Your Choice.

Wow Magic Grandpa,

You can blow up 3 gross without stopping!
How do you do that? How the right techinque is? What kind of training I need?

I only can blow a 260 Qualatex in about 5 minutes and 3 pieces max. To get the first bubble of each balloon is very difficult, the rest is okay. I start got dizziness if more than 3 pieces. I'm 167 cm tall and 56 kg weight.

Right now I use balloon pump, but willing to learn blow it with lung power.

Thanks in advance.

Budi Ha Ha

It's just an art (more of an exercise) to blow up 260's. I can do about 600 of 'em before I might (if it's really hot outside) start to feel a little tired. It one of those things where, the more you do it, the more developed the muscles get. I can also mouth inflate a 160, but I'm pretty out of practice with that. I haven't used 160's in about a year. My wife uses a pump for inflation when she's working. We use a Balloon Master from (now apparently defunct) Balloon Buddies. Also have a Qualatex bi-directional hand pump for tight situations. By the way, not that you care, but I'm 43 years old.

Steve Thomas

I use to think that I would never be able to blow up a 260. I just kept trying and one day it happened. For a while I would get sores in my mouth, my ears would stop up and I would get headaches. That doesn't happen anymore. I use to think 160s were impossible. I tried and I couldn't get them started. One day I gave it a shot and found I could do it. Never had a problem since then.

I huff my balloons. There is something strangly satisfying to unleash my lung muscle and watch 60 inches of latex expand before my eyes.

Wrapping it around my finger to create a spiral...I love it. Huffing a sleek 160...I love it. Working with those dreaded metallics...I love it. I even enjoy inflating 2 260's simultaneously. I love blowing the balloons up by mouth. Admittedly, it does get tiring if I have a line of kids and have hundreds of dogs to make...but I don't put myself in those positions anymore. I prefer working on more elaborate sculptures...where I get to spend some time actually twisting.

I have heard of negative health effects associated with blowing up balloons. Aside from choking (and being a poor role model for young children), can anyone list for me the consequences of such actions and a relative risk assessment.

Thanking y'all in advance...

Paul

I don't know about any other bad health effects, but I have two ruptured eardrums, one from the army and one from blowing up balloons.

After the one from the army (supposedly) healed. I was blowing up balloons for kids at Womack Army Hospital, when the second blew. It kinda stung. Not being too bright, I tried again, and reruptured the other. So now I have extremely poor hearing. I most Heartily recommend balloon pumps.

Magic Grandpa call'em any way you want, just try not to give anyone advice that could be detrimental to there health.

I spent 15 years in the special op's and MI community, and the saying in special op's is:
"if you can't find a way to cheat, you're not tryin hard enough"
work smarter, not harder!

Use what you are comfortable with.

Steve
US Army retired

Hi, sorry to wade in here and change the subject a little. I was a children's entertainer for 17 years. I stopped after I couldn't give each show 110% as I believe you should. I do mainly corporate close-up stuff these days. However I have been asked to do a few hours balloon bending over a couple of days for a very good friend. Now in days gone by I could blow up 260's with lung power without a thought, but today although the sculptures are fresh in my head I haven't blown a balloon in a good while. I NEED A PUMP So here it is, I live in the UK and read about a few pumps in Balloon HQ. I read about a Black & Decker cordless inflator but can't find them even at the B & D website. I also read about an Airman classic cordless pump for tyres etc. The balloon gig is walkabout with some magic here and there. Ideally I'd like an electric pump as I'll be going for 4 hours each day, but I'm open to suggestions from the people who know. What advice can you pro's offer? The gig is about two weeks away so I need to purchase a pump pretty soon!

Personally, I prefer hand or floor pumps. Mine is a Pump 1 from T. Myers.

If you prefer a battery pump then they have those too. I can't vouch for the battery pump but T. Myers stands behind the products they sell.

Thanks Rob, I'm looking for something ideal for walkabout. Floor pumps would probably restrict my mobility.

Just as puppets are associated with Axtell, balloons and pumps are associated with T.Myers... :>

Or get one of those little bulb type pumps. I carry one in my costume pocket at all times. Its almost as fast as the suzuki (believe it or not) pump that I use. I believe they are made by qualatex.

I recently stopped using lung power. I too thought a pump was "cheating". Last night at my restaraunt gig, A lady commented on how she doesn't like balloons given to her kids after they've been in someone's mouth. I never really thought about that. My wife, a nurse, was not surprised when I told her of this! Think about it, in this day and age would you like someone handing you something, that's been in their mouth!

If you ever find a "Balloon Master" floor model pump (made and sold by Balloon Buddies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...they're not in business anymore)...BUY ONE! I got one from the guy before they stopped working/producing. Lighter and easier to transport than the T. Myers products. I loved the Myers pumps, too. I owned one of those monsters before I got this one.

I have some of the quality, bi-directional pumps (they inflate on the push AND the pull) to sell. If you'd like one, let me know at: stevethomasmagic@aol.com and I'll get one to you very reasonably.


Steve Thomas

A famous balloon artist (forgot his name) died suddenly in his 50's.....He had a video showing how to inflate by mouth, but it looked like a lot of stress on body...Makes you wonder......

I've been sculpting balloons, and inflating by mouth, for over 33 years and have never needed or used a pump. If you inflate a balloon correctly, then there should be no ill-effects. Personally most balloon twisters that I've seen using a pump, come across to me as little more than a machine......kind of like a balloon automaton.

My Myer's Pump One is 20 years old...and still working like a champ. Best investment I ever made. I also own Magiloon & Balloon Buoy electric pumps. I like the Balloon Buoy (TMyers) best of the two asit is really very quiet and suitable for indoor work. The Magiloon I own is one of the older models and very noisy (by my standards)...but I understand that Magiloon has a new dual-pump model that is as quiet as the Balloon Buoy.

For all of you "mouth" inflators...kudos and congrats! As for me, I'll just pump away and continue to entertain the crowds in my own fashion. Ces't le vie!

Hiya, Paul! Good t' see ya posting!!

Skip

I've never 'needed' a pump, either. However, I use an electric pump 98% of the time. If someone is so shallow and silly as to have a negative impression because I don't blow them up by mouth (usually), well. . . the problem is theirs. As I have said elsewhere, people are impressed by the product. I get far more comments that are positive in nature regarding my pump, and when someone should make a comment about "cheating", or otherwise joking with me (I've never had one say this without a big smile), I always have a friendly reply, only adding to their entertainment.

As for the "automaton" comment; I believe that one can get that impression from anyone working a line of people wanting a balloon, if they are not also being entertaining while twisting. The difference there is that, unless you are my old pal John Cassidy, the one with the pump is likely making more balloons.

However, if you prefer to use your mouth, I won't fault you for that. That is your preference, and I can respect that. Just don't tell me that using a pump is somehow wrong. The product and the entertainment is what the people care about, and neither method diminishes that.

Often if you use powered pumps for certain gigs the client will have a problem with the noise this is especially true with store openings and convention centers. I use a hand pump made by Cheezo @ http://www.clownsupplies.com he also makes an excelent Quite powered pump.

as far as mouth inflating to each his own, to me the less I put in my mouth while dealing with large groups of people the less chance of getting ill and I think most people would prefer a machine inflated balloon over one that been in some clowns mouth as well