Home Time: September 2009

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Halloween

Ingredients

SUPER HI-FLOAT or ULTRA HI-FLOAT

11-inch clear latex balloons

Small rubber spider

Instructions

Inject a little less than the usual amount of HI-FLOAT in a 11-inch clear balloon and rub it around to coat the inside.

Put a small rubber spider inside the balloon.

Inflate the balloon to about 75% of the full-size with air.

Seal the balloon with a plastic disk or clip. Let it dry overnight. Place the balloon out in the open where there is good air circulation. It must be very dry in order to form the spider web.

The next day remove the clip and deflate the balloon.

Hold the balloon by the stem and the top as shown to the right below, and stretch it a few times to separate the dry film from the wall of the balloon.

Slowly inflate the balloon with Helium or air.

When the balloon is almost full-size the HI-FLOAT film will separate from the wall in several places and hang inside the balloon to form a spider web.

If the coating does not separate, deflate the balloon, stretch it a couple of more times and reinflate it.

This takes a little practice, but once you've mastered it almost every balloon turns out beautifully.

NOTE: Since the HI-FLOAT coating inside the balloon is no longer intact, the balloon will not have an extended floating life. A long lasting product can be made by inflating the balloon with air instead of helium and putting it on a cup and stick. Use the dilute coating technique on the outside to keep it from oxidizing. It should last for weeks.