Glass tubing used to make neon lights may be molded into any shape desired!
Neon lights are created by filling glass tubes with gas and bending them into the desired shape. The tubes emit light when high voltage electrical currents are passed through the gas.
Neon and argon are the primary inert gases used to create neon lights. Neon gas emits red coloring when electricity is passed through it; argon produces blue coloring when electricity is applied. Special mixtures of neon and argon, along with colored glass tubing, produce most neon light colors. As well, sometimes, krypton and xenon are used to produce special effects in neon lights.
To produce the large electrical voltage currents needed to illuminate neon lights on a bike, lights must be wired to a transformer.
Instructions
1. Clean lengths of glass tubes and place them in a coating machine. The machine blows a liquid phosphorus solution into the tube, then allows it to drain out of the tube. Apply color tints, if desired, in a similar manner, and drain the liquid out of the tube. Dry tubes, vertically, in an oven.
2. Lay out the desired design of the bike lights on a heat-resistant asbestos sheet. To create larger tubing curves, use gas-fired ribbon burners. To heat shorter lengths, use smaller hand torches.
3. Heat and fuse an electrode onto each tube end. Create a port (either as part of the electrode or as a separate piece joined into the tubing) in order to later evacuate the tubing with a vacuum pump.
4. Bombard the tubing to remove impurities from the glass, phosphorus, and electrodes. Evacuate the air inside the tubing. After the vacuum reaches a certain level, allow dry air back into the tubing until the pressure reaches the range of 0.5-1.0 mm mercury. Connect a very high-current transformer to the electrodes, so that the current heats the glass to about 420 degrees Fahrenheit (216 degree Celsius), and the metal electrode to about 1400 degrees Fahrenheit (760 degree Celsius). The high temperatures force impurities out of the materials, and the vacuum pump carries impurities out of the system.
5. Cool the tube and insert the gas, free of impurities, under low pressure. Obtain around 0.5 inches (12 mm) mercury fill pressure for a tube 15 mm in diameter. Heat and seal off the tubulation port.
6. Age the gas-filled tubing to allow the gas to stabilize and operate properly. Attach a transformer to the electrodes. When using neon, expect the tube to fully illuminate within 15 minutes. When using argon, expect illumination to take up to a few hours. Address problems such as a flicker in the gas or a hot spot on the tube by opening the tubing and repeating the bombarding and filling processes.
7. Connect a dynamo (generator) and transformer to the neon lights. The generator operates in lieu of the batteries used to power traditional bike lights, and the transformer ensures that sufficient voltage passes through the gas-filled tubing.
Tags: neon lights, bike lights, coloring when, coloring when electricity, degree Celsius
