Introduction to Balloons

The word ‘Balloons’ conjures up images 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 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 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.

Balloon History

The initial 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 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 population.

The first public demonstration 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 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 1847. Although the Latex balloon was manufactured in London in the mid eighteen hundreds 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 a hundred 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 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. Balloons are usually used for entertainment or displays.

Some balloons are purely for decorative reasons, others are ideal for specific functions 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 used at Parties

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 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 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!

Using balloons to decorate a special event is a relatively new idea.

Mylar(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 had ever seen them was when they made an appearance at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer and they caused quite a stir. Mylar balloons have attractive high gloss reflective surfaces and can be printed with colour pictures, logos and designs to customise them. The most important property of metalized nylon for balloons is its propensity 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 increased buoyancy. They are ideal for extraordinary celebrations, in-store decorations, parties and for gifts. At our granny’s 90′th birthday party last month I brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the party atmosphere.Mylar balloons or foil balloons can also be created into interesting shapes and can be printed with catch phrases to advertise a brand.

Balloons in Animal Shapes

Balloons shaped like animals are ade from metalized nylon which can easily be cut into pieces so that when stuck 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 impact for that special event. Balloons in animal shapes may be used as gifts or as a talking point at your special event. Animal shaped balloons can make a great birthday gift for a child as an extra surprise.

Balloon Rockets

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 always has most people falling about laughing as it zooms around the place. This game is an experiment in how a rocket works and they are called balloon rockets. As a child I can remember being fascinated as I learned how they worked.

When the mouth of the balloon is released, the balloon contracts so that the higher 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 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 physics 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 children to lob at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other soaked. They are quite often not as big as normal balloons and made from weaker rubber so that they can be easily broken.

Helium Filled Balloons

The reason Helium balloons float upwards is because they are filled with Helium gas which is less dense 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 will 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 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.The advantage of having Helium balloons during your product launch or event is that they are a relatively cost effective way of creating a big impact.

Sculptures from Balloons
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 built so they are possible. These sculptures are usually made and designed by professional balloon modellers as it is a very skilled job. Balloon sculptures are really quite restricted 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 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 bigger in size, stronger and made from one hundred percent biodegradable Latex. Sometimes Helium balloons are used as table decorations for weddings 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.

Balloon Modelling and Balloons in Art

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 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 handy work. 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.

Mass Balloon Drops

Most people have seen a party or dance where at the end of the event a load of balloons are dropped 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 cost way of making 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 tool at the event.

It is possible to setup your own balloon drop for that special event providing you have a room with enough height. Firstly 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 blowing up balloons as it can take quite a while to do the number needed. Then load 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 Can also be performed at many other celebrations, such as graduations and weddings.
For that extra special event such as a wedding, making use of the art of balloon printing can ensure everyone gets the chance to take home a momento from the day.

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 conduct that is available on their website at www.nabas.co.uk

If you are arranging a balloon race in excess of 5,000 balloons, it is a condition 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 of 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

Balloon Safety and The Environment

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 cleared to produce the NRL. The NRL is harvested by tapping mature plants and is an crucial sustainable crop providing employment for many agricultural labourers in some of the poorest regions of the world.

The planting and maintenance of rubber tree plantations helps towards the prevention of tropical rainforest deforestation. Without the cultivation and the consumption of Latex products the plantations might easily become just another sufferer 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 population.

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 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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