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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 on the market that you can get almost anything for any event you want. Balloons are a bright, bouncy item that can be used for many different purposes, including children’s or adult parties, product launches for advertising or promotional events.
When you think about it, a balloon is quite an odd 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 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 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 is without doubt the earliest use of balloon modelling. Early balloons were made of animal guts and were turned into play things for the local population.

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 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 common Latex balloon did not appear until eighteen forty seven. 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 various differing purposes, and decorated in numerous ways to accommodate the circumstance.

Some balloons are purely for decoration, 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?

Good Old Party Balloons

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 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 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 them 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 dimensions 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!

The very first balloons  appear to be made from animal gut which had elastic properties.

Mylar(Foil) Balloons

The foil balloon or Mylar balloons first appeared during the late 1970s. They are generally more costly 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 were used at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana and they caused quite a stir. Foil balloons have beautiful glossy reflective finish and can be supplied with colour images, logos and patterns to customise them. The most useful property of metalized nylon for balloons is its propensity 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 ideal for unusual celebrations, in-store decorations, parties and for gifts. At my Mum’s ninetieth birthday party recently my daughter brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the atmosphere of the party.

Animal-Shaped Balloons

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 exclusive pieces 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 indulgence.

Rockets from Balloons

Blowing up a balloon and releasing 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 shoots about the place. This activity 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 top 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 in essence how a rocket works. The balloon can also be filled with different gases other than air, providing the same effect. Balloon rockets are a widely used a learning aid to demonstrate the principles in laws of nature of the functioning 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 unpredictability of where they will go adds much laughter to the fun.

Water Balloons

The water balloons are obviously filled with water and are intended for kids to throw at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other wet. They are normally not as big as normal sized balloons and made from thin rubber so that they can be easily broken.

Helium Filled Balloons

The reason Helium balloons float up 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 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 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.For any large fund raising or promotional event it is better to purchase wholesale balloons which ensures you get the best prices.

Balloon Sculptures
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 party decorators as it is a very skilled job. Balloon sculptures are really quite restricted because of the shape of the balloons but with clever colour choice simple arches or walls can make an impressive design at your special event. 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 100% 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 stop the balloons from floating away.

Modelling and Art with Balloons

Balloon modelling is a popular entertainment for children and adults alike and should be confused with balloon sculptures discussed above. The Latex employed by balloon modellers is made of extra-stretchy rubber so that it can be twisted and shaped and tied without bursting when making the balloon model. A Balloon modelling artist pulls and twists 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 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 night a load of balloons fall from the roof to create excitement and fun amongst the party guests. 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 generating a festive atmosphere at the party climax, so everyone goes away feeling they have had a really good time.

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, to hold the balloons. Get your friends to help with blowing up 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 works 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.
Choosing quality balloon printing gives that extra something special on the day.

Releasing Balloons on Mass

Due to concerns about the impact on the environment of a large number 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 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 before the event. The CAA also like to be informed of balloon races of 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

Balloons, the Environment and Balloon Safety

Latex is an organic product from rubber trees that are cultivated in certain areas of the tropics, so balloons are completely organic being made of natural rubber Latex (NRL). These trees are not felled to produce the NRL. The NRL is harvested by tapping mature plants and is an essential sustainable crop providing jobs for many agricultural workers in some of the poorest regions of the world. Latex is a sustainable crop that is not harmful to 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 might easily become yet another target of the clearance of land for arable use. One of the great benefits 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 region.

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 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.