big E

I always like to tell my clients about the Clifton Cafeteria sign when they ask me how long will neon last. The sign was uncovered during a renovation and had been illuminated for 70 some odd years. Someone sat down and figured out the operating cost at $17,000 then went on to state that LED would only have been a fraction of that. I whole heartily agreed with them,the LED would have burned out in 5 years leaving 65 years with no power draw.

The motor must have been a hack repair at some point in the past. At first I was like HUH ? .It was wired in a 120v configuration,the transformer is 120v so why would the clock motor be 220v 50 cycle. After investigating this perplexing conundrum I found that the mount holes on the clock face did not align with the the motor housing. The clock face has four mount points,the motor in question had only two mount studs. The conclusion was that at some point in the past someone attempted a repair,attempted being the key word. Wisdom is not knowledge and from the looks of the transformer and wires it must have been one hellva day when they put 220v on to that poor unit. So now I am on a quest to find the correct clock motor for this unit which is turning out to be no simple task. If anyone has any advice or just happens to know were a 120v 60 cycle Hammon clock motor might be give me a shout out.

A client brought in a cleveland clock the other day that he said he found in a "junk store" , he wants us to repair the neon on it and as he put it "get it workin" . ( for some reason in the south we do not use the "g" on words, jumpin, workin, barkin, ) . Back to the topic ,I have worked on a few neon clocks though granted they were "modern" once I opened this clock up I realized that I was looking directly in to the past ( I am an old fart but not that old) . So how do I preserve the antique quality and at the same time conform to modern standards and code? Wiring and electrodes : It has two neon units in it, 12mm blue, one borders the interior and one borders the exterior,they are connected directly to the metal frame of the clock on stubs that protrude from its sides. All four electrodes enter the back of the unit through a hole that is just big enough to fit them through, they are grouped together,and I do mean grouped,picture taking four electrodes and holding them in your hand. The electrodes on the right are wired together and connected to one of the secondary leads off an open coil and core transform as were the ones on the left.see picture. The clock motor is a 220 V.A.C. 50 Hertz 3 watt , oooook that is interesting, I would appreciate any suggestions,comments or hysterical laughter .Also I tried to find the clock on the internet but could not,I did find some information on the Cleveland clock company however.

I did not see it but one of our inspectors favorite stories is about a finding a channel letter sign illuminated with a string of Christmas tree lights.

The girls came up with this one. THIS IS AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE This response was automatically generated per your inquiry Key does not turn ignition.” Please insert tokens”. Tokens can be purchased at office; 1 token- $125.00 (Token good for only one hour, then truck stops). PREPAID TOKENS ONLY. Disclaimer; You are not special nor are you entitled.

I was contacted by Thinksign recently and low and behold a couple weeks later a client wanted a LED reader board. Now I am a neon guy and do not know much about LED reader boards, I told the client this but they stated that since I am doing the rest of the retro I might as well price out the reader board. Has anyone had any dealings with Thinksign ? Are their boards good quality ?

Sometimes you just have to stop and wonder about the creative ways people save money,now were is that guy with the siege ladder when you need him.

Of course I am a neon person and as such am basis in my comments about LED.That's just being honest.I am also some what sarcastic. LED is great,you do not have to hassle with us ill tempered neon benders ,worry about transporting breakable neon tubes or have qualified installers that understand how to properly install neon. All you have to do is hire some some glue and paste teenagers to install LED ,saves you a lot of money and time. Then when the little black dot syndrome starts to occur you get to dive back in to the own's wallet again ! You grab up on your $7 an hour paste & glue master "snot nose Duffy" and inform the owner that the power modules you used are no longer available . Just how great is that ! I am sure I am going hear from all you licensed and trained LED installers but this is the real world. Rarely have I seen any sign companies ( at least around here ) that have done any form of training in LED repair or installation.The channel letters that" we" get that have the LED already installed look like some high school science fair project , I make plots of these signs because it takes only a couple of years before the owner asks me to reto them to neon. Done quite a few of those. The most common question ask of me is "how long will LED last"? My answer is "I do not know ,but I have neon units off sign restorations from the 1940,s that still light ".

Thanks ,that is just what I am looking for .

As you may have gathered by the topic name I have gotten my self in to a job that I can not find materials for. After talking with Sloan LED and U.S.LED I have found that they carry Flexi not rope LED,I was told Brite Lite used to carry this product but no longer does . WHAT I NEED is a LED (commercial grade, not wally world or Lowes)) that illuminates 360 degrees,That comes in lengths up to 80'(preferably on a spoil),that is fixable enough to be rapped around a palm tree and is solar powered.Scheeesh I not asking asking to much am I ? Oh did I mention that they want ropes with different colors green,blue,red,orange yellow ect. If any one knows of a reliable company that carries this product please let me know.

I was saddened to here of Ed's passing and my prayers go out to his family.

Glad to hear that they are cracking down on some of these big companies that say they know how to install neon.They are a couple around here that will argue you blue in the face that wet location end caps are not needed.Will not put caps on PK housings and have even zip tied GTO returns to primary wire runs.I am so tired of be called to do repair jobs only to find out that it could have been avoided if these unscrupulous companies had only followed code.They do this because of few reason ,they have been in business for a long time and know the codes will not be enforced, they cut corners to keep their bids low and think they will be called to do repairs.I am sure they know who I am talking about and will more then likely read this. Shame on you,shame,shame you put profit over safety and give neon a bad name. Source: can you find the code violations??

I really should post some pictures of the shit I have seen.Neon channel letters wired with thhn,smokin'.Christmas tree lights inside of channel letters,HUH? No passthur's on gas station canopies,Scary they were right next to the tank vent.Enclosure boxes on their sides full of last years leaf's,and my all around favorite...Burned up transformer surrounded by spaghetti looking GTO wire with no passthru's and a note on top that proudly proclaimed "I got it right this time Jim" Yeah I have the fire marshal and inspectors numbers on speed dial.

Goodys the retail chain? They still around? Thought they went in to bankruptcy after their restructuring.We had a contract with them and got stuck preeeety good , filed in federal court against them along with a few hundred others.If you have their number I would love to chat with them !

As some of you know I have been working on a neon rocket,well here is a new twist that I am not sure I have the answer too.The rocket is to be mounted on a trailer so that it can be displayed at different events.they also want to be able to pull the trailer in parades with the neon lit.The neon,drive motor(the rocket rotates)and the hydraulic pump(the rocket will raise and lower)are to be run off of a electric generator that is also mounted to the trailer..How do I safely ground the transformers ???

cool I just love historic preservation and get all excited when I can get out of my normal routine,boarded, boarder,open,Earl's grill type stuff.Chicago ,huh.thanks for the info.Eric.

hahaha you are right,ol timers ,I do apologize,I am about one shoe size form there my self.The truth be known I used to spend many happy hours interviewing older ladies and gentlemen on historic sites,it is fascinating the amount of detail and in-site that can be gathered through their stories.,after all they lived though these times.Also keep in mind"that to me" it is a term of endearment.What we are doing is trying to gather pictures more for a display and not the technical aspect.Some of the actual glass was on the rocket and even lit.Now I do not know when this glass was produced,or if it is replacement glass.The wires on the electrodes were solid and not twine.One set was egl and the other e&m.I believe the e&m was produced between 1951 to 1962?thanks for the info...ol timer lol..Eric.

Hello out there in cyberland,I have got in to an interesting project with the Swainsboro Historic Preservation Society.It seems that they have acquired a 1950 roadside attraction that happens to be a neon rocket.Yes that right a rocket ,at one point in time ,it had flashing neon exhaust lights ,words that lit up on the sides and border running down over its tail fins.Not only that but it rotated up on a pedestal 50' up in the air.Now I do not know if you have ever dealt with a bunch of "I remember when "old timers or not.Now do not get me wrong,they are a great bunch of people, though the information they give you can be a little diluted with time.What I am looking for are pictures of a neon rockets ,any will do,but especially the one that resided on route 1 in Swainsboro Ga.that read Sam"s curb side service.Yeah I know,but even a blind squirrel can find an acorn every now and then.Any help would be greatly appreciated.Eric.