Introduction to Balloons
The word ‘Balloons’ conjures up pictures in your mind of simple balloons you blow up for kid’s parties, or balloons that fly off on their own, or the special balloons for key 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 need.
When you think about it, a balloon is quite an odd 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 first balloons would have been made with non-stretch material but modern dayballoons have great elasticity because they are made of Latex and can be pumped up to create much larger sizes than earlier ones. Balloons come in many different sizes and colours and can brighten up any event and provide a festive atmosphere.
Balloon History
The first known balloons were very simple 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 stitched 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 youngsters.
The first public exhibition of a balloon was at the Portuguese Court in Lisbon in 1809 by a Portuguese priest, Bartolomeu de Gusmao, and was most 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 familiar Latex balloon did not appear until 1847. 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 1931.
The balloon industry became more advanced as they developed in line with technology. Now balloons are made from rubber Latex, polychloroprene or nylon and may be filled with air, Helium, hydrogen or water. Filling 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 many differing purposes, and decorated in numerous ways to suit the occasion.
Some balloons are purely for decoration, others are ideal for specific 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?
Balloons for Parties
The most common types of balloons are the ones we are used to seeing at parties, particularly a child’s party. These are often 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 cluster of balloons 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 the face which expands as the balloon is blown up. Party balloons are mostly made of natural Latex tapped from rubber trees. The rubber’s elasticity makes the size variable. Balloons filled with air usually hold their size and shape much longer than those filled with Helium.
Hanging balloons to decorate a special event is a relatively recent idea.
Foil Balloons
The foil balloon or Mylar balloons first appeared during the late 1970s. They are slightly more expensive 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 beautiful high gloss reflective surfaces and can be printed with colour pictures, logos and designs to customise them. The most crucial aspect of metalized nylon for balloons is its ability to retain the Helium gas from escaping for several weeks because it is less porus. Foil balloons also have the benefit of being light weight, longer-lasting with improved buoyancy. They are perfect for unusual celebrations, in-store displays, parties and for gifts. At my mother’s 90′th birthday party last month one of the members of the family brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the occasion .Mylar balloons or foil balloons can also be cut into interesting shapes and can be printed with logos to advertise a company.
Balloons Shaped as Animals
Animal shaped balloons are ade from metalized nylon which can easily be cut into pieces so that when sewn 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 pieces make a very bright decorative effect for that special event. Balloons shaped like animals may be used as gifts or as a talking point at your special event. Balloons in animal shapes can make a great birthday gift for a child as an extra surprise.
Rocket Balloons
Inflating a balloon and letting it go before tying it is as game most children play at some time or another (and adults too)! The rude noise it makes generally has everyone falling about laughing as it speeds all over the room. This demonstration is an experiment in how a rocket works and they are called balloon rockets. As a child I can remember being intrigued as I learned why it did that.
When the mouth of the balloon is let-go, 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 effectively how a rocket works. The balloon can also be inflated with different gases other than air, providing the same effect. Balloon rockets are a widely used a teaching device to reveal the principles in physics of the functioning of a rocket. The balloon rocket is also regularly used to demonstrate Newton’s third law in physics.
Balloons and Water
The water balloons are obviously filled with water and are intended for youngsters to fling at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other wet through. They are quite often smaller than normal sized balloons and made from weaker rubber so that they can be easily broken.
Helium Balloons
The reason Helium balloons float upwards 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 seeps out. To increase the buoyancy period of a Helium balloon the inside of the balloons can be coated with a special polymer solution which reduces 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 require Helium balloons. If air filled balloons were used they would never get off the ground.
Sculptures from Balloons
Balloon Sculptures are made from 100’s of balloons to create a solid structure such as a balloon arch, wall or statute. Other shapes are more difficult, but on occasion more ambitious sculptures have been attempted so they are possible. These sculptures are usually made and designed by professional party decorators as it is a skilled job. Balloon sculptures are really quite limited because of the shape of the balloons but with intelligent colour choice simple arches or walls can make an impressive design at your gathering. The balloons need to be precision filled and to do this professional balloon party decorators use precision pumps to deliver the exact amount of Helium into the balloon. For non-floating balloons air inflators are used. Professional grade 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 5 balloons with an arrangement of flowers. The decoration will generally include curled ribbon tied to a weight to keep the balloons on the table.
Modelling and Art with Balloons
Balloon modelling is a popular entertainment for children and adults alike and is not to be confused with balloon sculptures discussed previously. The Latex employed by balloon modellers 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 pulls and twists the inflated modelling balloons into shapes of animals, people or hats. When you watch a balloon modeller at work you half expect that the balloons will burst when they are twisting and tying their creations. These tiny tubular balloons are extremely difficult to inflate and often need a pump to get them started.
Dropping Lots of Balloons from a Net
I am sure you will have been to a party or dance where at the end of the night hundreds of balloons fall from the roof to create excitement and fun amongst the party guests. This is 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 cost way of generating a festive atmosphere at the party climax, so everyone goes away feeling they have had a really good time.
It is possible to create your own balloon drop for that special event providing you have a room with high enough ceilings. To begin with you will need to set up a large plastic bag or net overhead, which is suspended at the required height. Get your friends to lend a hand with inflating balloons as it can take a long time to do the number needed. Then pile the inflated balloons into the net and make sure the opening is central so that the balloons will drop onto the target area below when they are released. You will also need to create a mechanism for releasing the balloons. Balloon drops may also be employed for many other celebrations, including graduations and weddings.
by setting up a set of a few balloons arches creating a tunnel effect at the entrance to the venue.
Mass Balloon Releases
Because of concerns about the impact on the environment of a large amount of balloons being released, the NABAS - The Balloon Association have produced a code of practise that is available on their website at www.nabas.co.uk
If you are preparing a balloon race in excess of 5,000 balloons, it is a necessity that you apply in writing for permission to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at least 28 days in advance. The CAA also like to be notified about balloon releases involving less than 5,000. An application form can be obtained 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 from rubber trees that are cultivated in certain areas of the tropics, so balloons are completely organic being manufactured from natural rubber Latex (NRL). These trees are not cut down to produce the NRL. The NRL is harvested by tapping older plants and is an indespensible sustainable crop providing work for many agricultural workers in some of the poorest regions of the world. Latex is a sustainable crop that is good for the environment and the economy of the country in which the rubber trees grow.
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 just another victim of the clearance of land for farming. One of the great by-products of NRL cultivation is the considerable contribution to the removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere that is produced by industrialised nations and is a major source of global warming. The tropical regions in which rubber trees grow are often in some of the poorest parts of the world, so an industry from such a sustainable source is a vital income for the population.
Printed Latex balloons are an absolutely fantastic, low-cost and environmentally friendly way of advertising your promotion or event.
Conclusion
The toy balloon has been a source of happiness and excitement for many years at celebratory events such as parties, product launches and conferences throughout the world. They have been an educational tool as well as providing hours of fun and interest 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.
A world without balloons would be a much poorer place and balloons will remain an active part of the world’s makeup for many years to come.
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