Introduction to Balloons
The word ‘Balloons' conjures up ideas 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 on the market 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 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 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 create a festive atmosphere. History of Balloons The initial known balloons were very simple 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. The first public demonstration 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 experiments with Hydrogen, but the more common 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 appear 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. 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 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. There are many different types of balloons which can be categorised under different headings. Different Types of Balloons Balloons used at Parties The most common 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 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 sometimes which expands as the balloon is blown up. Party balloons are almost always made of natural Latex tapped from rubber trees. The rubber's elasticity makes the size variable. Balloons filled with air will hold their size and shape much longer than those filled with Helium. There is a great range of colours for balloons and many different sizes due to the flexibility of the material from which they are made. Children especially have hours of fun heading balloons after the party, keep-it-up being one of my favourite ways to entertain my children with a balloon. Mylar(Foil) Balloons The foil balloon or Mylar balloons first appeared during the late 1970s. They are generally 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. Mylar balloons have lovely high gloss reflective surfaces and can be supplied with colour images, branding and styles to customise them. The most crucial aspect of metalized nylon for balloons is its ability to prevent the Helium gas from leaking for several weeks because it is less porus. Foil balloons also have the benefit of being light weight, longer-lasting with better buoyancy. They are perfect for special celebrations, in-store decorations, parties and for gifts. At my mother's 90'th birthday party last year I brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the festive occasion. Balloons Shaped as Animals Animal shaped balloons 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 exclusive pieces 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. Balloons in animal shapes can make a great birthday gift for a child as an extra indulgence. Rockets from Balloons Blowing up a balloon and releasing it go without tying it is as game most kids play at some time or another (and adults too)! The rude noise it makes generally has most people falling about laughing as it speeds around the room. This demonstration is an experiment in how a rocket works and they are called balloon rockets. As a kid I can remember being enthralled as I learned why it did that. When the top 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 fundamentally how a rocket works. The balloon can also be filled with different gases other than air, producing the same results. Balloon rockets are a widely used a teaching device to demonstrate the principles in physics of the functioning of a rocket. The balloon rocket is also frequently used to demonstrate Newton's third law in physics. Children can have hours of fun playing with balloons as a balloon rocket. The unpredictability of where they will go adds excitement to the activity. Balloons Filled With Water The water balloons are obviously filled with water and are intended for youngsters to lob at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other wet. They are usually smaller than regular balloons and made from weaker 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 in to the sky 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 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 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. These days Helium balloons at races and releases are made of one hundred percent bio-degradable Latex rubber. Balloon Sculpting
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 constructed 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 constrained because of the round shape of the balloons but with clever 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 sculptors use precision pumps to deliver the exact amount of Helium into the balloon. For non-floating balloons air inflators are used. Professional 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 grand dinner parties which may have 3 or five balloons with an arrangement of flowers. The decoration will usually include curled ribbon tied to a 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 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 twisted and shaped and tied without bursting when making the balloon model. A Balloon modelling artist twists and ties the inflated modelling balloons into shapes of 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 modelling balloons are extremely tricky to inflate and often need a pump to get them started. Mass Balloon Drops Most people have seen a party or dance where at the end of the night hundreds 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 parties such as New Year's Eve celebrations or at political rallies and conventions. It is a relatively low budget way of making a festive atmosphere at the party climax, so everyone goes away feeling they have had a really good time. It is easy enough to setup your own balloon drop for your 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 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. Balloon drops Can also be employed for many other celebrations, such as graduations and weddings.
Balloon releases are a great way to utilise Helium advertising balloons to communicate your marketing message. Balloon Releases 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 conduct which can be found on their website at www.nabas.co.uk If you are arranging a balloon race in excess of 5,000 balloons, it is a requirement 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 races involving 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 a natural product obtained 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 cleared to extract the NRL. The NRL is obtained by tapping older plants and is an essential sustainable crop providing jobs for many agricultural workers in some of the poorest areas 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 object of the clearance of land for farming. One of the great by-products of NRL cultivation is the significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere that is produced by industrialised nations and is a major source of global warming. 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 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 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. http://www.21oo.net
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 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 create a festive atmosphere. History of Balloons The initial known balloons were very simple 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. The first public demonstration 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 experiments with Hydrogen, but the more common 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 appear 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. 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 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. There are many different types of balloons which can be categorised under different headings. Different Types of Balloons Balloons used at Parties The most common 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 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 sometimes which expands as the balloon is blown up. Party balloons are almost always made of natural Latex tapped from rubber trees. The rubber's elasticity makes the size variable. Balloons filled with air will hold their size and shape much longer than those filled with Helium. There is a great range of colours for balloons and many different sizes due to the flexibility of the material from which they are made. Children especially have hours of fun heading balloons after the party, keep-it-up being one of my favourite ways to entertain my children with a balloon. Mylar(Foil) Balloons The foil balloon or Mylar balloons first appeared during the late 1970s. They are generally 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. Mylar balloons have lovely high gloss reflective surfaces and can be supplied with colour images, branding and styles to customise them. The most crucial aspect of metalized nylon for balloons is its ability to prevent the Helium gas from leaking for several weeks because it is less porus. Foil balloons also have the benefit of being light weight, longer-lasting with better buoyancy. They are perfect for special celebrations, in-store decorations, parties and for gifts. At my mother's 90'th birthday party last year I brought along a foil balloon with 90 printed on it to add to the festive occasion. Balloons Shaped as Animals Animal shaped balloons 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 exclusive pieces 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. Balloons in animal shapes can make a great birthday gift for a child as an extra indulgence. Rockets from Balloons Blowing up a balloon and releasing it go without tying it is as game most kids play at some time or another (and adults too)! The rude noise it makes generally has most people falling about laughing as it speeds around the room. This demonstration is an experiment in how a rocket works and they are called balloon rockets. As a kid I can remember being enthralled as I learned why it did that. When the top 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 fundamentally how a rocket works. The balloon can also be filled with different gases other than air, producing the same results. Balloon rockets are a widely used a teaching device to demonstrate the principles in physics of the functioning of a rocket. The balloon rocket is also frequently used to demonstrate Newton's third law in physics. Children can have hours of fun playing with balloons as a balloon rocket. The unpredictability of where they will go adds excitement to the activity. Balloons Filled With Water The water balloons are obviously filled with water and are intended for youngsters to lob at each other as a game or practical joke with the aim of getting each other wet. They are usually smaller than regular balloons and made from weaker 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 in to the sky 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 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 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. These days Helium balloons at races and releases are made of one hundred percent bio-degradable Latex rubber. Balloon Sculpting
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 constructed 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 constrained because of the round shape of the balloons but with clever 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 sculptors use precision pumps to deliver the exact amount of Helium into the balloon. For non-floating balloons air inflators are used. Professional 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 grand dinner parties which may have 3 or five balloons with an arrangement of flowers. The decoration will usually include curled ribbon tied to a 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 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 twisted and shaped and tied without bursting when making the balloon model. A Balloon modelling artist twists and ties the inflated modelling balloons into shapes of 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 modelling balloons are extremely tricky to inflate and often need a pump to get them started. Mass Balloon Drops Most people have seen a party or dance where at the end of the night hundreds 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 parties such as New Year's Eve celebrations or at political rallies and conventions. It is a relatively low budget way of making a festive atmosphere at the party climax, so everyone goes away feeling they have had a really good time. It is easy enough to setup your own balloon drop for your 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 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. Balloon drops Can also be employed for many other celebrations, such as graduations and weddings.
Balloon releases are a great way to utilise Helium advertising balloons to communicate your marketing message. Balloon Releases 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 conduct which can be found on their website at www.nabas.co.uk If you are arranging a balloon race in excess of 5,000 balloons, it is a requirement 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 races involving 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 a natural product obtained 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 cleared to extract the NRL. The NRL is obtained by tapping older plants and is an essential sustainable crop providing jobs for many agricultural workers in some of the poorest areas 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 object of the clearance of land for farming. One of the great by-products of NRL cultivation is the significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere that is produced by industrialised nations and is a major source of global warming. 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 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 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. http://www.21oo.net
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