Balloons

Comment on history of balloon materials from Roth, 1917, The Free Balloon, p. 5, undoubtedly somewhat promotional of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company aeronautics department:

The first balloons were made of paper, but naturally on account of their fragility and inflammability (as the first lifting power was hot air created by a fire) this was discarded for something better. However, this was the start and much credit is due the Montgolfier Brothers for their efforts. Shortly after this time hydrogen was used as a lifting power but on account of its lightness it was very difficult to build a light bag which did not leak. At last a substance known as gold beaters' skin was found and a balloon was built of it which was very satisfactory except for the cost. Gold beaters' skin is a thin membrane taken from the internal organs of the ox, one animal giving one piece about 6 inches square. However, considering the high cost of this material it is excellent and served its purpose well as it was almost perfectly gas tight and very light.
On account of the high cost and scarcity of this material it became necessary to look further for satisfactory balloon material. The next step was the varnished fabric. Both cotton and silk were varnished and used as balloon fabric with fair results. The product was much cheaper, fairly light as it was made of but a single ply of fabric but not nearly as impervious to hydrogen as gold beaters' skin, furthermore it became more porous every time it was folded as the varnish would crack causing the added expense of frequent re-varnishing. Another fault with this type of fabric was the fact that when it was wrapped up and stored away it was liable to catch fire due to spontaneous combustion, and on the whole it was only used in the absence of something better. At last the something better appeared and is almost universally used today.

Enclosing categories	LTA
Subcategories	Fabric
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