Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

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  • craggy2012
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2012
    • 824

    Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

    Had a bit of fun earlier today with an Orange Cattex 55 balloon and afterwards I slowly let it deflate down by restricting the escaping air. Once the balloon was deflated but still wrinkled with a bit of shape remaining I re clipped the Zibi clip to its neck and cupped the balloon’s shape in my hands. Suddenly all the wrinkles just disappeared before my eyes as if the rubber was shrinking with the heat from my hands. I’ve never in all my years of Looning ever noticed this happen before but in a few seconds all the wrinkles had simply all gone!

    Bizarre hey..... or is it just me?
  • Londonj2014
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2017
    • 155

    #2
    Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

    I've never used body heat but I always hot air on my balloons afterwards (if they have survived). I use a hairdryer on low heat.

    Brings them back to normal, if not even a little bigger next time

    Comment

    • OverTheTop
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2013
      • 711

      #3
      Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

      Heat does have an effect on latex. Low heat will cause the latex to shrink back to its original form, and high temperatures will also weaken the bonds making the balloon stretchier. You can use an oven or clothes dryer to easily heat stretch balloons, I wouldn't be surprised if the hair dryer is having the same effect.

      I'm kind of curious about inflating a balloon with a hair dryer, but not enough to go buy a hair dryer just for that.

      Comment

      • Steebs
        Junior Member
        • Sep 2018
        • 22

        #4
        Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

        This is normal. As a non-popper i use my body heat to unwrinkle balloons every time im finished with them. I think warming the balloon help the latex relax or something so it can return to its original shape

        Comment

        • Fred
          Happy looner
          • Jul 2018
          • 74

          #5
          Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

          So your saying that your hands did what an iron does to clothes just instead your hand doing it to balloons

          Comment

          • tebe2hu
            Member
            • Jan 2017
            • 91

            #6
            Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

            Originally posted by craggy2012
            Had a bit of fun earlier today with an Orange Cattex 55 balloon and afterwards I slowly let it deflate down by restricting the escaping air. Once the balloon was deflated but still wrinkled with a bit of shape remaining I re clipped the Zibi clip to its neck and cupped the balloon’s shape in my hands. Suddenly all the wrinkles just disappeared before my eyes as if the rubber was shrinking with the heat from my hands. I’ve never in all my years of Looning ever noticed this happen before but in a few seconds all the wrinkles had simply all gone!

            Bizarre hey..... or is it just me?
            No, completely normal. To speed up the process, I use a hair dryer for the bigger balloons.

            Comment

            • Northstar
              Junior Member
              • Jul 2018
              • 12

              #7
              Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

              Originally posted by tebe2hu
              No, completely normal. To speed up the process, I use a hair dryer for the bigger balloons.
              I just try the hair dryer for the first time since I had alot of them that were super stretch out, pretty impressive to see them scale back to normal even after being in their stretch out state for a while.

              Comment

              • BigBreathless
                Senior Member
                • Jun 2017
                • 118

                #8
                Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

                I have unevenly stretched 84"s and I want to make them even again so they don´t pop on me. Normally I use them to squeeze myself and they only inflate around the top part; and each time I do it that part gets thinner and thinner. This will hopefully save them for me

                Comment

                • heleo
                  Member
                  • Aug 2015
                  • 94

                  #9
                  Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

                  Originally posted by craggy2012
                  Had a bit of fun earlier today with an Orange Cattex 55 balloon and afterwards I slowly let it deflate down by restricting the escaping air. Once the balloon was deflated but still wrinkled with a bit of shape remaining I re clipped the Zibi clip to its neck and cupped the balloon’s shape in my hands. Suddenly all the wrinkles just disappeared before my eyes as if the rubber was shrinking with the heat from my hands. I’ve never in all my years of Looning ever noticed this happen before but in a few seconds all the wrinkles had simply all gone!

                  Bizarre hey..... or is it just me?
                  It is not just you, it is due to the nature of the latex molcules they are are in a bit of a knotted mesh at the limit of their extention. You provide a little heat, and you have provided the extra vibration that lets the springy molecules slide over each other back to their lower energy state.

                  Comment

                  • balloonPatcher
                    Senior Member
                    • Jun 2020
                    • 236

                    #10
                    Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

                    Yes, I use body heat almost every time after deflating my balloons.
                    I find it quite erotic, the feeling of the latex shrinking on your skin.

                    Comment

                    • LoonerHoax
                      Senior Member
                      • May 2020
                      • 334

                      #11
                      Re: Cattex 55 shrinkage after use....

                      I mainly use body heat to shrink balloons back down. If I'm in the shower I will use hit water. When I can, I will use a hair dryer. I think there was a post on the old C&B forum about the science behind heat making the molecular bond stronger. That was also the theory behind the Q24 being the biggest and strongest on its third or fourth inflation when heat was used to in essence "reset" the balloon.

                      Comment

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