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Electrified Gas Display
Although the word “neon” is often used as shorthand to describe hand-bent glass filled with electrified noble gases, many neon signs do not contain any neon gas. The main gases used in neon art are Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr), and Xenon (Xe). The most common gas combination in neon signs is Argon gas with a small drop of mercury, which results in a bright blue light (this is what the cursive letters of the Dale’s sign are pumped with, in the gift shop). Gases used in neon signage are inert, meaning they do not react to other elements.
In this educational display, each word is pumped with its corresponding gas. The tubes themselves are clear, meaning that we can see the pure color of each electrified element. Neon glows bright red, Argon shines a pale lavender, Helium makes a peachy white, Krypton shines silvery white, and Xenon glows blue or bright white. Neon artists can create a myriad of colors like bright green and yellow through using colored glass or phosphor-coated glass.