is it possible to change colour of neon sign?

[signworxs]

hi nik
dont know an awful lot bout neon but think that the different colours are achieved by using different gasses, this would mean that the sign would have to be re-pumped and would probably be cheaper to get a new sign. hope someone in the know comes along on this one 🙂

[Nicola McIntosh]

thanks paul that’s exactly what ed told me………..but i had to find out more!! 🙄 typical me!! 😀 the customer thought you can cover the tube, like my darkroom striplights with a different material!! 😀

i will wait and see!! 😛

Nik

[Martin Pearson]

you can buy paints for car headlights, don’t know what sort of colours are available just now one of the boy racers that visit me had done it. Maybe it could be done by painting the neon tube, any change in the tube colour will obviously change the colour when lit. Maybe a look at something like the demon tweakes website will help.

[Guy Burt-Davies]

A simple answer to the original question is no, it can’t be done – well, not without replacing all of the tubing.

It’s not just the gas (either neon or argon) but also the fact that the colour is acheived by the coating on the inside of the tube itself. it may appear white when switched off but there is a mix of phospher bonded to the inside of the glass tube itself and that’s what gives you the colour.

Painting the tubes wouldn’t do any good and would only lead to an expensive repair bill for you.

Tell your client that you can do the job if he pays for the replacement neon sections – a good trade neon shop will probably charge you about £18 to £20 per section. The transformers should be OK to re-use (but again your neon shop can check the calibration) and a trained neon fitter will charge you about £30 an hour.

Hope this helps

Guy

[Nicola McIntosh]

thanks guy for replying, i will let customer know, and tell him to spend money on other neon’s…(typical he’s a hairdresser) 🙄 😛

cheers Nik