Self-detonating balloons

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Hi,

What a cool issue!

I am actually quite good at this, and I even sometimes use it as part of teaching physics at school (to illustrate the random nature of radioactive decay). I blow up a balloon bigger and bigger while explaining about the stability and how the inner pressure "wants" to pop the balloon, but is held at bay by the "skin" of the balloon, how the inner pressure grows with the size of the balloon, and also how the balloon just all stable all the time. Then when I have blown the balloon so tight that I feel it will pop spontaneously within a very short time I tie it off, and keep telling about how there is nothing to see on the balloon indicating the "battle" between the opposite forces, but that the forces are there nevertheless constantly trying to get the upper hand, and hence the balloon has reached at state where it is no longer stable. It is very likely that the pressure will prevail at some moment that we cannot predict, - we just know it will happen, but not when. I explain that this is exactly what is meant with a process being random. All of sudden I am interrupted by a bang. This little experiment compares quite well to how the forces works within the nucleus of a big atom like i.e. uranium. Besides it is great fun.
Of course it is not always that the balloon pops by itself, but it is more than 90% of the time. In case it hasn't popped when the lesson is about to be over, I just say that sometimes it takes a tiny effect like a neutron to start the process and then illustrates this with a pin.
It is quite funny to watch the students sitting like on needles waiting for the bang almost all the way through the experiment

Sorry for this long explanation, - I just couldn't help telling it, and besides it illustrates how the method I use to get the balloon to the edge of popping spontaneously works quite well - so well that it can be relyed upon for 'practical use'.

Actually there is nothing much to it: I just use a not so big good quality balloon - most times a qualatex 11", and then blow it up until I feel the back pressure indicating that the balloon is close to popping. Then I blow in a few more breaths and tie the balloon (which is quite hard btw). The rest is a waiting game.

I also use the technique when making balloon decos for a party btw - it is cool when a balloon suddenly pops and makes people (myself included) jump - and laugh. Besides it gives an opportunity to blow up a 'replacement balloon'.

Of course you need to tie the balloon at just the right size and tightness. This can only be found by practising, however I can tell that you need to blow the balloon really really tight before you tie it. You will probably blow up quite some balloons too far before you find the right size, but from what I know of you this is a price you will gladly pay *giggles*

Let me end by assurring you that after some time you will get the hang of it.

Have fun!

Sincerely
Susie

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Dry ice.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Citrus oil should do it as it'll deteriorate the latex... put a drop on an inflated balloon or a light spray... depending on how strong the oil is and how thick/tight the balloon is depends on when it'll pop... could be seconds, could be an hour... could be never.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Inflate the balloons in a cool room or outside where it is cooler than the rooms you plan to have fun. While the air in the balloon warms it will expand and boom. You still have to inflate the balloon really tight but it will work. I couldn't imagine having susie as a teacher. I might have learned something.��

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Filling a balloon tight with cool air and placing it in a warm room will cause the air to expand, almost certainly popping it at some point. Easiest way is to use a hand pump, then put the balloons in a hot conservatory or by a sunny window. Using compressed air will work even better.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

We must have typed that at the same time haha

Re: Self-detonating balloons

I’d image dry ice would be great for this...... how to get it into the balloon first though may be problematic unless it’s a wide neck.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

A balloon filled with Sulfur Hexafluoride will keep expanding until it pops. Other heavy gasses should do the same.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

I used a 1 Ohm resistor connected to an Arduino.
You inflate the balloon to the wanted size and tape a 1 Ohm resistor to it. You wire the resistor to the Arduino.
On the Arduino you program to switch on the voltage to the resistor after a random waiting time. You could use a random value; between 1 and 60 minutes for example. After the waiting time is over (every time different), the resistor gets hot (because of the low value) and this makes the balloon pop.
(To be safe I would advise to switch off the voltage after a few seconds, just to avoid the hot resistor to cause a fire.)

Re: Self-detonating balloons

You could also use a servo connected to a pin with a random timer.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Susie, you would have been my worst nightmare while I was in school! haha Throughout my school years I was completely terrified of balloons popping!

I had many teachers pop balloons for one reason or another in class and oh goodness it always made me squirm. I'd figure out some excuse to leave or worst case I had to stay I'd scramble to find a clever way to cover my ears without embarrassing myself. I can laugh about it now, and those moments played into the development of my fetish, but oh yeah I was utterly petrified of those balloon popping teachers hahaha.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Thanks everyone! I always appreciate this community’s eagerness to help ��
We’re trying to figure out how to set up some balloon “bombs” for our upcoming Fourth of July party. I want them to go off spontaneously during the party so they sound like firecrackers, but without having to do anything or have anyone see me deliberately bust them. So I probably won’t be messing with switches or electronics or anything like that.

So far, I’ve tried the citric acid thing our fearless leader Vicci suggested. I never knew oranges were so deadly! I sprayed a little bit of lemon juice on one and it worked right away (hehe), but it was instantaneous so that doesn’t work. I sprayed some floor cleaner we had with citric acid in the ingredients and waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing happened even when I sprayed some more. I eventually got bored and just stomped it. Sorry. Anyone else have an idea on how to dilute the lemon oil to create a delayed effect? Or maybe that just won’t work.

Finally, you’re right Suzie. I don’t mind overinflating them a bit and waiting for the inevitable ��. But that seems to be an inconsistent approach. Sometimes it happens, but most of the time they just sit there all tightly inflated and begging to be burst, but they almost never do. Maybe they just need more air? I dunno.

While I’m at it (sorry this got so long everyone still with me!), can I make a confession? I’m not really sure I completely get the back pressure concept you were talking about. Maybe it’s just my perception, but it seems like when I blow up a balloon, the body always feels “tight” once it gets to a certain size, but it never really gets hard to blow. Maybe I’m not paying enough attention or I’m too eager to btp by that point, but I’ve never really had that thing where you blow into it and it just gets firm without getting big. I can get big long necks sometimes, even to the point where there’s nothing to put my lips around; but I always feel like I can still get more air in. It’s never hard for me to blow, if that makes sense? I guess I just don’t know when to stop so that it is as “full” as it can go without making it bust right there. Anyone willing to try and coach me?

Sorry this got so long. Thanks again and love you all!

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Try counting how many breaths it takes to pop them. Then just put one less breath in and wait. They obviously won’t all pop at exactly the same size, but at least you’ll know they’re close. If you have lots on the floor, it increases the chances one will bump into something sharp and pop.

Re: Self-detonating balloons

Such a fun, and deviously terrifying idea! hahaha I've read on here about using aquarium pumps for slow, silent inflation. If it's rigged ahead of time it'd be a flip a switch and forget about it type thing.

I did just try out the bunch-of-balloons pump and it was intense to say the least. It was very noise though. But it was 40 balloons slowly inflating and popping at random, sometimes setting off chains of pops or one popped 10 other balloons at once for a massive boom. I've been trying to find the same tubing that's used but in a longer length so that I could set the pump in a different room and have the 40 balloons inflate and go off spontaneously like you were mentioning.