The key to balloon twisting is learning how to make things that stick. This means creating arm and leg twists that stay in place, poodle tails that don’t pop and cool martian heads that don’t fall off. For professional help, contact Brooklyn Balloon Company.
One of the best ways to do this is to use a locking twist.
1. Apple Twist
There are two primary design styles in balloon modelling. One involves a single balloon per model, the other allows multiple balloons to be incorporated into a design. Both styles have their merits and twisters often move back and forth between the two depending on the needs of a show or event.
To create an apple twist (also known as a tulip twist) you inflate the balloon to the point that it’s soft and then make a simple knot at the end of the balloon. Push your index finger into the balloon as far as you can, toward the end that’s attached to the nozzle, and grab the knot with the fingers of your other hand. Pull your finger out of the balloon, but keep your grip on the knot and firmly twist the apple twist to form it into a tulip shape.
This is a good basic twist to work with for a lot of animals. It’s also great for hands and feet, if you need to connect two or more separate bubbles together. Another twist that works well with this is the pinch-pop series. This is done by making a long bubble and then twisting the ends of the same bubble together to split it into two equal-sized bubbles.
If you’re working on a large project, like a whole balloon animal, you can do the Apple Twist a few times to get it as big as you need. Then use the pinch-pop twists to add details like ears or hands and feet. This is a very simple technique, but it’s good for adding lots of extra detail to your creations. It’s also a great way to build up a little more strength in your fingers and thumb before doing more intricate designs.
2. Tulip Twist
This one can be a bit tricky. A tulip twist (also called an apple twist or a marriage twist) is a twist that has two attachment points. It can be used to attach a balloon to another balloon, as in the example of a hippo, or it can be twisted to form the nose and mouth.
To make a tulip twist, inflate a 260 balloon about halfway. Pinch a bubble and twist it a few times until it’s “locked”. Then create another bubble that’s the same size and lock it to the first. Finally, add a squiggly little bubble to the end to make a horn or nose.
When making a balloon animal, it’s important to keep the number of bubbles and twists to a minimum. Too many bubbles can cause the balloon to untwist. A good solution is to use a locking twist to hold the animals in place. A locking twist is made by creating three equal sized bubbles and then twisting them together. This is most often seen in a basic balloon dog.
Then when you are making a hippo, you can just make a couple of pinch twists on the end of the 260 to act as the nostrils. If you want to give the hippo a big nose, you can also twist the back part of the tulip twist in half. This makes a sort of “yo yo” look and is very cool. It’s also a neat way to make an eyebrow. This works because of the stress fracture mechanics that work in breaking things like eggs or balloons. It’s the same principle that causes an eggshell to crack, only faster and with more force.
3. Locking Twist
The Locking Twist is one of the most popular locking methods for all hair types. It is a great choice for newcomers to the locking process and for those who want a quick style that looks amazing. The twists are secured in place using a pair of twistlocks. The female part of the twistlock is placed into a male corner casting, then rotated until the locking system is engaged and can no longer be moved. The twistlocks can be used on containers stowed on deck or those lifted and handled by specific container-handling equipment, such as straddle carriers, reach stackers, semi-trailers, sidelifters, and various types of container cranes.
This method takes 6 months to 2 years to fully lock, depending on 3 factors: the hair texture, density of your twists, and how well you maintain them. To make sure your twists don’t unravel it is important to come in for regular retwisting and moisture management. We recommend using a high-quality dreadlock grooming product such as Lion Locs. Check out our Lion Locs store to find the best natural products for dreadlocks.
5. Spiral Tube
Spiral tube is a type of heat exchanger which uses a spiral geometry to provide high performance with minimal maintenance. It has a very low fouling risk, due to its unique design of having a single channel for each medium that continuously curves, creating high flow turbulence and shear stress, which dramatically reduces the likelihood of fouling. Furthermore, it has a very low stagnant zone, so fluid is constantly flushed, which is a critical factor in reducing the frequency of cleaning.
This makes it a suitable solution for cooling pulp from the paper industry, and it also has applications in sugar, food, and petrochemical processing. It can also be used for condensation and evaporation, due to its no-fouling design and high heat transfer efficiency.
The spiral tube is highly reliable, enabling the system to withstand extreme process fluctuations, such as start-up and shutdown. This is achieved by the flexible spiral winding bundle, which is guided axially by the central pipe. This allows the thermal expansion and contraction of the coil to be evenly distributed, resulting in a more stable mechanical structure.
Additionally, the SPGHE has no mechanical limitations in temperature rise and fall, so it is capable of withstanding sudden changes in process conditions without any degradation in system performance or safety. Furthermore, there is no limitation to the amount of heat that can be transferred during start-up or shutdown.
Spiral tube technology is an excellent choice for the petrochemical industry. Zhenhai Petrochemical Jianan Engineering has specialised in the design of spiral tube exchangers for more than 30 years. It has a strong team of engineers with a wealth of experience in heat exchange calculation, hydraulic simulation, and mechanical modelling.