Heat stretching methods

[OverTheTop]

Always been more of a balloon guy but I'm trying out inflatables now. I want to try heatstretching some but I don't really have enough space to use boiling water. With balloons I can toss them in the oven while deflated at 290F for ten minutes, has anyone tried anything similar with inflatables?

[craggy2012]

I've heat stretched 48inch beach balls in the shower.... you just keep rotating the ball under the stream of hot water (else you'll end up with an egg shaped ball) and keep adding air frequently so there's no ripples appearing along the seams and the ball will stretch. I usually stop at about 72inches though as the vinyl is very thin by then and is just on the cusp of 'pin holing'.

[Vicci]

I'd advise against putting them in the oven, they could just melt together.
Personally I've only ever used boiling water over the bath or a hairdryer.

[FireRider]

I've tried both, hot water and air. Water takes longer, uses up more space, etc, but it stretches the inflatable a lot nicer. I've also tried stretching a small beachball with a hairdryer while sitting on top of it (it wouldn't stretch without any pressure being applied) but that just ended up making a bulge grow right between my legs (on the beachball, mind you) and ultimately popping it. It was a fun experience, but if you're looking to keep your inflatables after stretching, water is the way to go in my opinion.

[Peter P.]

Two more methods I can think of.

One would be to use "natrual" resourses by doing the stretching in the sun. The sunlight heats up the inflatable and makes it quite a lot softer. Add more air every now and then for a nice heatstretch.

Or the, in my oppinion, best and easiest way to reach the maximus size is to use stream.

As mantioned befor the hairdryer is quite usefull as well, but a little tricky

This guy knows how to do it right:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaVYZydBfHs

[Jkloon]

I've used air, shower, and Boling water. I've never done it with a hair dryer without popping the toy. The shower gets pretty hot and you can enlarge the toy a fair bit. Boiling water gives you a really extreme stretch and makes it huge, but leaves it plasticy

[craggy2012]

Hot water does leech out the plasticisers in vinyl. I've heat stretched a BestWay Splash and Play Beachball but after a day or so it's vinyl turned from being thin and flexible to something quite crinkly almost like Cellophane.

[Peter P.]

Hot water does leech out the plasticisers in vinyl. I've heat stretched a BestWay Splash and Play Beachball but after a day or so it's vinyl turned from being thin and flexible to something quite crinkly almost like Cellophane.

Are you sure water can cause this?
As the effect occured a day later. Maybe it is just the vinyl stretched to the max. causing the polymer to change characteristics.
Just a thought

[Jkloon]

From my understanding, the extreme stretching and extreme heat from using boiling water changes the structure of the polymer from a mesh pattern to a more linnear pattern. I believe it also degrades some of the plasticizing agents.

[JR Looner]

One round of heat-stretching with a small hair dryer. The one on the left is the heat-stretched one. The one on the right is normal size. First try at using a hair dryer.