meets the Nomex.

9. Continue to add gores, pin, and sew until you complete the stack. When you’ve completed the stack, add it to a garbage bag or Rubbermaid bin and label it with what gores are in it. 
Repeat the process for each section. 

10. For the  2 gores for the vent: sew down the 2 parachute pieces about ⅔ of the way then stop. Continue sewing out the gore beginning about ⅓ of the way below the top of panel C and sew out all the way to the Nomex. The velcro vent will be along the length of the seam of panels A and B. Open up the seam. Fold it back onto itself and sew the ½ inch velcro onto each side of the open seam. Use a zigzag stitch if you can. Sew up the seam to each end of the velcro. Sew a webbing strip to close up and connect each end of the vent. This is the strong anchor point for each end of the vent. The webbing goes below the horizontal seam on the top of panel A and above the horizontal seam at the bottom of panel B. 

11. For the tear-away strip: mark the 1-inch strip 2 inches from the end. Fold the end up to the mark, hook side out, creating a loop. Sew closed. This is where the red line will be attached. Place the strip over both sides of the ½ inch velcro to close the vent with the loop being at the top of the vent. 

12. On the same gore between panels L and M you’re going to want to sew in the pulley. Create a loop with the webbing around the pulley first and sew closed. You’ll then want to sew in the webbing loop into the inside part of the panel seam between L and M. Go over this seam SEVERAL times with the sewing machine. 

13. Add these 2 gores into whichever section they belong.

14. Begin to sew the sections together making sure they are in the correct order. (You may want to sew 2 sections and then 2 sections so you have 12 and 12 gores and then sew the 2 12 gore sections together to make it round. 

15. Once round, you’re going to want to add the disc to the top. Before adding you will want to create and add the webbing top loop to the disc. Take the webbing piece and create a 1-inch loop in the center as shown in the picture below. Sew the webbing to close the loop then measure and center the loop on the disc. Sew down using the sewing pattern of a rectangle with a diagonal line or an x down the middle. 

16. Next, you’ll want to pin this into the top of the balloon. Start by folding the disc into 4ths and creasing to create 4 points around the edge of the disc to pin.  Open the disc back up and pin into the opening in those 4 spots first, then evenly pin around the circle. I recommend pinning almost every seam in this process to make sure it fits. The disc is purposely large and can be cut down once sewn in. Try to make sure the disc is mostly flat so you don’t create a nipple-like shape on the top. 

17. Next, you will hem the Nomex. Flip the entire balloon around.  
Fold in the ½ inch and sew completely around the entire bottom. Do this twice for a double hem if your sewing machine needle can handle it. If not, that’s ok. 

18. Now you will turn the balloon right side out. 

19. Next you will create the loops on the nomex for the cables to attach to. Fold the webbing pieces in half. You will sew this directly over every other seam on the Nomex. You want the webbing to clamp around the Nomex. Each piece should hang down 1 inch to create the loop. Sew using the same rectangle with the diagonal or x shape you used above.

20. Attach the cables to the loops using the small carabiners (called quick links.) Once all cables are attached to the Nomex, attach every 3 cables together at the bottom with the remaining 4 quick links. These four points of cables are what connect to the basket. 
You will need to get 550 paracord for a crown line and a tether line. You can get another package like the redline one at Hobby Lobby. 
You’ll need to attach and run the redline inside the balloon when you first inflate it. You’ll tie it to the loop on the velcro in the vent and then run it through the pulley and then through a quick link at the throat. It will go behind the scoop. I suggest leaving it long (3ft or so) hanging. It will shrink slightly with the heat being added to it when you fly. 

21. For the scoop: ½ inch hem. Sew the black paracord into loops first and then sew the loops into the scoop. You want the loops to all be directly up and down and not angled with the angles of the scoop. Attach this during the first inflation. It’s much easier then. 

Please reach out with any questions. There are lots of steps.