The last neon sign makers
Glass, gas and a steady hand: five things we learned from the craft that once lit up every main street.
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- 7 min
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- Sep 26, 2026
There are only a handful of neon benders left in most cities. We spent a week in one workshop, watching tubes of glass become letters, and came away with a short list of things we did not know.
1. It is all done by eye
Benders work from a full-size drawing laid on a heat-proof table. They soften the glass over a flame and bend it to match, by hand and by eye, with no moulds and very few measurements.
2. The colour comes from the gas
Neon gives the classic orange-red. Other colours come from different gases, coated tubes or tinted glass. A good bender can tell you which is which from across the street.
LEDs are fine. Neon has a pulse.
3. Mistakes cannot be hidden
A bad bend shows. Glass that cools too fast cracks. The only fix is to start again, which is why apprentices spend months making the same letter over and over.
4. Old signs can be saved
Much of the work now is restoration: taking down signs that have hung for decades, repairing the tubes and putting them back up. Some neighbourhoods have campaigned to keep their signs lit.
5. People still want it
Orders come from bars, barbers, theatres and, increasingly, people who want one word glowing in their kitchen. The workshop has more work than it can handle, which may be the best news of all.
“LEDs are fine. Neon has a pulse.”
— A sign maker at the workshop
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