Do I have to tie the balloons by hand?

Balloon Tying Tool

There are several ways to seal a balloon :

• Tying a knot (only option if releasing the balloon)
• Inserting a balloon valve into the neck
• Using a balloon seal
• Using a cable tie for giant balloons
• Cup & Stick for air filled balloons

Tying a Knot
 The thought of knotting hundreds or evens thousands of balloons can be very off-putting and could cost you several layers of skin - which is also very painful! The Balloon Tool ties balloons with ease and once you you have the hang of it can be used to tie up to 600 balloons per hour. It can be used with helium or air filled balloons and will also tie the balloon directly onto a ribbon so will help you to create an arch and you can even use it to curl the ribbon. Great for any large balloon tying job such as balloon releases, balloon drops. balloon ceilings with or without dangling ribbons but then once you have it you can use it every time you need to tie a balloon! The tool comes with full instructions.

Pros:

1. Ties a knot in the balloon so nice neat finish
2. Doesn't add additional weight to the balloon so you get full float life
3. Quick & easy with no sore fingers (or is that 3 points!)
4. Can be used for balloon releases

Cons:

1. Takes a few practice balloons to get the hang of it 
2. Balloons can't be topped up
3. Approx £10 outlay but once bought can use over and over again

Inserting A Balloon Valve

Balloon Valve with Ribbon

A balloon valve (with ribbon) is a piece of plastic that fits inside the neck of the balloon and you then inflate the balloon with helium through the one-way valve. If hiring a helium tank you need to let your helium supplier know that you will be using valves so they can give you the right nozzle/adaptor. You need the hard black nozzle not the blue one with the flexible tip.

The plastic valve adds weight to your balloon so can considerably reduce any advertised float time - in some cases by up to 50%. On the plus side once inflated you can easily top the balloon up with helium so makes them very useful for things like shop displays but you don't really want someone running around your wedding reception with a helium tank topping up the balloons!

At about 10-12p each they can work out quite expensive if you are inflating a large number of balloons but are reusable. However as these valves are often used on "give-aways" - advertising balloons handed out to children - they aren't very often reused. When they are used on give-aways you should make sure they are weighted or tied to a child, pushchair etc.so they don't float away.

What goes up must come down, so when a balloon is released it will float up into the sky until it reaches about 5 miles above the earth then it will become brittle, shatter into very tiny pieces and fall to the ground at a rate of about 1 piece per every 5 miles. However, the same can't be said about anything attached to the balloon which will fall in the same state as it went up. Even worse is that the balloon valves can fall into fields, be broken up by farm machinery into tiny shards of plastic which can then be eaten by either domestic or wild animals slashing open their stomach and intestines and leading to a very painful death. This why I stated in an earlier blog that valves must NEVER be attached to a balloon that is going to be released.

Pros:

1. Can be fitted in advance so all you have to do on the day is inflate
2. Balloons can be topped up with helium

Cons:

1. Adds weight to the balloons so reduces the float time
2. Not pleasing to the eye in decorations
3. Work out expensive if not reused
4. Can't be used if releasing the balloons

Using a Balloon Seal

Balloon Seal with Ribbon

Balloon seals are small discs with a ribbon attached. They cost about the same as the balloon valves, are not quite as heavy as the valves, a little easier on the eye but you can't top the balloons up. The neck is placed inside a loop of ribbon either before or after inflating. When you pull on the ribbon it forces the neck through a small hole in the centre of the disc which folds the neck over and pinches it thus stopping the helium escaping.

Watch movie of balloon seal in action (real player required) demonstrator is using an automatic inflator but principle is the the same with standard inflator.

Need Real player?

Pros:

1. More pleasing to the eye than the balloon valves 
2. Not quite as heavy so won't affect float time as much as balloon valves

Cons:

1. Not as pleasing to the eye as a knot
2. Adds weight to the balloons so reduces the float time
3. Work out more expensive than just tying balloon to a ribbon
4. Can't be used if releasing the balloons

Cable Ties

Large balloons (3ft and bigger) have strong thick necks which can be quite difficult to tie. However you can fold the neck in half and then use a cable tie to secure - if you don't double the neck over the air/helium will slowly escape and your balloon will deflate quicker than you would like. Because these large balloons have a much greater lift ability you don't have to worry so much about the additional weight of the cable tie. As you should never release a balloon larger than 12" you don't have to worry about the fact that the seal is made of plastic as you won't be releasing it!

Other people have told me that it is possible to use a bag sealing machine (the type that butchers use) for smaller balloons and that it works quite well but, although I have never personally tried this method, I am sure the balloons would deflate quicker than with a knot as some leakage would occur. 

Pros:

1. Easier than tying strong & thick balloon necks
2. Easily obtainable

Cons:

1. May not float as long as a hand tied balloon as there may be some leakage if not secured tightly enough
2. Not as pleasing to the eye as a knot but as being used on a larger balloon, if it was a problem, this could be hidden with a bow, tulle etc.
3. Wouldn't recommend using on standard size balloons as combination of weight and helium/air loss could considerably reduce the float time.

Cup & Stick

Cup & Stick

The last method I want to cover is the cup & stick. You just inflate the balloon with air and wrap the neck around the cup which has a slot for you to feed the neck through and secure using the lip of the balloon.

We only stock the 2 piece cup & sticks where the cup and the stick come in 2 pieces. We choose to stock these as they are of a better quality than the majority of the 1 piece cup & sticks but both work using the same principal.

As give-aways these are ideal as helium is expensive and although they cost about 10p each (cheaper if buying larger quantities) this is much cheaper than helium. Children are usually quite happy with a balloon on a stick as opposed to a helium filled balloon on a ribbon. Downside is there is limited decorating possibilities with a balloon on a stick

Pros:

1. The cost of the cup & stick is more than covered by not having to pay for helium

Cons:

1. Limited decorating uses