This thread is for posting pics and comments about neon lights in our game rooms.....No Dodge Neons please. I have had enough Dodge Neon ads while searching for signs on Craigs List. 
This is my only currently working neon light.... I was told it was in a Texas Roadhouse restaurant before I bought it off of a fellow CL buyer/seller.
So.... lets see them. The more unique the better!
Here's a piece I bought years ago and it's the focal point of my game room. The tear drops animate down from the top. The story behind it can be read here - http://robertwinter.com/pinball/html/away_the_story.html
Quoted from RobertWinter:Here's a piece I bought years ago and it's the focal point of my game room. The tear drops animate down from the top. The story behind it can be read here - http://robertwinter.com/pinball/html/away_the_story.html
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Nice post!
Wow, thats intense. Very interesting. When I look at my gun neon I often think about my late father. He was big time into shooting sports and the neon was bought for our shared love of the hobby.
Quoted from Retropin:Ive been a neon glassblower for 30 years and still continue my trade.. I only have 1 in the games shed though.. here it is
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AWESOME!
Man, some of these signs are really cool! I want to get one someday for the pin room, but I can't decide what to get.
It seems like all there is out there is sports and beer - two things that I don't want to advertise. Are there any good websites with a wide variety (already know the ones on eBay) of images??
Typically, how much more are animated ones versus stationary images?
Sorry about posting and not being in the club - I want help/opinions from you guys so I CAN join the club .
Yeah I stay away from any beer, Coke, sports stuff totally. All too common and I want stuff you dont see everyday. All though I did make one exception for my Budweiser carrousel because its such a cool piece and I always like it. Again this is a original one, not the reproduction.
John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, Mi.
269-979-3836
IMG_0118.JPGHi Newpinowner ( or anyone else looking for a neon sign)... many ( but not all) of the "off the shelf" neons you see around are manufactured in China and imported... if you want a neon sign for your games room etc, then go talk to your nearest neon manufacturer... they will be able to make you pretty much anything which means you can take your own design to them and have a truly unique piece that will last many many years.
Over the last few years, LED has pretty much knocked the neon industry out of the water... inflated life expectancies and under stated power consumption has seen LED force many neon guys sell up shop and retire. Those that remain are there mainly because they love their trade and have found ways to continue.
So want a sign???... Go see your neon man and support your home grown highly skilled craftsmen..Its they who will maintain and keep all these signs alive.. plus make you a sign that will give you pleasure for 20+ years.
BTW.. Love that FUNHOUSE neon sign..... think ill go make me one!
We have our local neon guy do all kinds of cool stuff. (The china stuff i don't like.) Here's some examples. All are animated, though obviously you can't see that in the pictures. All are huge too, like 4 foot tall. He's working on two other custom neons for us now too.
This one is 5 feet long, huge also, but not animated.
I would love to get me a custom neon sign but I don't believe there are any neon shops anywhere close to me.
I made friends with a guy from Hong Kong named Gu and I've been helping him with the wording on his auctions for a couple years now. Here are some of the signs he's sent me...
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More here...
http://www.vidiotarcade.com/pub/VidiotArcadecomNeon/
Here is mine, past and presentScreenshot_2014-03-12-23-13-10-1.jpgScreenshot_2014-02-22-16-56-38-1.jpgScreenshot_2014-03-12-23-08-27-1.jpgScreenshot_2014-03-12-23-07-26-1.jpgScreenshot_2014-03-12-23-06-59-1.jpgScreenshot_2014-04-02-18-22-43-1.jpgScreenshot_2014-04-02-18-22-43-1.jpgScreenshot_2014-05-05-19-37-19-1.jpg
Quoted from cfh:We have our local neon guy do all kinds of cool stuff. (The china stuff i don't like.) Here's some examples. All are animated, though obviously you can't see that in the pictures. All are huge too, like 4 foot tall. He's working on two other custom neons for us now too.
CHF... the long "Arcade" sign is very cool. Is that one 4' long. Is it single sided or double sided? Can you share what something like that would / did cost.
Kerry
so if you go to ebay you'll find that metal sign for like $20. but it's really small, like 15" tall. So i bought that and scanned it at 600 DPI, then increased the size to 4 foot tall. Gave the file to my vinyl shop, and they printed it and attached it to "dibond". That's an aluminum panel (double sided) with foam between the two layers, it's about 1/4" thick.
at this point you could make it double sided. that would be easy. in photoshop just reverse the arrow and re-position the letters. then the vinyl guy could just print it and attach it to the other side of the dibond. i did not do that however, because i didn't need it to be double sided.
now the new 4' tall metal sign goes to the neon guy. he makes a pattern and bends the neon to the color specifications desired. He animated the gold arrow part of the sign using an animation transformer, so the arrow blinks. the "arcade" portion of the sign is static, so that uses a different transformer. If you wanted the neon double sided, the neon guy would have needed to do a lot more work, and the transformer mounting would have been more of a challenge.
total cost of the neon portion was $300. i forget what the vinyl guy charged me.
I just picked this up a few weeks ago on St. Louis Craigslist. I can't think of a sign that better captures the idea of summer in St. Louis. Since hanging it in the game room, I haven't been able to stop looking at Craigslist for more neon signs. My wife supports this, because it is cheaper than buying more pinball machines. photo.JPG
Quoted from Buckaroo65:I just picked this up a few weeks ago on St. Louis Craigslist. I can't think of a sign that better captures the idea of summer in St. Louis. Since hanging it in the game room, I haven't been able to stop looking at Craigslist for more neon signs. My wife supports this, because it is cheaper than buying more pinball machines.
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That is a great sign, especially if you are a Cardinals fan!
Quoted from Buckaroo65:I just picked this up a few weeks ago on St. Louis Craigslist. I can't think of a sign that better captures the idea of summer in St. Louis. Since hanging it in the game room, I haven't been able to stop looking at Craigslist for more neon signs. My wife supports this, because it is cheaper than buying more pinball machines.
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I want to like this, but the old english D tattooed on me won't let me.
Ooooh, one I can participate in 
I only have 4, but I like them. The Yuengling and Williams neons are from Hong Kong, and sorry JeffF, you can really tell the difference in quality. Not knocking Gu or his work, but they just feel cheaper in comparison (and honestly, they cost a lot less as well, so for the price they are fine I guess).
Anyway......
Chris
Quoted from PEN:I want to like this, but the old english D tattooed on me won't let me.
Come on, different league ...
Quoted from DayDay:I like the one that says, "CHOP SUEY" lol
Thanks, that sign was a bitch to get, it was sealed with that really thick plastic window on the out side and bars on the inside, took me 2 hours to get that neon out as i had to remove the window then reseal it when i was done, coame out of a building in detroit on woodward ave. Great vintage signScreenshot_2014-02-22-17-01-47-1.jpg
Quoted from Don_C:Beautiful stuff in this thread. Here's mine: I married my wife Liz twenty years ago. Her wedding present to me on the day was this neon. She designed it and had it made in a local shop (it's about 4 feet tall). It is a treasure in our collection. Yes, I was surprised!
Don C.
That's a keeper right there for sure! (and yes... I mean both the sign and the wifey!!!)
Awesome sign!
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Bloomfield Hills, MI
Brisbane
Sidcup
Linz