Neon making

Every neon sign you have ever seen has been hand bent by a skilled artisan. Neon lighting was discovered in 1898 at University College London by British scientists William Ramsay and Morris W Travers. Georges Claude, a French engineer and inventor, introduced neon lighting to France in 1910, and it became increasingly popular by the 1920s, by which time it was also gaining popularity in the United States. After which Neon was used globally for lighting signs internally and externally, also as a source of light for buildings both internally and externally, owing to its much lower energy consumption compared to incandescent and standard fluorescent lighting expanding in the post second world war era. Into the 1980s a large expansion of production of “exposed” neon. Modern transformers and fashion fuelled the growth.

The main centres for neon production in the UK have been West Yorkshire, London and Kent. Oldham Signs in Leeds was the largest neon fabricator in Europe at one point. Its neon department closed in 1994 and its makers were displaced to either set up their own workshops or leave the industry, though the company continued to supply general signage till 2003. Another large national maker was Pearce signs, whose last neon workshop closed in the 1990s. Those neon makers from the 1980s expansion are largely the last remaining fully skilled glass tube benders.

Although the essence of neon making is the same, some techniques vary around the world. Traditional ‘fast’ glass bending was practiced in USA and mass production shops of the far east and Mexico etc using Lead glass and multi-flame burners. In Europe the practice of using Soda glass and Borosilicate was commonplace. Taking longer to work than Lead glass and requiring a different skill set providing a more detailed bend in the glass. It is and has seen a big change, to using lead-free glass based on soda glass which has been frustrating for traditionalist ‘fast’ glass benders. Borosilicate is still used in some countries predominantly continental Europe. The UK in the past used largely Soda glass and has now switched mostly to Lead-free glass.

Allied crafts:

• Glass gift making, such as glass animals and figures etc often seen in gift shops
• Scientific Glass Blowing used in the manufacture of glass laboratory equipment for Schools, Universities, Scientific Laboratories and Healthcare.

• Market issues: Over the last decade there has been a rapid rise in the number of companies selling LED alternatives to neon, which are generally cheaper than neon signs (but also look cheaper as they are plastic). A lot of these companies are marketing their products in a mis-leading way, by actually referring to them as neon signs or LED neon signs.
• Market issues: Unlike in the USA and the rest of Europe, neon has suffered a negative reputation as being associated with disreputable establishments. However, has now changed with a new fashion for the vintage, analogue and handmade.
• Lack of training: The three or four polytechnic courses that used to run neon related courses were all shut down in the 1990s and the courses have not been replaced. Training is now much more sporadic and depends on the availability and inclination of individual makers to pass on their skills. Trainees require a lot of investment of both time and money, and some end up leaving the craft to do other things.
• Access to raw materials and equipment: In the last year, one of the major manufacturers of neon transformers in Europe ceased production with no prior warning, which has lead to a major shortage of transformers of a certain type in the UK. As the market reduces it becomes harder for suppliers to continue to stock the full range of glass diameters and phospher colours.
• Skills issues: Many practitioners have been reluctant to pass on their skills due to the fear that they are setting up competitors and losing their own competitive advantage, though there are notable exceptions who are happy to pass on their skills openly.
• Market issues: There are more designer-makers in the US, who have the idea and are able to realise it in neon themselves. In the UK, those who wish to use neon creatively are not often as willing to learn the craft and would rather commission someone else to do it for them. As a result, the craft is devalued by artists and their public in favour of the concept that lies behind the work. Some UK makers are also artists in their own right, however, so can champion both the art and craft of neon at the same time. Whilst the art industry has increased the level of appreciation of the neon industry’s craft of glass bending, the general sign industry has shrunk by probably over 90%.
• Neon is challenging, complicated and costly to produce, and processing is potentially dangerous. Despite this, it is more energy efficient than any other form of lighting, including LEDs, and neon lights are totally recyclable.

• British Sign and Graphics Association

There are no formal training opportunities available for neon making.

Short courses

Neon Workshops offers a range of short courses to the general public.

A number of neon maker’s around the UK now provide experience days and workshops. These are set up for artists or interested individuals to have a hands on experience with glass tube manipulation and the processes involved in lighting their tubes up.

• Neon Workshops
• Neon Creations – 2 neon benders in house
• Julia Bickerstaff, Leeds – NeonCraft
• A1deSIGNS
• Cabot Neon Signs
• Andy Doig, Brighton – Fishtail Neon
• Daisy Doig
• Nick Malyon, Farnham, Surrey – Neon Neon
• CCS Neon
• Adrian Gates – The Neon Sign Company
• Optimum Neon – Preston
• Solas Neon – Scotland
• Katherine Huskie

Neon Circus & God’s Own Junkyard do not fabricate neon but provide neon lighting for a range of applications. Rebecca Mason in Folkestone is still in training and is glass bending for her own artwork only.

It takes around 5 years in total of working on the job to learn all aspects of neon sign making to a good level. Whilst there are a lot of ‘hobbyist’ neon sign makers, they don’t possess the in-depth knowledge that can only be gained from experience.

What was a bouyant artisan industry is experiencing fast pace major shift away from hand made glass to Plastics and LEDs.

• The Guardian, Leeds basks in neon history
• BBC, Neon signs: an enduring love affair
• Catherine Spink, ISA-UK Member Neon Creations Blog:
  What a neon sign is and why it really matters
• Dailymail Hull: Inside the workshop of one of UK’s last neon sign makers who is fighting to keep craft alive 
• Signlink: The Defenders of Neon  

Our thanks go to our 2025 reviewers:

• Catherine Spink – Neon Creations Ltd
• Neon Workshops LTD
• Julia Bickerstaff – www.NeonJulia.com

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