Thanks for uploading this video. It helped me make a broken electrode wire from my Löwenbräu neon sign, it works again. Nice to see your passion for the old big neon signs. I like to watch all your videos and I also collect neon lights myself but need more space right now :)
Thanks for the info. I thought i should be able to do something like this to repair my clock. But, was afraid to try. I was able to use dremel diamond tip bit to grind away glass.
I think you could also try making an electric arc near the broken electrode.The glass would melt in a few seconds and if you touch the glowing end of the neon sign wire to the also red hot glowing electrode,they will probably weld together.
i like your lateral-thinking! however, heating the electrode pinch seal will usually cause it to crack. i have cracked one and ruined a tube using an electrical arc for just a few seconds.
hey, thanks for your interest! sorry i haven't posted anything new in a while. i got COVID right before the holidays, and they just changed my schedule at work so i've been working 8 of the past 9 days. hasn't left me much time for making videos! don't worry though, i have plenty of things to film, i just need to get a chance to shoot & edit the video. stay tuned! :)
Hi, Is it possible to extend the HT neon wires that connect to the electrodes on a neon sign please? I have a neon light but the 2 wires are not long enough, what do I do to make them longer please? Thanks
I replaced a beer sign transformer and broke a glass section when l connected wire. I knew better but it happens. I should have cut wires as close as could to the broken transformer which would have given me plenty to connect to away from the glass tube. Those darn black boots don't always come off easy and now only a small section l broke doesn't light.
ah, sorry to hear that. if it was a clear (i.e. neon-filled) tube, any neon shop can repair it for you. if was an Argon/Mercury tube you might be hard-pressed to find someone who would repair it. so, you can have them make a new one, or try your luck to see if you can find the part on ebay or on one of the neon beer sign/repair groups on FB.
there are two wires on each electrode merely for redundancy; if just one breaks off you can still use the other, no problem. in the past, some electrodes were manufactured with only one wire, but that design has fallen out of favor... likely due to the benefits of having two!
normal electrode wires are about 1½ inches long, if your wire is broken off shorter than that an extension might be helpful. however, any longer than that wouldn't serve much purpose and would probably add strain to the wire, making it more likely to break later.
i'd say 30g or smaller should work; you'll want small strands so you can bundle a few together and have them wick up the solder to make a solid joint. the strands i used in this video were 38g. they were from a scrap piece of copper wire (extension cord, i believe) that i had leftover from a project.
well, yes... if you have the processing equipment. this video was made for people who don't have access to processing equipment and want to try this as a last-ditch effort before taking the tube to a neon shop.
ouch! yeah you gotta be careful with those. if im really curious if my manifold is still under vacuum i test it on the bit of tubulation glass left from my last tip off, that way im not actually using the spark coil directly on the manifold.
Thanks for uploading this video. It helped me make a broken electrode wire from my Löwenbräu neon sign, it works again. Nice to see your passion for the old big neon signs. I like to watch all your videos and I also collect neon lights myself but need more space right now :)
excellent, good job fixing your neon sign!
thanks for watching. those big signs really do take up a lot of space!
When i saw this mentioned in books as a way to repair corroded leads I thought it wasn’t actually possible, seeing it done is really cool!
it's a risky endeavor, but worth it if you can rescue an otherwise useless tube!
Thanks for the info. I thought i should be able to do something like this to repair my clock. But, was afraid to try. I was able to use dremel diamond tip bit to grind away glass.
you're welcome! yeah... it's pretty risky, but if it works it's worth it. good job!
I think you could also try making an electric arc near the broken electrode.The glass would melt in a few seconds and if you touch the glowing end of the neon sign wire to the also red hot glowing electrode,they will probably weld together.
i like your lateral-thinking! however, heating the electrode pinch seal will usually cause it to crack. i have cracked one and ruined a tube using an electrical arc for just a few seconds.
Where have you been man?! Looking forward to new content!
hey, thanks for your interest! sorry i haven't posted anything new in a while. i got COVID right before the holidays, and they just changed my schedule at work so i've been working 8 of the past 9 days. hasn't left me much time for making videos! don't worry though, i have plenty of things to film, i just need to get a chance to shoot & edit the video. stay tuned! :)
@@NeonPreservation good to hear! Stoked to see what's next!
Hi, Is it possible to extend the HT neon wires that connect to the electrodes on a neon sign please? I have a neon light but the 2 wires are not long enough, what do I do to make them longer please? Thanks
hello Darren, i have sent a detailed reply to your email inbox. let me know if you have further questions!
If you dont want to risk breaking the glass,you could also dissolve the end of the tube in hydrofluoric acid or molten sodium hydroxide.
interesting idea! sound time-consuming and dangerous though. also id be concerned about the heat from the molten NaOH cracking the pinch seal.
@@NeonPreservation Hot NaOH solution could also work but would be slow.
I replaced a beer sign transformer and broke a glass section when l connected wire. I knew better but it happens. I should have cut wires as close as could to the broken transformer which would have given me plenty to connect to away from the glass tube. Those darn black boots don't always come off easy and now only a small section l broke doesn't light.
ah, sorry to hear that. if it was a clear (i.e. neon-filled) tube, any neon shop can repair it for you. if was an Argon/Mercury tube you might be hard-pressed to find someone who would repair it. so, you can have them make a new one, or try your luck to see if you can find the part on ebay or on one of the neon beer sign/repair groups on FB.
Why are there two leads coming out of the end of the tube? I have one broken wire and one good wire. Can't I just attach to the one good wire?
there are two wires on each electrode merely for redundancy; if just one breaks off you can still use the other, no problem.
in the past, some electrodes were manufactured with only one wire, but that design has fallen out of favor... likely due to the benefits of having two!
@@NeonPreservation Thank you! Is soldering on a longer wire a good way to make a connection to this one remaining lead?
normal electrode wires are about 1½ inches long, if your wire is broken off shorter than that an extension might be helpful.
however, any longer than that wouldn't serve much purpose and would probably add strain to the wire, making it more likely to break later.
@@NeonPreservation Thank you!
What gauge wire do you recommend.
i'd say 30g or smaller should work; you'll want small strands so you can bundle a few together and have them wick up the solder to make a solid joint.
the strands i used in this video were 38g. they were from a scrap piece of copper wire (extension cord, i believe) that i had leftover from a project.
Cut the Electrode off and put a new one on and repump it?
well, yes... if you have the processing equipment. this video was made for people who don't have access to processing equipment and want to try this as a last-ditch effort before taking the tube to a neon shop.
Are you part of the Neon Lighting Professionals group on Facebook? It's a pretty nifty place
yes, i am! but since i am merely an amateur, i'm there more as a "fly on the wall" to learn as much as i can.
@@NeonPreservation likewise and ditto! I just posted about a hole I made in my manifold system with a Tesla coil. Oops too much power
ouch! yeah you gotta be careful with those. if im really curious if my manifold is still under vacuum i test it on the bit of tubulation glass left from my last tip off, that way im not actually using the spark coil directly on the manifold.
I prefer to score the electrode with a file first .
nice tip, thanks for sharing!