subject: How Neon Pub Signs Are Made [print this page] Neon signs have been around for a hundred years, and they are now iconic signs of pubs, restaurants and bars everywhere. You will see them used in clubs, portrayed in movies and present in the background among many Hollywood magazines. They are flexible and can portray any form of text and even moving images, such as the famous Las Vegas cowboy. Some even come programmed with music. Interestingly enough, neon lights actually have one of the most unusual mechanisms in the world of light.
The beginnings of neon signs are highly disputed among historians, but we can pinpoint its origins to as early as the 1800s. They began as exhibit displays in French and American scientific and international fairs, such as the Paris Expo. The Eiffel Tower itself was presented in a similar expo. Eventually, neon signs came to be sold in the market as advertising tools for gas stations and restaurants. Today, they are not only used for this purpose but have come to be loved as home bar decorations and as novelty items.
You might be surprised to know that neon signs use different gases to produce colors. Glass tubes are used to contain the gases. Heat is used to bend the tubes into specific shapes or to make letters. Once this is done, electrodes are attached to each end of the glass tube.
From here, a high-force vacuum sucks all air inside of it until it reaches an almost air-less state. The electrodes then produce the currents to make the light illuminate. The glass tubes are filled with gases that react to this force. The gases can be not just neon but also argon, mercury, krypton, helium and xenon. Each gas will show its own bright color. Look at neon pub signs and you might notice these differences.
Neon signs can also come for other uses, such as neon bar clocks. Here, the light illuminates something else other than itself, such as a clock. Neon light can also be used for jukeboxes, railings and Christmas lights.
They are best known as neon pub signs. They have the function of giving information, such as menus and catching attention, such as in a busy street at night.
