make balloons pop with no one holding them.

[djstams]

I am looking for a way to make some balloons pop while they are on top of a barrel. Any thought? A easily triggered device? Any ideas would be helpful.

 

[ajb]

A push-type solenoid with a pin on the end of it?

 

[derekleffew]

A mousetrap and a length of black thread or monofilament?

 

[coolbeam]

Very accurate pea shooter or BB gun?

Stagehand in the barrel with a stick pin?

 

[MNBallet]

I am looking for a way to make some balloons pop while they are on top of a barrel. Any thought? A easily triggered device? Any ideas would be helpful.

I saw a cool youtube video where a guy took a Star Trek toy lazer gun and opened it up to put in his own "real" lazer. then he shoots balloons with them. pretty cool stuff!

Ok....disclaimer (never point a lazer at someone!!!!!)

 

[JCarroll]

High powered laser and a black baloon or black dot on the baloon. Pops em instantly if done right.

 

[Footer]

I saw a cool youtube video where a guy took a Star Trek toy lazer gun and opened it up to put in his own "real" lazer. then he shoots balloons with them. pretty cool stuff!

Ok....disclaimer (never point a lazer at someone!!!!!)

You also have to have a license to operate high powered lasers. They fall into the same category as pyro in may places. Yes, it is possible to get a high powered laser through China but they are not legal to own and operate without proper permits and license.

 

[shiben]

You also have to have a license to operate high powered lasers. They fall into the same category as pyro in may places. Yes, it is possible to get a high powered laser through China but they are not legal to own and operate without proper permits and license.

You can actually use the laser out of a CD burner in a new housing, but I dont know if they are considered high powered enough to require a laser license. If it does, dont do it. I feel like lasers are wayyyyyyyyy over-engineering this in the first place. A mouse trap with a piece of fish line to trigger it, or some sort of solinoid would be perfectly fine. Do you need to move the device off? Im sure the guts of an RC car would be plenty sufficient in terms of reliablity and power to make a pin pop a baloon.

 

[JCarroll]

Anything over 5mW
High Power is typically around 100mW and something powerfull enough to pop a baloon is around 250mW...

 

[Morpheus]

Very accurate pea shooter or BB gun?

Err...
I'm going to vote 'no' on this idea...

 

[erosing]

Stick an air tank somewhere run a hose to the barrel and put the balloon on a nozzle with a hose clamp, fill it up so that it's almost ready to be popped, slowly let more air in when you want the effect and the balloon will pop. alternatively you can fill them so they are normal sized then at the right time you can just begin filling them more until they pop.

Any way you do this a popping ballon can still be harmful so make sure everyone keeps some distance from the balloons when popping them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BrianWolfe]

I am thinking simpler like a spring loaded pin inside the barrel activated using a trickline by a stagehand.

 

[DuckJordan]

i would just use a sylynoid in the barrel with any kind of pin atached with a remote control or just two small black wires leading out from the barrel.

 

[tomed101]

A tiny section of resistance wire. Apply 12V of a suitable current and it will heat up and pop the balloon.

 

[WooferHound]

Yes , What @tomed101 said.
I would use Estes Model rocket igniters or some other kind of squib.

 

[kendal69]

I do this all the time one cool thing to do is fill HUGE balloons with confetti and have them rigged in the ceiling and you explode them with a squib.

You ruin the squib TAPED to the balloon so when you fire the squib with a 9 volt detonator.

You hold the button till it reaches full charge the BAM . You can daisy chain several balloons to the same wire and blow all at one.

Do a search for BALLOON DETONATOR.

 

[shiben]

High powered laser and a black baloon or black dot on the baloon. Pops em instantly if done right.

I saw a laser that would work great... Dont even need to find a black dot, the beam is about the size of the balloon. Its designed to shoot down ICBMs from halfway around the globe, and can light tungsten on fire as soon as it gets turned on. Would pop your balloon alright...

 

[NickVon]

Think we need someone to define "squib" in the dictionary. As far as i know they are people born into the wizarding world but can't perform magic like the cat lady that lives down the street from Harry Potter

 

[philhaney]

Think we need someone to define "squib" in the dictionary. As far as i know they are people born into the wizarding world but can't perform magic like the cat lady that lives down the street from Harry Potter

We shouldn't have a definition of "squib" in our dictionary, as a squib is used in pyrotechnical effects, and our TOS prohibits us from mentioning pyro:

The users of ControlBooth, in a effort to police themselves, have evolved the following: No discussion of "how-to" of rigging, pyrotechnics, human flight, stunt falls, weapons and electrical will be permitted. Our stock answer to these questions is always "Consult a qualified professional."

By the way, NickVon is correct. Mr. Filch is also a squib, which is why he's so mean.

 

[zddh13]

back in high school I worked at a county club and we used the toothpicks with the frills shot out of straws to get the balloons down from the ceiling.

granted when you missed the toothpicks were stuck in the ceiling, but it worked.