DANIELLE STRLE, UNICORN, 2014

STANDARDS

NGSS: Core Idea: PS1.A

CCSS: Reading Informational Text: 3

TEKS: Science: 3.5B, 4.5A, 5.5A, 6.5C; ELA: 3.16, 4.14, 5.14, 6.13

Master of Light

How a neon artist turns glass tubes into glowing designs

September 2016

By Ariel Bleicher

David Ablon once made a glowing castle to decorate a fish tank. Another time, he worked with fashion designers to create dresses that lit up on the runway.

Ablon is a neon artist. He sculpts colorful designs out of electrified glass tubes—better known as neon lights.

Ablon learned to make neon art in college. Now he owns his own studio in New York City. By understanding the properties of the materials he uses, he can make sure his creations will last. “We can make lamps that have a life span of decades,” he says.

David Ablon once made a glowing castle. He used it to decorate a fish tank. He worked with fashion designers another time. They created dresses that lit up on the runway.

Ablon is a neon artist. He sculpts colorful designs using glowing neon lights.

Ablon learned to make neon art in college. Now he owns his own studio in New York City. Different materials go into his creations. And he has to understand their properties. That way, he can make art that lasts. “We can make lamps that have a life span of decades,” he says.

Crafted With Care

A neon light has two main parts: a glass tube and a gas inside it. When electricity passes through the gas, the gas gives off light.

To shape a tube into words or pictures, Ablon first marks where he wants to bend it. Then  he heats the marked sections over a flame until the glass is soft like rubber. As he bends the tube, he blows air into it with a thin hose so that the soft parts don’t collapse.

A neon light has two main parts. It’s made of a glass tube filled with gas. The gas gives off light when electricity passes through it.

Ablon shapes his glass tubes into words or pictures. First, he marks where he wants to bend the tube. Then he heats the marked sections over a flame. The glass becomes soft like rubber. He blows air into the tube with a thin hose as he bends it. This keeps the soft parts from collapsing.

Next Ablon adds the electrical components. Then he pumps the air out of the tube and fills it with the type of gas he wants. Electricity makes the atoms, or particles of matter in the gas, bounce around rapidly. This causes them to give off light.

Ablon has to measure out just the right amount of gas. If there’s too much, the atoms won’t light up. “Think of a jar packed tight with marbles,” says Ablon. “You can shake the jar as hard as you can, but you won’t get much action.”

Next, Ablon adds the electrical parts. He pumps the air out of the tube. Then he fills it with the type of gas he wants. Electricity makes atoms in the gas bounce around rapidly. Atoms are particles of matter. This causes them to give off light.

Ablon has to measure out just the right amount of gas. The atoms won’t light up if there’s too much. “Think of a jar packed tight with marbles,” says Ablon. “You can shake the jar as hard as you can. But you won’t get much action.”

Radiant Colors

Neon lights get their name from neon gas. Neon is an element, or substance made of just one type of atom. But Ablon can also make glowing art with the gases of other elements, such as helium and argon.

Different gases produce different colors of light (see Neon Rainbow). Neon glows a fiery red-orange. Argon mixed with the element mercury shines bright blue. But there are only so many colors Ablon can make with gas alone.

To create even more hues, Ablon uses tinted glass and powdered fluorescent (flor-ESS-ent) coatings. When a fluorescent material absorbs light, it glows with its own color.

Ablon regularly uses about 40 colors of light. But he could easily create more with different combinations of gases and coatings. “There are countless possibilities,” he says.

Neon lights get their name from neon gas. Neon is an element. An element is a substance made of just one type of atom. But Ablon can make glowing art with other elements. He also uses helium and argon gases.

Different gases produce different colors of light (see Neon Rainbow). Neon glows red-orange. Argon mixed with the element mercury shines bright blue. But there are only so many colors Ablon can make with gas alone.

Ablon has a way to create even more hues. He uses tinted glass and powdered fluorescent (flor-ESS-ent) coatings. A fluorescent material absorbs light. That causes it to glow with its own color.

Ablon regularly uses about 40 colors of light. But he could easily create more. He just needs different mixes of gases and coatings. “There are countless possibilities,” he says.