September 30 - The PigKeeper

Well, well, well... Look who's here.

As the spirits begin to stir for October, I'd like to welcome you to Tales from the Other Side of the Sty.

I'm the Pigkeeper - part gravedigger, part storyteller, and I'll be your ... somewhat reliable narrator. 

For the next 31 days, we'll meet ghoulies and ghosties, monsters and mysteries, and hear strange little tales from the places that were better left buried.

So grab a shovel - because what would be the fun in THAT!?

Mwahahahaha! *snort*

---

Tales from the Other Other Side of the Sty:

September 29 - Tuftex Cameo

Tell yo brother, yo sister
And yo momma too
'Cause we're about to throw down
And you'll know just what to do

~ Cameo - Word Up!

I feel like blush is such an important color in a kit, and for the rest of my days I'll be searching for that perfect replacement to Qualatex blush.

Tuftex Cameo is very close in color (comparisons shown on the blog).  It inflates super soft and pliable with a lot of surface area for a sidewall bubble, which should probable be part of any standardized latex testing going forward.  There were no shocking pops or random deflations.

Overall impression was that it would be a pretty good blush replacement .. for 260s.  I don't think Tuftex does other twisting sizes (yet?) though.

---

Other color day balloons:

September 28 - Tuftex Sea Glass

Tell me I'm wrong or that I'm insane
I'm looking for truth, not someone to blame
All I want is to live as clear as sea glass

~ Heather Nova - Sea Glass

Tuftex Sea Glass is simply another name for light blue.  They are being playful with naming again, because it's not the color of sea glass which (to me at least) would be a transparent darker color, likely green.   

These balloons inflated pretty fat and were not super tough, many things got a slow fracture leak at a twist location.  

Overall impression of Tuftex Sea Glass?   I wouldn't say they were bad, just that they were not very good.  Alas, poor Yorrick, these are not for me.

I like to limit myself to one "ugh - are you kidding me?" deflation per bag.

---

Other color day balloons:

September 27 - Celetex Red

They say, "Freak"
When you're singled out
The red ... It filters through

~ Chevelle - The Red

After a first experience with Celetex balloons, I really wasn't looking forward to cracking these open.   

I tried not to go into the experiment with a negative perspective ... but it was quickly reinforced.

In 4 words (5 if you count the contraction) - I don't like them.

There is something off about the latex feel of every Celetex balloon I've twisted, there again is a lack of friction to hold my pinch twists -- and many of these balloons reverse inflated.  

I was happy be done with them - and feel like I want a bit more of a break before I try the last color I bought from them.

Overall assessment, no.  Just .. no.

---

Recent "color day" balloons:

September 26 - Tuftex Hot Pink

Hot pink volcano in the heart of the tornado
Is shaking the lemonade tree
Hot pink forest is backed by a furnace
That boils the lemonade free

~ Meat Puppets - Hot Pink

Hot Pink.  Fssssssssss!   Ow!

What can I say really that I haven't already about having multiple pinks?  It's a color group I don't dip into much ... though this is a much richer color than what I would consider basic pink.

I guess if I ever were to want multiple pinks in my kit, this would be a pretty good alternate/accent for anything that needed them.  (Poppy the Troll? Pink hair on a pink pony?)  

Overall impression - they're not making into any sort of final round here.

---

Other color day balloons:

September 25 - Sempertex Pastel Dusk Green

Still, the water runs clear through my mind
On the field, I can see a fiddler
The fiddler on the green and the sad boy

~ Demons & Wizards - Fiddler On The Green

Sempertex Pastel Dusk Green is a fairly recent color in the Sempertex line as a very light minty green.  

Sempertex is the standard really these days, the balloon texture and feel are great, reliable and don't show a retwisting mark too severely.

This though is another one of those colors that I feel just don't need to be in a kit unless you're intentionally building something this color.   With 4 (?) other greens in the Sempertex line alone, it's more of a range than the average kit can handle.

Overall impression, I like them - but I won't use them.

---

Other color day balloons:

September 24 - Tuftex Blossom

Blossom, smile some sunshine down my way
Lately I've been lonesome
Blossom, it's been much too long a day
Seems my dreams have frozen
Melt my cares away

~ James Taylor - Blossom

Blossom as a word feels like it could be any bright color and when I do a quick search .... it's a pink.

According to Tuftex though, it's a light purple that is fairly close to the Qualatex lilac in terms of color.  Texture was good, consistency was good, easily inflated, durable - going to have to come up with some more rigorous tests perhaps!

The color is nice on it's own, but compared to the Sempertex lilac looks ... worn out?

What I do want to point out though is how important a full spectrum of color is when taking pictures, I retook photos of these images after I realized my lighting was messed up - but left one of the original for the visual comparison.

Other color day balloons: