Materials Purchased

Just bought a small (probably cheap-junk) heat sealer from china, and a nice big roll of 1 mil mylar sheeting, this should be enough to get some kind of airship off the ground.

The carbon fiber though, I'm going to have to wait for sponsorship on that one I think.....

Airframe Plan

Well, Blogger won't let me upload it in any reasonable resolution, but here's my basic airframe plan... I've decided to go with carbon fiber because it's strong and light and basically just the best material for anything.

In case you can't read the diagram above (which I hardly expect you to be able to) there will be 15 rings, connected together by 8 supports that go the entire length from nose to tail. The rings will require a total of 1884cm of carbon fiber, the supports 2480, for a grand total of 4364cm of carbon, which is a lot. At the prices/weights I've found for 0.5mm carbon rod, the completed airframe will weigh about 14 grams (PLENTY light) and cost about $70, which is tragic and sad because I don't have $70.

In other news, for the gas bag, I've found a near perfect solution, being that thin polyethylene tubing is available to make your own bags, you simply heat seal the ends (melt the plastic together) and you're done.. This is incredibly perfect for what I'm trying to do, however the roll of bag is only available in something like a quarter mile long roll, and for about $100, and the pizza-cutter rolly heat sealer of magical awesome is even more.

My other options are somehow make a heat sealer, and then just make the tube by seaming together 50" wide mylar, which would be a much cheaper option, but less perfect and easily leak-proofed.. I might be doing nothing but plans for awhile, folks.

If anyone just has like, a heap of money they don't really want, but DOES want to see an awesome miniature zeppelin, point them my way....