Puzzle Piece Balloon Sculpture

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