How to Poke a Skewer Through a Balloon Without Popping It

Believe it or not, you can poke a sharp object into a balloon without popping it. A balloon is made of rubber, which is a natural polymer. If you look at a polymer under a very high-power microscope, you see long strings, sort of like molecular spaghetti. It's possible to push an object through this molecular spaghetti so that the polymer strings simply get pushed aside, not broken.

Things You'll Need

• Bamboo skewer or long, thin knitting needle
• Balloons
• Petroleum jelly

Instructions

1. Lubricate the end of the skewer or needle with a generous amount of petroleum jelly.

2. Blow up the balloon, but not all the way. The balloon should not be tight. A little more than half its potential size is about right.

3. Put the sharp, greased end of the skewer on one end of the balloon, either where it is tied or on the opposite end. Very slowly begin to push the greased skewer into the balloon.

4. Continue slowing pushing the skewer until it is inside the balloon, then push the skewer out the opposite side. The balloon should stay like this, with the skewer through it, for at least an hour or two.

5. If the balloon pops, blow up another balloon and start over. Balloons vary in thickness sometimes and you may happen to get a few balloons that are "duds" for this trick.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider hanging skewered balloons for your next party--they certainly would be a great conversation piece!