Alright, let me tell you about this little thing I put together the other day – a sort of balloon clamp. It wasn’t anything fancy, really started ’cause my fingers were getting sore.
See, my kid had a birthday coming up, and you know how that goes. Balloons. Lots of ’em. I bought a big bag, figured I’d blow them all up the night before. Started inflating a few, and man, tying those knots over and over again… my fingertips were raw pretty quick. Plus, some balloons I just wanted to seal temporarily while I figured out where to put them.
Getting Started
So, I looked around the garage. What did I have? Found some scrap pieces of thin plywood, maybe leftover from some shelf project. Grabbed a few spring clamps, the small metal ones you get at the hardware store for a buck or two. Also had some rubber bands lying around.
My first thought was simple. Just use a spring clamp directly on the balloon neck. I tried it. Blew up a balloon, twisted the neck a few times, and clamped it shut. Well, it sorta worked, but the clamp teeth were sharp, felt like they might pop the balloon if I wasn’t careful. And it didn’t really help with the tying part later.
Making the Thing
Okay, plan B. I took one of those small plywood scraps, maybe three inches long, one inch wide. Smoothed the edges a bit with sandpaper so it wouldn’t snag anything. Then I took one of those strong binder clips, the black metal ones with the silver arms you fold down.
I tried clipping the binder clip onto the end of the wood piece. Didn’t feel sturdy enough. So, I got out my small drill. Drilled two tiny holes through the wood, roughly where the binder clip would sit. Then I used some thin wire – salvaged from an old cable tie I think – and basically wired the base of the binder clip securely onto the wood piece. Snipped the wire ends flush.
Now I had a piece of wood with a binder clip firmly attached to one end. The idea was, the wood gives you something easier to hold onto.
Trying It Out
Blew up another balloon. Twisted the neck tight. Then, I opened the binder clip and slipped the twisted neck into its jaws, right up close to the balloon body. Released the clip. It held! The flat surface of the binder clip seemed less likely to puncture the balloon than the spring clamp teeth.
It worked great as a temporary seal. I could inflate a bunch, clamp them with these little contraptions, and leave them sitting while I did more.
Then came the tying part. Holding the wooden handle gave me better leverage. I could hold the balloon steady with one hand (using the wooden clamp) and use the other hand to wrap the neck around my fingers and tuck the end through to make the knot. It was definitely easier than just wrestling with the slippery balloon neck directly. My fingers didn’t get nearly as sore.
Was it worth it?
Yeah, I’d say so. Took maybe 20 minutes to make a few of these little wood-and-clip things. Made blowing up about fifty balloons way less tedious. They’re simple, kinda crude looking, but they did the job. Saved my fingers and let me stage the balloons without them deflating. Sometimes the simplest fixes work out best.