How Do You Make A Balloon Arch Without Using Helium?
You can buy 1/2″ PVC pipe and appropriate fittings to make a base of the desired size (the one I built was about 8′ across and about 7′ tall). I started by buiding a base from a piece of 1 x 12 lumber 8′ long (for the base). I screwed a one gallon bucket to each end of this board. Next, I took a section of the PVC pipe with a tee on one end (to anchor the pipe in the plaster) and poured plaster of paris 1/2 way in each bucket (the pipe was laid in at an angle facing the opposite side-with the pipe touching the bottom outside edge of the bucket and the top of the pipe about an inch away from the top inside edge of the bucket). I allowed the plaster to set up, then I cut the exposed pipe to about 4 ” above the top of the bucket and glued a sleeve on the end of the pipe. Next, I took and assembled two pieces of pipe (I don’t remember the actual dimension) to form the arch to the desired height (I just shoved the ends of the pipe into the open ends of the exposed sleeves – no glue). To tra
