Create Your Own Neon Sign

Neon signs are a marvel to behold. The alluring glow and the beautiful colors are pleasing to the eye, and they not only do a great job advertising for businesses they also make awesome decorations in your home. Have you ever seen a piece of neon art or a neon sign and thought to yourself that you'd like one of your own, or perhaps you thought one would make a great gift? Having a personalized neon sign is quite easy to do, just let professional sign makers do all the work! 

Here are 3 different ways that professional sign makers can create custom neon signs that are uniquely yours:

1.  Turn any image into a neon sign. Here's an example of an image of the Anaheim Angels baseball team symbol that was made into a great looking sign. These are perfect for bars and a great way to show your team pride! 

2. Small businesses of course benefit tremendously from a neon sign of their logo. They bring in customers and create a lasting image of your brand identity. Don't you feel hungry for frozen yogurt right now?

3.  Even if you don't have an image or a logo to go off of, all you have to do is have an idea of what you'd like. Want a neon sign of a fish? You can have a neon sign of a fish.

Source: Neon and More Create Your Own Neon Sign

How to Make a Neon Sign

Neon signs and sculptures are made of bent glass tubes and filled with inert gas. They're usually used for advertising purposes but due to their brilliant colors, many people display them in their homes as a piece of art!

When an electric charge hits the electrodes in the tubes, the electrons flow through the gas making its atoms dance around and glow! The type of gas and col.or of the glass determine the color of the light. The combination of colored glass tubes and type of inert gas can produce up to 120 different colors!

Bending the glass tubes with a flame

To shape the tube, glass benders use a glass blowing technique. Following a pattern drawn on a fire-resistant sheet, they mark where they have to bend the tube with a marker. Then they heat each spot on a propane flame blazing 1200 degrees F. Within about half a minute, the glass softens enough to be pliable. They gently bend the tube while blowing into a rubber tube attached to the uncorked end to restore the original diameter of the tube.

Checking the bent glass against the pattern

With each bend, they check the shape against the pattern, every so often pressing a wooden block along the tube to equalize the width. After shaping, they cut off the excess and rub the coloring powder off the ends of the tubes. Now they can attach glass casings which contain electrodes. They fuse an electrode to each end of the tube using a propane hand torch and a flexible latex blowing tube. They seal the glass around one electrode, but leave the other one open.

Then, the glass benders create a thin tube with a small bubble that will act as a passageway to the open electrode (known in the industry as a "tubulation"). They fuse this tube to the electrode and then carefully inject a drop of mercury into the open end of it. This mercury will react with Argon gas and make the neon signs glow much brighter.

Using an end torch, they fuse the open end of the tubulation to a long glass tube leading to a pumping system. They connect the electrodes to the system and then power it up. The pump vacuums out the air then injects the gas. To trap the gas inside the tube, they use the crossfire burner to remove the bubble and seal off the open electrode, making sure the drop of mercury has descended into it first. They then dip the back of the sign into black paint, which makes the lettering or design stand out. They use a brush to spread the coat evenly and remove the excess.

Finished Product!

Next, they'll light up the sign at high voltage for a half hour. This will dry the paint and more importantly transform the liquid mercury into vapor that spreads throughout the sign. Using transparent clips, assemblers mount the sign onto a black Plexiglas background to make it stand out even more.

Finally, they connect the protruding electrode wires to a transformer, which converts the current needed to light up the sign. And voila! Custom Neon Signs make great gifts and look awesome on your wall.

Source: Neon and More How Neon Signs Are Made

Tattoo Neon Signs: The Importance of Neon Tattoo Signs

Tattoo parlors are an interesting phenomenon - they attract an eclectic crowd and normally have wall-to-wall artwork of tattoo samples covering the place and usually offer other counter-culture fashion accessories such as piercings and other clothing items. If you're the owner of such a store, then you know the need to get people in those seats to get inked. If you want the most amount of foot traffic into your tattoo parlor, you're going to want a neon tattoo sign to be as big and as bright as you can. There are many reasons for wanting to be seen, namely:

1. Tattoo shops are usually located in metropolitan areas with high foot traffic, most of the time in areas where there is a big nightlife, so being seen from a far distance (and when it's dark) is very important.

2. People often tend to get tattoos and piercing on a whim. Of course, those who take tattoos seriously usually plan ahead what they want and have a trusted artist do their inking, but many people are with a group of friends and tend to pop in out of sheer curiosity. Sometimes if they're feeling adventurous they'll get a tattoo right then and there! For this reason, you'll want your shop to have a tattoo neon sign as big and as distantly visible as possible.

Here's another thing - have you ever noticed that tattoo parlor signs tend to be vertical? Close your eyes and think of a tattoo parlor that you know of, or see if you can remember the last one you saw. Chances are the "tattoo" was reading top to bottom. The reason for that is because tattoo parlors are usually in smaller buildings with limited window space, and since windows are usually taller than they are wide, custom neon signs can be made to fit the height of the window and have the text be as large and as legible as possible. Plus, if the sign is placed outdoors, it can be read by people that are walking on the same side of the street as your shop.

Personalized Neon Signs - Make Your Neon Sign Uniquely Yours

Neon signs, those glowing entities that adorn the night skies in the cities are made in all sizes, shapes, and forms. Invented in the early 20th century, they've evolved from a scientific curiosity to a technical innovation to an almost advertising necessity. Most neon signs are made with business advertising in mind, but many custom neon signs are made for personal use. Yes, they do more than just try to sell you beer; they can be artistic, fun, and add a unique charm to your home or event and can make a great gift! Here are three examples of ways you can use personalized neon signs from signs that were actually made for some satisfied customers:

1. Neon signs for weddings - Who doesn't like a wedding? Well, some people, but you can't deny that most people that plan weddings go all out when it comes to the decor of the ceremony or the reception. What better way to announce the newlyweds than with a neon sign? Custom Neon Signs for Weddings

2. Have your face made in neon - Here's another unique piece of art to hang on your wall. Your name doesn't have to be Big Dave and you don't have to have curly hair and glasses. A personalized neon sign can be made of your lovely visage in any color and in any size you want. Heck, a life-size full body neon sculpture can be made if you so desire!

3. Have a neon sign made to tell that special someone how you truly feel about them. How darling is this? This sign would make a great Valentine's Day gift. How about using a "Will You Marry Me?" neon sign to pop the big question? It's been done before, but that won't make it any less special or unique! Cheers!

Custom Neon Bar Signs - Neon Signs for Sports Bars

When we talked before about custom neon bar signs, we discussed the reason why they're there - they advertise your beverages, they jazz up the place with color, and they make a bar feel like a bar. Let's talk about specific bars now, and that's the sports bar.

Custom Neon Signs can be made to accommodate any type of sports bar, sports-themed restaurant, or cafe in your college town. It's no wonder that the most popular signs that are made for bars are for sports bars. Any type of neon sign can be made, including your favorite sports teams' logo, your team's mascot, or anything else related to any sports team on the planet. Your favorite player on the team? A neon sign can be made of that as well.

What can you expect to find when you walk into a sports bar? Lots of flat screen T.V.s on the wall playing various games, a lot of beer on tap, people eating chicken wings and burgers, and of course neon signs of various sports teams, most likely the home team of the city the bar is located in. Custom Neon Bar Signs are a great way for a sports bar to really have the look and feel of a genuine local sports bar.

Custom Neon Signs: Vertical or Horizontal?

When choosing custom neon signs, should the text read horizontally or vertically? Well, most neon signs are read like normal English text - horizontally left to right. However, there are a couple reasons why you would want your sign to read from top to bottom (like Japanese text). The main reason would be because of space issues. If your sign is being hung in a window with a slim width, then you'd want to go with a vertical sign. Secondly, if your storefront is located on a corner, or if your sign is very large and you want it to be seen not only from a far away distance but on the same side of the street that you're located on, then a vertical sign would also be a good idea. Here are two examples of vertically-read neon signs:

The neon sign on the left was for a tattoo parlor that had a very slim window and couldn't fit a horizontal neon sign, so we made them this vertical neon sign. The sign on the right is a very tall sign, and since it's located on a corner it can be seen from both sides of the street. I'd also like to point out that the sign on the right, "The Brick" restaurant and bar is from the popular show Northern Exposure, and as you can see the sign is actually poorly made. Do you see how the letters are all connected together with the same red neon? High-quality custom neon signs would have those connecting glass pieces painted black, so the letters would stand out more. Just sayin' :)

Neon Bar Signs - They're On The Wall for a Reason

Sidle up to the bar and have yourself a beer, partner

When you walk into your local bar or pub, do you know what you want to order before you even go through the door? Maybe yes, maybe no. Maybe you'll have a pint your favorite local brew, or perhaps you're feeling a little adventurous and are in the mood to try something new. Your brain may be more open to visual suggestion than you're probably willing to admit. Have you ever noticed that most bars have neon signs of different types of beer brands on the wall, most of the time clearly visible from where you order? Yes, like a moth to a flame, your eyes will be drawn to the bright colors and boom! Before you know it your brain tells you "order that beer that's on the wall right there."

This is a little over simplified of course, but there is some truth to the fact that neon bar signs are effective in marketing a particular brand of alcohol. Bar owners and savvy business people know this, and depending on the the type of establishment, you may see one or two on the walls or you may see dozens and dozens of them spread all over the place. Neon Bar Signs add to the ambiance of the place and makes people feel warm and welcomed. There is a certain level of expectations when people go into a bar they've never been to, and it the walls are bare and drab, chances are they'll walk right out the door. 

Custom Neon Bar Signs are great too if you want to advertise you local brew. Or, if you want to highlight a particular liquor or specialty cocktail, a neon sign can be made of that as well. So, grab yourself a stool and have yourself a tasty libation while you bask in the glow of colorful neon.

What to Look for in a Custom Neon Sign.

A question you may be asking if you've stumbled onto this blog post is: What is the best neon sign for your business? I've prepared a list of things and options that go into choosing the neon sign that's right for you:

 Backing and Quality Glass: Custom Neon Signs in the U.S.A. are manufactured with high quality tempered glass. These types of glass are the strongest for neon signs and are less likely to beak than Chine-made glass. As far as backing goes, you can opt for either a Lexan back or a metal grid (which is like a crisscross grid). Here is an example of both:

Neon Sign with a Lexan Backing

Neon Sign with a Grid Backing

Lexan Backing is usually black but you can also have it made in clear or grey. Lexan is the one of the most popular choices of backing because it heightens the visibility of your neon sign by minimizing the amount of glare. It also and also hides the wiring efficiently. Grid backing for your neon sign is great if you would like your sign to stand alone on a surface or counter top, or if you have specific or unusual hanging space.

Size: One of the most important parts when deciding the size of your neon sign  is how far away to you's like it to be seen by people. The bigger the sign, the further away it can be read legibly.  A rule of thumb is the lettering on your neon sign will be legible up to 40 feet away for each tall the letter is. For example, if you want your sign to be legible from 400 feet away, the letters on your sign must be at least 10 inches tall. Also, it's been shown that words that are in lower case are more legible that words that are in all upper case. 

Color: The Color of your neon sign is very important. Visionary studies have shown that red neon is the most readable, followed by green, turquoise, and pink. A mixture of these 4 colors (with each word being its own color as to make it stand out more) is always recommended.

Flash: A flashing neon sign can be both beneficial and detrimental.  A Flashing sign is hard to ignore and can easily grab the attention of people, but it also can be a visual annoyance if it's hung too close to people's faces. Flashing neon signs are best for open neon signs and signs that need to be seen from far away.

Animations: Animations are great and can be humerus and extremely high-catching. These types of neon signs require a little more glass, so they can cost a little bit more, but if made in the right way they can really make your neon sign memorable and stick in people's mind.

Source: Neon and More

Top 5 Reasons a Neon Sign will Help Your Small Business

If you’re a small business owner, you probably want your name to be recognized and stick in people’s mind. One of the most inexpensive and effective ways to advertise your company, both indoors and out, is with a neon sign. The neon industry is seeing a resurgence and here you’ll find 5 ways in which a neon sign can help your business grow.

 1. Get seen from a distance. 

In real estate they say the three most important factors that determine the success of a brick and mortar store is “location, location, location.” So what if you have a good location for your business but not the best visibility? Neon signs are all about getting the most visibility for your business. Neon signs have an advantage over painted signs in that they can be seen from more far away distances, in most any weather conditions. If you’re a traveler, how are you to know if a roadside motel has any rooms available? With a highly visible neon “vacancy” sign, that’s how. How are people who are driving by to know that you’re open for business without a clearly visible “open” neon sign? They alluring glow of neon attracts the eye of passersby like no other form of outdoor advertising.

 2. Advertise your high margin items and make more profit. 

This is especially important for bars and restaurants. Do you have a particular brand of beer or alcohol that has a good margin but doesn't sell the way you’d like it to? Hang a neon sign of that brand on your wall or above your bar and watch more people order it. It’s a subliminal, psychological thing. Have you ever walked into a bar not knowing what drink you want to order, and ordered something simply because you saw a sign for it on the wall? You may have done that more times than you realize. Neon signs work better than posters, cardboard cutouts, or coasters. The more attention it attracts, the more it will sell.

 3. Get your company brand “branded” in people’s mind. 

Just like how a rancher will take a hot branding iron to cattle to mark their property, a neon sign can act as a “branding iron” and imprint your message onto people’s mind. Is there an iconic restaurant or store in your home town that you can recall right now simply because you can picture their sign? Congratulations, your brain has been branded! When your company name or logo is seen in colorful images, fonts, and words, it’s more likely to be remembered by potential customers. A custom neon sign with your business name can get you remembered, and in turn will bring you more business.

 4. A cost-efficient advertising tool that can be left on 24/7 

A common misconception about neon signs is that they use up a lot of electricity to operate. People see the glowing glass tubes and equate it to a hot heating element (which uses a TON of electricity). The fact is that neon signs are incredibly energy-efficient! The glow you see is not heated glass, but in fact a chemical reaction brought on by a small electrical charge that causes the gas inside the vacuum to glow brightly. Your average sized neon sign actually takes up no more electricity than a standard light bulb! This means you can leave your neon sign on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and not see your electricity bill skyrocket.

 5. Attention-grabbing words glowing in neon will attract short-attention spanned people. 

In this world with an increasing population of people that grew up in the internet age, the average attention span is decreasing. Sometimes a simple word advertising a particular service or product you provide is all it takes to get people into your store. For example, a lone “beer” neon sign hanging outside your storefront could be all it takes to attract a thirsty person.

 There’s so many ways in which a neon signs can bring you the business you need and deserve!

Custom Neon Signs from Neon and More

We are Neon and More, a company located in the wonderful city of Austin, Texas. While we are a local family-owned business, we ship all over the world! You can find our signs in places like Dubai, Brazil, and everywhere in between!

What we do best is making Custom Neon Signs for businesses. If you're a small business and are looking for an inexpensive way to advertise your name or industry indoors or outdoors, look no further. Neon and More has the expertise and know-how to make you the perfect neon sign that will bring customers to your establishment.

Whether you are a restaurant, bar, or just a small mom-and-pop store, neon signs are a great way to catch the eye of potential customers and make more money for you. If you're thinking that neon signs are expensive and use a lot of electricity, think again! We can make you a quality custom made Neon Sign for as little as $249, and once its plugged in it uses no more electricity than a standard light bulb.

Once we receive a design for a custom neon sign, our talented graphic designers create a proof for the customer to look over. If they are satisfied with the proof, we take the image and print it out on a large sheet of paper for the glass benders to use as a template. Once the benders have made all of the glass, they are then pumped with neon gas and assembled onto a Lexan backing. We test our neon signs thoroughly before we ship them out to ensure that the customer is extremely satisfied.

We also carry a wide variety of LED signs for business, Neon Posters, Neon Clocks, and Neon Sculptures. If you don't see any ones that you like, we can custom make those too! Just sent us an image and we can make whatever you want. You'd be surprised at what we can do!

Give us a call at 855-636-6533 with any questions and we'll be happy to answer them. Cheers!

Source: Neon and More