Custom Traditional Real Glass Neon Signs, Gas-Filled Dimmable Neon Light

Real neon. Glass tubing, bent by hand over a flame, sealed, filled with gas and run from a transformer. Nothing about it is a plastic tube with diodes inside. The visible tell is that the gas glows through the whole volume of the tube rather than from a strip inside it, which is what gives glass its depth when you look at it off-axis. What real glass neon actually is.

LED neon lights a flexible plastic tube from inside with diodes, and it is light, robust and easy to move. Glass neon is gas glowing along the tube, and it is heavier, more fragile and made one piece at a time by hand. Neither is a fake version of the other, they are two different products, and we sell both. There are practical differences either way: glass has a minimum letter height of 5 cm, about 2 inches, because a tube can only be bent so tightly, while at the other end we can draw tubing at 12 mm as a custom option above the standard 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm, which gives a heavier stroke than LED tubing reaches. Side by side comparison: real glass neon vs LED neon, or the LED product page.

Because of what the money buys rather than any markup on the material. Every tube is bent by a person against a full-size pattern of your specific design, one bend at a time, and that skill takes years to acquire. The glass, the gas fill and the transformer are all part of it, but the hand work is most of it. Nothing is stamped out, and your sign is not one of a batch, it is made on its own. That also means small variations between pieces are a property of the process, not a defect. More detail on what drives glass neon cost, or ask us for a quote on your wording.

Honestly: it is glass, and it can break. It is heavier than LED and it does not enjoy being knocked, dropped or carried around. Mounted on a wall in a fixed spot it is fine and will sit there for years. Treated as an event prop that gets packed and unpacked every weekend, it will eventually lose a tube. That is the real trade-off for the look, and it is worth deciding on before you order rather than after. What is worth saying alongside that is that the glass is the durable part. The parts that wear are the transformer and the electrodes, and both are serviceable. We crate every sign for transit rather than boxing it, which is covered in how we pack glass neon for shipping.

The tube itself is rated from 100,000 hours and is not usually what fails. In practice a glass sign commonly runs 6 to 10 years before it needs attention, and when it does the fault is almost always the transformer or the electrodes rather than the glass. Both are repairable, and our warranty covers free repair rather than replacement. That is the useful thing to understand about glass: it is a serviceable object rather than a sealed unit you throw away, which is why signs from decades ago are still lit. More on how glass neon works.

Contact us with photos of the sign and the crate before you discard the packaging, and we will sort out the repair. Our warranty is free repair, not replacement: a damaged tube is re-bent and refitted rather than the whole sign being swapped. That is worth knowing up front, because it is different from how most LED sellers handle it. Keeping the crate makes a repair return much easier, which is one reason we recommend storing it.

Only if it is built that way. Dimmable and Non-dimmable are a choice you make when you order, because dimming glass neon depends on the transformer that is fitted, not on a dimmer you add afterwards. Fitting a domestic wall dimmer to a non-dimmable sign will not work and can damage it. If you want the option, choose Dimmable at the configuration step, or ask us before you order if you are not sure.

Yes, if you order the outdoor waterproof build. Part of the reason it has to be specified at order time rather than added later is the transformer: glass neon runs from a 110V input stepped up to a 6,000 to 10,000V output, and weatherproofing that side of the sign is a construction decision, not a cover you put over an indoor sign afterwards. Tell us where it is going, including whether it is fully exposed or under an awning, and we will spec it correctly. If you are unsure which build you need, send us the location details and we will advise.

Colour in glass neon comes from two things: the gas inside the tube and the coating on the tube itself. That is why the palette is a set of real available tube types rather than a colour picker with any shade you like, and why a glass colour will not match an LED colour swatch exactly. It also means the colour is the light itself rather than a filter over it, which is part of why it looks the way it does. We will show you the exact colours on your proof before anything is bent. Background on the process: how glass neon is made by hand.

Choose one of three at the ordering stage: wall mounting, hanging, or a free-standing base. Whichever you pick, it is built into the sign, so the fixings arrive matched to it rather than being something you work out afterwards. Fix into something solid, plan where the transformer and the cable will sit before you drill, and get a second pair of hands for anything at the larger end of the size range. General guidance in how to hang a neon sign, and if the wall is awkward, describe it to us first.

You get a proof first. We draw your wording or logo to scale and send it back showing layout, dimensions and colours, and nothing is produced until you approve it. Revisions are unlimited and free, and there is no design, artwork or revision fee at any point. If the proof is not right, say so and we redo it. Once you approve, production takes 4 weeks before the sign ships. That is longer than an LED sign takes, because each tube is bent individually, so if you are working to a fixed date count back from it and allow shipping time on top. Tell us the date before you order and we will say honestly whether it is safe. Start with the quote form, or go straight to configuring on the glass neon design page.

Switch it off and let it cool, then dust the tubes with a soft dry brush or a microfibre cloth, supporting each tube with your other hand rather than pushing against it. No solvents, no abrasive cleaners, and nothing wet near the electrode connections or the transformer. Left mounted and switched on normally it needs very little. If a tube ever dims or stops lighting, that is a repair job rather than something to fix yourself, so get in touch. Background reading: how glass neon works.