Neon Signs For Advertising Your Business

Neon signs are great advertising for any business. They work well for retail settings such as game rooms, restaurants, diners, manufacturing units, pubs and lounges, fraternity lounges, and many other establishments. The concept of light in tubes was first concieved in the late 17th century by French astronomer Jean Picard when he noticed a glow in a barometer mercury tube. The concept of static electricity was not then understood, but the idea remained alive and was studied by scientists and inventors in the followings years and centuries. In 1855, a German glassblower named Heinrich Geissler, had created a light called the Geissler tube. The first man to apply an electrical charge to neon gas in a tube was a French inventor, chemist, and engineer named Georges Claude. Claude introduced the Neon lamp to the French people in Paris on December 11, 1910. He took his product to America many years later in 1923, where he sold a set of two neon signs to the Packard car dealership baring their name for $24,000. These “liquid fire” tubes glowed in the night as well as broad daylight and soon became popular.

Since then, the neon technology has evolved tenfold, and the signs are more popular than ever today. Not all signs are made of neon, since the neon gas only produces the color red. After the initial discovery of neon-emitting red light, other colors were discovered using mercury, carbon dioxide, and phosphor. Today, it is possible to produce more than 150 colors using these gases. Neon tubes are actually positive-charge-filled lamps. Every neon sign made is handcrafted; despite the advancement in technology, the manufacturing of a sign just cannot be done by a machine. According to the design wanted, the artisan heats a glass tube into a pliable shape and then moulds the design and lettering as per the requirements. During this process of continuous heating and bending, air is let into the tube to maintain its hollow shape. After the designing is done, the tubes are vacuumed out using a suction pump, after which an inert gas is let into the tube—this gas determines the color of the neon sign. The gas-filled tube glows when current is passed through it ionizing the gas, thus causing it to glow.

Neon gas tubes do not contain any filament like an ordinary light bulb, so their life spans are very long, ranging from ten to fifteen years. Companies continue to improve their manufacturing techniques and designs of the neon sign and it’s popularity continues to grow. As they get more and more popular, you’re likely to see all kinds of neon signs for all kinds of different things like; neon beer signs, open signs for stores, or even neon signs advertising your favorite sports team! How cool would it be to have a Dallas Cowboys Neon sign?