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Puzzle Piece Balloon Sculpture

Puzzle Piece Balloon Sculpture [Image source: balloons-denver.com]

Puzzle Piece Balloon Sculpture [Image source: balloons-denver.com]

How would you make a puzzle piece balloon sculpture? Would I need aluminum rod?

Answer:

Hi there,

I assume you mean a sculpture similar to the one shown in the photo I uploaded?

You are right. You'd use aluminum rod or tubing which you'd have to bend into the puzzle piece shape.

For smaller, hanging sculptures we normally recommend 1/4 inch aluminum rod. If you plan to make a bigger, self-supporting sculpture you may want to use 1/2 inch rod.

Tip: Have the rod bent into the desired shape at a hardware store or -- if you plan on creating balloon sculptures regularly -- purchase a tube/pipe bender.

For a self standing sculpture you also need two bases. You can make those bases yourself, as explained here, or buy ready made ones, like this steel plate from Amazon.

If you're using aluminum rod, you'd have to figure out a way how to best attach the aluminum rod to the base, as these are made for use with threaded conduit.

You could use a short piece of conduit for the first vertical part of the puzzle piece, insert the aluminum rod into the conduit and secure it with Gaffer tape.

Hope that helps!

Margit

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Reply to: How to Connect the Aluminum Rod
by: Margit

One option for connecting the aluminum rod pieces would be to glue them together, using an epoxy glue specifically for aluminum.

Or you could tape the pieces together, using duct tape or gaffer tape. Gaffer tape has the advantage that you can remove it again without leaving any residue.

But duct tape might have a stronger hold. You'd have to try and see which one works better.

Also check out this video showing how to make the frame for the number two. It might give you some ideas how to best create the frame for the puzzle piece sculpture.

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How to connect
by: Anonymous

How do you connect each aluminum rod to each other? I found rods that are 3 ft long but need to connect them together.

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Answer to "Balloon puzzle arch"
by: Margit

Hi there!

No, I am sorry, I am not offering balloon decorating services myself.

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Balloon puzzle arch
by: Anonymous

Do you make it and ship it to people if they want to order the puzzle piece arch?

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Answer to "How Much Would it Cost?"
by: Margit

Hi there,

Do you mean how much would the materials cost to make such a sculpture yourself, or how much would it cost to have it done for you?

Here's an estimate for the materials:

2 x base plates @ $39 each

About 600 x 5 inch balloons @ $8 per 100 balloons pack

About 8 m (26 ft) aluminum rod (sculpture looks about 2.5 m or 8 ft tall) for about $50 at MetalsDepot

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If you wanted to have the sculpture built for you, I'd suggest to search for a balloon professional in your area in our Decorators Directory and contact them about a quote.

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Cost of the Puzzle Piece Balloon Sculpture
by: Anonymous

How much would it cost?

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