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.
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| 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.
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Birthday Lit Candles
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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
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| 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.
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/
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| 11" Agate inside Bubble Balloon |
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| 260Q and 7" Chrome Balloons inside a Bubble Balloon that has been personalised. |
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| 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.
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 m3 of 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 more inspiration when working with Bubble Balloons check out this great video with Kerry Ferguson, CBA of Qualatex, Europe.
Happy Ballooning!
Sue
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.
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