TrigunBebop Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Prep Work: The very first thing you should always do with any new balloon is pre-stretch it. There are 2 different kinds of stretches you should do before inflation. For the first kind, you'll wanna grab the mouth (or bead) of the balloon with one hand and the drip point (or the end opposite the mouth) of the balloon with the other hand and pull them away from each other a few times. This helps make the latex less stiff and also starts stretching out the neck a little (which will help the balloon obtain its iconic pear shape during inflation). For the second kind, you'll wanna grab 2 opposite sides of the bulb (or body) of the balloon and pull them away from each other a few times. After that, you'll wanna grab the ends of the bulb that are about 90 degrees from the ends you grabbed in the previous step and give them a few tugs as well. This will help the balloon inflate into a fuller, much rounder shape. Make sure when stretching the balloon that you don't accidentally dig your nails into the latex. This can cause tears in the latex and effectively ruin the balloon. Inflation Technique: Now that you have a properly pre-stretched balloon, you are ready for inflation. First, grab the balloon by the neck (preferably pinching it between your thumb and index finger) and take a deep breath. Next, put the bead of the balloon in your mouth, unpinch the balloon's neck, and blow into the balloon firmly (but not super forceful). Then, repinch the balloon's neck, and repeat the process until you've inflated the balloon to your liking. One thing to keep in mind while inflating is that you'll wanna be bent forward slightly and also looking slightly downward during the inflation process. This will allow you to use your other hand to gently brace the balloon against your chest (which helps you gauge how tight the balloon is getting during inflation). After the first couple breaths, you might want to pinch the balloon's neck, pull it away from your face, and inspect the balloon for weak spots (which typically show up as significantly lighter colored or clear areas). This will help you assess how likely the balloon is to pop during inflation. If you're aiming to neck the balloon (or make it look like a pear/light bulb), you'll also want to stretch the neck a bit after every couple breaths. You do this by pinching the base of the uninflated part of the neck with one hand, and pulling on the bead of the balloon a few times with your other hand. This helps weaken the neck, which makes it easier to inflate. Once you've inflated the balloon to the point that its neck starts to bulge out just a little, you then have a decision to make. Decision Time: Now that your balloon is "fully" inflated, you must decide whether you want a cuddly/more durable balloon, a tight/overinflated balloon. If you want a more stable/durable balloon, skip to the Tying Technique section. If you want an overinflated balloon, read the Overinflation section. Overinflation: Once your balloon's neck has started to bulge out, you should switch to blowing shallower breaths into it. Also, depending on how far you want the balloon's neck to bulge out, you might also want to stretch the balloon's neck between each breath. Please note that at this point, every breath you put into the balloon makes it more and more likely to pop. Also, if your balloon has any visible weak spots on it, you really shouldn't overinflate it too much (unless you want it to pop). Another thing to keep in mind is that the more you inflate the neck of the balloon, the less uninflated neck you'll have left over to tie it. If you want to have a super overinflated balloon, you're gonna want to use a balloon clip instead of tying it off. Tying Technique: Now that you've inflated the balloon to your liking, it is time to tie it off. First, pinch the base of the uninflated part of the balloon's neck between your thumb and index finger. Next, (on the same hand) put your middle finger against your index finger. Next, grab the bead of the balloon with your other hand, pull it to stretch it out, then wrap it around the middle and index fingers of your first hand. After that, pull your index fingers and middle fingers apart slightly to make a gap and push the bead of the balloon through said gap. Then, while holding on to the balloon's bead with your other hand, pull your index and middle fingers out of the loop. Finally, pinch the area right below the resulting knot with one hand and pull the bead of the balloon a bit with the other hand in order to tighten up the knot. Congratulations! You have successfully inflated a balloon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackiemarie90 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Will I get sagging cheeks like trumpet players for blowing up too many ballons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrigunBebop Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 2 minutes ago, jackiemarie90 said: Will I get sagging cheeks like trumpet players for blowing up too many ballons? Only if you puff your cheeks out too much while blowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackiemarie90 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 1 minute ago, TrigunBebop said: Only if you puff your cheeks out too much while blowing. I don't know how to blow up a ballon without doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrigunBebop Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 Just now, jackiemarie90 said: I don't know how to blow up a ballon without doing so. It takes a bit of practice, but you can totally stop your cheeks from puffing out. Took me a few months to do it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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