Back in 1910, in the Grand Palais exhibition in Paris, France, George Claude made the first-ever neon sign: a bright, luminescent and irresistibly eye-catching design that will define itself in dark alleys and pop culture and general. Earl Anthony attended that exhibition and he brought home two neon signs for Packard Dealership's advertising. And those signs, being the first in the United States, then started a whole revolution of "designing the nightlife".But how in the world were these snazzy neon lights made in the first place? All George Claude did was to fill glass tubes with Neon gas and illuminated it. The tubes were then bent and electrodes were attached to lay the foundation of the signature neon design. Air was then removed by a vacuum and it was heated to remove any residue before the final step, where Claude would pump in the gas.
In order to put different colors into the tube, he used combinations of different gases. For red, he used neon and for blue, he used argon. Generally, all one has to do is to mix up the different gases existing in the periodic table. As a matter of fact, the creation and design of neon lights has progressed to a degree that there were already organized training programs such as the Egani Institute, located between the Madison and Fifth Avenue in New York City.
But one may ask about the safety and reliability of neon signs because they are made of gases. Contrary to popular belief, these aren't dangerous at all. The elements used for neon signs all fall under the group of inert gases. They are not dangerous and they are usually stable because of its notably low reaction rates. If there are leaks in the tube, it is safe as long as it isn't broken at a noticeable degree. But if a non-professional handles this, he/she may harm the environment because of mercury leakage.
Picking and maintaining a neon sculpture or sign isn't exactly an easy business. What I recommend is that you should get your helping of neon sign education and be aware of the benefits and possible dangers of this product. For a start, I recommend you to visit. www.brightneonsigns.com
