Okay so this balloon idea just popped in my head earlier – how much stuff can those floaty helium party balloons actually carry? You know, beyond just looking pretty? Figured I should just try it out myself instead of just wondering.
First things first, I needed balloons. Couldn’t just find regular party balloons at home, only these foil “Happy Birthday” ones leftover from my kid’s party last month. Bought them at the dollar store. Grabbed a cheap helium tank too – the small kind folks use for blowing up a bunch at home. Blew one balloon up real good. It felt light as a feather, obviously wanting to zoom up to the ceiling. Good start.
Now, for weights. Needed stuff that was small but heavy. Pennies! Dug into a jar where I toss spare change. Got out a bunch of shiny pennies. How to attach them though? Couldn’t just toss ’em on, right? Found some scotch tape. Cut off little pieces. Stuck one penny gently onto the bottom of the balloon with tape. Hung it up near a doorway where I could watch it. The balloon barely noticed that one penny, still pulling hard against the string.
Time to add more. Taped a second penny next to the first. Still floating strong. Third penny? Still no problem. Added a fourth, then a fifth. The balloon was still lifting them, but it wasn’t struggling much. I was thinking, “Heck, these things are stronger than I figured!”
Carefully taped the sixth penny on. Started taping it… POP! Right in my hand! Made me jump. One of the tape corners must have been super sharp or something, slicing into the thin foil. Balloon gone. Messy tape and pennies everywhere. Ugh.
Okay, deep breath. Blew up another balloon. This time, I tried being super careful with the tape. Rounded the corners off with scissors first so nothing was pointy. Taped pennies on smoother patches of the balloon surface. Got six pennies taped on without any explosions. Success! Hanging it up again, I saw it was just starting to sag a little. The lift was definitely less, but it was still holding them off the ground. Very slowly sinking.
Thought, “Can it take seven?” Tried to gently tape that seventh penny on… but now the problem wasn’t popping, it was slipping. That stupid tape just wouldn’t stay stuck properly anymore with the weight pulling on it. Took way too much tape trying to hold it in place. It was messy and frustrating. Finally got it kinda stuck, but then the whole balloon just sank straight down to the floor. Couldn’t float at all with seven. Six pennies seemed like the absolute max it could handle before giving up the ghost. And honestly, even holding six was kind of touch-and-go.
So there you go. One little foil helium balloon managed a measly six pennies! Less than I thought at first. Taping them was a right pain, always slipping or threatening to pop the thing. Makes you appreciate how little actual lifting power one balloon really has. Still wondering… maybe with better tape and stronger balloons?