Quoted from Flynnyfalcon:Chrissy pressie from wifey.
[quoted image]
That's a great sign. Any idea where she found it?
(Topic ID: 90412)
Quoted from northvibe:I know it’s just led neon but it lights similar. Still looking for neon for my basement, I keep finding neons for others :-p
[quoted image]
LED ≠ Neon.
Quoted from Charles_Kline:LED ≠ Neon.
Yes, I understand. However this led strip is made to mimic the neon. And until P3 is a real neon, it is what I have.
Québec, QC
Hopkins, MN
Quoted from dirkdiggler:Looking for some tech help about swapping transformers.
If the specs are on them, make sure they match.
You might have to remove the transformer from the sign to read the side that has that info on it.
LTG : )
Quoted from LTG:If the specs are on them, make sure they match.
You might have to remove the transformer from the sign to read the side that has that info on it.
LTG : )
Thanks. I have a couple neons with broken tubes but know the transformers are good in them. Thought that I could try and get that bud boxing neon going I picked up last month by swapping one in
Quoted from dirkdiggler:Thought that I could try and get that bud boxing neon going I picked up last month by swapping one in
Try it. Easy to do and will probably work.
LTG : )
Melbourne
Quoted from yzfguy:That's a great sign. Any idea where she found it?
I don't... but a quick search on eBay found them 
Quoted from LTG:If the specs are on them, make sure they match.
You might have to remove the transformer from the sign to read the side that has that info on it.
LTG : )
The top pic is the one that needs replaced. Think either of the other ones will work?
20220103_103322.jpg20220103_103304.jpg20220103_103332.jpg
Quoted from LTG:Try one and see.
LTG : )
The proverbial "smoke test".
Quoted from Ballypin:The proverbial "smoke test".
Darker not enough power, super bright too much power. Looks good. Done, call it a day. ( try and match the output voltage )
LTG : )
Quoted from dirkdiggler:It's alive! It's really orange. Thought the outer tubes would be white. Oh well.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Beautiful. How did you pick this up?
Quoted from PhilGreg:Beautiful. How did you pick this up?
Won it at a auction in November. Paid only $45 when working ones were going for over $300.
Quoted from dirkdiggler:Won it at a auction in November. Paid only $45 when working ones were going for over $300.
Wow, nice catch!
1 week later
I am sooooo pumped. Won this 36" sign tonight for only $50!!! The outer ring and mustang tubes are broken but I don't care one bit. Have three other signs on queue to be fixed so hoping to get a deal on this one. 1906_1(1).jpg 1906_2(1).jpgAlso snagged a clock for $30! Retail at uncle Weiners is $70. Man I love auctions1087_1.JPEG
Paid a visit to the TNT crew with Mermink
We had a great time!
I finally beat down Todd enough and bought some Neon from him!
Kate convinced me to get this one over the “1¢ Candy” signimage.jpg
Now I’m gonna hang this up and leave it on 24/7. Never turn off any of my other signs down here. Maybe I’m misinformed but that should be perfectly fine and not detrimental to the sign, correct?
Also scored this unusual “salesman sample” display piece. It’s handmade.
23838D36-EA2C-4EE7-9C62-436A967D4BD0.jpeg
This picture is from 2020 and it was very bright and vibrant up on a shelf in the office. Now it’s very dim and the amber tube keeps going in and out. The Purple Green Pink & Blue are all one solid tube, then it daisy chains over to the amber and red tube. The red is the brightest, and the amber blinks on and off. If you put your hand near it or put the power cord near it the tube lights up. image.jpg
Zero knowledge on Neon. What is the issue and how can I fix it?
D9A78360-B87F-4DB9-AD6A-41EDA54E0107.jpeg it looks bright but even in 100% darkness it’s very dim. Like your phone with the brightness all the way down.
My last question is this strange bulb:image.jpg
It hasn’t worked for a long long time. Not sure if the tube leaked or if it’s got an internal transformer of some sort. It has a switch that says “flow/on”
Any idea what it is and where I can buy a replacement or how to fix it?
I have 3 or 4 other broken Neon signs I’ve inherited or picked up in my travels. I’d like to get them fixed later. Are there any neon repair places in Upstate New York?
Quoted from JStoltz:Slowly making progress on this, pleased so far![quoted image][quoted image]
Quick update on this little “not really neon” sign project. I’ll get a better picture once it’s installed in the basement by the pins (and cleaned up a little).
In hindsight I think I’d suggest finding somebody with a CNC to route the backer board as well as a channel for the LED strip. The plastic brackets I used (two small brass wood screws in each) took forever to put on. And once I got them all on, I had to remove them to get the paper template out from under them, spray the backer board with black paint and a coat of clear, then re-attach them all.
Also learned that the strips don’t take abuse well, so I had to sacrifice a few strips to the “bracket placement” process. The tight bends over and over to get everything aligned seems to sometimes damage the LEDs or traces within the strand. Better to do final install with a fresh strip, cut to length, to minimize how much it’s handled before it’s put into the final position.
BEFAA186-346A-4051-86E7-A307D68E52F5 (resized).jpegD2302946-2B7E-495B-975D-CE5BE1758EDB (resized).jpegE7BDD2DC-F0D5-4A3F-AA02-633C690442CA (resized).jpegQuoted from Isochronic_Frost:Paid a visit to the TNT crew with Mermink
We had a great time!
I finally beat down Todd enough and bought some Neon from him!
Kate convinced me to get this one over the “1¢ Candy” sign[quoted image]
Now I’m gonna hang this up and leave it on 24/7. Never turn off any of my other signs down here. Maybe I’m misinformed but that should be perfectly fine and not detrimental to the sign, correct?
Also scored this unusual “salesman sample” display piece. It’s handmade.
[quoted image]
This picture is from 2020 and it was very bright and vibrant up on a shelf in the office. Now it’s very dim and the amber tube keeps going in and out. The Purple Green Pink & Blue are all one solid tube, then it daisy chains over to the amber and red tube. The red is the brightest, and the amber blinks on and off. If you put your hand near it or put the power cord near it the tube lights up. [quoted image]
Zero knowledge on Neon. What is the issue and how can I fix it?
[quoted image] it looks bright but even in 100% darkness it’s very dim. Like your phone with the brightness all the way down.
My last question is this strange bulb:[quoted image]
It hasn’t worked for a long long time. Not sure if the tube leaked or if it’s got an internal transformer of some sort. It has a switch that says “flow/on”
Any idea what it is and where I can buy a replacement or how to fix it?
I have 3 or 4 other broken Neon signs I’ve inherited or picked up in my travels. I’d like to get them fixed later. Are there any neon repair places in Upstate New York?
Nice pickup!
Transformers and tubes only have so many hours of life in them, its a lot but it is finite. If you leave it on 24/7 something will eventually fail.
Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:Paid a visit to the TNT crew with Mermink
Now I’m gonna hang this up and leave it on 24/7. Never turn off any of my other signs down here. Maybe I’m misinformed but that should be perfectly fine and not detrimental to the sign, correct?
They definitely have a lifetime. Most neon signs are not really traditional neon. Most are the style you have there, it is basically a florescent tube. The internal gas creates UV light, the inside of the tube is coated with phosphors that absorb the UV and re-emit at a visible wavelength. Similar to a tube TV and have the same aging mechanism, they get dimmer over time.
Actual neon gas glows bright red/orange. When you see such a sign up close you can see that the glow is actually inside the tube and it does not look like the surface of the glass is glowing like most "neon" signs.
1 week later
Here are a few of ours.
The Stroh's is a vintage 1970s.
The Rolling Rock is a 3 ft. one.
The Coors Light hangs in the backside of a window cut INTO a closet wall - to replicate looking into a tavern window from the outside. (My contractor - an avid hunter - liked that idea so much, he "installed" windows in his basement walls, and has them backlit with forest scenes showing deer in the wild, LOL).
Coors Light neon (resized).jpgRolling Rock 3 ft neon (resized).jpgStrohs neon (resized).jpgIs the “Chinese”/alibaba stern pinball neon the only/best one available? Looking to throw a neon at the route location
Quoted from northvibe:Is the “Chinese”/alibaba stern pinball neon the only/best one available? Looking to throw a neon at the route location
That’s a great idea, following! 
Did DE ever make a sign? Because I mainly route those. Rock solid games!
Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:That’s a great idea, following!
Did DE ever make a sign? Because I mainly route those. Rock solid games!
My buddy has one. I assume it was a "custom" alibaba special, but it looks nice!
If my location does well I would like to have a stern pinball neon out front, think it would be a nice touch.
Be careful putting up neon signs on location…if it’s not a commercial grade transformer (which Chinese Neons are not), you may find trouble with the local fire Marshall.
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:Be careful putting up neon signs on location…if it’s not a commercial grade transformer (which Chinese Neons are not), you may find trouble with the local fire Marshall.
I’d be curious if they’d notice with the other stuff hung up.
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:Be careful putting up neon signs on location…if it’s not a commercial grade transformer (which Chinese Neons are not), you may find trouble with the local fire Marshall.
That's a misconception as most Commercial Beer neon signs are made in China along with their transformer. The difference between the cheaper neon signs is they use non UL approved transformer. This is where you have to be careful, to your point, with not only local Fire Marshalls but also with your insurance company. If you install a "cheap Chinese" neon with nonapproved transformer and you have a fire where the transformer is deemed the problem your insurance company can deny the claim.
Quoted from meSz:That's a misconception as most Commercial Beer neon signs are made in China along with their transformer. The difference between the cheaper neon signs is they use non UL approved transformer. This is where you have to be careful, to your point, with not only local Fire Marshalls but also with your insurance company. If you install a "cheap Chinese" neon with nonapproved transformer and you have a fire where the transformer is deemed the problem your insurance company can deny the claim.
Not sure why someone would down vote your post as working where I do non-UL approved electricals are forbidden by the fire marshal. I could see an insurance company easily kicking a claim for that reason.
Quoted from gdonovan:Not sure why someone would down vote your post as working where I do non-UL approved electricals are forbidden by the fire marshal. I could see an insurance company easily kicking a claim for that reason.
Probably someone that has a deluge of "cheap Chinese" neons in their basement! 
It is what it is!
Quoted from t8tony8t:One we saved.
[quoted image]
Oh...my god. 
Love in the highest degree. *all the heart emojis*
Quoted from jp1985:I took these pictures at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, which I highly recommend if you haven't been.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
So great that these iconic signs and art have a home. That stardust sign is killer.
Quoted from Aladdin:Just bought this for my son for his college room. It’s pretty big, like 28”.[quoted image]
Nice! I was going to bid on a blue moon neon last week but the auction company pulled the lot. Wasn't as nice as yours. Never heard of blue moon before.
Quoted from dirkdiggler:Nice! I was going to bid on a blue moon neon last week but the auction company pulled the lot. Wasn't as nice as yours. Never heard of blue moon before.
It’s like a Hefeweizen. It’s typically served with an orange slice. Pretty popular here in Colorado. Got the sign for $80.
Quoted from Aladdin:It’s like a Hefeweizen. It’s typically served with an orange slice. Pretty popular here in Colorado. Got the sign for $80.
In Canada they renamed it Belgian Moon. I guess it helps people figure out what type of beer they're getting, plus Labatt Blue was huge and has fallen out of favor, maybe they don't want people to think they're related.
Quoted from Aladdin:It’s like a Hefeweizen. It’s typically served with an orange slice. Pretty popular here in Colorado. Got the sign for $80.
Great score. Any working liquor neon under $100 is aces in my book. Going to try and get these next week
1475_1.JPEG1477_1.jpgReply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, become a Pinside+ member!
