Warning: If it is at all windy outside, wait for a calm day to light your Sky Lanterns. Wind will blow the sides of the Sky Lantern in, forcing the hot air out. Wind can also blow your lantern sideways or down and start a fire.
Your new Skylighter paper Sky Lanterns are traditional Chinese lanterns made of flame-retardant tissue paper, a bamboo ring at the bottom and a thin cross-wire supporting a square of wax paper, the fuel for the lantern. Your lanterns are shipped to you folded flat.
Carefully pull the bamboo ring open
Unfold your Sky Lantern carefully. The tissue paper is very thin, and easy to tear. The bamboo ring base is also folded in half. Its two halves are held together with a strong piece of wire at the folds.
Grasp each side of the bamboo ring on both sides farthest from the folded corners. Slowly and carefully pull the two sides apart; the folded ends will stretch out a bit.
Carefully unbend the bamboo
At the pointed corner (Figure A), where the two pieces of bamboo come together, carefully take hold of each of the bent bamboo sides. Holding the sides between your fingers, gently pull the two sides up (Figure B). Be careful not to rip the thin tissue paper. This should flatten out the bend into a circular shape (Figure C). Repeat this with the other end corners, and your bamboo should now be in a ring.
Upside down wax paper pad
Look at the wax paper fuel pad. If the side facing you has a wire "cross" as in the picture to the left, turn the wax paper pad over. When pad is right side up, your bamboo ring should now be almost perfectly round. You may need to straighten the support wires out a little, as well.
Light edge of wax paper fuel
Carefully open your Sky Lantern up by shaking it, like you would to open a plastic garbage bag. When you open it, try to get rid of all the folds and creases. Once your Sky Lantern is fully open and the tissue paper is loose and not folding in on itself, turn your Sky Lantern on its side and light the corner of the wax paper fuel pad. A lighter or butane torch works best for this.
Allow the wax paper fuel to get burning really well, and then flip the Sky Lantern right side up. Hold your Sky Lantern by the top of the tissue paper. You just need to barely hold it between your fingers
Hold your Sky Lantern from the top
As the fuel burns the Sky Lantern will begin to fill with hot air. Allow it to fully inflate itself, which can take 30-60 seconds or so. As it fills, you will feel it getting lighter and starting to lift itself. Once it looks completely full and it feels like it wants to lift off, release it. If it starts to drop, take hold of it gently and wait a bit. Then just let it lift out of your hands, and watch it fly. It will burn for about 4-1/2 minutes.
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