being brave

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  • Casey88
    lukmanrewa
    • Jun 2012
    • 321

    being brave

    Hello.

    I am and have been a non-popper all my life, practically due to my phobic past. I love 14" and 16" balloons (Belbal and Qualatex).

    I plan to be brave and attempt to pop some balloons. I have taken a few smaller 9" balloons from malls and shopping centres for this purpose only.

    I dont want it to be loud, hence my plan is to leave it inflated and oxidise it on purpose for quite a while so the balloons become soft and the pop sound is expected to be muffled (dont want to use earplugs).

    Any other tips or ideas ?
  • Ryan556
    Member
    • Sep 2016
    • 70

    #2
    Re: being brave

    I know exactly where you're coming from. As someone who always plays with bigger balloons (gl 500, Q and tuf 24) I have the same phobia of loud pops. For myself I honestly just try to embrace the fact that some balloons will just pop out of no where and i try to brace for it. The best advice I can give is many wear some type of ear protection? For example I know some looners that wear those headsets that blocks out a ton of sound, maybe try investing in a pair of those?

    But of course there's always the route that your suggesting to yourself which is trying to start at small pops, I would say stay there for a while then gradually move up to 12-14in balloons.

    Hope this gives you some insight!

    Comment

    • Brallt
      Junior Member
      • Mar 2013
      • 19

      #3
      Re: being brave

      You're actually being a bit backwards. Smaller balloons, especially if they're fully inflated, end up being really tight and having sharp, loud pops. Letting them age helps, but something a little bigger actually won't be quite as loud.

      Depending on how you want to pop, consider underinflating your own, too. Obviously if you're sitting or squeezing being full makes it easier, but a slightly softer inflation will still go easily under pins or nails, and not be quite as loud.

      As a third point - location, location, location! Bedrooms and carpeted rooms will muffle the noise on all those soft surfaces. Tiles and bathrooms will leave your ears ringing. The great outdoors is actually the softest, thanks to all that open air.

      Comment

      • Casey88
        lukmanrewa
        • Jun 2012
        • 321

        #4
        Re: being brave

        I finally manage to do it with a small 7" balloon. Had it oxidised for a few days only but wasnt expecting it to be THAT loud when I stabbed it with a fork. Should have left it for a few more weeks.

        My body shook for a few minutes however it was a great accomplishment considering that was the first balloon pop on purpose in my life.

        I have another small 9" balloon which i am leaving it inflated and oxidised. MAY try to also pop it next month once it is softer.

        Comment

        • Nopops4me
          Senior Member
          • Jun 2015
          • 519

          #5
          Re: being brave

          Congratulations, well done. I wish I was with you on your journey. Keep going, you're achieving greater things than me.

          Comment

          • blowhyoooge
            Member
            • May 2016
            • 97

            #6
            Re: being brave

            try condoms... they don't pop as loudly as balloons, although the size can be intimidating. and they are fun to blow up!!!

            Comment

            • Casey88
              lukmanrewa
              • Jun 2012
              • 321

              #7
              Re: being brave

              Originally posted by Nopops4me
              Congratulations, well done. I wish I was with you on your journey. Keep going, you're achieving greater things than me.
              Thanks but I will not be a popper for sure. Just wanted to try how it felt for once.

              Comment

              • Micks101
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2017
                • 245

                #8
                Re: being brave

                It has always been hard for me as I tend to play with big balloons, but sometimes I get a 14 or something and just try to be brave, eyes closed and just blowing haha

                Comment

                • Mailman Looner
                  Member
                  • Jan 2017
                  • 38

                  #9
                  Re: being brave

                  Honestly, the best thing I found out to do is to take a 12" or 16" and blow it up. You can go one of two ways with this.

                  The first is to just go half way, it might make a decent noise but won't be too loud.

                  The second is to blow it up and down and a couple of times (close to max). One the time you decide to pop it, blow it up about 3/4 of the way and pop it. It should sound dense but the noise won't be too loud for the times you had blown it up previously.

                  Just a couple quick tips.

                  Comment

                  • craggy2012
                    Senior Member
                    • Jan 2012
                    • 824

                    #10
                    Re: being brave

                    Worse experience I had with a balloon where these things we bought out in Switzerland a few years ago. I haven’t the foggiest who actually made these bloody things but we bought about ten of them from a balloon shop. They all carried the shops logo on the packaging (hence I’ve no idea who actually did make them, though I suspect they could possibly be Italian). Anyway they were 1000mm rounds, quite thick latex too. The first one we left blown up in the hotel room when unexpectedly in the middle of the night it just popped..... and the noise was like a gun going off. The other guests at the place must have loved us lol!

                    So, after this we decided not to tempt any more fate and took the remainder home with us where- enter balloon no.2. This time on an electric inflator (and nowhere near it’s proported size this too unexpectedly burst like a shot gun going off. No big pieces of latex flying off around the room. These things literally shatter into thousands of tiny (grain of rice sized) shards. I’ve never experienced a balloon like them. It was almost like the latex was tough, with very little give? Anyway at that the remainder of these rather expensive Swiss loons (at my partner’s insistence)- went straight in the bin. She hates unexpected pops as is, but these were just something else!

                    Comment

                    • SRob
                      Member
                      • Aug 2015
                      • 38

                      #11
                      Re: being brave

                      Originally posted by Casey88
                      Hello.

                      I am and have been a non-popper all my life, practically due to my phobic past. I love 14" and 16" balloons (Belbal and Qualatex).

                      I plan to be brave and attempt to pop some balloons. I have taken a few smaller 9" balloons from malls and shopping centres for this purpose only.

                      I dont want it to be loud, hence my plan is to leave it inflated and oxidise it on purpose for quite a while so the balloons become soft and the pop sound is expected to be muffled (dont want to use earplugs).

                      Any other tips or ideas ?
                      Oxidized balloons are unpredictable. I've tried this for easier b2p and sometimes they get a lot bigger than a fresh balloon.

                      Get a huge bag of 9" and a pin. Do 1 breath and stab it - not loud, kinda underwhelming. Try to get each balloon bigger before popping it.

                      Comment

                      • SRob
                        Member
                        • Aug 2015
                        • 38

                        #12
                        Re: being brave

                        You wont be able to b2p a fresh 9 inch, at least not by accident

                        Comment

                        • SusieDK
                          Senior Member
                          • Dec 2017
                          • 201

                          #13
                          Re: being brave - great plan

                          Hi Casey,

                          Your plan seems all good to me. When you leave the balloons for a while you can easily feel when they start loosing their tightnes and begin getting kind of wobbely. When you pop them with a pin at this time they won’t make a loud bang - more like a poof or ‘flap’.
                          Later when you feel braver you can simply leave the balloons for a shorter periode of time before you pop them.
                          A little trick is to blow up quite some balloons, maybe 5 or 6, and when you feel the time has come to pop them, then pop them in rapid succession. You will most likely experience, that the first balloon takes by far the most determination to pop, and then it gets easier and easier - you may even find the last couple of balloons quite fun to pop.

                          Thank you for reading my posting.

                          Have fun
                          Susie
                          Last edited by SusieDK; 15-12-2017, 11:55. Reason: Correcting wrong words and spelling mistakes

                          Comment

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