Any rescue for really old balloons?

[Eastlooner]

Hi to all. I"m really new at this forum, though I know C&B and older ones as I'm 48.
My question to you is concerned with trying to blow some older stuff from my collection. I have some stiff unique 16 marbles, Everts 20 and 18 pastel and crystal, French 18 and mega balloons greater than 30 from many producers. I also have some Swan (greek brand) 17,20 and 24. This is the collection from my past life, it was stored in good conditions and is impossible to buy now. I want not to them to be discarded just because they are stiff...I have thrown away about 1kg of pretty portugese 16- they became ultra soft, same as Southern America 24, bought 15 years ago from Kaboom. And I still find some 13" from 1999 still live and getting big- even 15"...
I have seen all the threads from 2016, but didn"t see anything about my question. Baking them seems to be very interesting way but in my experience it doesn"t work....Hs anyone of you an idea to rescue those bautiful ballons?

[7balloon]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

I have a similar old collection. My oldest balloons are from 27 years ago.

It all depends on how they were stored, the chemical make up of the balloon and, how exactly they are degrading.

The more latex they are, the more they are going to degrade. Latex is a natural chemical and any balloon will soften and become less elastic over time. The more oxygen they get, the faster they soften. Light, especially sunlight, also degrades the latex. Hence, oxidation of balloons outside.

If the rubber is too far gone, there is nothing you can do to inflate them. If they are just...stuck together, then very slow, very careful inflation may be possible. But usually only to a "normal" non-looner amount, and no playing. they can be blown up to look at, but I they usually don't last three seconds of playing.

[BalloonBoyUK]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

As 7balloon says, if a balloon's old, and is on its way out, there's little you can do, I'm afraid. Balloons aren't really ideal for keeping for more than a few years at best, even if kept new, sealed, away from light, and in air-tight containers/packaging.

I have some 24" Qualatex Jewel Purple from 2012, and despite being in their original sealed packaging, and stored away from excessive light and heat, they're certainly not looking great. All you can do, is separate each balloon apart, try to use a hand-pump to slowly and carefully inflate them, paying particular attention to any areas of the bulb or neck that is sticking, and/or isn't inflating correctly, and then hope for the best.

Sadly, if your balloons are as old as you say, then you may well end-up having to either underinflate them - sometimes by as much as half - or just discard them.

It's frustrating, but balloons don't keep well, I'm afraid.

[marja]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

Good question!

I have quite some really old balloons, that I didn't use in time. But it feels so bad to trow them away unused!

[BalloonBoyUK]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

Good question!

I have quite some really old balloons, that I didn't use in time. But it feels so bad to trow them away unused!

It is frustrating, but there's sadly not much we can do about it. You could sell them to poppers, who may not mind buying them off of you cheaply, if they know that the balloons are old, but that's why it's a good idea not to keep large collections of balloons, for years, as by the time you want to use them, they may not be fit to be used succesfully.

[Eastlooner]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

You are right BalloonBoyUK, now I can see that it's impossible to but I didn't plan to make a kind of balloon storage room in my basement. I just waited and waited for my wife to become a looner and it never happened. Now the situation is different and we can try with even large ones
Thanks to all for the replies
It,s interesting but 1 or 2 ballons used as a test of quality and blown almost to the max, then deflated and put again into the rest of a bag are in the best condition...It applies even for a few Gayla jellybeans- only testers are alive, the rest is sticky and soft.
I will make some experiments with microvawe, electric oven, hairdryer an the electric heater. It's nothing to loose and it's impossible for me just to throw them away...BTW, I am a popper.

[srob2]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

I've had mixed results with really old balloons, some are good as new, some pop easier, some stick together and really can't be blown up. But older are usually better for b2p. Once and a while I get bored and want more of a challenge, but usually I chicken out or get nervous, so easier popping is better.

[BalloonBoyUK]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

It,s interesting but 1 or 2 ballons used as a test of quality and blown almost to the max, then deflated and put again into the rest of a bag are in the best condition..

Without meaning to sound rude, don't assume or mistakenly assume that if one or two old balloons are okay, that the rest will be, even from the same bag or batch. Each balloon will need to be tested, and tested carefully. Until you blow it up, or use it, you won't know whether it will or will not inflate properly and/or not pop.

As long as you are aware of this, and that you may well have to throw a few, some or even most away, then you'll be fine. Sometimes as a looner, you will need to accept that not all balloons can be saved, used or rescued. Sometimes, you will have to bite the proverbial bullet, and get rid of them. As long as they're not rare, large, or expensive balloons, you may simply have to just do it, and cope.

It's frustrating, but even as a popper, you may not want to risk lots of unexpected bangs and pops coming from your "balloon" room, wherever that might be.

Sometimes, throwing them away, is the best solution. You can always buy more!

[Eastlooner]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

You are right BalloonBoy. I have thrown away all the balloons sticking to themselves and impossible to preinflate. Mainly crystal Tufetexes 17 and 24 (not so old- bought 2-3 years ago) but also some Mexico 15(oblong shaped) and Gayla jelly beans. Some Unique crystals also went to a trash paperbag. I have left only dry and stiff ones.
Their brands are rare now- I mean of some larger than 30" paddles, GL1200, giant hearts and figurines. 20-25 Everts and Swan are discontinued also...I spent some time yesterday (cloudy and rainy weather...) and made some experiments with heat (electric oven). I didn't manage to test them all, but cartoon stiff 17,24 and 28 Swans (Greek loons) and many other 30"paddle loons with Tilly workers and GL1200s went pretty big afer 15 minutes in 140C. Results with the same batch in 150C(10mins) and 140C (20 mins) were worse. All the places of unstretched latex present when I tried to iflate them without baking were absent, they became properly shaped. The most interesting is that Mexico 16marble (bought from Kaboom in 2007-8) unable to inflate due to their stiffness became as brand new. Same was with colombian Betalatex 18- they are as new after baking, reach rated size and as Marbles still can take a lot of abuse with pretty loud bang. To be continued, but the results with stiff ones seem to be promising as yet

[PBK]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

I have a big emerging problem with this right now. I'm what you call a balloon hoarder and a bit of an impulse buyer. If I see something I like I buy huge quantities of it. I've learned you especially can't hoard Unique or TufTex balloons. Even stored and handled under the most ideal conditions they just don't have a long shelf life. I'm a non-popper so I don't go through them like poppers do but I buy immense quantities. The other reason I've always bought big quantities of certain balloons is always out of the fear I will really like them and they will get discontinued/not as easy to acquire in the future. Obviously, this isn't a problem with TufTex 17's but with certain other brands and especially punchballs this has always been a problem.
I do take old balloons to the gun range and use them as rifle/shotgun/handgun targets but I still seem to acquire far more than I use up. Going to the range doesn't happen that much anymore because I'm a husband, a father and a homeowner and I have many real life obligations that use up my precious little time off.
I've also donated old balloons to the hospital/nursing homes/boys and girls club. And just to be clear about something, if anyone is thinking about expressing any misgivings about giving fetish items away to the general public being deviant behavior I'm going to lay it on the line and say RIGHT NOW that it is strictly out of generosity because I hate seeing things wasted and there is NO sexual connotation or obligation whatsoever from ANY of the recipients. Same as I donate old clothes and kid's toys my daughter has grown out of rather than throw them away. Also they are still in their original factory packaging and uninflated when I give them away.
All this being said I am struggling with an aging collection and am poised to do a big purge. It's going to be money down the drain but what do you do?

[npratt]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

Came in on this thread late, but just in case someone finds it useful: I had some old BSA 260 modeling balloons that got stiff (not sticky) and was able to salvage a few by putting them in a colander above a pan of boiling water for a few minutes. The steam loosened up the rubber enough to make it elastic again. They did pop fairly easily however.

[Eastlooner]

Re: Any rescue for really old balloons?

Thanks to all who had tried to help me (and my old balloons).
I have donated some usable 12-16" to primary schools around me as an anonymous and as far as I can see, they all are accepted (thanks PBK). Children love balloon popping. I also used a few methods of ballooon rescuing described by you- mainly baking and boiling water (thank you npratt!) and I find these methods work. Especiallly when joined and when I put stiff balloons to an oven after exposing them to the steam. Pictures soon Throwing away all of sticking loons was the best way, even when they were rare, the disaster (as BalloonBoyUK said) of their very premature pop was very bad experience even for a popper...