Four Flute Round Balloons

The four flute is a very popular mold for good reason. It is an excellent compromise between the full three dimensional molded round and the flat paddle balloon. These photos illustrate the four flute design and show its clear initial "boxy" shape which can be quite pronounced.

When fully inflated, as dramatic as this boxy shape is in the uninflated balloon, nearly all trace of the four sided shape disappears and the balloon is quite round. The Tilly and TufTex balloons at the top of the page are not quite so boxy, and four sided. I have seen balloons with as many as 16 flutes! It was an experiment to make a so called "super round" balloon in a 26 inch size. It did work, but was probably much more trouble than it was worth. The really large fluted balloons tend to have more than four flutes. Tilly made several giants with six flutes.

07/05