Showing posts with label Bubble balloons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bubble balloons. Show all posts

Monday, August 22, 2022

Balloon Basics - Qualatex Bubble Balloon™

Qualatex® Bubble Balloons are a balloon made from stretchable plastic, making it unusual and eye-catching. Unlike a Microfoil® balloon, it is inflated until all the creases at the seams disappear, giving it the look of a  beach ball, and making it attractive from every angle.

Bubble Balloons are non-allergenic, making them an ideal for hospital gifts and deliveries. They do not oxidise* and floating times are mainly measured in weeks rather than days.

This stunning Bubble Balloon design was created by Zoe Adam-Jones, CBA
of Jaz Trading, Gold Coast, Australia.
To make this design Zoe has use the beautiful 24" Wedding Floral Deco Bubble #18628


Single Bubbles
These stunning balloons are available in 22", and will float for approximately 2-4 weeks.
They come in a diverse range of designs including licensed characters, birthday, milestones and age, new baby, and other special occasion. They are extremely versatile and can be used in balloon bouquets, centrepieces and even to make fun little character designs.

Birthday Lit Candles

  • Size and shape: 22" Round
  • Package item #: 16658



Bright Smile Face Stand-Up
This Bubble Balloon stand-up is sturdy design
perfect for delivery or cash-and-carry.




These balloons are simple and elegant, with 3-D designs that look beautiful from any angle. They have self-sealing valves and come with a pre-attached ribbon.



















To find out how to inflate a Qualatex Bubble Balloon correctly, view the short clip below.

 



Double Bubbles

24" "Baby Blue Bear"
U.S. Patent No. 6,758,715

These 24" balloons certainly have the "how did they do that" wow factor, displaying a balloon inside a balloon creating a magical showstopper! They feature self-sealing valves and come with pre-attached ribbons. The inflating is done in three steps:
  • Inflate a small puff of helium through the "A" valve, you can use an Auto-Foil outlet for this.
  • Now go to valve "B", using an Auto-Foil outlet, fully inflate the inner balloon.
  • Now go back to the "A" valve, using a latex outlet, gently inflate the outer balloon until all the creases have been removed. 
If you find that the inner balloon looks like it has gone down a little, this is likely due to a pressure change within the outer balloon. To puff the inner balloon back to its original state, I recommend that you use a small hand-pump or pocket pump to add just a few puffs of air, and not to attempt adding additional helium, as it is difficult to measure accurately how much you will need and you can easily burst the inner balloon.

To find out how to inflate a Qualatex Double Bubble Balloon correctly, view the short clip below. 
 


Deco Bubbles
These are probably one of my favourite balloons. They are perfect for so many different occasions with endless creative possibilities! This unvalved balloon is available in both 20" and 24", with floating times of 7-10 days for the 20" and 3-5 weeks for the 24". The different floating times are subject to the type and amount of balloons that you add to a Deco Bubble. Once filled and fully inflated, they should be closed using a 160Q or 260Q balloon. Deco Bubbles are available in clear 20" and 24", in addition to 24" printed designs.

Below is a selection of techniques taught by Lucy Hennessy, CBA and Julie Dunham, CBA of Pioneer Europe, from the recent Qualatex Bubble Tour in the UK. If you are based in the UK, there are more dates available for this tour - just click on the link below https://europe.qualatex.com/en-gb/events/q-bubble-tour/

11" Agate inside Bubble Balloon

260Q and 7" Chrome Balloons inside a Bubble Balloon that has been personalised.

Gold Glitter Flakes inside a Bubble Balloon



Personalising Deco Bubbles
Deco Bubbles are perfect for personalising. Add a name, a special birthday or a cheeky message: anything goes! 









Luc Bertrand, CBA of WaW Balloons, Vichte, Belgium has made a great video that shows clearly how to inflate and tie a Deco Bubble.

 


Bubbles Helium Guide
Over or under-inflating Bubbles can decrease float times, so follow the package instructions to inflate correctly and achieve the best float times. Actual flying times also depend on temperature and atmospheric conditions. Deco Bubble float times vary if other types of balloons are placed inside. Giving accurate gas capacities is almost impossible, as everyone inflates their balloons slightly differently. Personally, I only inflate a Bubble Balloon to the point at which all the creases disappear, however, if I am adding tassels or tulle to a Bubble Balloon, I might add in a little more helium or balloon gas to give it greater floating capacity.  As I already mentioned,  giving accurate capacities is not easy, but I used my Dual Split-Second Sizer to help me measure the volume of helium that is used to inflate the 20" and 24" Deco Bubbles and found that a 20" Deco Bubble took approximately 1 cu.ft. - 0.0282 of helium or balloon gas and the 24" took approximately 1.5 cu.ft - 0.0425 mof helium or balloon gas.
Here are the suggested average number of Bubble Balloons inflated from a 3.6m3 tank.
  • 22" Single Bubbles 90-130
  • 24" Double Bubbles 85-105
For me, Bubbles Balloons are a truly magical balloon in every way! For decorators and retailers, the Deco Bubbles are just fabulous! They look so elegant and can be prepared several days in advance of an event, giving you more time to work on other event decor that cannot be prepared in advance. Decor Bubbles are so versatile, they can be filled with latex balloons, Microfoil balloons, confetti and even feathers! Bubble Balloons are long lasting, vibrant and fun! 

For more inspiration when working with Bubble Balloons check out this great video with Kerry Ferguson, CBA of Qualatex, Europe.



Happy Ballooning!

Sue

*Oxidation - Whenever you inflate a latex balloon, you immediately subject it to oxidation, it is just a fact of atmospheric physics. Latex balloons will become cloudy and take on a velvety appearance. To prevent balloons oxidising during delivery, store and transport the balloons in a clear plastic bag. You can also use products such a Balloon Shine™  that will help to prevent oxidation and add a long-lasting sparkle to your balloons. Bubbles Balloons do not require the use of Balloon Shine or HI-SHINE, as these balloons do not oxidise.

Monday, September 4, 2017

Fabulous Air-Filled Bubble Garland by Cam Woody, CBA.

Air-Filled Bubble Garland by Cam Woody, CBA of Pioneer® Balloon Company.

Have you tried out the new 12" Air-Filled Bubbles yet? These balloons are all the fun of a Bubble Balloon® but in a smaller size! Sold in packs of 10, they are perfect for air-filled store displays, point-of-sale purchases, and can be used for fun decor accents. 

Follow these simple steps to create perfect Air Bubbles.

Step 1. Remove Bubble from foil packaging. If you do not intend to inflate all 10 Air Bubbles at the same time, I recommend that you reseal the packet using your heat sealer or place into a zip-lock bag to prevent the Bubbles from drying out.


Step 2. Inflate Air Bubble using a hand pump until the balloon is fully inflated and has no wrinkles at the edges.


Step 3. Using a heat sealer, seal the Bubble. I like to start close to the opening of the balloon, rather than higher nearer the actual balloon. This gives me the opportunity to try again if it fails the first time. The heat sealer needs to be set to a low temperature. I recommend starting on setting 2. You may need to adjust slightly, either way depending on your own heat sealer.


Watch the short video below to see how to inflate and heat seal the 12" Air-Bubble.




If you do not have a heat sealer, you can still work with these wonderful balloons! Simply inflate an 11" latex balloon inside! The video below will show you how.



Here is a fabulous idea from Cam Woody, CBA, who shows us how to create this wonderful air-filled Bubble Garland that will last a very long time! Perfect for window displays, long lasting decor, and outside decor too!




  • Air-inflate and heat seal all the Bubble balloons that you need for your Garland.
  • Roll up the neck of each of the Bubble balloons with curling ribbon, then curl gently to create soft curls.
  • Connect each Bubble together using a small piece of Clik-Clik™ Stretchy Balloon Tape. This tape is exceptionally strong and will hold the balloons together really well. 



  • Create connection points at each end of the Garland, once again using Stretchy Balloon Tape and ribbon which will enable you to position your Garland.


I love this Garland. It's fun, strong and very long-lasting! Congratulations Cam on an awesome design idea! 

12" Bubbles are available in a variety of different prints, so you can easily adapt the Garland to suit different occasions or themes. Check out the range by clicking HERE.

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com




Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Tip and Tricks of the Trade - Part 4 Controlling a Bubble Balloon® for vinyl application

20" Deco Bubble, with 16" White latex inside.
U.S. Patent No. 6,782,675

I recently taught a class showing different ideas and techniques working with Qualatex® Bubble Balloons and turned to Chris AdamoCBA, of Balloons Online, in Sydney, NSW, Australia, some weeks before I was due to teach the class to ask him what technique he used to "control" a helium-filled Bubble Balloon whilst adding vinyl and how to ensure that the text or image was centrally positioned. Chris has already showed us how to add vinyl transfer to flat foil balloons along with how to make confetti filled balloons in "Tips and Tricks of the Trade- Part 1," and I thought that he would be the perfect person to ask!

Chris confessed that he had not worked out a specific way, but would be very happy to work on it! We discussed a few ideas and Chris went away to play!

Within no time, Chris had devised the perfect solution —a cardboard jig, something that we can all make very easily from a cardboard box and a few un-inflated 260Q balloons! 
The video clip below gives you full instructions on how to make your Bubble Balloon into a solid colour Bubble, how to make the Bubble jig, and how to add the vinyl to the Bubble. For all you vinyl users, this is the coolest tip ever!




When I arrived at the Slovenia Qualatex Event, my first job was to make my jig, as I knew that I would need it to help me to prepare for my class. In fact, I made two: one for 20" Bubbles and the other for 24" Bubbles. They did not look pretty. Sadly, I did not take any pictures, but my goodness, it really made a huge difference when working with my Bubbles! When I showed it to the delegates in the class, they all thought that it was a wonderful, tool! 

So a huge thank you to Chris, who once again shares an amazing, time-saving, and extremely useful tool with the balloon world!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com