From: WynnLindyB@aol.com Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 12:07:44 EDT Subject: Re: which is better use... To: Adelaida.Sy@gxs.ge.com, balloondeco@balloonhq.com Hi Ade Sy, If I were you, I would experiment... Many times, the weather conditions in one's own part of the world will make balloons react differently than in another. Even from town to town or region to region. In California, we were in San Jose. But both Santa Cruz and San Francisco were within our range of travel for jobs (25 and 50 miles respectively). San Jose is hot and dry during the suimmer. The other two are on the Pacific ocean, and are foggy, etc. So things are always different. Observations that I have made through the years may help, though. Arches are very different from single balloons in arrangements. Since the balloons of an arch are going to rub together when the air stirs, you need balloons that won't stick together. Many times, I have found that 11" jewel tones tend to stick together, while fashion tones and pearls don't. The sticking happens more after oxidation starts. But all balloons will become almost welded together if they get dew or fog on them, and then the sun comes out and dries everything. The two wet surfaces suddenly weld themselves together. Then, as the arch moves, or one balloon expands more than the other (usually the darker colors), you will have balloon breakage. The only way around this, that I have found, is to finish the arch, and then rub each balloon with Son of a Gun by STP, or balloon shine products of some sort. These are slick and tend to keep the shiny surface shiny and smooth. It's a lot of work, so practice a time or two before you quote the job, if possible. Since all balloons are going to oxidize when outdoors, experiment with them to see what colors they actually change to in your area. Some of the prettiest colors happen when the fashion tone balloons oxidize. We will send balloons home with a bride after a consultation, asking her to see which color looks best for her after a couple hours outdoors. Then there is no complaining the day of the event. Balloons in the pool may or may not discolor from the chlorine. We usually make a 5-balloon "rosette" and tie a clear 16" water balloon to the underside for weight. These guys do very well, rarely ever getting blown out of the pool. If there is discoloration, it is usually on the very bottom of the balloon and is unnoticable. We just did this with pearl white and pearl lavender balloons, with no problems for 24 hours. Some of them did stick together from being wet, though. I have not yet found any easy answers to your question. It always seems to vary so much. You really do have to practice. Wynn Wynn and Lindy Bell, cba's The Final Touch Balloon Decor Portland Or USA 503 579 9499 www.finaltouchballoons.com