Desperate Help with Exploding Balloons Please

by Keepsake Balloon Art
(West Yorkshire UK)

We have just invested in a balloon detonator kit and squibs. We bought some pearl giant 3' plain Qualatex balloons to practice with but every time we try and explode them it just makes a hole in the large balloon and it goes down slowly keeping everything inside.

Please can you give some advice are we using the wrong type of balloon? Where is the best place to tape the squib onto the balloon ?


ANSWER

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear about your troubles with the balloon detonator.

Which brand did you buy? Conwin has a good troubleshooting section on their support page about balloon exploders.

Quoting from their tips...

• Fully inflate the large balloons. The surface of the balloons must be taut where the Exploders are attached. If the balloon is soft or under inflated, the Exploder pin will not pop the balloon.

• You need only one Exploder per balloon. Attach the Exploders to the center section of the balloon. This is the weakest part of the balloon.

• Use a high quality, 2″ wide, clear packing tape (3M works well) to attach the Exploders to balloons. Use only two pieces of tape, one on each tab of Exploder. Do not tape over the sides or the top of the Exploder. Do not coat the outside of the balloon with Balloon Shine or Hi-Float, this will prevent the tape from sticking.

Hope that helps!

Best,
Margit