How A Beer Bar Neon Sign Works
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Defined Tag: Beer Bar Neon Sign.

The beer bar neon sign has become as firmly ensconced in advertising as the television has in pop culture. Neon signs are the preferred advertising medium for bars, taverns, pubs, and restaurants. Hotels and entertainment venues capitalize on the visibility of neon signs to attract customers. Customers automatically seek out neon signs as their destination, even if they can't yet make out the letters. These colorful and sometimes animated signs range from subdued to gaudy, but even the tamest neon bar sign stands head and shoulders above those illuminated by ordinary light bulbs.

The concept of the neon lamp was introduced at the 1893 World's Fair. The 1910 Paris Expo featured the first public display of a neon sign, and the first commercial use appeared in 1912. Advertising hasn't been the same ever since. The bright colors and distinctive style of neon signs caught the attention of pub and bar owners, who proudly displayed beer neon signs in their establishments. Today's neon signs are synonymous with eating, drinking, entertainment, and fun.

The beer neon sign, or any neon-based sign, begins with glass tubing bent into the proper shapes. Glass benders heat the tubing to create the correct shape for the letters or graphics. The bent glass tubes are allowed to cool in the new configuration. Electrodes are attached to the tube ends with leak-proof welds. Vacuum pumps remove the air and replace it with inert gas. Despite their name, neon signs can also be filled with argon, helium, xenon, or krypton. Applying a voltage across the electrodes causes the trapped gas to shine brightly, creating the familiar neon bar sign effect.

Different gases in the neon bar signs create different colors. Only inert gases are used, because they won't react with the sign components under the extreme voltage and temperature. Pure neon signs glow a bright pink-red color. Argon emits a pale lavender light, which changes to ultraviolet when traces of mercury are added. Coating the tubes of an argon and mercury sign with phosphorescent materials allows a wide range of colors to be created. Animated neon signs are created by causing certain tubes to be switched on and off at strategic intervals.

It is unclear why the neon lamp's inventor wanted to trap neon in a glass tube and apply large voltages to it. What is clear is that this was the birth of the modern beer bar neon sign.