THE WORD "MASSAGE" glowing in a dark alley. That buzzing Pabst sign hanging in your favorite dive bar. For decades, neon signs have lit up every corner of urban life. And although commercial uses have dwindled (blame LEDs), the craft of making these signs is still alive. Neon makers, known as benders, are now just as likely to be designing signs for art galleries as they are for businesses. "It’s a new contemporary sculpture," LA artist Patrick Martinez says. "I love the pulsing, hypnotizing saturated colors neon has to offer." We asked him to illuminate the process.
Design
After sketching a basic concept, Martinez refines the design in Photoshop. When it’s ready, his pattern maker, Sylvia Duarte, prints out a full-scale version on a sheet of white paper.
Bend
Managing the extremely hot flame is a careful science. Martinez’s bender, Yoni Melgar (right), blows into a hose to modulate the temperature as he shapes the tubes into words and images—with his bare hands. (Gloves get in the way.)
Read more here: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/how-to-make-neon-signs/