neon sign - save it or rust in pieces eh rest in peace?

[Superully]

ok guys, i "found" a neon sign in the wild which for some stupid reason has caught my attention - and isn't willing to let go . it's been "sitting" there for many many years, rust has destroyed parts of the metal frame, but the neon tubes seem to be intact - except for the R. have a look



questions:

- does the neon sign work at all even if one of the letters is broken?
- how are the chances that it still works at all after all those years?
- can the damaged R somehow be restored (by finding someone who's able to repro it)?
- do those signs run on high voltage or do they plug into a normal wall socket?
- am i crazy?

i could most likely get it for free and i have a person willing to help me get it down, but i'm not sure whether it would be worth the effort. who knows, it might crumble in our hands ...

[level42]

To answer the last and easiest question: yes of course you are crazy....

Neon uses hi-voltage but transformers (or more recently, "adapters" are used to make the high-voltage from regular 230V.
Chances are that parts may still work. Usually those neons are made up of sections. It looks like every letter on this one is either one or two sections. Depending on how they wired it to the transformer AND if they used more than one transformer, some (or most) of the letters may still work.

The real issue is the broken one...yes there are companies (persons) that repair these kind of neons (they sometimes advertise an Marktplaats f.i.) but I'm not sure about costs. But if you can get the sign for free....

I would exchange the old transfomers (which are probably used on these) for new switching "adapters" though. They're quite cheap on e-bay. You DO have to know how many watts etc. though, so do take the transfomer with you !!

[DarthNuno]

Must be some alien letters  ... I even can't read the word?  Electro?

[Superully]

Must be some alien letters  ... I even can't read the word?  Electro?

wait till you see it glow and you almost read it correctly - it's ELEKTRO!!!

[Superully]

To answer the last and easiest question: yes of course you are crazy....

thx, i just needed confirmation for this

Neon uses hi-voltage but transformers (or more recently, "adapters" are used to make the high-voltage from regular 230V.

so this means i could plug it into a normal circuit?

The real issue is the broken one...yes there are companies (persons) that repair these kind of neons (they sometimes advertise an Marktplaats f.i.) but I'm not sure about costs. But if you can get the sign for free....

thx, there are probably companies over here as well, i'll have to do some digging regarding costs! i was hoping to use the R from the other word (the name of the former owner), but this R is connected to the E before it

I would exchange the old transfomers (which are probably used on these) for new switching "adapters" though. They're quite cheap on e-bay. You DO have to know how many watts etc. though, so do take the transfomer with you !!

i'll be going there again soon to check it out in more detail, was in a hurry today. i'll have to phone the owner of the house first though (it's been abandoned for years, but there's a contact number in the shop window) to see if i could simply grab it, but if he says YES, i will most likely get it down to see what it does and i'll grab all the parts which are there. this might be crazy, but it's one of those arcade lifestyle advantures

[TimePilot]

Very nice. it looks for me so 60´s or 50´s. 
Go for it Ully

[level42]

"Neon Licht, schimmerndes Neon Licht
Und wenn die Nacht anbricht ist dieser Stadt aus Licht"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hznxGxYxMak

I love it.


I think it will be easier for a neon work shop to cut off that extra r from the e of the second word. I figure they could do that easier than recreating the broken e.

[Belike]

Do you have a plan how to remove that sign from there?
It must be heavy!

[Etienne MacGyver]

questions:

A does the neon sign work at all even if one of the letters is broken?
B how are the chances that it still works at all after all those years?
C can the damaged R somehow be restored (by finding someone who's able to repro it)?
D do those signs run on high voltage or do they plug into a normal wall socket?
E am i crazy?

Okay, my opinion on your questions  
Ill do it in the order of easy answer first..

E:  Defenetly   but in a good way ofcourse
D: there are transformers with the neon that you can just plug into the wall socket
A: depends on the segments like andre mentiones, the broken piece will not work since the gas has gone..
B: Dont know the lifetime of the gas, but my guess is that when its hermeticly sealed it will not leak out
C: I think also like andre says, that the chances of restoring the "E" will be better if they can somehow use the E from the other word, but my guess is that its gonna cost you ...

Some basics about neon : http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4644514_do-neon-lights-work.html

and if you really got balls  http://www.ehow.com/how_7476195_repair-neon-light.html

for answer D, i amost reccommended to get something like this in your backyard ully  

[Belike]

for answer D, i amost reccommended to get something like this in your backyard ully  

Looks like the Nuclear reactor in Chernobyl and it is out of order since 1986.
Looks like this nowadays...

[polaris]

ok this is information from my poor memory,
the one custom neon sign i saw and heard the price for  said happy birthday 'rich person' was about 4-5 foot wide and cost about £3000, so one letter may not be hideously expensive to make

this is my favourite neon sign on a concert venue in glasgow,the barrowlands, famous for this sign and the huge glaswegians who carry the band gear up eight flights of stairs

[Blanka]

Have a close look at the sections. Often these words are 1 tube, with some parts made black and put behind the board. If that is the case, the whole thing farted and is out of gas.

[Muerto]

Save it if you can! NEON rewls!
Reminds me of Sonic 1992 who saved the yesterdays sign! and i´m sure he don't regret that 

[level42]

Ully,

If that big Neon is giving you a headache, you can always get this:

http://link.marktplaats.nl/424662461

[Q*ris]

During a visit to an ex-arcade owner, I found this huge neon sign in his attic.
Not for sale unfortunately but I just wanted to share the pic with you.