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Re: Shop Benches, Bombarder and other.

Posted By: Mike Muldowney
Date: Sunday, 22 March 2015, at 5:05 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Shop Benches, Bombarder and other. (Clif)

> Having the neon units up off the
> table allows mica to be more easily placed
> between tight areas, such as where an “O”
> comes together. If the unit was flat on the
> table the mica might not go down between the
> bends far enough and an arc-through can go
> under the mica.

There it is. That makes sense. I hadn't considered that part.

> You did not mention what the secondary
> voltage is.

According to the tag, I have a 15,000 V Secondary.

> A Jacob’s ladder can limit the length of
> unit that can be properly processed.

Well, I don't want to do that. I don't intend to be a production shop, so I'm not too worried about trying to do multiple units at the same time etc...

> Yes, you should use a cooling fan.

That's what I thought, but...best to ask the question anyway. I'm guessing a little 120VAC that comes on when the controller is plugged in would be sufficient?

> In my opinion, yes, turn them on the night
> before. Especially if it’s been sitting for
> a while without being used. There is no such
> thing as letting a vacuum system pump too
> much. But there is such a thing as not
> letting it pump enough.

At first my setup will be at my 'weekend getaway' place so....i guess turning on the vacuum Friday night upon arrival could work well. The rough pump has only on/off, but the diffusion pump has a dial....for this initial 'pump down' should I just keep it on low?

> What books on neon have you purchased and
> read?

Well, I have the Daco video that came with all the gear, also:

Neon Signs - Miller
Noen The Next Generation - Blazek and Blazek
Neon Engineers' Notebook - Crook & Fishman

I've yet to pick up Neon Techniques - Miller/Strattman, but near as I can tell it's an updated version of the original 1935 edition. I might be wrong...in any case I plan on getting it eventually.

The thing that I've noticed is that most of the books and literature concentrate on bending and processing, but any time the actual equipment operation is concerned, the steps are either omitted completely, or glazed over very quickly. I think that this is because the authors typically assume the reader knows how to operate the equipment he has in his hand, which is completely reasonable. However, not everyone bought their equipment brand-new and don't have any operating instructions to go with it.

Now, I get that a lot of it is as simple as 'turn it on' or 'knob to the left makes the fire better/worse' etc...and I'm sure much of the operation can be intuitive...but it would still help...I like instruction books. lol

> Really? I’m curious: Why would you think you
> can get all your answers here?

Well, after lurking for quite a while....it seems that the people who come around this board and the Neon-L email list seem to comprise the better side of the industry. Well learned, experienced, and actually willing to share. I don't subscribe to the belief that anybody knows it all, but the folks around here know enough to get me well past my 'beginner' stage.

Mike

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