A helium molotovaloon looks like a glass bottle for a carbonated beverage, but it’s not. It’s made of shatterproof plastic, and instead of a drink, it contains a compressed balloon.

To open your molotovaloon, grasp it by the neck and throw it forcefully onto the ground. The bottle is scored so that it splits in two on impact. As soon as the bottle breaks the balloon contained therein expands to its full size and floats upward. A string with a weight at one end prevents the balloon from flying away.
-- AO, May 13 2003

(?) I can't believe it's baked http://birdnet.zarf...ive/9904/990408.htm
balloons will come equipped ... pressurized helium cartridge [FloridaManatee, Oct 06 2004]

I figure the pressure would need to be about 100 psi, same as my bicycle tire. Pretty high, but not unheard of.
-- AO, May 13 2003


yeahm forget about blowing up the balloon! I would just use it to sound like Mickey Mouse
-- benlevi7, May 13 2003


I like it. But how do you get it in the bottle?
-- Worldgineer, May 13 2003


A plastic bottle should work fine, depending on the size reduction required for the balloon. 4Bar (60 psi) should make the balloon 1/4 size, 6Bar(90psi) 1/6th, etc.

Groups of trained monkeys could be employed to squeeze the balloons into the bottles.
-- scubadooper, May 13 2003


Okay, evidently I was thinking of a much larger balloon than you.
-- DrCurry, May 13 2003


[World] Inflate the balloon to normal size, dip it into liquid nitrogen to shrink it, stuff it into the bottle and screw on the lid before it warms up.

Or, get into a diving bell with an empty balloon, a bottle, and a tank of helium. Descend to 260 feet. Put the balloon in the bottle. Add enough helium to the balloon to make it fill the bottle. Tie off the balloon, then but the lid on the bottle.
-- AO, May 13 2003


I prefer the trained monkeys idea. However bonus points for the sub-aqua reference.
-- scubadooper, May 13 2003


Of course, you could be traditional and inflate the balloon to pressure while it's inside the bottle, but just think of all the fun your denying to all those monkeys!
-- scubadooper, May 13 2003


[dag] you sound like you might have been breathing hydrogen at depth see: helium soda
-- scubadooper, May 13 2003


The more I think of this the more I like it. I'm picturing a new years party where at midnight everyone throws their Molotovaloons in the air, they all fall to the ground, then balloons rise into the air (of course, there would have to be a version without the weight on the string).
-- Worldgineer, May 13 2003


soak up the liquid helium in one of those Guiness Stout widget thingys so it can expand out slowly instead of explosively.
-- Freefall, May 13 2003


Now that's an image I like [worldgineer]

The guiness stout widget sounds like it should do the trick for helium soda.
-- scubadooper, May 14 2003


I suggest a 16g helium cartridge like the lawyer in the bunny suit used to disguise his voice in an episode of CSI.

I understand that these are similar to the CO2 cartridges used in soda siphons. These hold 8 liters of CO2 and He is lighter, so each would hold more He gas than that.
-- FloridaManatee, May 14 2003


I attach a link, baking this idea.

The link also alludes to the traditional Japanese paper balloons which don't explode, aren't a hazard to air navigation, won't short out overhead train electric cables and are less environmentally unfriendly.

These could be sold as small folded paper bags with a simple burner.
-- FloridaManatee, May 14 2003


Nice idea, but aren't you wasting the bottle? If the ballon is released by unscrewing the top, the bottle could be used for a message, a present, or a small furry animal going on the trip of a lifetime.
-- OnionBread, May 14 2003


[Florida] the cartridges will still only carry 8 litres of helium, the weight of the gas is insignificant, it's the pressure the cartridge can contain that counts.
-- scubadooper, May 14 2003


Who's gonna clean up the mess or tell the barefooted patrons to be careful around all the broken glass?
-- goober, May 14 2003


excellent idea, AO. Can the bottle be multi-chambered so I can drink my beer as well ? (hopefully the trained monkeys don't have the alcoholism gene)
-- mahatma, May 14 2003


Imagine a Poppin' Fresh Dough (tm) sort of party popper. Peel the label or whack it on the table (or pull two strings), and POP! Instant helium balloon! With glitter and twisty ribbons and stuff thrown in for appeal. Definite (+)!

(If you've no idea what Poppin' Fresh Dough is in your part of the world, it is pressurized biscuits in a cardboard tube which bursts when you peel the label...)
-- jayhawk, May 29 2003


Forget the Helium, I want HYDROGEN! Now's where the secret military applications come in.
-- sonyuser, May 29 2003


Hydrogen would justify the Molotov component. I imagine that after throwing the Molotovaloon to the ground, the balloon escapes up and away, tied by a string to the remaining neck of the bottle. As it floats away, a bit of sodium metal in the neck, now exposed to air, ignites. The string is actually a fuse, and as the balloon floats higher and higher the fuse burns down (or, actually, up). At about 100 feet the Molotovaloon ignites with a dull roar and a burst of flame. Happy New Year!
-- bungston, May 29 2003


Now that is something I'd pay for. Modifying my previous New Year's daydream, bottles are thrown up in the air, come crashing down, balloons float up in the sky, explode, and glitter floats down on the partiers. (closing eyes and wishing really hard for someone to bake this)
-- Worldgineer, May 29 2003



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