Using nothing but helium and foam, helium clouds are becoming a popular promotional tool and a lucrative tourist attraction.
Helium clouds in a box
The contraption is simple. At the top of the box are interchangeable wooden boards with different holes cut out of them, which form the various shapes of the helium clouds. An included connector and hose hook the box up to any standard helium cylinder.
(The helium is not normally included with the purchase, but you can always get it here, and we have the regulators too.)
From inside of the machine pours a consistent flow of foam made from a soapy solution – think novelty magic wand bubble bottles. The difference is that these bubbles are filled with the helium instead of air, allowing the fake clouds to float straight up toward the real ones.
The machine slowly churns the foam up through the hole in the template. When they reach an ample thickness, the helium clouds are then sliced off and released to the sky using a stick or dowel.
The price of helium clouds
The machines for making helium clouds can run from $2,000 to $4,000 per unit to purchase, but are rented out for as much as $2,500 per event.
A man in Zhengzhou, China made headlines recently after claiming he is making up to $1,562 (USD) per day by renting his machines out to companies for events. (For comparison, the average worker’s salary in Zhengzhou at the time of this writing is just under $600 per month, or $20 a day.)
Who knew helium clouds could become so profitable?
Source: YouTube, Facebook.com/CCTVNews