Making latex holding tanks.
Now that you know the size of the balloon form you have, lets figure out what kind of tank you should make.
A simple tank is round. Made from PVC pipe and fittings from your local hardware store.
Shown here is a 4" PVC pipe tank. The tank is about 12" tall and holds just over 1/2 gal of latex when filled to 10". To figure how much latex your tank will hold in ounces, multiply the inside diameter by the height by the inside again by 0.435. So here 4x10x4x0.435 = 69.3 ounces.
I made 2 tanks from a 24" piece of pipe. 1 coupling, and 4 construction caps. Two of the construction caps are used as lids.
To save a few dollars you can cut one coupling apart. This is difficult, but saves the cost of a second fitting. The pipe stop must remain. If you have power tools like a scroll or band saw it is a big help. If not a hand coping saw or hack saw will do. Assembly is simple. Sand off rough edges so they don't bother you. Glue the construction cap into the pipe. Glue the pipe and cap end into the base. (1/2 coupling). Use proper PVC cement. Let your tanks dry for a day or so before using. Fill the tanks with water and place on paper to check for leaks.
Method 2 PVC sheet
Here is a tank for paddle shapes that I made from 1/4" thick PVC.
I purchased my plastic sheets from http://www.usplastic.com
This one is not for the timid. Here is a design for this Small Tank.
I used a table saw to cut the slots. I originally intended for a tank divider with a small circulator. Never used or installed. My thinking is that a slow gentle circulation helps remove air bubbles trapped in the latex. This is only a guess.
How much latex will it take to fill your tank.
Just figure the volume in cubic inches. Another was is Area times the height. That's what we did for the first tank. Circular area is Diameter Squared times PI divided by 4. Then we multiplied by height and a factor. The rectangular tank area is given by 7.5*3 inches. = 22.5 inch square. The filled height is 9.5 so the volume (area times height) = 213.75 cubic inches. A cubic inch equals 0.55412 ounces. So converting gives about 118 ounces, Just shy of one gallon. A gallon is 128 ounces.
Don't fill your tanks to the top. The balloon forms have volume and will displace latex. A good time to check this is when you leak test your tanks with water.
I have looked at a balloon that I want to try and make. The tank will need to be 5 inches in diameter by 16" tall. It will take 1.2 gallons of latex to fill it. Every 5 balloons or so the latex will need to be toped up. So if I make 5 formes. My production rate will be about 5 balloons per day and about 1 to 2 hours of time. Wow are those some expensive balloons!
Well that's the way I have made tanks so far.
Good luck and try to have fun...