Sir Sidney McSprocket’s been in action capturing facts – all about manufacturing!

Today he’s finding out all about balloons!

Balloons are made of a stretchy rubbery material called latex – that’s a white milky liquid made of rubbery particles in water.

Latex has great elasticity – it can be stretched to eight times its original length and still return to its former shape!

To make a balloon, liquid latex is sieved to make sure there’s no lumps, and then dye is added to give the balloons a lovely bright colour. It’s mixed for many hours so that the colour is nice and even.

Balloons are made using a solid form – that’s a model the size and shape of a balloon that hasn’t been blown up.

pink and yellow balloons in close up photography

Rows of these forms are dipped into a coagulate – that’s a chemical which helps the latex stick to the form in a nice even layer.

The forms are then heated to around 90 degrees Celsius before being dipped in the coloured latex for a few seconds.

Brushes or rollers are used to sweep the bottom of the balloon into a little lip – that’s the part you’ll put in your mouth.

A lovely hot bath comes next. This helps to do something special to the balloons called vulcanisation.

Vulcanisation may sound somewhat out-of-this-world – but it’s got nothing to do with aliens. It’s a process that makes the substance of the balloon much tougher and less likely to snap or pop when it’s blown up.

After a dusting of special powder, air and suction is used to pull the balloons from the forms, and then they’re ready for packing!