Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 17:42:00 -0700
To: balloon@balloonhq.com
From: Mark Balzer <mbalzer@balloonhq.com>
Subject: Re: Sparklets

>All I've been hearing about Sparklets balloons intrigues me.  Could you all
>who have seen them tell us a little more about them?

When you put a latex round inside a clear Sparklet and inflate it 
with helium, you get a great big, beautiful, shiny, tough ball of 
color that refuses to become dull and oxidized.  The most amazing 
thing about them is that when inflated with helium they will float 
for weeks.  That's right, weeks!  They are not metallized (coated 
with an electrically conductive layer) like foil balloons, so they 
can be used in decor without violating the California Law.  (M&D's 
new Dynafloat balloons  http://www.mdballoons.com/main.html  float 
longer than Sparklets, but I think - though not certain - they are 
foils)

The TK Innovations web site is the final authority on all things Sparklet.
To get there from the Balloon HQ home page, click on the "Sponsors" 
icon.  Then at the sponsor page, click on the "TK Innovations" icon.


>If they're not made of latex, what are they made of?

They are made from two sheets of plastic film which are heat sealed 
together and trimmed all around the edge, (much like a foil balloon). 
Since they are heat sealable, they are (at least partially) made from 
a thermoplastic material. Unfortunately I don't know if they consist 
entirely of one type of thermoplastic material, a blend of 
thermoplastics, or if they have a layered construction like foil 
balloons ("foil" balloons are actually made of nylon sheet, coated on 
one side with polyethylene to allow heat sealing, and metallized on 
the other side).


>Are they kind of like mylar balloons, only plastic or something?

To quote Bruce Walden, "The Sparklets truly need to be thought of as 
a separate category of balloon - latex, foil and plastic."


>Do they stretch at all,

Yes, but the elastic modulus (i.e., "stiffness") of the plastic film 
is much higher than that of natural rubber.

At the right temperature and humidity you can expect ductilities of 
maybe a few tens of percent, but nothing like the 700% ductility of a 
natural rubber (latex) balloon.  (The plastic film is not an 
elastomer like natural rubber.)  To quote Bruce Walden, "In the cold 
dry air of IBAC in Chicago the balloons needed to be inflated just to 
the point where they looked like a fully inflated foil balloon - 
wrinkles on the side a couple of inches long. Totally different story 
in hot humid environments where the Sparklets can be inflated past 
the point of being wrinkle free to look almost like a beach ball."


>are they flexible

Yes, as flexible as a plastic bag of equivalent "mil" thickness. 
Bruce's beach ball analogy is a good (though not perfect) one.  The 
film can be wrinkled or creased.


>(could they be incorporated into sculptures with 260's or something?)

Taking your question literally the answer is no, Sparklets are too 
big to be incorporated INTO (i.e., inside) 260 sculptures.

I distorted the meaning of your question on purpose because I have 
considered the very interesting inverse question... At Bruce's 
suggestion we once tried twisting 260 figures inside a Sparklet.  It 
proved impossible because the tiny amount of fine silica powder 
present inside the Sparklet got all over the 260.  The powder made it 
difficult to twist the 260's inside the Sparklet to begin with, but 
worse, it lowered the coefficient of friction of the latex so much 
that lock twisted bubbles would not stay twisted together.  So once 
again, no -- 260 sculptures cannot be created inside Sparklets either.

If you stretch the definition of "sculpture" to include inflated (but 
not twisted or curly-Q'ed) 260's... ie, if you are the Andy Warhol 
kind of person who considers a Campbell soup can to be "art"..., then 
yes, 260 "sculptures" can be inserted into Sparklets  :-)  :-) 
Please note that I am making fun of Warhol, and not what stackers 
usually call a "gumball" or "insider" balloon -- a large clear 
balloon filled with small round and/or entertainer balloons.  Gumball 
balloons are indeed balloon "sculpture" and I think Sparklet gumballs 
look great.  Also, it should be possible to make 260 Curly-Q's inside 
a Sparklet with the right tooling and technique... however this is 
made difficult by the Sparklet's small nozzle diameter which cannot 
be stretched wide open like on latex balloons designed for stuffing.

The only way I know of to get a real, twisted 260 sculpture into a 
Sparklet is to cut open the Sparklet, wash out the powder, dry, 
insert a completed 260 sculpture, and reseal the Sparklet using a 
heat sealer.

As far as making sculptures incorporating Sparklets, "260's, or 
something" as elements, I'd say the sky is the limit... just ask 
Warhol :-)  :-)
The textures, shapes and colors are certainly complimentary.  For 
connecting elements, a marriage twist might work but don't expect to 
be able to twist-connect a Sparklet to a 260.  Tying, gluing, tape, 
ribbon, etc., will definitely work.

I hope this helps,

Mark
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