My Lovely Balloons
Introduction to Balloons
The word ‘Balloons’ conjures up images in your mind of simple balloons you inflate 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 on the market that you can get almost anything for any event you need.
When you think about it, a balloon is a very strange item. It is something that stretches 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-stretch material but modern balloons have great elasticity because they are made of Latex and can be filled up to create much larger sizes than earlier ones.
Balloons Throughout 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 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 was probably the first example of balloon modelling.
The first public showing 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 eighteen twenty four 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 occur 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 many differing purposes, and decorated in numerous ways to fit the occasion.
Some balloons are purely for decorative reasons, others are ideal for individual purposes because of their low density and are relatively cheap to procure. 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. There are many different types of balloons which can be categorised under different headings.
Different Balloon Types
Balloons for Parties
The most widely recognised types of balloons are the ones we are used to seeing at parties, particularly a child’s party. These are usually bought in small packets and blown up by Mum’s and Dad’s 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 them which expands as the balloon is inflated. Party balloons are mostly made of natural Latex tapped from rubber trees. The rubber’s elasticity makes the size 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!
Get something unique made by selecting printed balloons a great way to really make that special party or event.
Balloons made of Foil
The foil balloon or Mylar balloons first appeared during the late 1970s. They are slightly more costly 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 were used at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana and they caused quite a stir. These balloons have lovely glossy reflective surfaces and can be supplied with colour pictures, branding and patterns to customise them. The most useful characteristic of metalized nylon for balloons is its capacity to prevent the Helium gas from escaping for several weeks because it is less porus. Foil balloons also have the advantage of being light weight, longer-lasting with better buoyancy. They are best for special celebrations, in-store displays, parties and for gifts. At my mother’s 90′th birthday celebration a few months ago my son brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the atmosphere of the party.Mylar balloons or foil balloons can also be made into various shapes and can be printed with logos to advertise a new product.
Balloons Shaped as Animals
Balloons shaped like animals 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 unique items make a very bright decorative show for that special event. Animal shaped balloons may be used as gifts or as a talking point at your special event.
Rockets from Balloons
Blowing up a balloon and releasing it go before tying it is as game most youngsters play at some time or another (and adults too)! The rude noise it makes usually has everyone falling about laughing as it shoots all over 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 fascinated 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 fundamentally how a rocket works. The balloon can also be filled with different gases other than air, resulting inthe same effect. Balloon rockets are a widely used a learning aid to reveal 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.
Balloons and Water
The water balloons are obviously filled with water and are intended for kids to lob at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other wet through. They are normally smaller than regular 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 pores that are larger than the enclosed Helium atoms so the Helium gradually leaks out. To increase the buoyancy period 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.A balloon release of thousands of brightly coloured Helium balloons released at the same time make a fantastic sight.
Balloon Sculptures
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 built 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 limited because of the round shape of the balloons but with intelligent colour choice simple arches or walls can make an impressive feature at your special event. The balloons need to be precision filled with exactly the same amount of gas and to do this professional balloon party decorators use electronic equipment 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 larger in size, stronger and made from 100% 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 Modelling and Balloons in Art
Balloon modelling is a popular entertainment for children and adults alike and should 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 bursting 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 pop when they are twisting and tying their handy work. These tiny tubular balloons are extremely difficult to inflate and usually need a pump to get them started.
Mass Balloon Drops
Most people have seen a party or dance where at the end of the event lots of balloons are dropped from the ceiling to create excitement and fun amongst the party guests. This is known as 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 creating a festive atmosphere at the party climax, so everyone goes away feeling they have had a really great evening. 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 that special event as long as 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 help 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 fall onto the target area below when they are released. You will also need to develop a mechanism for releasing the balloons.
Sometimes marketing departments ignore advertising balloons to convey their message to potential customers, but it is an excellent advertising medium.
Releasing Balloons on Mass
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 conduct that is available on their website at www.nabas.co.uk
If you are arranging a balloon race involving 5,000 balloons, it is a pre-requisite 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
Balloon Safety and The Environment
Latex is an organic product from rubber trees that are cultivated in certain regions of the tropics, so balloons are actually organic being made of natural rubber Latex (NRL). These trees are not cleared to extract the NRL. The NRL is harvested by tapping mature trees and is an essential 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 target of the clearance of land for arable use. One of the great benefits 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. 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 region.
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 entertainment 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.
When you think about it balloons are a major part of modern day life, did you realise?