A Little Bit of History and How It's Made

Neon was first discovered in 1898 by Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers both chemists who were pursuing their experiments to liquefy air. Through this they discovered neon and krypton, both inert gases that are used in neon signs. Morris Travers put it best saying, "the blaze of crimson light from the tube told its own story and was a sight to dwell upon and never forget."

Neon is created through a process that can only be accomplished by hand. Every neon sign was created by someone who bent the glass using special tools that produced focused flames. These tools soften the glass bringing the temperature of the glass to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and are bent in accordance to a pattern.

The tubes are manufactured by large companies that are able to make different colors using a powder coating inside the tubes which are made up of rare earth metals and phosphors. Some tubes are also made with colored glass to create a more saturated color.

After the tubing is bent and the electrodes (these conduct the electricity through the tubing) are attached it goes through a pumping process. Using a bombarder (a machine that conducts high voltage through the tubing), a manifold, and a vacuum pump, the air is removed andthe glass and electrodes heat up taking it to a temperature that processing the electrodes and burns out impurities such as moisture. Once it cools down the tube is injected with Argon or Neon and is removed from the manifold. After this the neon can be lit using a transformer.

Below is a video that was created to show how neon is created.