pi * diameter * diameter * length
260Q Volume = ----------------------------------- cubic inches
4
A fully inflated 260Q is really 1.75" in diameter, and 50" long.
3.14 * 1.75 * 1.75 * 50
260Q Volume = ------------------------- = 120.3 cubic inches
4
1 cubic foot = 12 * 12 * 12 = 1728 cubic inches
120.3
260Q Volume in cubic feet = ------- = 0.07 cubic feet
1728
The problem is getting it in there in the first place!
The part of the true magic of the balloon is in the blowing. It has a person's breath trapped inside, to give it life. A pump does not take away the magic of balloons, but blowing them up by mouth adds to the magic.
Have you ever seen a mouth inflater at work? It adds an incredible amount of excitement to an event, even if he/she is far away. It is kind of like action and color in motion.
There are balloon pumps that make this task somewhat easier. If you are interested in balloon sculpting as just a hobby, a pump can be a great asset, however I strongly urge anyone who plans to use balloons in an act to learn to blow them up with his mouth. It looks much more impressive than using a pump and means that there's one less item to carry to shows. That doesn't mean that if you're twisting balloons for an audience you should avoid pumps. If you're inflating more than a few balloons a pump can be a very handy tool.
There is also a case for being able to blow by mouth when the need arises! There isn't anyone who hasn't seen or been in the situation of having half the shift to go and a long line of anticipating moppets when the pump snaps, jams or otherwise thumbs its nose at you.
When I inflate a balloon by mouth, it takes 1 - 2 seconds. People are usually impressed by how quickly I inflate and tie off. It doesn't interfere with my patter very much at all. If you do shtick while you're inflating, you're probably taking more than one breath to blow it up, which makes it more difficult.
The mouth inflation method is the most convenient for me and I'll stick with it. I recommend trying it. I think the impression you make by being able to blow the balloons up by mouth is worth more than being able to talk to someone for the 10 seconds it takes to inflate the balloon. It just takes practice...remember keep those cheeks in!
I have a Pump-0 and a Pogo pump, but I have yet to find anything that gives me the freedom of inflating by mouth.
Blowing balloons by mouth gives me two very important benefits. The first is the above mentioned freedom. When I am doing a large group (indoor or outdoor) it gives me a chance to circulate and mingle and this is much better for me than standing in a single place for long hours. The second benefit is perhaps the strongest. The interplay between the group and myself about the ability to blow-up 260's is worth the effort to practice the blowing. It's a great way to handle hecklers, to challenge the big strong macho guys, and to make your performance remembered by everyone.
I always have a banter going on with the audience; even when blowing the balloons up I'm making faces or doing a take on a member of the audience. I feel that you can not have this kind of intimacy with your audience when you use a pump. (Hey, you can't get much more intimate, you just gave them some of your spit.)
I have a pump but blow up balloons by mouth mostly. I like to make faces when I blow up the balloons. One face is me out of breath. The other face is that the balloon is going to explode. Usually my comment is like "this color (what ever it is) will usually EXPLODE!" before I proceed to blow it up. I use this routine in twisting as well and it helps in two ways. If the balloon explodes, no one is surprised and I just get another one. If I make a mistake and a part of the sculpture deflates or explodes, I just say "Well I was afraid of that." and continue.
I can blow up two balloons at a time with my mouth, plus flash inflate. You can't do those with a pump.
I blow by mouth. Not only is it impressive for the parents and any others who have ever tried to blow these things up, but it gets the balloon up in the air which is good for visibility (in restaurants, etc.). Plus not having a pump is one less thing to haul around.
The audience expects a twister to blow the things by mouth and the kids love to be tickled by them as they are being blown. If you can blow them up by mouth, you can more effectively engage an audience and adults by challenging them to blow the balloons up themselves. It's quite a laugh to see them try!
There is a difference in the feel of balloons blown up by mouth and by pump. Pumped balloons are tighter and of a larger diameter than mouth inflated balloons. It is probably due to the fact that mouth inflated balloons contain warm moist air from your lungs while pumped balloons are full of air at room conditions.
From years of experience I would agree that humidity makes a big difference in the feel, resilience, and workability of balloons. They also seem to squeak less when blown my mouth than when they're pumped with drier ambient air.
FIRST read about the health complications of mouth inflating balloons.
Then, put on some safety glasses before you try any of this!
When you first get started you will probably be tempted to stretch the balloon. You may find that it helps some, but more likely, you'll just change the shape of the balloon and possibly weaken it enough in some areas that it will pop when you start twisting. Stretching the balloon is useful if you want to fill it a little differently, like with a bulge in the middle, but that's about it. The more they are stretched or weakened, the sooner they'll pop. The best way to fill the balloon is with one large breath without pausing. The fewer breaths it takes to inflate the balloon, the smoother the balloon will look and the easier it will be to work with. Unfortunately most people can't do that.
Hold the nozzle of the balloon in your mouth and pinch the balloon about one inch away from the nozzle. Just hold the rolled nozzle (collar) between your lips, not your teeth, I always tell people to hold the balloon with the palm outwards, back of the hand above the mouth and shielding the eyes. I've had balloons blow up in my face many times. About half the time there's some warning -- the balloon will blow up with a kink in it, or inflate with decidedly variable flow, or behave strangely in some respect just before it goes. Not nearly always, though. If I didn't always wear my glasses when twisting, I suspect I'd have gotten slapped pretty good at least a couple of times. As it is, I just get a stung cheek once every night or two.
After being snapped in the eye once, I changed my inflation procedure. I hold the balloon between my thumb & index finger, palm out. I place my index finger against my nose, causing the back of my hand to be protecting my eyes. I let the index finger and thumb of my other hand to glide down the balloon, while inflating, "feeling for imperfections". If one is felt, I stop and check it out. I still get popped, but not in the eye, and it has certainly decreased getting snapped as much as before. Also, aim the ballon down and away as you fill it. And I notice that, of the hand in my face, the middle, ring, and little fingers are almost in my eye. Don't mess with your eyes! I still worry a bit that a balloon might blind me. The minimum I suggest to those who mouth inflate is wear glasses (even if you need to put plain glass in there). Also, twist away from the face since the balloons can also pop afterwards.
Blow into this small section of the balloon and try to form a bubble. While blowing, stretch the section of balloon you are holding a small amount (grab the balloon about 2 inches from the nozzle and stretch it outward another inch or two). It's much easier to fill the rest of the balloon if you have a small bubble to get you started. After forming this small bubble, pinch the nozzle closed so no air comes out, and take a deep breath. Now, if possible with one breath, fill the balloon. Use stomach muscles and not cheek muscles. Puffing up your cheeks and blowing from your head will only succeed in making you dizzy and possibly hurting your eyes and ears.
Tip for those who just can't start the silly things: Carry a palm pump to start the balloon and blow the rest.
The idea is to blow through the small opening you form with your mouth around the balloon. One common mistake is to blow hard while letting the cheeks fill with air. Doing so will only build pressure in your mouth. Also, remember to breath through your nose. Blowing into the balloon isn't a good reason to forget about breathing, and hyperventilating isn't the best way to be reminded.
If you find that it hurts to blow up the balloon you are probably blowing too hard. Relax and blow a bit softer. When I started I'd persist until I went red and got all these pretty stars in front of my eyes. I'm sure this isn't good for you; a bit of 'relax' 'focus' 'gentle' Zen-stuff from the masters would have done me the world of good. If you really can't get the hang of it now, use a pump and try to blow it up with your mouth later. It isn't worth hurting yourself. The fun part is the twisting anyway.
The one big problem I had when I was learning to inflate by mouth was blowing too hard and keeping my mouth closed! I would get trememdous pressure, but it couldn't go anywhere.
From where I sit, as a professional entertainer, in both the music world and family entertainment, blowing a balloon by mouth is not a problem. When it is done correctly, with the correct technique, there is no damage to be done. It is only slightly more back pressure than playing most wind instruments. This is not just an opinion, but backed from 20 years of university teaching and professional performing on wind instruments as well as 15 years as a twister. The biggest problem arises when the technique to blow the balloon up by mouth is wrong. When this happens, you can most definitely hurt yourself. As a trained musician, using correct diaphragm technique and embouchure (French for the way you form your mouth for playing an instrument), I can tell you that I have never experienced a problem. Early in my twisting days I hadn't yet been taught the correct way to 'start' the balloon and regularly had headaches and other problems. I learned the proper technique from The Balloon Video from Flora & Co in Albuquerque. Ever since that time there has not been a problem.
It does take some practice to get it down so you don't pass out. The most important point is that you push the air out of your lungs with your diaphragm, through your mouth and into the balloon. Squeeze your cheeks tight! (no, not THOSE cheeks). Your cheeks should never puff out; if they do, they will surely be sore! If you feel like you're blowing too hard, you are. Relax. It takes a lot less effort than you realize. Sometimes just blowing more gently is all it will take to fill the balloon.
I understand that are many newcomers (and old hands) that get frustrated by the dizzy feelings and the light headedness when first blowing balloons. In my experience (8+ years) balloon blowing is just like every other new thing in our lives. In order to become good at it you must practice it. You will gradually increase your capacity by blowing balloons every day. This is a good way to practice your twisting and to experiment with new figures. The key for me was to blow balloons every day. Try this for a month and see if your capacity increases. Now I can do 600-700 hundred balloons in day with very little discomfort.
You will also find that you'll get dizzy if you try too hard and long. Slow down, pause between attempts. Give it up for ten minutes and come back. Once you get better, you may still find you get dizzy now and then, or get a headache after doing many balloons. Again, practice will help both of these. Any time you do a lot more blowing than usual, you are likely to have these problems. Even now, if I skip for a few weeks, I'll get a mild headache after an hour or two of inflating balloons.
Not blowing into the balloon is the most common mistake. Blowing very hard will tend to close the balloon opening and result in your cheeks exploding before the balloon inflates. It's learning how to focus your breath INTO the balloon that will suddenly make it easy.
A hint I found for blowing up balloons more easily is to:
Blowing balloons up is simply a physical feat. There's some technique, eg., not letting one's cheeks puff out, and blowing into the balloon (not squeezing the nozzle too hard with one's lips), etc., but mostly it's just brute force. Pulling just a nudge's worth when starting to inflate the initial bubble is a good idea, but mostly I think it just helps one concentrate into maximizing effort for an instant (like the kihap yell in martial arts).
Unfortunately, just attempting to blow a balloon up is like walking up to a set of weights and trying to bench press 180 lbs. Not too many people can do it. Working up to it is the key.
Your diaphragm, cheeks, and lips all have muscles that must be built up to handle mouth inflation. Remember those cheek muscles especially. If you let your cheeks puff out when inflating balloons, they'll get incredibly sore and painful. If you can't keep them in just using your facial muscles, try using your fingers (holding the balloon like a cigarette (British style) and wrapping the hand around your cheeks to hold your cheeks in -- it works for many people.
I recommend pre-inflating balloons with a pump, fully deflating them, (try doing this again once or twice) and then reblowing them by mouth. Then try to blow them up by mouth. Once you can do that easily, then try just inflating a little bubble in a balloon and working from there. Once you've got that, then try inflating it entirely by mouth.
I learned to blow a 260 by first blowing a bag of balloons up one at a time with a compressor and then letting the air back out. This stretched the balloon enough that I could inflate them by mouth . I have been doing this for a couple of years now and in a pinch I can blow them up without pre-inflating them. I have the process down to an art and can pre-inflate a bag in about 20 minutes. I like pre-blowing because I weed out the defectives and the balloons are easier to blow by mouth when I'm working long hours. I have found that pre-blown balloons do not seem to be any weaker than fresh balloons. Plus, the pre-blowing process weeds out the weak ones or the ones with pinholes and helps if you need to sort colors. I have had other twisters observe me at work and ask why I have so few pops.
If you can't blow up pre-inflated balloons, then get an easier balloon to inflate (350s are very easy, for instance. Tilly 260's are easier to inflate than the 260 Q's).
Also, practice with different colors. Different colors are often noticeably easier or harder to inflate. With Qualatex 260's, clear seem to be the easiest; orange seem to be the hardest. Also, cold balloons are much harder to inflate than warm balloons, so practice on warm balloons.
Personally, I learned on relatively easy to inflate Ashland 260A's about 12 years ago. Once I could reliably blow one of them up, I got a gross of 260Es and started trying to blow those up. After about six or eight weeks, I could reliably blow up 260Es (which are about as hard as Qualatex 260Qs).
About 1/3 to 1/2 of the people who try Ashland 260A's and 245A's can blow them up in their first session; most of the rest can master it the next day. Practice with them a while. You can blow good balloons and have fun, but they'll pop more easily than heavier balloons. Once you're comfortable with them (e.g., can blow them up in one breath), then try getting some Ashland 260Es or Qualatex 260Qs. They're heavier and will take more abuse while twisting, but are harder to blow up. It took me about six weeks from being unable to inflate an A to reliably inflating Es.
Above all, don't get discouraged. It took me about 1/2 hour just to get my first 245A (a green one) started.
Like exercise, I'd also recommend lots of short efforts. If you can't inflate a balloon at all, working on it for more than five minutes won't help anything. Just work at it for a minute or two, and then put it away for a few hours. Once you have the strength to do it occasionally, start working on building up your reps. Once you can do a modest number of reps, then do something a little tougher and work your way up gradually. As with exercise, you need both the strength to inflate, and the stamina to do it on demand repeatedly.
How should I practice? A couple of balloons a day? My first try is usually the best and I get worse after that. Do a few a day. Most importantly, stop when you start to feel pain. If you're that determined, you'll get it. This is probably the hardest thing about ballooning.
once a long while ago, someone asked if there was an exercise to help you inflate 260. Here's a thought. Whistling! I am a chronic whistler and recently noticed that after doing a bunch of balloons, my whistle was wilted and wouldn't work. The cheeks, the diaphram and the lips are all intrinsic to both actions.
Take up a musical instrument! I've played the trombone for a long time and (not to brag) blowing up 260Q's is pretty easy. I find that it's about 80% technique and 20% diaphram. Next time you're in the library see if you can find a book on playing instruments. I'd look for one on brass and look in it for topics about your embouchure (pronounced \.a:m-bu.-'shu.(*)r\ ). There's lots of info there!
You can tell if you're doing it right if your face and cheeks DO NOT get tired. In fact, I find that my diaphram starts to get tired after about 5-6 hours where my face and cheeks still feel fine.
I blow my balloons up by mouth although it did take a little practice. I believe in the diaphragm theory. I also do a lot of singing and teaching which helps with the diaphragm. There is an exercise to strengthen the diaphragm for singing and I guess it would be helpful for those learning to blow up balloons. I'll try and explain it.
Firstly make sure you are using your diaphragm the average person breathes only a third of the air required for a full breath, they only use the top part of their lungs.
O.K Lets try this exercise to strengthen your diaphragm:
Do this maybe twice a day in 5 minute sessions. You will find that when you let the air out slowly it will last longer and longer this is because your lungs are filling up with more air and getting stronger.
260s can be blown up without a lot of effort if you use the right muscles. I've left more than one trumpet player dumfounded because they couldn't inflate a 260 after seeing me inflate 3 at once.
I need to note that many have been purporting the diaphragm theory regarding inflating balloons. The diaphragm, when it contracts, moves downward (inferior) to create a vacuum, which draws air into the lungs. Expiration happens naturally as the diaphragm relaxes. Forced expiration occurs with the contraction of some of the intercostal muscles. The diaphragm is an antagonist to some of the intercostals, and vice-versa. To forcefully exhale, the diaphragm must relax a lot. I cannot accurately say whether the diaphragm retains a degree of tone to achieve the pressure necessary to inflate a 260, but I can say it is not the diaphragm that is majorly used to inflate them.
130's are difficult to inflate by mouth. Marc writes: I do routinely inflate 130's by mouth. I started working out a few months ago, especially aimed at my stomach muscles. It made all of the difference.
Whatever muscles are involved, I think they are "the same" muscles as used when playing an air-flow musical instrument (especially brass, such as trumpet, but also singing!). I have a degree in music and never had trouble blowing up balloons. I've seen other musicians pick it up quickly, too. We have learned to "use our diaphragms," but perhaps that is a misnomer.
There is one issue of concern for those who receive balloons from people who inflate the balloons by mouth and that is germs. While they are impressed that you can inflate the balloons without a pump, they also are not happy to see their child sucking on the balloon in the same place you just had your mouth! In fact I know of one balloon worker who was inflating by mouth and got sued. One kid who received an animal later came down with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. The parents claimed the balloon worker had inflated the balloon by mouth, and had coughed a few times at the party. They served him with a subpoena, put him on the stand, asked him health questions and got a list of parties the balloonist did 2-4 weeks prior to the plaintiff's party. They found that some kids from the parties had become ill afterwards, and the balloon worker was nailed as the carrier! The balloon worker lost the suit, and was ordered to pay all medical bills, pain and suffering, etc...
I've learned a few things about balloon inflating over the last few years and since we are on the subject, let me just share some of my wisdom with you all.
(Filling it up at the tail (nipple) and ending at the mouth (nozzle.) This is useful for a sculpture like an elephant where you want a long thin trunk and a thin tail or if you're going to be making a lot of twists and you need room for the balloon to expand on each end. There are several ways you can do it.
A combination of 2 and 3 allows you to get the most control over how the balloon gets filled.
To blow up balloons from the middle, prevent the air from going anywhere else. Simply stated, if you want a balloon to inflate from the center, you place one of your hands above and the other below the center of the uninflated balloon while air enters it and inflates the center portion. You then let the air out, and set the balloon aside until you are ready to use it for a special effect. The pre-stretched portion will then readily inflate when applying air to it.
One quick but effective bit I've been doing (learned from the Dan Garrett video, Kid Show Konivery, a variation is in the first issue of Balloon Magic) is removing a bubble from a balloon. The first time when you get the balloon out (prestretched and preinflated with just a small bubble in the middle) you also palm a 2" balloon bubble of the same color (see "meatballs" section for several ways to make these) blow up a bubble in the balloon (which having been prestretched should inflate in the middle). When the bubble is the same size as your palmed bubble, pinch the nozzle and make a comment about how they're not supposed to blow up that way (hold the balloon in the left hand the palmed bubble in the right) bring the right hand over to the bubble place your palmed bubble on the balloon bubble and allow the balloon to deflate and show your bubble, it really looks like you pulled the bubble off the balloon
Get a 340 and stand on the tail of it as you stretch the nozzle up to your mouth. The more you stretch the balloon the thinner it will blow up and the harder it is to inflate. With a smooth single inflation you can make a flamingo's neck and a fat end for the head. This is an effective shaping technique but have a big, soft chair behind you to catch you when you pass out.
The Pump 1, PumpO or Pogo can make thin sections. These pumps give you a free hand to control the balloon as it inflates. The Pump 1 and PumpO can do anything in terms of inflation control that anyone can do by mouth (except maybe sneeze or spit). If you cut the nozzle off to make the air hole bigger you can do the instant inflation. You can stretch the balloon 2 arms length from the nozzle to blow the whole thing up thin and long. That's hard to do by mouth.
Here's how to inflate a small bubble at the end of an uninflated section of a 260, which is often used for poodle tails and antenna or feelers on insects and crustaceans.
DO NOT SUCK A BUBBLE ONTO THE UNINFLATED NIPPLE END OF THE BALLOON!
The wall is thicker at the nipple end (due in part to the presence of a latex "drip" on all Qualatex 260Q's) making it a little harder to inflate than the rest of the balloon. So, it helps if you weaken the balloon _at_the_nipple_end_ by stretching it locally (a couple of good, strong sideways & lengthwise stretches - not a bunch of weak ones) and then wrap your fingers around the length of uninflated balloon that you wish to keep uninflated, so they act as a support. Force air into the nipple end by squeezing the existing bubble at the nozzle end, which causes the nipple end to "magically" inflate.. Check out the instructions in the guide, under blowing up a balloon backwards. Same idea.
The following is the method I use (& teach) for moving a small amount of air inside
a 260 i.e.: "The Poodle Tail Move" used for making the poodle tail. It takes a
Liability (& potential hazard - sucking on the end) and replaces it with an
"Effect", making it an asset:
Just before you do the final bubble for the poodle's tail touch it with your D-Lite (having it light up as you touch the balloon). The bubble will pop up glowing. The effect is pretty cool. When I tested it on my friends, I got quite a few Ooh's and Aah's.
After twisting the poodle I'll point out that it doesn't have the "poofed" tail. "I know! I'll use my 'air gun'!" Having said that I make a "gun" out of my hand (make fist, point index finger out and extend thumb up) and "shoot" the tail of the dog (let thumb snap down like the hammer of a gun while squeezing the bubble to make the poofed tail). I'll sometimes do this without saying anything and when the "customer/child" seems surprised, I'll ask if they have never seen "an air gun" before. It might be funny to shoot it twice with no effect and the 3rd time hold the poodle with the gun hand and shoot at the thumb of the empty hand. As if you thought you were doing the same thing - The magician in trouble situation - When you realize your error, the poodle tail is there and you have done it, TaDa. (Pop up the tail when you shoot the third time.)
When putting the ball on the end of a poodle tail, give the tip a few good stretches to weaken the skin and squeeze the inflated part at the other end. If you don't allow the bubble to just lengthen out, a round bubble should pop out at the end. (Nothing new so far). Now the trick - as you squeeze the bubble with one hand, stick the tip of the opposite thumb in your mouth and make a show of blowing on it. It looks like you're inflating the bubble by blowing through your thumb. It always gets a laugh from the adults, sometimes a kid's eyes will bulge out to match the bubble, and you *don't* have to suck on the balloon.
I prefer blowing on the actual tail itself, and while blowing (I guess it is more of a puff of air), squeezing the bubble and making the tail appear. The goal, obviously, is to make it look like you inflated the tail while blowing on the outside of the balloon.
I get a great response from both the kid and their parents.when I tell the kid that they have to help by blowing on the tail "like it is a birthday candle." As they blow, squeeze up the bubble. I find everyone wants the poodle after the first one. Just be sure not to have it pop up too close to the face. I had a balloon pop when I "poofed" the tail. Part of the balloon flew into the child's eye. The mother of the birthday child removed the small piece out of the child's eye like you would remove an eyelash. Nothing came of it except I am now more careful and am glad I carry liability insurance. Also another thing. Make sure the child does not blow into your face. I hold the balloon to the side so that doesn't happen. Before I started doing this, I caught everything they had to pass on to me.
Don't suck on the end to get a bubble. A very easy way is to make a quick twist... leave a bubble that's about the size the tail pompom needs to be, and gently hold the uninflated part of the balloon so that it can't inflate, but air can move in it. Then, give a squeeze to the new bubble you just made with your free hand, the air should be forced to the end of the tail. Pinch the tail with your fingers and give the end bubble a quick squeeze, to keep the inflation, and voila! a non-damp puffy tail
When you suck the bubble on a balloon you are definitely going to leave lots and lots of spit all over the outside, and if you set aside the unsanitariness of that, you're still left with a spit-covered balloon, not the most appealing of thoughts. When I first learned balloons, I was taught to suck on the end, but have since learned how to do that twist and squeeze method. I find the twist-n-squeeze method to be more appealing aesthetically as well as quicker and more efficient. If you suck on the balloon you could have it pop and go down your windpipe and die. Also, if kids see you do it, they will do it. As you squeeze the air into the tip of the balloon, have a child blow on it and up it comes like magic. I always pinch the end of the balloon and snap it to expand the latex. Then I put my hand around the middle part of the tail and force the air into the end that I stretched (pinched). I always have the kids blow on the end of the tail and they think they did it magically. Always gets a good laugh!!! :)
The last time sucked a bubble on the end of a poodle tail was the *last* time, because two of the boys who saw me do it immediately put their swords in their mouths (balloon swords, of course!). The fact that it is such a neat effect makes it irresistible for kids to try out. The least they'll get is all the germs you've picked up from the multitudes of tips handed out by your phlegmatic customers!
I've stopped sucking poodle tails because it encourages children to put the balloon in their mouth. Especially when, as often happens, they squeeze the bubble off the end and want to put it back. They then tend to try to do what they saw the twister do. On many occasions, when I've made a poodle for a child, they squeeze the dangly tail bubble, and it goes away. They then do what they saw me do -- hold the middle of the tail and squeeze the bottom. It doesn't usually work, but at least they don't stick the balloon in their mouth. Some years ago, I used the suck technique and I would see kids doing the same thing to re- inflate their creatures' tails. Unfortunately, kids are kids and do what they see other people doing, even (especially?) if they're told not to. I don't twist if I'm sick, but it still seems a poor idea to (even indirectly) encourage kids to share my germs. Finally, the squeeze technique is more surprising & entertaining.
I used to like "sucking" the tail of a poodle too until I was almost a victim. Back in 1987 or so I was working at our Festival and had a lot of people around me watching and waiting. I sucked the tail and it gave away and went down my throat!!! I ran to the nearest trash can and stuck my finger down my throat. It was very very scary and believe me that was the last time I ever tried that!!! Luckily I am here to tell about it. Now, when I am doing a show, I have the kids take an oath - saying that they will not put the balloons in their mouth. Of course the parents hear it and they watch too. This is something we can't be too careful about.
A variety of methods have been presented here. What I use depends on whom I'm doing it for and how many times I've done a "bit". I like to change things so that the people stay entertained.
Wrap a 260 around two fingers and make sure it doesn't twist or overlap itself.
_ _ _
__|_|_/ /__/ /__
(_____/ /__/ /___
(____/ /__/ /____
/_/ /_/ | |
@
As I inflate the balloon, I keep moving my fingers inward so that I keep the curl straight. I inflate it a little slower than I do a straight balloon, but keep a steady stream so that it has a consistent width.
I wrap my balloons with the nipple near my palm and the nozzle at my fingertips. Does anyone do it the other way?
The pre-inflation method is for those who inflate with lung power. Pre-inflate the 260 straight, then deflate it before wrapping it around your finger to make the curly-Q. It's hard to blow up otherwise.
Mouth inflating a 260 spiral is more difficult than a straight 260. I was absolutely floored watching Anthony Mackey inflate 260 spirals at IBAC. What I would give for his set of lungs...
Once you get the hang of it, you can go for the single finger method and make the very tight curls. It does take some practice, which is fine, since you will improve with every one you make.
The tighter you can wind the balloon, the tighter the spiral (Up to a point).
Problem - I need to know an easy way to make a spiral out of a 260Q balloon. I have tried, blowing it up, letting the air out, wrapping it around my 2 fingers, and then blowing it up again, but I get half way around, and the spiral stops and won't let any air into it... If I let it go a little bit, to let the air pass, it doesn't turn into a spiral, it just looks like some odd crooked thing.
Solution 1 - You get a twist when the uninflated balloon slips off your finger. To keep this from happening you need to lead the bubble as it inflates. The position of the wrapped fingers in relation to the inflating bubble is most important. Watch the balloon inflate and move your wrapped fingers in a small spiral as the balloon spirals. It is a knack, but this is a good way of thinking about what you are trying to do.
Solution 2 - A 260 gets wider as you inflate it, but it also gets longer. If you don't apply tension (a stretch) when you wrap the balloon around your finger, the length increase (upon inflation) will cause the wrap to loosen. When this happens, the balloon will twist about itself, closing itself off and preventing you from getting any more air in.
Why does this happen? Well, as the balloon is inflated, the axial length (or height) of the spiral increases. This puts the balloon in torsion, making it want to twist itself. To visualize this behavior (which is what makes coil-springs work) find a garden hose with a stripe on it. Coil the striped garden hose on the ground, making sure that the stripe is straight (not twisted). Then grab the last coil of the hose with both hands and lift it up, keeping it parallel to the ground. Watch what happens to the stripe on the hose that lifts up as you raise and lower the top coil. If this interests you further, look in any book on helical spring design for the grisly details.
It's not necessary to pre-inflate the balloon before making a curly-Q if you are using a pump. Making the curly-Q with an un-inflated balloon seems to make the curls stronger (I think it has something to do with the rubber not getting stretched out straight first, then curled). For super tight curly-Q's, inflate curled, deflate, wrap around finger again, re- inflate.
I use a T. Myers Pump1. I take the 260 and wrap it around my first and middle fingers fairly tightly about 4 times. I hold the tip at the 1st knuckle of my first finger and usually end half way round the inside of the hand (back of the hand pointing towards your face as you inflate). I then inflate, making sure to keep the spiral even by moving my hand enough to let the balloon expand in place. This works like a charm, but it took a few times to get the hang of it. As always, make sure that the balloon doesn't twist or you will hear the loudest *POP* you can imagine.
I have tried just wrapping it around my fingers, and trying to blow it up with a hand held air pump, but that is nearly impossible.
The Pump 1, PumpO or Pogo can make spirals. There is no need to preinflate the balloon or to wrap the balloon around more than one finger. These pumps give you a free hand to control the balloon as it inflates. If you are out there trying to make lots of spirals with a 2 handed pump, you are working hard with a wimpy tool. There is complete information on inflating a spiral in the book, "Balls N' Balloons".
Marvin Hardy's book, "The 260Q Decorator", says "Spirals are easier to form when another person holds the tip of the balloon to the pole." Since then, he's found an easier way: At IBAC, Marvin demonstrated a very nice method of inflating spirals: He uses a clothes pin attached to a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" pipe, mounted on a camera tripod. Marvin clips the 260 nipple in the clothes pin, applies a little tension and wraps the balloon in a helix around the pipe, maintaining the tension. He holds onto the nozzle, and inflates with a compressed air source. Then unclips the balloon and ties it off.
Try wrapping them a little looser around your fingers. I have been doing it for about 8 years. It just takes practice and a lot of lung power. T. Myers does it with his pump by wrapping it around 1 finger. When you blow them by mouth you need to wrap them around 2 fingers - but not tight!!! It's really fun when you get the knack of it.
Curly-Q's are often made when someone asks for a snake. If you want a tongue for your snake, leave a bit of the nozzle uninflated during the preinflation.
Lazy S Spiral
Try making the Vulcan "Live long & prosper!" hand sign. Using this hand
configuration, grasp the nozzle of the balloon between the thumb & index finger. While
stretching slightly, wind the balloon back and forth around the two finger groupings as
per the illustration below. The nozzle should end up in the center, at the top, between
the middle & ring fingers. BLOW! Add in your favorite twists & garnish w a Sharpie
to your heart's content to make a snake any man-child would be proud to have.
nozzle
|
|
/ \ / \ \|/ / \ / \
| || |(O)| || |
| || |___|___||___|
| || |_____________]
|___||___|___| || |
[_____________| || |
__ | || |___|___||___|
| \ | || |_____________]
| \|___||___|__/ // /
| [__________/ // /
\ | || |/ // /
| | || | // /
| /
\ /
\ /
\_____________/
I have found that placing one spiral on the end of an umbrella handle/ critter leash/ whatever makes it easier for the kids to get a grip on the creation. You can also fasten it to their wrists more easily.
You can release a Curly-Q at shoulder level where it will spin around like a pinwheel basically in one spot in the air. You can usually snatch it back and re-inflate it again 2 or 3 times. Hum as you blow up a Curly-Q. Tell the kids that when you let it go it will sing and do "The Twist." If it explodes, say that it was "pop music."
See Curly-Q's
My best "trick" with balloons is inflating two in my mouth at once....On a good day, I can inflate as many as five (if they're all lined up just right). It really isn't harder to do than 1 balloon, you just have to line them up right and take a couple of breaths, instead of one. It looks very impressive and gets OOH'S and AAH'S from even the most skeptical, especially if they're in the process of trying to inflate one.
I can inflate 5 260's at a time. For multiple inflations, it is all how well you can get them lined up in your mouth. I use my front teeth to gently grip them and then tug a bit to line the balloons up. then just focus and go.
When I blow up three, I place the nozzles in my mouth one at a time, just inside my lips, all touching. I then grasp them between my index & middle fingers of my left hand(I'm right handed.) snug, but not tight, palm inward. I let the nozzles leave my mouth while with my right hand, I hold the nipple ends out, slightly pulling so that the nozzles come to rest against the inside of my left hand's fingers. Sorry if this sounds redundant, but if I go over it in detail, I'll be sure not to miss any pertinant information. PUCKER UP!! Place the left hand against your lips VERY tightly. I mean VERY TIGHTLY!!!!!!! and Blow!
Mine usually start to inflate one at a time too. It seems to add to the overall efect."Poof! Poof! POOF!" At this point, I hold my looks of pain. "Never let 'em see you cringe." As I let the air out of the balloons, I reach up with my pinky of my right hand and tweek the inside of my right ear, while tilting my head right, closing my right eye, fluttering my left eyelashes, AND opening my mouth, stretching my jaw so as to pop my ears as if in a high-rise elevator.
I thought I saw a magician blow a balloon real fast and asked him about it. He of course denied it, but knew of the technique. Seems it was developed in Japan since they don't like to stick things into their mouths. While trying to explain it to the rest of the group I attempted to demonstrate. ONE SMALL PUFF and the entire balloon was inflated. To say it was fast is a bad understatement... It was as close to magic as ballooning can get. It was just there!
One warning, this did hurt my cheeks the first few times when learning. I have a hard time controlling how much I inflate so I limit this to making monkeys and swords.
Whatcha do is literally use both hands to pull the mouth of the balloon open. It doesn't spread all that far, but you have to stretch it open as far as it will go. Now you have to pretend like you are going to play the trumpet (or blow a pea shooter), purse your lips and use the tip of your tongue to plug it. Build up pressure behind the tongue then snap the tongue back so the pressure can escape. (of course you have to be holding the mouth of the balloon to your mouth at this particular time) If it works you don't see the balloon inflate... it just IS inflated. It makes a neat whooshing sound.. adds to the over all effect.
One gotcha I found is it only works on never before inflated balloons. I've tried inflating balloons, letting the air out and trying again just for practice but it just won't inflate properly the second time.
Three balloons inflated at once is almost always followed by a "nose job." Just when they think they've seen it all, I take one of the three (preinflated) & blow by doze! sniff, sniff. The grand finale comes when I twist up a dog with said balloon and ask someone to check & see if pooch's nose is cold, cause I think it might be sick. Now that's sick!!!!
As for the nose job, I think it's more technique than trunk (though I do have a rather big one). With my right hand, I rest the nozzle on my thumb, hold the rest of the balloon in my palm with my fingers closed around it. I flare my right nostril and place the nozzle at the very front of this flare. While placing my thumb against the nozztril, which is now in my right nosle. Wait a minute! I think I'm getting a bit mixed up. Anyway, holding it all together with nose, nozzle, & thumb on the right, with any digit from your left hand close off your left nostril & blow!
Who says humans are smarter than animals? Frank Olivier swallows a balloon, makes it come out of his nose, and then blows it up out his nose. The way to learn this balloon trick is to sniff the end of a piece of dental floss up your nose, then when it hits your throat cough it out your mouth. Then tie the dental floss to an animal balloon and use it to pull the balloon through your nasal passage.
I saw someone do something like this at this last year's IJA (Int'l Jugglers Ass'n) convention in Las Vegas. Frankie Olivier performed on the Renegade Stage one night. He started by inhaling a bit of dental floss up a nostril (maybe an 18" piece). Then he spit up the end of it (out the mouth). Then did a short "nasal floss" demo, tied the nostril end of the floss to a balloon and fished that through, nipple end first. Then inflated the balloon, tied it off, and did the trick mentioned (squeezing the nozzle end to inflate the nipple end). Grossed the audience out pretty good. It was awesome!
On a tape from Steven's, Todd Robins does the weirdest thing I ever saw with a balloon. He blows it up about 2 inches. He then takes the tail part proceeds to stick it in his nose!! He reaches into his mouth and pulls out the tail. He then squeezes the air in the part hanging out of his nose and has it inflate the part hanging out of his mouth!!! This would KILL on the birthday circuit!!!!
After inflating the balloon, you may want to "burp" it by letting some air out of it before tying a knot. This softens the balloon a bit. An important point to keep in mind is that burping the balloon will not make it shorter if you've inflated it too much. It will only soften it.
When I inflate 260's and 130's, I just make a little bubble about an inch or so from the nozze and release the air in that bubble so I'll have lots of room to tie the balloon.
David Hamilton was at the Iowa State Fair a couple years ago and used all one-handed knots in his show, as well as a simple 3-twist one-handed dog. After the show I asked about the knot and he showed me his method. Keep a long nozzle when you inflate, and before releasing the end from your mouth, wrap the nozzle around your index and middle fingers. Then roll the end of the balloon with the wrapped nozzle off the end of your fingers with your thumb, making a knot. It's the same principle as tying a knot in the end of a thread when you sew on a button.
Marvin showed me a trick that helps prevent raw fingers when doing lots of tying. Start with the balloon a little further away from the tip of your index finger than you normally do. Roll it towards the tip of your index finger with your thumb, causing the nozzle to twist and become round like a piece of rope. When you get to the "roll the end of the balloon with the wrapped nozzle off the end of your fingers with your thumb," this already round, twisted nozzle rolls down your finger... with the greatest of ease.
And speaking of tying knots, you can do various slapstick bits related to forgetting to tie the knot, tying the knot on the wrong end and tearing the balloon in half and giving the halves to the kid (which then go zooming off)
Pearlized and metallic balloons are more difficult to tie than standard balloons and are rougher on the skin which is probably why you had sore fingers your first job out.)
I tape up my fingers with Sport tape to prevent excessive skin wear and tear (ouch). It's great to protect the cuticles!
I keep first aid tape in the tool box for my son who has this problem with fingers hurting.
To avoid or reduce finger pain and speed up the tying, practice tying balloons by wrapping them around your finger nail area and not up at the knuckle.
I suggest clear tape wrapped around the areas where you are most likely to hurt your fingers, before you start tying, of course. It helps a little.
Are your fingers getting raw and blistered from tying or are the joints in your fingers getting stiff? A solution for raw fingers is to take medical or duct tape and tape up your tying fingers before you start a big project. You need tape that is sticky enough to stay on your fingers, but not too sticky that it rips off your skin when removing.
For sore, stiff fingers, you may want to purchase the first QBN video where they present a good technique for tying. (too difficult for me to explain, probably easier to watch it). Start learning the professional techniques now, especially before you start training a crew (ie family members). If they learn it the right way the first time, you will be very thankful as it's much easier than trying to break old habits. Tying balloons into duplets gets much easier with a little practice.
Also your fingers will build up strength through repetition, (that doesn't mean they won't still stiffen up they day after a HUGE job).
I have just become aware of a balloon knotting device, I don't know how old it is. It is a hard plastic device that slips over the fingers with an extension coming out of the palm of your hand. I bought some last week and my crew absolutely loves them. I first saw this device at IBAC 12. It was demonstrated at one of the booths at the Trade show across the street. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out how to use this when I want to tie a ribbon into the knot of the balloon so I can "slide & size" the ribbon length. Otherwise, it's a great hand saver, but not as quick as the "over the thumb" method for me.
At a ballon show in London I saw a firm, ZIBI I think, selling gizmos to help tie balloons so I got one to try out. It's basically a grooved, tapered stick with a split in the end, and takes a bit of getting used too. I personally don't think I'll use it often, but have had times where my tying fingers are getting sore where it would then be useful. May be useful for anyone who finds tying a problem.