Introduction to Balloons
The word ‘Balloons’ conjures up pictures in your mind of simple balloons you inflate 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. Balloons are a bright, bouncy item that can be used for lots of different purposes, including kid’s or adult parties, product launches for advertising or promotional events.
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 pop. The very early balloons would have been made with non-flexible 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 Throughout History
The earliest known balloons were very primitive in that they were made out of the bowels of cats. 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 was probably the first example of balloon modelling.
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 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 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 occur until 100 years later in 1931.
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 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 accommodate the occasion. Balloons are usually used for entertainment or displays.
Some balloons are purely for decorative reasons, others are ideal for specialist 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.
Different Balloon Types
Good Old Party Balloons
The most widely recognised types of balloons are the ones we are used to seeing at parties, generally a child’s party. These are usually bought in small packets and blown up by mouth 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 varying sizes and colours and can have printing on the face which expands as the balloon is blown up. Party balloons are usually 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.This is because Helium particles are so small they can escape between the Latex molecules, apparently!
These days balloons get filled with air or Helium gas. Other gases are too dangerous to use.
Foil Balloons
The foil balloon or Mylar balloons first appeared during the late 1970s. They are slightly 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 and they caused quite a stir. Foil balloons have attractive high gloss reflective finish and can be printed with colour images, branding and styles to customise them. The most useful attribute of metalized nylon for balloons is its capability to keep the Helium gas from leaking for several weeks because it is less permeable. Foil balloons also have the advantage of being light weight, longer-lasting with improved buoyancy. They are best for extraordinary celebrations, in-store displays, parties and for gifts. At my mother’s ninetieth birthday party a few weeks ago my daughter brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the occasion .
Animal-Shaped Balloons
Animal shaped balloons are ade from metalized nylon which can easily be cut into pieces so that when glued 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 exceptional items make a very bright decorative effect for that special event. Animal shaped balloons may be used as gifts or as a talking point at your special event.
Rockets from Balloons
Inflating a balloon and releasing it go before tying it is as game most youngsters enjoy at some time or another (and adults too)! The rude noise it makes usually has most people falling about laughing as it shoots around the place. This activity is an experiment in how a rocket works and they are called balloon rockets. As a youngster I can remember being enthralled as I learned why it did that.
When the mouth of the balloon is let-go, the balloon contracts so that the higher 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 inflated with different gases other than air, resulting inthe same effect. Balloon rockets are a widely used a learning aid to show the principles in laws of nature of the operation of a rocket. The balloon rocket is also often used to demonstrate Newton’s third law in physics. Kids can have hours of fun playing with balloons as a balloon rocket. The randomness of where they will go adds excitement to the activity.
Balloons and Water
The water balloons are obviously filled with water and are intended for children to lob at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other wet. They are quite often not as big as regular balloons and made from thiner 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 is because they are filled with Helium gas which is lighter than air. So for an event where balloons are set off into the air, they will all be Helium filled balloons. If the Helium balloons are rubber balloons they usually only retain their buoyancy for a few days. This is because the Latex has pores that are larger than the enclosed Helium atoms so the Helium gradually seeps out. To increase the life span 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 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 more difficult, but on occasion more ambitious sculptures have been attempted so they are possible. These works of art are usually made and designed by professional balloon modellers as it is a very skilled job. Balloon sculptures are really quite constrained because of the round 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 with exactly the same amount of gas 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. Professional grade balloons differ from most retail packet balloons as they are larger in size, stronger and made from 100% biodegradable Latex. Sometimes Helium balloons are used as table decorations for grand dinner parties which may have three or five balloons with an arrangement of flowers. The decoration will generally include curled ribbon with an added weight to keep the balloons on the table.
Modelling and Art with Balloons
Balloon modelling is a fantastic entertainment for children and adults alike and is not to be confused with balloon sculptures discussed above. The Latex employed by balloon modellers is made of extra-stretchy rubber so that it can be manipulated and tied without bursting when making the balloon model. A Balloon modelling artist pulls and twists the inflated tubular balloons into shapes resembling animals, people or hats. When you watch a balloon modeller at work you half expect that the balloons will pop when they are twisting and tying their creations. These tiny tubular balloons are extremely difficult to inflate and usually need a pump to get them started, until you have developed the lungs for it.
Balloon Drops
Most people have seen a party or dance where at the end of the event a load of balloons fall from the ceiling to create excitement and fun amongst the party guests. This is a balloon drop and is often performed at parties such as New Year’s Eve celebrations or at political rallies and conventions. It is a relatively low cost way of creating a festive atmosphere at the party climax, so everyone goes home feeling they have had a really good time. By printing messages or logos on the balloons they can also be an advertising item at the event.
It is possible to setup your own balloon drop for your special event providing you have a room with high enough ceilings. Firstly 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 friends to help with inflating balloons as it can take a long time 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 drop onto the target area below when they are let go. You will also need to devise 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 Can also be employed for many other celebrations, such as graduations and weddings.
That special event can be made more exciting by using balloons arches especially when used to create a grand entrance.
Balloon Releases
Because of concerns about the effect 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 planning a balloon race of more than 5,000 balloons, it is an obligation 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 informed of balloon releases involving less than 5,000. An application form can be requested 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 an organic product obtained from rubber trees that are grown in certain areas of the tropics, so balloons are actually environmentally friendly being made of natural rubber Latex (NRL). These trees are not cleared to extract the NRL. The NRL is obtained by tapping mature trees and is an crucial sustainable crop providing work for many agricultural workers in some of the poorest areas of the world. Latex is a sustainable harvest that is not harmful to the environment and the economy of the country in which the rubber trees are grown.
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 sufferer of the clearance of land for arable use. One of the great advantages of NRL cultivation is the noticeable 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 fun 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.
When you think about it balloons are a major part of modern day life, did you realise?