Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by admin in Neon Bar Signs |
Open signs can be more attractive and inviting using neon signs. Neon signs are handcrafted made from glass-tube filled with neon or other inert gas such as argon and a drop of mercury bended to form letters or shapes. Neon gas produces red lights while argon gas produces blue lights.
The reason why neon signs are glowing is when the electric current hits the electrodes on the tube, electrodes flow to the gas making its atom glow. The tube which is coated with phosphorescent powder is heated in sections using several types of burners that are selected from the amount of glass to be heated for each bend. Such burners are ribbon, cannon or crossfire’s. Ribbon burners make a slow bend while crossfire make a quick bend. It needs pattern for a guide to form a letter or shapes.
After the tube is formed, a cold cathode electrode is welded or melted on each end of the tube. The electrode is a lead glass which contains a small metal and two wires that sticks out of the glass where sign wiring is to be attached. The signs are illuminated with either neon sign transformer or switching power supply.
Neon signs play tricks in untrained eyes or to those who had no ideas of how this sign is done. The complete tube sign is typically continuous welded so that the voltage can pass through from cathode to cathode. The back of the tube is painted or dipped in paint to make the intended design standout when lighted. The sign is placed in a dark Plexiglass background so that the colorful glass-tube is clear when lighted.
