Neon signs used to be everywhere - but they were especially prevalent as bright beacons calling hungry travelers to American ...

About Neon Signs for Businesses. Though they fell out of favor in the 1980s and 1990s, ... A "neon" sign might contain helium, carbon dioxide or argon, depending on the color.

Most signs today are actually filled with argon gas, which is more versatile — but the iconic vivid red color is all neon. For Voyles, the romance of neon is "that line drawing with light and color.

The signs are filled either with neon or argon, depending on the intended color, while coatings on the tube effect a wider range of hues, from candy pink to fluorescent yellow and emerald green.

Argon provides a blue color while neon provides an orange-red hue. “Basically, it’s glass tubes with a powder coating on the inside, if they’re not clear,” Kirkman said.

He debuted his first glowing neon tubes in Paris in 1910, and sold his first neon sign in 1912. He attained a U.S. patent for neon lighting in 1915, and went on to make a fortune. 7.

To Wartman's right, large windows separate the shop from a cavernous room full of giant neon signs. That's the Sign Museum, which saw about 60,000 visitors last year.