What are the different types of neon lights?

 Technically, there is only one type of neon, and it takes about five years of practice to bend the glass to a high enough quality to make a real neon sign. We can make it in-house for you.

If you are interested in the differences between "different" types, we hope to answer your question about what different types of neon are here.

This page is still a work in progress. We'll add the video in due course, but for now we've explained it below.

Neon lights (made of glass only)

How are neon lights made?

Neon lights are made from straight pieces of glass that are precoated with phosphors. The glass is heated by hand over a flame until it softens, a bit like spaghetti. Once the glass has softened, it is removed from the flame and bent into a paper pattern by hand, while air is also blown into the tube to maintain its shape and diameter, either through a mouthpiece or directly into the end of the tube depending on how it is bent. After each bending outside the flame, the glass is returned to the flame for annealing. This is done to reduce any stress in the glass. Before the next band can be completed, the bend then needs to be cooled, and each bend is made this way.

Bend glass in a hot flame to make neon lights

After the bending process is complete, the parts are assembled into one piece. A section can be a few small letters, or a part of a large letter, shape, or object. Once the parts are connected, electrodes are attached to each end of the tube, which can then be pumped.

The parts are connected to make the neon part

After the electrodes are attached, the section moves to the final stage, starting with the bombarded section. The machine through small glass seals. Once the seal is formed, the part is placed under a vacuum. Once a certain pressure is reached, a voltage is applied to the tube. As the tube warms, harmless impurities are released and removed by vacuum (if not, the tube will either fail or fail quickly). The tube pressure is kept low until the electrodes are activated and the tube reaches the correct machining temperature. Once the tube is cleaned and the electrodes are activated, the vacuum increases, allowing the tube to cool before adding the desired gas (neon or argon). When finished, the tubes are removed from the bombarder and placed in the aging chamber.

The aging part of the process allows the tube to fully come back to life and check the tube for any problems. After the tube is ready, all the rear parts (that do not need to be seen) are painted out to give a font or design definition.

Where can I use neon lights?

Neon lights can be used almost anywhere, indoors or outdoors, they can be used at touch height and won't burn you when touched. However, sometimes other options make more sense, or putting a lid on neon is a good choice, and sometimes electrical regulations need to be considered. If you would like to discuss how you wish to use your logo, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you. Please don't take the word of LED companies that don't produce neon as they usually don't know or understand real neon.

What are the options for installing neon lights?

Neon installation options range from mounting directly onto a wall, to transparent acrylic panels, inside a hanging acrylic box, to worn wood or metal panels, with basically most rigid surfaces suitable. If you are not sure, please contact us and we can discuss what you want to achieve. Check out our Neon page for more information.

Sunshine Soul -- Neon lights on old wooden boards.

If you'd like to watch a quick video on the neon making process, check out our video on how neon signs are made, or check out some of the completed projects, check out our custom neon signs page or our Neon Art page.