NEON has appeal like no other lighting!

It just can't be beat for it's beauty and advertising value. Although it has been in existence for more than 80 years and gone in and out of fashion several times, it remains a very popular form of both advertising and decorating. Just look at all the neon clocks, decorating, advertising, sports, and bar signs available on eBay now, and it's obvious that neon has not lost it's appeal.

About the only drawback to neon is it's fragility. Out of necessity, it has to be made from glass tubing and bent by hand into the shapes and letters that make up a sign. The neon tubes are usually attached to the sign frame with spring loaded supports that hold the tubes in place and provide some cushioning and leveling. This makes for a fairly rugged sign, as long as nothing comes in contact with the glass tubes themselves.

Most small portable advertising and bar signs use very small diameter tubing, sometimes bent into very complex shapes and long lengths. Some of these tubes are incredibly fragile, as you can imagine, and shipping signs like this across the country poses some very difficult packing problems. I've received countless calls from people who have received a broken neon sign in the mail with requests for repairs, but unfortunately most can't be repaired. More on this later...

Obviously, it's easier to pack a sign correctly than to try to repair one, and understanding how to do this can save both the buyer and seller a lot of greif. Here are a few tips, and the reasons behind them.

First, some DONT"S.

1. DO NOT use any kind of packing that will come in contact with the neon tubes. This can ONLY apply uneven pressure to the tubes and make them more likely to break. They should already be securely fastened to the sign frame or body.
2. DO NOT try to ship a neon sign secured directly to a rigid crate. The sign MUST be packed in resilient packing that will ABSORB any shock or vibration. Crumpled newspaper makes a very cheap and effective packing material, and the resiliency can be controlled by how tightly it's packed.
3. DO NOT use packing peanuts because they can shift around and the sign will actually sink to the bottom. Also, the loose peanuts can get between the neon tubes and the box, meaning any pressure on the outside of the box will be transferred to the neon inside.
4. DO NOT use expanding foam to pack neon signs. It's not resilient enough and can put pressure on the tubes.

Now a few DO'S.

1. DO double box! This is the ONLY way I will send anything by freight or through the mail. Just an additional 2 or 3 inches all the way around will almost guarantee safe arrival, if the inner box is packed correctly.
2. DO pack the sign tightly enough to keep it from shifting around in transit, but with material that will compress if the box is dropped. Crumpled newspaper or news print is a very good material because it's compressibility is adjustable by how tightly it's packed. Heavier signs will need a little tighter packing than lighter ones.
3. DO use new, sturdy boxes if possible. Wood or other rigid boxes or crates are fine, as long as the sign inside is not secured directly to them. This only transfers all the shock directly to the sign, and to the tubes. The sign needs to be restrained, but not held too tightly in place.
4. DO insure the sign all the same, and make sure that the freight company will cover broken neon. Label the box on all sides with "FRAGILE: GLASS" and make sure that the freight company approves of the packing BEFORE you turn it over to them.

Here's a few more tips & facts on neon signs:

• If you're on the receiving end of a sign, it's best to unpack it somewhere besides inside your house. Almost every neon sign will have one or more tubes that contain a small amount of mercury. If the sign should get broken in transport, it's possible for a small amount of mercury to be released. It's only about a drop per tube, but it's possible that some could find it's way into your kitchen or den, if that's where you unpack a broken sign. It's best to unpack, or at least inspect the sign BEFORE it's brought into a house or place of business.
• There are no "easy repairs" on a broken neon sign. If a seller tries to tell you that your broken sign can be "easily repaired by any neon shop", that's a very uninformed statement. In most cases, the cost of repairs will exceed the cost of the sign, if it can be repaired at all.
• Most of the neon on a portable sign is very small and tedious to work with, if not impossible to do. Also, no repairs on the mercury containing tubes should be attempted because of the hazards of reheating the mercury laden glass and phosphor coating inside the tube. Actually, most neon tubes do contain mercury, which must be used to make white, blue, purple, green, yellow, turquoise, and many other colors. Only reds, pinks and oranges can be produced without using mercury.
• Not all neon is created equal, and the quality of neon signs found on eBay range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Some are well made one-of-a-kind, or limited production signs made by individuals or small reputable sign companies, but most are imported from overseas and dumped on the American market at unbelievably low prices. A well made neon sign will have a lifespan measured in decades, and cost well over $200 and up, but it's anyones guess how long these imports will last. These should be considered as disposable when they get broken or quit working because they weren't meant to be repaired in the first place.
• All neon signs must use a transformer or power supply to run them. Neon tubes require a very high voltage, typically 9,000 to 12,000 volts to light the tubes on a small portable neon sign. This can be very hazardous in some situations, such as in wet locations, or where children can have access to it. Unfortunately, many of the imported neon signs are not UL approved, and are of questionable safety. Be careful of where you intend to use these.
• Older signs are much heavier than most new ones. The heavy transformers once used on portable signs have now been replaced with much lighter electronic power supplies. They're also more efficient, and are made to operate off of 120 volts A.C., or 12 or 24 volts D.C. Most 12 volt power supplies can be run from a 'wall wart' transformer, or even batteries.
• Beware imitation neon. There's a lot of signs out there that feature a "neon look" or some other form of lighting other than true neon. The EL (electroluminescent) products in tubular, wire or sheet forms, loose their initial brightness quickly, and some signs are only fluorescent materials illuminated with a blacklight bulb.

There's nothing like that sinking feeling of opening your long awaited package, only to find little pieces of glass everywhere! If you are a seller, these suggestions will almost insure that your customer will recieve a working sign, and if you are a buyer, make sure the seller knows how to pack a neon sign correctly. Feel free to refer them to this guide, as my experience has reveled that many sellers improperly pack their neon, and then find it easier to blame the freight company when it arrives broken. After all, it's up to you to do battle with the insurance claim. GOOD LUCK with that!

Hopefully, this advice will save a lot of headaches and hard feelings between buyers and sellers of neon signs. After all, ANYONE can pack neon correctly, but VERY FEW can actually repair it.

HAPPY eBaying!!!