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NEON- Re: 8mm glass




Ted Pirsig wrote:
Anyone have any tables for life expectancy of 8mm glass? 6mm too?


Reply from dirk:
Hi Pal,
I did nine years ago a sign mad from 9 mm tubing dry powered, oven
baked and annealed. The sign lights up 24 hours a day and I cannot
say that it is as bright as 9 years ago, but it is still about over
60 %. I am convinced of the fact that the tube diameter has nothing
to do with it. The only thing that matters is the vacuum and the 
quality of that vacuum. Look to the backfilling pressure tables and
you can see that the amount of rare gas is always the same. Small
diameter high backfilling pressure, it's the amount that is the same.
Vacuumm, high vacuum, higher vacuum and even higher vacuum makes your
tube cleaner, cleaner and even more cleaner. I never noticed a difference
between the big and the small diameters, and as I said 100.000 hours 
using 9 mm of tubing that must be enough. And do you know what? The owner
of the shop was (and still is) ordering more and more and even more neon
as it is a contented customer, not thinking that neon only last for a few
month.
Hope to see you soon pal, and
Best from dirk.