The Complete Guide to Balloons|Balloons Balloons|All You Need to Know About Balloons| What More do You Need to Know About Balloons?|The World of Balloons|My Lovely Balloons}
Introduction to Balloons
The word ‘Balloons’ conjures up ideas in your mind of simple balloons you blow up for children’s parties, or balloons that fly off on their own, or the special balloons for big events like the ones produced for the wedding of Charles and Diana? There are so many different types of balloons available that you can get almost anything for any event you want.
When you think about it, a balloon is a very strange item. It is something that expands when filled with air or some other type of gas, such as Helium or hydrogen and is very fragile so that it can easily burst. The very early balloons would have been made with non-flexible material but modern balloons have great elasticity because they are made of Latex and can be pumped up to create much larger sizes than earlier ones.
Balloons Throughout History
The first known balloons were very primitive in that they were made out of the bowels of animals. The Aztec Indians in Central and Southern America carefully cleaned out the cat gut, turned it inside out and sewed it with special vegetable thread that stuck to itself when dried in the sun creating an almost airtight seal. The balloons were shaped into model animals and then filled with air to be burnt on the top of the Aztec pyramid as an offering to the sun god. This is the first recorded history of balloon modelling. Early balloons were made of animal guts and were turned into play things for the local children.
The first public exhibition of a balloon was at the Portuguese Court in Lisbon in seventeen hundred and nine by a Portuguese priest, Bartolomeu de Gusmao, and was probably likely to be made from an animal bladder that stretched when filled with air. The modern rubber balloon was invented in 1824 by Michael Faraday the renowned English chemist and physicist who invented, amongst other many other things, the Faraday cage and he also made huge contributions to the fields electromagnetism and electrochemistry. The balloons Faraday used were filled with hydrogen for his science experiments with Hydrogen, but the more everyday Latex balloon did not appear until eighteen forty seven. Although the Latex balloon was manufactured in London in the mid 1800’s and early rubber balloons were sold in America in parks and circuses for a penny each; the mass production of them did not appear until 100 years later in nineteen thirty one.
The world of balloons became more advanced as they developed in line with technology. Now balloons are made from rubber Latex, polychloroprene or nylon and may be inflated with air, Helium, hydrogen or water. Inflating the balloon with air can be done with the mouth, a manual hand pump, electric inflator, foot pump or with compressed gas. Balloons are used for various differing purposes, and decorated in numerous ways to fit the occasion.
Some balloons are purely for decorative reasons, others are ideal for individual uses because of their low density and relatively low cost. The balloon’s properties have led to them being used in a wide range of other applications in the areas of meteorology, military defence, medical treatment, and transportation.
What are all the types of Balloons Available?
Good Old Party Balloons
The most widely recognised types of balloons are the ones we are used to seeing at parties, particularly a child’s party. These are frequently bought in small packets and blown up by volunteers or with a pump to create a festive scene for children’s parties and other kinds of celebratory events. These days you often see a balloon cluster at the entrance to a house or hall to indicate where the party is being held, it has almost become a universal indicator of a party in progress! The balloons come in many different sizes and colours and can have printing on sometimes which expands as the balloon is blown up. Party balloons are generally made of natural Latex tapped from rubber trees. The rubber’s elasticity makes the volume variable. Balloons filled with air always hold their size and shape much longer than those filled with Helium.This is because Helium particles are so small they can escape between the Latex molecules, apparently!
Animal shaped balloons will make a brilliant feature of children’s parties to help make it an exciting event.
Foil Balloons
The foil balloon or Mylar balloons first appeared during the late 1970s. They are generally more high priced than Latex balloons and are made of thin non-stretch metalized plastic film or Mylar. The first time I remember them being used a major event was when they made an appearance at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer and they caused quite a stir. These balloons have lovely high gloss reflective surfaces and can be finished with colour pictures, logos and patterns to customise them. The most crucial aspect of metalized nylon for balloons is its ability to keep the Helium gas from escaping for several weeks because it is less permeable. Foil balloons also have the benefit of being light weight, longer-lasting with improved buoyancy. They are ideal for unusual celebrations, in-store displays, parties and for gifts. At my Mum’s 90′th birthday celebration a few weeks ago my brother brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the party atmosphere.Mylar balloons or foil balloons can also be cut into star shapes and can be printed with patterns to advertise an event.
Animal-Shaped Balloons
Balloons in animal shapes are ade from metalized nylon which can easily be cut into pieces so that when pressed together they make the three dimensional shapes of animals. Screen printing the appropriate design on the model, makes the chosen animal come realistically alive. Once inflated, these spectacular balloons make a very bright decorative effect for that special event. Balloons in animal shapes may be used as gifts or as a talking point at your special event. Balloons shaped like animals can make a great birthday gift for a child as an extra surprise.
Rockets from Balloons
Blowing up a balloon and letting it go before tying it is as game most kids play at some time or another (and adults too)! The rude noise it makes generally has all but the really stone faced falling about laughing as it speeds about the room. This game is an experiment in how a rocket works and they are called balloon rockets. As a kid I can remember being fascinated as I learned how they worked.
When the top of the balloon is released, the elasticity of the balloon contracts so that the greater pressure of air inside is forced out causing the balloon to be propelled forward. This is essentially how a rocket works. The balloon can also be filled with different gases other than air, producing the same results. Balloon rockets are a widely used a teaching device to reveal the principles in physics of the operation of a rocket. The balloon rocket is also often used to demonstrate Newton’s third law in physics.
Water Balloons
The water balloons are obviously filled with water and are intended for youngsters to chuck at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other wet through. They are generally not as big as normal sized balloons and made from thin rubber so that they can be easily broken. Water balloons are often used in competitions or games.
Balloons Filled with Helium Gas
The reason Helium balloons float in to the sky is because they are filled with Helium gas which is lighter than air. So for an event where balloons are set off into the atmosphere, they will all be Helium filled balloons. If the Helium balloons are rubber balloons they generally only retain their buoyancy for a few days. This is because the Latex has tiny holes that are larger than the enclosed Helium atoms so the Helium gradually escapes. To increase the life span of a Helium balloon the inside of the balloons can be coated with a special polymer solution which lessens the leakage of the Helium for a week or more. Having even just one foil Helium filled balloon at a small party can create a special effect to enhance the occasion.Balloon races must only utilise Helium balloons. Balloons filled with ordinary air would not float.
Balloon Sculpting
Balloon Sculptures are made from hundreds of balloons to create a solid structure such as a balloon arch, wall or statute. Other shapes are a bit more challenging, but on occasion more ambitious sculptures have been created so they are possible. These sculptures are usually made and designed by professional party decorators as it is a very skilled job. Balloon sculptures are really quite constrained because of the shape of the balloons but with intelligent colour choice simple arches or walls can make an impressive feature at your party. The balloons need to be precision filled and to do this professional balloon sculptors use precision pumps to deliver the exact amount of Helium into the balloon. For non-floating balloons air inflators are used. Industrial quality balloons differ from most retail packet balloons as they are bigger in size, stronger and made from one hundred percent biodegradable Latex. Sometimes Helium balloons are used as table decorations for special events which may have three or five balloons with an arrangement of flowers. The decoration will generally include curled ribbon with an added weight to stop the balloons from floating away.
Balloon Art and Modelling
Balloon modelling is a popular entertainment for children and adults alike and should be confused with balloon sculptures discussed above. The Latex used for balloon modelling is made of extra-stretchy rubber so that it can be manipulated and tied without popping when making the balloon model. A Balloon modelling artist twists and ties the inflated modelling balloons into shapes resembling animals, people or hats. When I have watched these artists at work I am always anxious that the balloons will burst when they are twisting and tying their creations. These tiny modelling balloons are extremely tricky to inflate and often need a pump to get them started, until you have developed the lungs for it.
Dropping Lots of Balloons from a Net
Most people have seen a party or dance where at the end of the night lots of balloons fall from the roof to create excitement and fun amongst the audience. This is called a balloon drop and is often performed at events such as New Year’s Eve celebrations or at political rallies and conventions. It is a relatively low budget way of creating a festive atmosphere at the party climax, so everyone goes home feeling they have had a really good time.
It is easy enough to create your own balloon drop for that special event providing you have a room with enough height. To begin with you will need to set up a large plastic bag or net overhead, which is suspended at the required height, to hold the balloons. Get your assistants to lend a hand with inflating balloons as it can take quite a while to do the number needed. Then pile the inflated balloons into the container and make sure the opening is central so that the balloons will fall onto the target area below when they are let go. You will also need to create a mechanism for releasing the balloons, and make sure you have thoroughly tested it so everything goes to plan at the big moment. Balloon drops may also be performed at many other celebrations, such as graduations and weddings.
To make an impact at a promotional occasion advertising balloons are a wonderful way to reinforce your products to clients.
Mass Balloon Releases
Because of concerns about the bearing on the environment of a large number of balloons being released, the NABAS – The Balloon Association have produced a code of practise which can be found on their website at www.nabas.co.uk
If you are arranging a balloon release involving 5,000 balloons, it is an obligation that you apply in writing for permission to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at least 28 days before the event. The CAA also like to be notified about balloon releases of less than 5,000. An application form can be acquired by calling either the NABAS office on 01989 762 204 or the Airspace Utilisation Section of the CAA on 020 7453 6599
Environmental Concerns and Balloon Safety
Latex is a natural product obtained from rubber trees that are grown in certain regions of the tropics, so balloons are actually environmentally friendly being manufactured from natural rubber Latex (NRL). These trees are not harvested to produce the NRL. The NRL is harvested by tapping older trees and is an crucial sustainable crop providing employment for many agricultural workers in some of the poorest areas of the world.
The planting and maintenance of rubber tree plantations contributes towards the prevention of tropical rainforest deforestation. Without the cultivation and the consumption of Latex products the plantations may very well become yet another target of the clearance of land for construction. One of the great by-products of NRL cultivation is the appreciable contribution to the removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere that is produced by industrialised nations and is a major source of global warming.
Conclusion
The toy balloon has been a source of delight and excitement for many years at celebratory events such as parties, product launches and conferences throughout the world. They have been an educational resource as well as providing hours of entertainment and play for children and adults alike. Non toy balloons are used for experiments in science, as an aid for heart repair in medicine and even as a form of travel as in the hydrogen air ship idea. Balloons are invaluable in helping us to learn about our world and some of the properties of physics.