As someone who has worked in a neon sign shop its hard to tell you how really well Katie did making that "E". Even with help it would be incredibly hard for someone without any practice. Maybe Katie found a new calling. I played around several times trying to learn (I worked in the pattern making section) and it took a lot of practice before I could do a double back (where you bend the electrode back in a U shape)
She is one up on me, I have installed neon for nearly 20 years & never had a crack at making a section........when customers asked me, :Do you make it"? I reply, "No, I break it"?. Luckily, I broke very few sections.
I took a neon class once, it was crazy hard! Ever since that class I will always have an appreciation for neon. She did a great job for her first time. I also think she had an amazing teacher.
as I approach my 40s and sick of working on mowers, I feel this is a hobby I need to learn. Seems like I could do this and make bubble lights as well, both are art that need to continue on!!!
I really love looking at neon signs and I didn't have any idea that this would be this hard to create. For sure this is one type of artistry that is underrated and also dying because of LED lights. I hope people will continue making neon lights.
That’s how old Hong Kong used to look with Neon signs. It’s all LED’s now so cyberpunk Hong Kong would be all LED’s sadly. Welcome to the Shitty future
Anthony Briseno is it because it's expensive or people are just losing interest in neon signs? i've always wondered why i don't see neon signs anymore where i live.
Trust me I dont missed installing neon channel letters with pk housings on a cement wall drilling two holes per letter two sets of sign with numerous letters then making up the connections behing the wall
When I was younger, about 15 years ago, there was a local neon maker who could make a neon tube within a neon tube, so a single tube could glow with a second color in the middle. I never realized how skilled he was for doing this until I grew up and moved away and realized these neon signs didn't exist anywhere else. Now neon has fallen out of favor and I wonder what happened to that guy.
Nice! I've always appreciated the work that went into neon signs. I have always been amazed by the work in beer and old NYC store signs. I believe this is the 1st time I've seen a neon piece built from start to finish. Thanks for the informative video!!!
I really would have loved to hear his thoughts on changes in the industry, the prevalence of led "neon flex" and other simple lost cost products that imitate his art. As someone who works in digital fabrication i often pull vectors to make exact copies of a customer sign or logo and while some parts of what i do are open to interpretation the goal is to make everything identical. I feel the the appeal of this is that it's a completely analog process done mostly with his hands and i hope his customers value that in it's own right.
Neon is def cool and has it's place. But it is much more expensive than LEDs, more time consuming to make, much much more dangerous (12,000V vs 12v), more fragile, not nearly as energy efficient, and a similar look can be achieved with LED 'neon flex', and the customers would not be able to tell the difference.
I have a son born in 2005. I tell him that the art of making neon lamps is ending. In my city there was only one person who still did these beautiful works. The best memories I have of this incredible work are from the 80s, when I visited the downtown and saw lights on top of buildings with huge advertisements for JVC, Sharp, Yashica, Canon, Nikon, and some banks.
I had a neighbor that did neon bending and while making me replacement tubes for a sign I was working on I was amazed at his skill.....he offered to train me but I was so busy I kept putting it off and he passed away without me taking him up on his offer ....I regret not making the time.
This is awesome, I’m a glass blower I work with boro. Had a guy say hey why don’t you do neon, here I am. Looks like all my equipment won’t work for neon but man is this cool! Dying breed. Next time I’m in Brooklyn I’m gonna stop by!
My goal 2020 is to register for the classes ! have had this on my mind for 2 years now. First step was to get a drivers licence so I can drive myself there....DONE !, step two ...save money for the class - I can't wait !
Neon signs are absolutely gorgeous. This would be an awesome way to make some good money. Every piece is a work of art, and depending on the degree of difficulty, you could sell these for $2000+ easy. Unfortunately, it's all about RGB/LED lighting lighting today, which can imitate the nook of neon. But, there's still nothing like having the real deal neon glow. They are energy efficient with a typical sign only costing .20 cents per day to run, which costs less than a 75 watt light bulb. Plus, they last up between 8-15 years. It's Amazing!
I have a neon beer sign where the corner of the design broke off. Is the tubing fixable? If i don't care what it looks like (because it's just the corner) is there a really cheap fix? If I put electrical or duct tape or some sort of tubing from Home Depot, and created a very short "tube", would it go through as if it was glass?
Hi! I'm intrested in starting making neon lights as a hobby. I started studing what's needed to make them and I can't find good info. Could you help me to start my hobby? What basic elements do I need to begin? By the way, I'm from Argentina and I'm a mechanical engineer really intrested in lighting. Thank you!!
Wow.... Mr. Ablon seems like a really good guy and a very good teacher. What a wonderful video. Thank you to everybody who was involved in producing it!
I'm in the worcester massachusetts area and want to learn the art of neon sign making. I've been trying to find where to learn and when i ask online i get "ask around people will be able to tell you" and then i do that and everybody says one of three things: "they still make those?", "wouldn't you rather have on LED?", or "i have no idea". Where can i learn? I'm about to just buy all the stuff online and trial by fire with youtube tutorials otherwise.
Great video! ... commented on a pink 'love' cursive neon sign on the way to my local coffee shop, then im sitting under a red text purple underline OPEN sign and I see the neon moving within the letters!!! Felt like looking it all up and found this! :) Best. Fun to watch him teach ya, great job. not meaning to 'suggest' too much but i'll say it's really impressive to watch a person submit to learning/being-taught a skill. Encouraging and sometimes we are so-resistant to learning from each other or think we have to be perfect when everything takes practice! :) all work done by hand is awesome and you can feel the time/wisdom :P people love to teach their craft to someone receptive too
so ???/ do they not put different neon mixtures now for color ... I see some of the glass was colored ? Surprised did not pull full vacuum and how did he get ambient air to energize in the tube ?
She definitely rocked it beyond a doubt. Her first time manipulating bright red hot liquid glass with her bare hands and the result is indistinguishable from a professional's. That's a major conquest. To be fair but not to be a hater, I"m gonna say that she was lucky to have been given an awesome instructor and some kller tools. In addition to her seriously impressive skills, those were critical factors in her success, don't you think? Whatever, Good Job! =^)
first step; use heat to bend glass tube ; then connect with vacum pump and maintain pressure then pass electric current through tube that causes ionization of gas so it becomes to glow tat is called neon sign application of plasma
As someone who has worked in a neon sign shop its hard to tell you how really well Katie did making that "E". Even with help it would be incredibly hard for someone without any practice. Maybe Katie found a new calling. I played around several times trying to learn (I worked in the pattern making section) and it took a lot of practice before I could do a double back (where you bend the electrode back in a U shape)
Honestly, we were all very impressed! Thanks for watching!
He seemed like a great teacher too, very patient
cool. like it. i also got a simple way to make it our own
ruclips.net/video/qczSILhHgMo/видео.html
Do you anneal the glass or is it not necessary for neon signs?
She is one up on me, I have installed neon for nearly 20 years & never had a crack at making a section........when customers asked me, :Do you make it"? I reply, "No, I break it"?.
Luckily, I broke very few sections.
I took a neon class once, it was crazy hard! Ever since that class I will always have an appreciation for neon. She did a great job for her first time. I also think she had an amazing teacher.
Whete did you take your neon class at?
At the bible bashers club as the Qur'an is against me 😭
as I approach my 40s and sick of working on mowers, I feel this is a hobby I need to learn. Seems like I could do this and make bubble lights as well, both are art that need to continue on!!!
It's funny how he was freaking out way more than her, while she was making hers, hahaha
You're so right. Thanks for watching!
An expert knows
I was literally looking for neon signs before this was posted .
Sarah Abaza same, I always thought they were too expensive, but now I know why
uf
Google knows!
Sarah Abaza I was literally thinking of how they were made last night. I wake up this morning and this is at the top of my feed.
HAHAHA! I was looking on Craiglist for some LoL!!
I really love looking at neon signs and I didn't have any idea that this would be this hard to create. For sure this is one type of artistry that is underrated and also dying because of LED lights. I hope people will continue making neon lights.
when i hear neon signs it always conjures up a cyber punk hong kong for me
i know, right
That’s how old Hong Kong used to look with Neon signs.
It’s all LED’s now so cyberpunk Hong Kong would be all LED’s sadly.
Welcome to the Shitty future
Yesss
@@casedistorted I know this is 2 years old but don’t they make leds that look like neon signs? Is there anything bad about those? Genuinely curious.
@@casedistorted LED signs can give a neon effect.
I work for a sign company and it's awesome the only downside is that we don't get to work neon with as often as we'd like. Awesome vid all the way!
Anthony Briseno is it because it's expensive or people are just losing interest in neon signs? i've always wondered why i don't see neon signs anymore where i live.
LEDs (a bad word for anyone who does neon)
Trust me I dont missed installing neon channel letters with pk housings on a cement wall drilling two holes per letter two sets of sign with numerous letters then making up the connections behing the wall
@@vanillaonmytongue2 because LEDs are just cheaper and easier to make and look more 'modern'
You can tell homeboy is a master veteran neon sign maker. You can see how focused and dedicated he is. Clean, consistent, and professional
When I was younger, about 15 years ago, there was a local neon maker who could make a neon tube within a neon tube, so a single tube could glow with a second color in the middle. I never realized how skilled he was for doing this until I grew up and moved away and realized these neon signs didn't exist anywhere else. Now neon has fallen out of favor and I wonder what happened to that guy.
If they glowed in different colors only one could have been neon. Blue lamps use an argon mercury mixture.
@@mernokimuvek "Neon" is what people call the lights themselves around here. Clearly the color may require a different gas than neon be inside it.
is anyone else fearing for her hair?
Its almost like an OCD I couldn't finish the vid. :(
Yes! Why is she so close to that fire? Why is it even on?!!! 😳🤦🏿♀️
Omg yes
I had anxiety the whole time watching this
its safety hazard there
Nice! I've always appreciated the work that went into neon signs. I have always been amazed by the work in beer and old NYC store signs. I believe this is the 1st time I've seen a neon piece built from start to finish. Thanks for the informative video!!!
I really would have loved to hear his thoughts on changes in the industry, the prevalence of led "neon flex" and other simple lost cost products that imitate his art. As someone who works in digital fabrication i often pull vectors to make exact copies of a customer sign or logo and while some parts of what i do are open to interpretation the goal is to make everything identical. I feel the the appeal of this is that it's a completely analog process done mostly with his hands and i hope his customers value that in it's own right.
Neon is def cool and has it's place. But it is much more expensive than LEDs, more time consuming to make, much much more dangerous (12,000V vs 12v), more fragile, not nearly as energy efficient, and a similar look can be achieved with LED 'neon flex', and the customers would not be able to tell the difference.
Plastic LED "neon" flex is utter garbage compared to real neon and glass. They're not even comparable if you've seen both.
@@young_beansyou can definitely tell the difference between true neon and LED. You might be able to fool some people but it is noticable
I randomly wondered how neon was made and glad i found this. This is awesome.
Yo me too.
I feel like hes going to cry in any moment lol
I love neon signs - they have 'atmosphere'. Katie, so cool you tried your hand at bending the glass. I want to try it one day as well.
That was honestly way better than I thought it was going to be. Job well done eater!!
Neon Signs always excite us! Challenges us and always feels like such an accomplishment when see final product!
I have a son born in 2005. I tell him that the art of making neon lamps is ending.
In my city there was only one person who still did these beautiful works. The best memories I have of this incredible work are from the 80s, when I visited the downtown and saw lights on top of buildings with huge advertisements for JVC, Sharp, Yashica, Canon, Nikon, and some banks.
I had a neighbor that did neon bending and while making me replacement tubes for a sign I was working on I was amazed at his skill.....he offered to train me but I was so busy I kept putting it off and he passed away without me taking him up on his offer ....I regret not making the time.
Thats both amazing and awful to hear
This is awesome, I’m a glass blower I work with boro. Had a guy say hey why don’t you do neon, here I am. Looks like all my equipment won’t work for neon but man is this cool! Dying breed. Next time I’m in Brooklyn I’m gonna stop by!
I kept waiting for her hair to go up in flames in the beginning.
LOL same. She was standing awfully close to the ribbon torch.
This turned out great! I love neon signs!!! You did such a top job on creating a piece yourself - Well done!
An artist hand bend 90° respect!
came for food. stayed to appreciate the science and the artisinalship of the neon.
I would love to take a class and learn some of this beautiful work, what a great teacher.
he is a strict teacher haha the mentor is panicking. he loves the CRAFT so badly. TOO MUCH RESPECT.
I love neon signs and would love to give that a go, Katie did really well!
My gosh I love these things even more
Been bending since the 70s. Still making ‘glass’. Teaching a young lady and she will (I pray) make neon for decades to come.
I subscribed SPECIFICALLY for How To Make It! Love this series
Some great shows on this channel with Katie, Cliff, and Lucas.
My great grandfather and my grandfather did this. Thanks for the awesome vids.
My goal 2020 is to register for the classes ! have had this on my mind for 2 years now. First step was to get a drivers licence so I can drive myself there....DONE !, step two ...save money for the class - I can't wait !
Ohhhh so that's why neons are super expensive!! 🧐 Very cool!! 🤓
I always wanted my own neon sign!
Neon signs are absolutely gorgeous. This would be an awesome way to make some good money. Every piece is a work of art, and depending on the degree of difficulty, you could sell these for $2000+ easy. Unfortunately, it's all about RGB/LED lighting lighting today, which can imitate the nook of neon. But, there's still nothing like having the real deal neon glow. They are energy efficient with a typical sign only costing .20 cents per day to run, which costs less than a 75 watt light bulb. Plus, they last up between 8-15 years. It's Amazing!
Your work is so awesome! and such a genius.
i really enjoyed your video
and thank you for sharing.
Wow he’s so nice and such a good teacher
I’ve been around neon and cold cathode all my life. And I love it
This was so cool! Those signs are incredible
YEAH..!!! \(●'◡'●)/
Gotta appreciate the handwork for all the effort
We have more than our share of neon signs in Hong Kong. It was nice to see how they are made.
Good bending is importing......spot on pumping is a must.
So glad I found this series.
Keep them coming
great job Katie Pickens!!
How did she even accomplish that? She really has a natural talent for that apparently.
Mr. Ablon seems like a very good mentor and absolutely amazing teacher.
Met him once and I was surprised how nice he was.😊
Glass blowing also gets my respect
Awesome video super informative. I don't know what made It pop into my head but I was just thinking. How do they make ne on signs now I know.
I’ve always wanted to start my own neon sign shop.
It's never too late
Looks so fun. I wanna play!
I have a neon beer sign where the corner of the design broke off. Is the tubing fixable? If i don't care what it looks like (because it's just the corner) is there a really cheap fix? If I put electrical or duct tape or some sort of tubing from Home Depot, and created a very short "tube", would it go through as if it was glass?
Hi! I'm intrested in starting making neon lights as a hobby. I started studing what's needed to make them and I can't find good info. Could you help me to start my hobby? What basic elements do I need to begin?
By the way, I'm from Argentina and I'm a mechanical engineer really intrested in lighting.
Thank you!!
they literally show you in the video everything required to make a neon sign...
9:01
The signs at the back
Ikr 😂😂
Wow.... Mr. Ablon seems like a really good guy and a very good teacher. What a wonderful video. Thank you to everybody who was involved in producing it!
How much for a Drunken Clam neon sign?
Around 270 US dollars
She did so well with that E! That’s awesome
Excellent. Shows and explains the process nicely. Thank you for sharing.
Great video. Thank you for sharing.
BRAVO Katie !
This is awesome, searching for HOW TO MAKE a NEON light..... very informative.
I love how he answers the questions
8:52 look at the signs in the back
This is so interesting to me. I love videos like this!
I actually didn’t think neon signs were still made I mean malls are getting rid of them
i mean this video was 5 years old when you watched it
That makes me furious that malls are getting rid of them. That’s like criminally messed up.
That was awesome! What an interesting process.
I'm in the worcester massachusetts area and want to learn the art of neon sign making. I've been trying to find where to learn and when i ask online i get "ask around people will be able to tell you" and then i do that and everybody says one of three things: "they still make those?", "wouldn't you rather have on LED?", or "i have no idea". Where can i learn? I'm about to just buy all the stuff online and trial by fire with youtube tutorials otherwise.
It is a fantastic work to make glass neon signs. Seems more difficult than LED Flex Neon Signs.
That's because it is an actual art form that takes years to master. vs. a rip off of that art form that ends up in a dumpster.
Great video! ... commented on a pink 'love' cursive neon sign on the way to my local coffee shop, then im sitting under a red text purple underline OPEN sign and I see the neon moving within the letters!!! Felt like looking it all up and found this! :) Best. Fun to watch him teach ya, great job. not meaning to 'suggest' too much but i'll say it's really impressive to watch a person submit to learning/being-taught a skill. Encouraging and sometimes we are so-resistant to learning from each other or think we have to be perfect when everything takes practice! :) all work done by hand is awesome and you can feel the time/wisdom :P people love to teach their craft to someone receptive too
You have some really good videos, I am just learning about them today...
i took neon in school and it was so hard. she is doing really great.
so ???/ do they not put different neon mixtures now for color ... I see some of the glass was colored ?
Surprised did not pull full vacuum and how did he get ambient air to energize in the tube ?
I want one for my bedroom but they’re so expensive
DIY
@@keymepx4428 if only it were that easy
C Y N I have one that says chick fil a
The instructor was very kind
I really wnjoyed this one she sems like she was having alot of fun.... i would love to learn to make neon signs it would be cool
Amazingly done..
I'm curious if you left one on 24/7 will it still lasts longer than the store
linda profissão eu também trabalho com neon. Mais de forma diferente, parabéns pelo vídeo 👏👏👏
But if you were to break the final piece where the wires are, is it possible to fix it and put the gas back?
Now i just want neon letters hanging up on my wall lol :D
Areal Alien me too but they’re really expensive
guess most new signboards are LEDs based now but having neon signs are so cool!
Beautiful art
That dude was so cool, laid back and encouraging
You should have shown how the seal/electrode assembly is made and how you attach it to either end
2:00 her hair is so close to the open flame it’s killing me 😂
She definitely rocked it beyond a doubt. Her first time manipulating bright red hot liquid glass with her bare hands and the result is indistinguishable from a professional's. That's a major conquest. To be fair but not to be a hater, I"m gonna say that she was lucky to have been given an awesome instructor and some kller tools. In addition to her seriously impressive skills, those were critical factors in her success, don't you think? Whatever, Good Job! =^)
Love this episode! I learned so much about Neon Signs!
This is awesome! Loved it.
This is an excellent video.
Great video David
Love it!😃
Thank u so very much.
He was so blunt lmao I loved it
Nice to see Mo Syzlak is getting on well
great ep!
This is really interesting, Thank you!
first step; use heat to bend glass tube ; then connect with vacum pump and maintain pressure then pass electric current through tube that causes ionization of gas so it becomes to glow tat is called neon sign application of plasma
He seem like a great teacher
She's standing so close to that open flame. Worried the whole time about how flammable her sweater was.