Hi there. I’ve gotten it into my head that I’m going to create my own inflatable Christmas decoration to put on my roof. It will only be the top of Santa’s head, with his hat, two different sized eyeballs, mustache, and big pointy teeth projecting over the edge of the roof. The eyes will be pointing in opposite directions, and I plan to install it so that if there’s a wind the whole thing will shake as though Santa is gnawing on the roof.
Two things have inspired me to do this: my son’s repeated viewings of Invader Zim’s “Most Horrible Xmas Ever”, and the fact that my neighbor ALWAYS puts out those cheesy inflatable holiday decorations for every holiday which has cheesy inflatable decorations available. I swear, if they came out with a Memorial Day inflatable of a soldier with a bayonet stuck in his head, this guy would put it in front of his house.
Anyway, I think I can handle getting the right kind of nylon and sewing it all together. My question is about the right kind of fan(s) to use to keep it inflated. I figured I’d just buy a few used inflatable decorations on ebay and use the fans (and maybe make some Frankenstein inspired creations with the fabric – Santa popping out of a jack-o-lantern, whimsical polar bear head attached to a halloween spider, etc). How can I figure out the maximum volume one of those fans can inflate? My Special Santa will probably be much bigger than the store-bought decorations, and I don’t want to resort to trial and error – if I need a bunch of fans I need to plan for it before I start cutting the material and sewing it.
Alternatively, I could search for one of the commercial fans for the really big inflatables you see at tire stores and special promotion “tent sales”. But then I’d need to know that the fan wouldn’t be so strong that it’d shred Special Santa.
Also, I’d like some suggestions on how to make red steam come out of Special Santa’s nostrils.
Any help will be appreciated!
Thanks!