(14) Kos, one of Neon Lewa's benders stands at his bending table in front of the annealing oven. The lid to the oven is motor controlled by the box on the right. This also serves as the general controller for the oven. It is common for shops to run their ovens during the night when electricity is less expensive and the heat of the oven does not disturb their working conditions. [ View Picture ]
(15) The inside of the oven has movable pipes that rest on a ledge. The units are always place open side down to allow drainage. The oven is heated from the bottom.
[ View Picture ]
(16) The standard ribbon burner in The Netherlands is approximately 1 meter, operated with a side plunger. [View Picture ]
(17) Ed informed me that neon shops are closely regulated in the country. The small vent seen in the center of this picture by the floor has a duplicate in the front of the shop. This acts to create a cross draft through the shop. The primary purpose, according to Ed, it to allow any potential mercury vapors to be quickly filtered through the shop since they will tend to drop toward the floor. Above this picture, in the ceiling, is a large, approximately 2 foot, fan driven vent through the roof. A fire-proof cabinet is also required for storage of all flammables. [ View Picture ]
(18) An essential component for the liquid suspension system. This device is a set of rollers that is rotating 24 hrs. a day in order to keep the phosphors mixed and in a liquid state.
[ View Picture ]
(19) In preparing a new color, the phosphor is mixed with the binder and churned in this ceramic jar. Ceramic balls, that can be seen in the jar, are added to the mixture to provide additional grinding and mixing action. [ View Picture ]
(20) After the liquid suspension is poured into the glass unit, it is placed on this drying rack. A small cup with an air line, seen in the lower left of the picture, is attached to one side of the unit to aid in the drying. Units are always placed so that the front of the unit is facing up. This allows the coating to drip toward the back of the unit and create a heavier coating. As this heavier coating dries on the back of the unit, it provides a dark, almost mirror effect on the back side of the unit reflecting light toward the front. [ View Picture ]