How to Fill a Balloon - Using an Empty Beverage Can

This project shows how to fill a ballon with 'Christmas Cheer'. This could be small items which make for a ballon 'Christmas Craker' - pop the ballon, like pulling a cracker, and out the items come. Or a mini ballon Christmas tree, each ballon containing a can of beer and a mini bottle of spirts.

The items are placed inside the ballon using a large empty beer can fitted with a bike's inner tube valve.

900 mil Empty Beer can

Bike inner tube

30cm Ballons

Remove the top from a 900-mil beverage can by filing it off with a bastard file. A tin can opener could be used but the finish may not be as good. It's possible to make a ballon stuffer from a smaller can, but its payload will be less.

Dill a hole in the bottom of the can the same diameter as the stem of a bike's inner tube. Sand around the hole from the inside of the can. This can be done by taping some sandpaper to the end of a wooden spoon handle.

Cut out the valve from a punctured bike tube, leaving about an inch circle of rubber around the base. Roughen up the rubber around the valve for a good seal using sandpaper.

Apply contact adhesive to the rubber and inside of the can. When the adhesive is dry, press the value into the can and use the end of the spoon to press it home for a good seal.

Load the can with small items. Carefully stretch a ballon over the can's opening to seal it. This may be made easier by using a larger, 17-inch ballon and cutting off the end.

Attach a bike pump to the bike value and inflate. By holding the balloon about halfway down its length you will make the neck of the balloon expand. With a little jiggling the payload of goodies will move into the inflated balloon.

A second payload can be inserted into the balloon by removing the ballon with the first payload, allowing it to deflate, reloading the can, reattaching the ballon and re-inflating.

Twist the ballon to seal it, remove from the can and tie a knot in its end.

Christmas Cracker ballons can be filled and allowed to deflate, ready to be refilled with air on the big day. Using 18-inch ballons gave good results and were quite robust.

These photos demonstrate filling a ballon with a can of beer and mini bottle of spirts. Making for some reserved supplies, hidden in plain sight.

Here's some photos demonstrating how to make a 375-ml can Ballon stuffer.

Filling a ballon with a smaller can is done in the same way as when using a larger can. A smaller can will be better for smaller ballons. While a ballon can be inflated with a hand pump, a battery powered one makes it simpler.