Vulcanized Rubber  Balloons

Although vulcanization was invented around 1850, it was the breakthrough in manufacturability in 1905 that made the rubber balloon possible. The first vulcanized rubber balloons were introduced 1906-1907 by the Continental Co. In these balloons, a thin layer of rubber was placed between two layers of percale-woven fabric. The main qualities of vulcanized rubber is elasticity and being air-tight.

While balloons of a varnished percale required constant maintenance by experts, vulcanized rubber balloons required almost no maintenance. Balloons made of  rubber did not require re-proofing, and no special treatment was required. When wet, they could be placed out to dry, or even packed up in wet conditions. There were no set rules for packing up after a landing, and packing could be performed even when the wheater was very hot.

The drawbacks over percale balloons was its greater initial cost. However, rubber balloons lasted for over 60-100 ascents, compared to a percale balloon’s life-span of only 25-30 ascents.

The only drawback over percale balloons was a weight increase of about half an ounce per square yard.