Knotting bigger balloons

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

I would say get stronger fingers lol. and with them bursting randomly. what brand are they? are they in direct sunlight? is there a big temperature change throughout the day? How tight are they? and how much pre-stretching do you do

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

I always use 12" balloons I don't have any problem knotting them.

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

Only find it hard when trying to knot bigger balloons like 16" onward, for smaller ones its fine. What other alternatives to knotting is there, I've seen in a few clips, you can get those clips to place onto the neck, what are they called?

I only use qualatex balloons, they are filled till the neck is slightly stretched out. Temperature shouldn't really play a factor into as the weather in the UK ain't the best. I stretch them a little bit, no to the point where you attempt to blow it up on the pump and it'll burst.

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

My wife struggles with this with the larger balloons. The Tuf-Tex 24's she's fine with because they have a fairly long neck (I think they actually market that feature as "easy to tie necks"). She has a hard time with the Italian and Party City 24's. For filling with air she uses a rubber band or hair elastic to secure the neck. Filling with helium is a little more of a problem because the necks should be securely tied.

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

16" Qualatex can be difficult to tie, if you don't have a lot of experience with it. Their necks are quite short and wide compared to other brands, and doesn't give you a whole lot of room to work with. If you can't manage to make a proper knot on them, the only option (other than your current solution) I can think of is balloon clips.

Balloons randomly popping like that is annoying and has put me off keeping balloons around a few times. I've had it happen with most brands, without there being any apparent reason for it. If I'm trying to keep some balloons around, I never overinflate them and sometimes even make them an inch or two smaller than rated size, but I've still had them pop out of nowhere. Last time it was a 14" Belbal inflated to 13". It was only touching some other balloons, but went bang in the middle of the night. Had the same happen to a 16" Qualatex, a 16" Unique and a 16" and 32" Cattex.

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

Depending on the size, I stretch/wrap the neck around two or three fingers, then try to shove the end underneath the loop I created with my [other] middle finger. For 18” and bigger, my goal is always to get enough of the lip of the mouthpiece through the loop so I can yank it the rest of the way through (or partway through, if half-knotting). Clips are a great alternative, though I’ve had mixed experiences with them; for example, a clipped Cattex 32” longneck leaked air overnight. I like the clips for short-term sealing. Perhaps quality varies by size (this was a medium-large-ish clip) or maybe I didn’t do it right. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I can count on one hand the number of balloons I’ve had pop spontaneously without interaction from me. I typically keep them away from sunshine and in a space with a relatively stable temperature, but maybe it’s partly good luck.

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

There's balloon tying tools intended to reduce stress on fingers. I bought one, but it unfortunately didn't help much with big ones. Results may vary.

I think one of the best solutions for bigger balloons is to use a clip on them. Search for 'balloon clip' and you'll find flat plastic clips that will tie them off. Easy on, easy off.

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

I've stopped knotting them entirely. Instead I'll just take a rubber band and keep doubling it / twisting it around the neck, then pull it through so the neck has more space to expand and push air into it.

I don't like tying them because it limits the space that the neck has to grow, and I don't like the plastic clips because they sometimes have sharp corners that cause unexpected pops. Whereas with rubber bands, they're soft and stretchy, and you can keep doubling them up no matter what size balloon neck you have.

This method is also great because it's pretty quiet, and in the event that I ever need to untie them and don't want to fuss with a half-knot it's super easy to do.

edit with examples:
Rubber band doubled up once (also a great visual way to show balloons that have already been used!) https://i.imgur.com/xn5DQe4.jpg

Doubled up twice. Only good for smaller balloons or if you want air to slowly escape. https://i.imgur.com/dPd7Edr.jpg

Doubled up three times. Smaller hole for air to escape. https://i.imgur.com/o3O378e.jpg

Doubled up four times. This is usually good to seal and stays tight. https://i.imgur.com/ULZOtXN.jpg

Doubled up five times. Just in case for an airtight seal. https://i.imgur.com/5Vu3ZwA.jpg

Doubled up six times, for demonstration purposes. https://i.imgur.com/J4A8BCs.jpg

When it's sealed I'll pull the rubber band to the end of the neck near the nozzle. https://i.imgur.com/yvdPgyi.jpg

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

For balloons up to around 36” I use balloon H clips. And for larger than 36” like 40” and 55” I use cable ties / zip ties.

I can 3D print the H clips for the 36” balloons and smaller ones when I need them.

With care, the tie can be cut off for deflation if required.

I tend to leave my bigger balloons inflated long term.

Re: Knotting bigger balloons

ANON: You should try Party City - Amscan Balloon Tying Tool, I have used and it helps. I am so used to knotting balloons by hand big or small I get done. With the 24” to 36” balloons, I usually tie them in a half knot so I can inflate them again. Enjoy and happy inflations !!!!

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I use the half knots for the 24-36 inch balloons.
For larger balloons I glue on a DIY reducer from latex scrap so that I can inflate and roll the inflation tube and push in. Just like the old style punch balloons.

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I tried using a rubber band once, but I must be doing something wrong as it either doesn't seal completely or doesn't hold. Meanwhile, yours looks like the rubber band was glued to the neck. I'm jelly. D: