From Fire to Glow: Making a Neon Sign for Nottinghack
This month we warmly welcome South Wales Neon for a guest post, who recently made an incredible neon sign for the space. We are incredibly excited about this and encourage everyone to support the craft – it looks so much better than LED tape. Thank you South Wales Neon!
When Nottingham Hackspace got in touch about bringing neon into their workshop, we knew it was the perfect match. Hackspaces are all about community, creativity, and making things with your own hands and neon belongs right there at the crossroads of craft and science.
Why Neon?
In an age where “neon” on Google usually means plastic LEDs, glass neon has almost disappeared from view. Neon signs are made by hand, one bend of glass at a time, using the same skills passed down for nearly a century.
The Design: A Glowing H
For Nottingham Hackspace, we kept it bold and simple, the letter H in classic green, the colour many benders call the truest green shade. It’s a sign that feels both timeless and unmistakably tied to nottinghack’s spirit.
The Process: Fire + Glass
- Starting point: Straight 1.5m tubes of powdered glass.
- Bending: Heated in an open flame until soft, then shaped carefully against a pattern.
- Electrodes: Sealed onto the ends, creating the points where current will flow.
- Bombarding: The tube is cleaned under vacuum with high voltage and heat, ensuring no impurities remain.
- Gas fill: Finally, we introduce neon gas, creating that signature red-orange glow. In this case, we used green-coated glass so the finished sign shines Nottngham Hackspace’s favourite shade.
Why it matters
Every real neon tube is one of a kind. No moulds, no mass production. To have a piece glowing inside nottinghack is a reminder that making things isn’t just about the latest tools, it’s about keeping a craft alive too.
See it for yourself
Next time you’re at Nottingham Hackspace, look for the green H glowing in the comfy area. It’s a sign not just of light, but of the creativity that runs through the space.
We’re South Wales Neon, the only active neon benders in Wales. If you’re curious about neon come find us at southwalesneon.co.uk
A bit more from nottinghack
We are beyond thrilled with this sign! South Wales Neon were a total pleasure to work with. The sign arrived safely, really well packaged. We cannot recommend them enough. A big thanks go to all our members who chipped in and contributed to the pledge drive for a neon sign.
