Dave's Signs Custom Neon Sign Gallery

Increase your business with an eye-catching neon sign. Neon signs are formed from glass tubes bent into specified shapes by trained glassworkers. Special machines draw out all of the air from the tubes and replace it with noble gases such as neon, argon or helium. If argon is used, a small amount of mercury may be added to create additional vapors. Pastel colors are created by dusting the inside of the tube with different phosphors, much like the whitish coating found inside standard fluorescent lightbulbs. Neon glows red, argon glows blue or purple without phosphors, and helium may glow yellow.

In order to form neon signs, these tubes must be sealed with glass plugs containing thin electrical wires. Individual letters and other designs are then attached to each other and ultimately to a power source. Many neon signs require 10,000 to 15,000 volts of electricity to cause trapped gases to glow, but the amperage is still relatively low and safe for humans. Because neon tubes are easily damaged, however, many sign owners still place their signs out of reach of children.