How Are Realistic Faux Neon Signs Made?

Business owners are always looking for an edge, and having an eye-catching sign is a great way to achieve this. You can always attract new customers or increase traffic to your business by crafting an eye-catching faux neon sign. It can also make a great decoration for parties, wedding receptions, and even your office space. Plus, they don’t cost much to make either.

A neon sign is one of the most popular and recognizable special effects. Neon signs instantly transform a room without sacrificing style, so they tend to be used in design projects. If you’re looking for ways to add a personal touch while remaining stylish, consider making your faux neon sign. If you’re thinking of getting started, you can check out Neon Mama for different materials needed to make the faux neon sign.

What is a Faux Neon Sign?

A faux neon sign is an electrical light that looks like neon, but it is not a true neon sign. They’re a modern and very affordable alternative to the actual neon signs of yore. They were made famous when the market for them began to develop, around the year 2000. But since then, they’ve been used in many different applications, from just about anything which requires a sign with lights to be affixed thereon.

History

The first neon sign was made in 1910 by the Frenchman Adolph Georges Claude, who is also known for other discoveries like the neon lights. The original intent for this product was actually to replace some dangerous electrical equipment commonly used in cinemas and opera houses. It turns out that while researching this topic, Claude realized that these lights could be cheaply mass-produced and utilized for advertising purposes.

He then teamed up with some of his colleagues, and they quickly found that these lights could perform amazingly well. For example, the colors of neon lights could change quickly without any issue.

What Are the Parts of a Neon Light?

A “neon tube” is generally composed of four main parts. The first one is called a “cold cathode,” a black wire extending outside the glass tube itself. Neon tubes generally have a red line, and this is what the cold cathode is attached to.

The second part of a neon light is called a “neon tube,” and it’s just that—a tube consisting of glass with some black coating. It can be easily recognized by the red line running through it. This next portion of the tube is where electricity is produced, which makes up for the energy source for producing light.

The final part of a neon light is called the “heat sink,” and it’s just what you think it is: an aluminum cylinder wrapped in wire that helps distribute the tube’s heat. A heat sink can also be used to stabilize a piece of equipment, as it acts like a “heat radiator” at times.

How It’s Made

A neon tube will start as a long, thin glass piece that glows with it when exposed to specific amounts of electricity. This means that electricity is applied to a small piece of neon glass at the beginning of the process, causing the electric charge to build up within the tube itself. This causes the gas inside of it to glow. Then, once this happens, two electrodes are placed on both ends of the tube, and these are connected to some power source via an electrical cable. This then creates an electric field, which causes the electrons to move.

There are several different ways to program a neon tube. One is by using a particular type of electrical device, and while this can be handy, it’s not the only way to do it. This process starts with finding the amount of power needed for your neon tube to glow for at least thirty seconds or longer.

Choosing Colors

There are a ton of different colors that you can use for your faux neon signs. The possibilities are endless, and there will be something that works well with your message or does the job so well that it’s impossible to tell it’s not the real thing. One of the uses for faux signs is in retail establishments, where they can be placed on different glass front windows. This allows for displaying a logo or any type of advertisement on signs that are visible from the outside.