My interest in building a tiny working neon shop stems from several places. Most often because I simply never seem to have a good large workspace. I have worked in lofts, trailers, repurposed bedrooms, etc. OK, twice I have actually worked in bonafide real workshops where one could turn around without bumping into something. But such are the exceptions to the rule. Working in close quarters requires doing some things differently and (often) not working on big items. The other thought that this circumstance created was the idea of being able to bring the shop to the customer. (This is less practical than it sounds really, unless you are only trying to do smaller items.) Lastly, some have packed up a shop and brought it to a show or place to teach a class or do a demonstration. THAT sounds like fun to me! However, packing up and moving a shop is a pain in the ass. …but… What if you could have a shop that was on carts and all self contained, ready to go? …one you just roll in the door, plug-in, and turn on. That idea, almost a rebirth of some of the old Eisler small production benches used for experimental low volume work within larger facilities, and the fortunate eBay score of some vintage tiny-sized torches started this project.
I like vintage tools, instruments, and equipment. I often collect, restore, and use items that are upwards of 50 to 80 years old. So…when I found vintage tiny torches from the 30’s, I decided that as much of the rest of this should be of similar vintage if at all possible. The hardware of that era is not only very well made, but it is aesthetically pleasing and I believe it does a better job of catching interest and drawing in observers–just what you want if teaching or trying to spark someone’s imagination. It is not plain and sterile like modern devices. So, I shelved the idea for a while and let it percolate whilst saving any found bits and pieces that looked useful for the project. Eventually a friend, Jack Hasley, posted a photo of a 1941 Roots blower on the facebook neon professionals page. This is the type of blower once used to supply air to torches in the neon and glassworking shops. (see, “Tiny Roots”) This blower was a much smaller one than most. So small that it seemed perfectly useless to most full size shops but absolutely perfect for my little shop project! We were able to meet up while Elizabeth and I traveled last fall and I brought it home to Anchorage. This blower is almost as prewar as you can get. The tag states it was made on November 17th of 1941. Unlike newer ones, it uses a gearbox and grease cups on bearings that are outboard from the main rotor housing–a technique considered too costly to do today.
Roots blowers have one minor disadvantage for this application: the air often has a bit of pulsation to it. The simple and effective solution is to plumb them into a tank or large diameter pipe or drum to act as a cushion and smooth out the flow going to the burners. My needs, in a 2ft x 3ft roll-around cart, imposed some limitations on what I could use. In addition, because this is to be a vintage project and every element must not only work but look “period correct” to achieve the required museum piece/Frankenstein’s laboratory look, I had to search for items that were of the right size and material and of the 1920-1940 vintage. What could someone have used at that time? I kicked around a variety of things, but ultimately decided that a riveted copper fire extinguisher tank would be perfect in terms of volume, weight, and appearance. Elizabeth surprised me with just such a tank. (see, “Blasphemy and Fire”) So…a couple of holes and some soldering – and presto! …a damper tank, as if by magic.
The rest of the installation on the fire cart incorporates a knob-and-tube era rotary power switch, appropriate cloth covered power cord, vintage gas cocks, and an air inlet filter from a Ford Model A. There is a place to hold a small propane tank, and a place to stow my toolbox of misc related items. All self contained. It can be rolled into a show or classroom, used, and then rolled away to the next place or to storage. In addition, it is built at the same height as my other table and processing bench so if extra surface area is needed I can roll it up next to the others to gain a bigger table area at home as well.
A mobile fire wagon.
My next project for this endeavor is to build an identical sized cart and install a vacuum pump and manifold, and a small bombarding set up that can be operated from a standard wall outlet. The two carts will comprise the full shop and can easily be transported in a van or truck. This processing cart will also be done with vintage type components, some of which I have on hand and others of which I am beginning the hunt for. I am hoping to be able to use these for classroom demonstrations and possibly trade show type of exhibition. Due to the vintage “Frankenstein” look of it (and of neon shops in general) it may even see some use as background props in a local film or two. All of which will hopefully lead to an increased awareness and interest in science, neon, and plasma artistry.
HI ROB:
ON YOUR RECENT TRIP DID YOU BY ANY CHANCE STOP BY LAS VEGAS AND TOUR THE CASINO NEON SIGN GRAVEYARD? THIS IS A PLACE YOU WOULD LOVE AND THINGS ARE FOR SALE. OF COURSE, THE SIGNS ARE HUGE.
DANNY
Hello,
I found this to be the most helpful thing I have come across on the internet so far, Thank you so very much for posting! I am currently putting together a blower assembly from an old roots af22 blower to run a ribbon, crossfire , and hand torch, and I am trying to understand just how to put all of this together. I would love to talk more about this with you if you had any time to help me out with my little home bending station. I have been bending in Brooklyn when I get a chance, traveling from Philadelphia to do so, and am trying to set this up so I can practice and get better~! I am a glassblower by trade and this has become quite the hobby, I would be willing to send you some hand made glass for helping me get this thing together!
I would be happy to help you get it sorted out. Hopefully the photos of my setup were helpful. If there is some element of it you need more details of let me know. I have also built a system that is semi-portable using a small sized regenerative blower to run a 24″ ribbon, 5pt crossfire, and hand torch. Unlike some of the larger blowers, this one is quiet enough to be in the room with it. Be sure to check out part 2 of this if you haven’t already. Let me know if there is anything specific I can do to help you with your set up. You may also reach me on my business’ facebook page under the name “Robert Haus Technical Services.”
Hey Robert,
Sorry for the delay, I didn’t see the reply until just now, I am also in the middle of building a mobile neon setup. I am in the building phase currently, setting up a roots af22 blower to an electric motor. Is this the size blower you were using for this stealthy setup? Also I had a question about the volume of Air needed, and why there is a need for so much of it to be available for just a ribbon burner, crossfire, and hand torch? I have some pics I can send to show the setup but basically it goes as such….
It is an 11 gallon tank, with 2, 2inch female threaded piping on the top of the tank.
The inlet for the air comes from a 1 inch outlet from the blower, stepping up to the 2 inch going into the tank.
The outlet for air has a Kunkle valve on it set to 3lbs of pressure( max) at 2inches, jointed to 2 inch pipe with a gauge, and a 2inch check valve the end of the line, and I plan on on stepping down to 1 inch valve going out to the flames.
Does this sound like an adequate setup, and do I have my kunkle valve on the right side of the tank that helps from sputtering?
Also, what was your pulley sizes for your blower and your electric motor, and what size are they both?
Thanks in advance for answering, I can send pictures wherever you would like if that helps too.
Sean
My apologies for the delayed reply. My tiny shop has two separate systems. The little roll around cart uses a vintage Victor-Acme Roots blower….its size would be comparable to your af22 I believe. This is TOO SMALL for a full size ribbon burner! I am using it to provide air to a small 3pt crossfire, a hand torch, and a 6″ ribbon. It is adequate for that. I am running the 1″ plumbing from blower to tank (tank is about 2 gallons) and have my weighted relief valve set for about 1.75 to 2 psi. The motor drive ratio puts the blower at about 700rpm (checked via handheld tachometer) I have been thinking about changing this ratio to provide about 800 to 900 rpm at the blower. This system runs the small vintage torches just fine. But again, it is not enough for a full size system.
For my larger burners, I am running a Gast R1102 Regenerative blower. It is adequate to provide air to a standard 5pt crossfire, hand torch, and a Hyde 24″ ribbon burner. If I were wanting to do a lot of larger diameter glass work, I would dedicate a second R1102 to the ribbon….or go back to my big DR404 type blower. I prefer the R1102 over the DR404 due to the quiet operation. I can be in the room with the 1102 but the big 404 had to be outside.
A couple of final thoughts: The roots blower does not need a huge tank to smooth the pulsations. The 2 to 3 gallon size is adequate for the 22 series blower. A bigger one will require more tank capacity, of course. As for the ribbon burners, this is the single biggest consumer of both air and gas. In some shops, a squirrel cage blower is used as a dedicated source for the ribbon (no economizer, spark ignition often used….like the so-called self contained versions once sold by Daco) and either a small roots or tiny regen used for the hand fire and crossfire burners. One other option that I have seen used with great success is the Medo air pumps. They seem similar to those used in O2 concentrators and are nice and quiet. They, too, will not run a ribbon but are fine for the rest. If you need better ideas of exact flow requirements you can find this in old editions of Neon Techniques and Handling and possibly in older EGL or Voltarc catalogs too. If needed, let me know and I can dig through my archives and get those numbers for you. And I promise to try and respond quicker next time! Lastly, this topic may be worthy of an entire new post with more technical details and closeup photos. Thank you for your interest and the fodder for ideas. sincerely, rh