Learning The Art Of Neon-sign Making

[Erik Sine]

Learning the art of neon-sign making

By Danielle Samaniego

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

BENICIA - It's a discipline that shines through everything from Budweiser to the Bates Motel, and is only taught this side of the Mississippi in Benicia.

Welcome to the National Neon Institute, where the curtain is pulled back to reveal the twists and turns of tube-bending. This is where people come to master the art and skill of neon, which is used to light storefront signs to Vegas strip sensations.

"Tube benders are kind of artists in their own right, but you don't have to be an artist because it's like building a house; you just have to do the right things," says Gary Mann, the Institute's top administrator.

Courses start anew every Monday for incoming students who can take two- to 22-week training programs. The school can handle as many as 17 students, but it averages around six to nine on any given week. Costs vary and discounts are available, so, for example, an eight-week course might cost around $3,150, which includes equipment and tools students get to keep. For those coming from outside the city, state or country, for that matter, free on-site housing is available.

"I used to not like it because I thought it was gaudy and in your face, but there's also lots of possibilities and prospects. There's growth in it," said student Larry Stover, 43, a Kensington resident who signed up to build on his own sign-making skills.

Step into the institute and it's like walking into an auto shop that happens to sell beer, motorcycles and coffee. Past student projects line the black walls, burning reds, blues and yellows in outlines of roses, skulls and commercial products.

The vocational school also offers job placement assistance for students hoping to make their way into the lucrative $1.5 billion neon industry in the United States, according to the institute.

"Neon makes a very good living for an experienced tube bender that has been in the business for a few years. The neon tube bender that'll make a good living at it is the one that can do it the quickest and is also very accurate and does a good job," Mann said. "The top tube benders in the area are making $20 to $30 an hour."

The key lies literally in the hands of the students. Working with roughly 4-foot, thin glass tubes over a burner that can emit a fire of many as 900 degrees, students carefully twist them back and forth as they break down over the heat. The student must work quickly to make just the right bend in the glass that emulsifies like maple syrup, which can drip at any moment if it gets too hot.

The tube-bender then quickly blows into the glass through a mouthpiece to restore the circumference of the pinched portion of the tube. It's usually then set against a pattern to make sure the bend fits and then put to the side to cool.

The process is done again and again for every curve needed for the job. One job might take hours or a whole day, depending on a student's skill level. Break the glass? That likely means you'll have to start over.

Jim Bertuzzi says he's more psychologist than instructor.

"It's 90 percent mental, and 10 percent physical ... it can be frustrating," Bertuzzi said.

A tube bender for the past eight years, he learned how to handle neon here just like the students he teaches today. "Trying to keep these guys on an even keel is more of the job. It's more like, 'Don't pull your hair out today, it's OK, it's OK, it's OK.'"

Juan Carlos Ospina spent a recent afternoon making a saltwater fish design from three colored glass tubes. In just five weeks, the 26-year-old student has mastered many of the techniques taught here. He plans to take his skills back home to Bogota, Colombia, where his family runs a sign business.

"I want to fix mistakes or improve the quality" of his family's shop, Ospina said. He found out about the institute through a glass supplier he knew back home. He said he's now come to respect all aspects of the job.

"Everything, the bending is good, all the process is good," he said. "If your welds are good then everything is fine."

When a project is completed, it's taken to the bombarding station. All impurities inside the glass tube are sucked out and either neon or argon gases are put in. Those gases interact with the phosphorous lining the inside of the glass tubes to create a certain color.

After the gas is added, the tubes are sealed and electrodes placed at the end of each opening. Those are then connected to a transformer box, usually decorated to obscure the inner workings.

A neon sign or artwork can usually last the better part of a lifetime, as long as the glass stays intact. Any cracks can cause leaks that let the gases escape.

Tarran Merrill was working on his day's assignment -- a neon ghost -- when he cracked the glass halfway through. Merrill, 34, of Palm Springs signed up for a 17-week course after discovering the institute on the Internet.

"Some days are frustrating," he said, "but the neon gods have to be with you because you're working with glass."

Danielle Samaniego covers Solano County. Reach her at 925-943-8011 or dsamaniego@cctimes.com.

The National Neon Institute is the only active state-certified neon trade school in California. For more information, go to http://www.neonschool.com, or call 707-747-6167.

[B.O.P.]

I didn't read the whole thing, but the first line is not true, which is what stopped me from reading the rest of it.

[Freddy@NDS]

I didn't read the whole thing, but the first line is not true, which is what stopped me from reading the rest of it.

Gosh, maybe we need to get on the Job Placement Employers list there.... :madex:

[imanut]

Besides the first line---I really liked this paragraph---

"students carefully twist them back and forth as they break down over the heat. The student must work quickly to make just the right bend in the glass that emulsifies like maple syrup, which can drip at any moment if it gets too hot."

Drip at any moment???? Twist back and forth??? Great descriptions.

gn

[Erik Sine]

I think the last line is even better

The National Neon Institute is the only active state-certified neon trade school in California.

What does that get you? A free ice cream come?

[Freddy@NDS]

I think the last line is even better

What does that get you? A free ice cream come?

State Certification in California is done by the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocation Education. It is an "accrediting" agency that an “educational” or “vocational training” institute may join assuming they pass contingency rules. In many cases, these contingencies are simply a submittal of curriculum vitae, a self-study report, a listing of the institute’s Board of Directors, faculty teaching experience and qualifications, time in existence, and the payment of a fee. Renewal is usually easily achieved.

Certification gains really nothing for a student but benefits businesses and the “institute.” Businesses and people are swayed that certified institutes are legitimate. All you have to do is look at the number of distance learning universities situated in California – most are nothing more than an office suite allowed to grant diplomas. Certified programs allow companies to train employees (write off), and in many cases the institute is certified so it may take advantage of low interest Governmental loans and actively participate in retraining programs. In other words – it is for the benefit of the institute.

As a side note, Accreditation or Certification ensures that the institute is meeting the Minimum State regulated educational requirements.

[cadmn]

there are so many joke schools going on out there. the key for them is to be able to offer student grants & loans. sign here please, ok now we got a grant & a nice student loan to pay for you to go to school here even if you Never attend another day here. so have a nice life. & yes we have 100% after grad employment just ask the manager at the mickey D's in the next block we didn't say employment in the field of study! there should be a law!

I've been looking for training in Texas around dfw there is man in irving that has "school" $3000+ at this time I am unable financially or physically to handle this school.

Edited September 4, 2006 by cadmn

[joemomma]

I did the same as BOP, and stopped reading after the first sentence, but after reading everybody's replies, scrolled down the story, picked a paragraph at random, and came up with this one:

"After the gas is added, the tubes are sealed and electrodes placed at the end of each opening. Those are then connected to a transformer box, usually decorated to obscure the inner workings.

How do you seal the tubes and then place electrodes at the end of each opening?

And I jutht have a thwell time decorating the tranthformer boxeth, doethn't everybody elthe?

[TelfordDorr]

BENICIA - It's a discipline that shines through everything from Budweiser to the Bates Motel, and is only taught this side of the Mississippi in Benicia.

Uh, how about UCSD, in San Diego? That's west of the Mississippi. Granted, their program is more inclined towards the artsy set (e.g. letters aren't stressed), but it's still a good way to find out if you can make friends with hot glass... Price is reasonable, too.

[Erik Sine]

beyond reasonable, it's cheap

[B.O.P.]

Uh, how about UCSD, in San Diego? That's west of the Mississippi.....

Northwest Technical College, Ed Waldrum, Lightwriters, Evergreen State College, etc., etc. ALL West of the Mississippi - just to name a few...

[imanut]

If LIghtwriter is Jacob Fishman-------------------Chicago is not west of the Mississippi. But its close.

gn

[B.O.P.]

If LIghtwriter is Jacob Fishman-------------------Chicago is not west of the Mississippi. But its close.

gn

Sorry, my mistake. I forgot Jacob was in Chitown. I had a brain fart and thought he was farther West...