Upgrading the Air Manifold for my Neon Bending Torches

building a better air blower manifold for my neon bending torches to improve performance. 4k60 HDR
for more great tips on plumbing a neon shop, listen to the "Neon Nonsense" podcast Plumbing episode:
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[@legalbeigel]

I have created my own manifold system because of you. Bought a Fuji ring compressor with inlet filter/noise suppressor and pressure relief. Two inch pvc after cast iron fittings next to compressor. Needle valves and ball valves as needed. Put in a wall switch. Running ribbon burner, cannon fire burner, hand held cross fire wand and a Bunsen burner. No expansion chamber needed. None of this worked right until you and your video appeared. Amazing and thank you.

[@NeonPreservation]

sounds like you've got a nice setup! im glad my videos were able to help with your build. cheers! :)

[@MVVblog]

Pressure relief valve made in Italy? Incredible, in Italy we still produce something ....

[@NeonPreservation]

haha, it is high quality too!

[@envisionelectronics]

So close to your first 1,000 subs! I’ve been here since it was in the single digits! Congratulations!

[@NeonPreservation]

i remember! Aaron, right? thank you for your long-time support!

[@envisionelectronics]

@@NeonPreservation Yes! I changed the screen name a little while ago. Your videos just keep getting better. Love it!

[@NeonPreservation]

ah thank you, and i'm glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@black94ta]

Good to see you back man!

[@Northerncalwolf]

Wow, a serious upgrade. I would love to come visit your shop someday & make some neon art.

[@maxmuster3297]

Your final solution really looks nice and elegant, and all the burners work great. Oh, and I really appreciate it that you're adding metric lengths and sizes!

[@NeonPreservation]

i have a lot of international subscribers, and i am glad you find it helpful. we here in the USA are still force-fed an antiquated, illogical measurement system from childhood, so i try to use metric when i can!

[@maxmuster3297]

@@NeonPreservation If you allow me to ask this: So it wouldn't be a problem for you if traditional units would be completely replaced by metric units? This seems to be some kind of difficult topic and a emotional one for many people in the US? I mean, even for me it would be strange if suddenly the units I grew up with would disappear. So many fear, something would be stolen from them? And for now, I really find it nice to use, appreciate and show both units. :)

[@NeonPreservation]

yes, i'm sure it would be a little difficult at first but like anything else, it would just take a little time to become normal. the average person in the US does not feel the same way i do and for some reason they think the metric system is like a foreign language. but i have a background in science and i find the metric system to be quite logical, but it is a bit hard to use if im the only one doing it, haha. there are a few things in the US that are metric: bottles of drinks and shampoo are often measured in liters, there are 1k foot races, etc. maybe some day we will see more of the metric system here.

[@RobSpences]

Great video. Always interested to see what others are doing to build/upgrade their shop. Thanks!

[@maxmuster3297]

A day with two new Neon videos - from you and NeonSignStuff - is a great day. :)

[@NeonPreservation]

i saw he just posted a video too, it wasn't even planned! :)

[@traceysnape]

great informative video thanks.

[@heyneon6657]

Love the new setup. Great work!

[@Bagooda]

Welcome back! Setup looks cool! I like fire!

[@NeonPreservation]

haha. thanks, i like fire too! i make videos when i have spare time, but it's been a bit scarce as of late. i'll try to make them more frequently if i can.

[@mrneon7745]

Awesome video, we used to design in a tank "inline" to help regulate the pressure changes, similar to what you would have on a vac former.

[@NeonPreservation]

thank you! yes, the surge tank really helped with the pressure changes on my system

[@daryllect6659]

The ArtScience NeoFire will run a 24" ribbon burner, a cannon fire and a hand torch using just a 1/8HP Rotron regenerative blower.

[@PetesShredder]

Im using an air compressor rather than a blower and running high pressure at 8bar in normal pneumatic hose, and then just have a regulator to regulate down to 1.5bar (which is what the burners say they need). Not had a problem with flow, but in the UK we use burners that mix the gas and air directly at the burner, so they have a gas and air knobs directly on the burner themselves. Ive not had any pressure issues so far.

[@NeonPreservation]

thanks for sharing! i enjoy learning how neon equipment differs in other parts of the world :)

[@dcallan812]

I just started to order parts for a couple of strings of neon indicator christmas lights. I really envy your set-up I would be making allsorts of crap. great video 2x.👍

[@NeonPreservation]

a string of neon-indicator christmas lights sounds awesome! i'd love to see a video of it when you make it.

[@dcallan812]

@@NeonPreservation I will try to uplaod a clip, but I got the idea from BigClives video this was a set running at the end. .kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5yTmntpbtJ9Z7c

[@drn0986]

Hey would you be able to do a video about getting the economizer working? When I flip mine up it just shuts off. I don't know enough about gas to just play around with it

[@NeonPreservation]

yes! that is on my list of videos to make.

[@jaredcravens2658]

Thanks for the upload! Are you using 3/4 line to the ribbon, and 1/2 to the others? Also, I see you've got a knife fire. Those aren't very common. What have you heard about using the knife fire instead of the cannon fire? I've got both and am trying to figure out which I should choose.

[@NeonPreservation]

my equipment is all boxed up in storage at the moment, but i'm fairly certain i used ½" ID tubing for the gas supply lines and ⅝" ID tubing for the air supply lines. more volume is better, then you can use the valves to dial it down. i had a 5-point crossfire set up for a while before i switched to the knife fires... i personally like the more precise line of heat with the knife. i have a Hyde 101 McLennan-type cannon fire but ive only fired it up momentarily for testing and haven't tried bending with it. i know some people swear by cannon fires. it really all comes down to personal preference and what works best for you.

[@jaredcravens2658]

Okay, thanks a million for your help!@@NeonPreservation

[@mariosfylaktou2034]

Great video , very informative. Does your blower turns hot to the touch even with the presure relief valve?

[@NeonPreservation]

the blower should not be hot. it might be slightly warm but hotter temperatures can cause damage.

[@lsd_irl9941]

Friend! Can I ask you some questions for setting up my crossfires! A girl is struggling

[@NeonPreservation]

hello there! sure, i will help however i can... shoot me an email and fill me in on the details: NeonPreservation (at) gmail (dot) com

[@NeonPreservation]

or if you dont want to email you can ask them here too...

[@1981muldo]

I like it. Only thing bugging me is the blower half hanging off the edge of the lower bench, but that's just splitting airs...

[@NeonPreservation]

thank you for the feedback! and yes, i agree-i would've preferred it to sit completely on the lower deck, so it does bug me a bit too. but, out of all the options i considered, this seemed like the best solution. i did consider building a little shelf to support the blower, but it is quite stable and is also firmly secured by the manifold pipe, so a shelf wouldn't actually be providing much support. i think the cleanest-looking option would be to mount the entire blower & manifold assembly underneath the lower deck, but if it ever needed service/modification it would be impossible to do without clearing everything off the table and flipping it over.

[@Muonium1]

Do you have any plans to do large vessels in addition to conventional tubes, or weird stuff like iodine/bromine fills?

[@NeonPreservation]

yes, i would love to do large/weird/unusual plasma & neon stuff! for some of it i will need to build an oven for processing, but until then i'd like to dabble in some smaller experimental stuff that can just be bombarded.

[@Kinetic_CGI]

I want to get into this art myself but have been unable to obtain a bottle of neon for a reasonable price and quantity, where do you obtain your neon from? One more question are there any direct current powered neon lights or a way to make them not flash at the given AC frequency?

[@NeonPreservation]

noble gases are available in glass flasks or pressurized tanks. glass flasks are available from many sign supply shops; e.g., WCCD has 2.25L neon flasks for $40 USD: www.wccdusa.com/gas-flasks i believe if you power a neon tube with DC current it will only light on one end. however, there are neon transformers than run on DC; in the '90s neon was frequently used in automotive applications, so 12v DC transformers are probably the most common type out there.

[@Kinetic_CGI]

​@@NeonPreservation Thanks for the link, It looks like it has all that I need - electrodes, gass, etc. Do you have any recommendations on the type of glass tubing ie borosilicate or quartz? As for eye safety any concerns about UV, IR, or sodium flair, while working with the glass? About sizing transformer for the tube how would that work, I want the tubes to be extra bright? Apologies for the list of questions.

[@NeonPreservation]

no need for apologies; sharing information is one of the reasons i have this channel. :) the equipment & supplies you need will depend on what you plan on doing. in the US, neon is almost exclusively with soft glass; lead-free barium-strontium (previously lead-oxide) glass or soda-lime glass. plasma art is often done with borosilicate, and quartz glass is insane and while it is used for UVC tubes, im not sure if anyone uses quartz for neon or art tubes. borosilicate & quartz require the use of oxygen-enriched fires, but working soft glass does not. eye protection is mandatory when working with borosilicate & quartz. it is highly recommended for working with lead-free glass due to the high amount of sodium flare. didymium glasses are optional when working with old stock lead glass since doesn't flare much. as for transformer sizing, higher milliamp transformers will cause the tubes to glow brighter, but they also cause more wear on the electrodes, and you will need to use electrodes that are appropriately designed for the output of the transformer you are wanting to use. voltage of the transformer is dependent on the length/diameter of the tube and the fill pressure. Luminous Tube Footage Charts from transformer manufacturers give you the correct fill pressures & loading for tubes filled the the 'normal' gases used in neon tubes: Neon & Argon/Mercury.

[@jakelamotta3836]

A better way to beat this problem is to work in stages like most glassbenders do in the UK.....Bend your job 1st...Join the sections 2nd... .Then electrode them last....This was how I was taught and never had a problem in 30yrs with it!!!

[@NeonPreservation]

thanks for sharing, i enjoy learning how neon is made around the world!

[@hariranormal5584]

Cool :D

[@jacktwiggs8899]

How much would you charge for 2- 5' foot blue neon tubes for under a car?

[@NeonPreservation]

hello! i am flattered by your request, but i am merely an amateur. i have no doubt that your local neon professional would be able to fulfill your request with much higher quality neon tubes than i could produce. also, shipping neon is rather risky, which is another reason to have them made locally. where are you located?

[@adeptneon2480]

A slightly bigger blower and a weighted relief valve is the way to go.

[@NeonPreservation]

excellent, thanks for the tip!

[@Muonium1]

more videos soon?

[@NeonPreservation]

hello! i've been incredibly busy lately with a lot of boring "life" stuff (i'd much rather be doing neon!)... but i have been shooting some clips here and there still when i get a chance. it might be a bit before i can get some time to sit down and do some editing, but keep an eye out; i'll make a new video eventually! :)

[@Muonium1]

@@NeonPreservation 👍🏻👍🏻

[@jpkiller69]

Very helpful video, love it! I would like to know more about your choice of regenerative blower, ie, cfm and max pressure. I’m still getting by with a hot tub blower.

[@NeonPreservation]

i have the FPZ SCL 06 regenerative air blower because it is what came with the used shop equipment i bought ;) at 39 cfm it is more than adequate for my one-man setup. the table on page 42 of the book "Neon: The Next Generation", it mentions the total air requirements of a ribbon burner, 5-point crossfire & hand torch is 22.5 cfm, with a pressure requirement of 2 psi. my blower is apparently rated as a max pressure of 1.3 psi, but it obviously doesn't have any issue running the torches. ive heard of a wide variety of devices used to provide an air supply, from leaf blowers to shop vacs, and yes, hot tub blowers too... but some options are definitely superior to others. if i had to choose one to buy while building a neon plant, however, i would pick a regenerative air blower. they provide a smooth air supply and small ones like mine are relatively quiet. ive seen some setups with larger, louder regenerative blowers where they were housed outside and the air line was piped through the wall, but the white noise of my little blower doesn't really bother me, so that wouldn't really be worth the effort to me.