Neon Overview:
We are delighted to welcome students into the glowing world of neon! Please read below for some additional details and resources to prepare for a successful workshop!
Neon Tags:
Tags are the UrbanGlass labeling system that informs our team of neon technicians if you are a student or renter, which class you are in, and what gas you would like your piece pumped with. The teacher will provide students with the appropriate tags, and the student will complete the information.
Blue Tags: For In progress work
Orange Tags: For student work
Purple Tags: For renter work
Students will receive an orange tag(s), which also serves as a token for the number of units that you can pump throughout the course of a class (for example, if you are in an eight week workshop, you will receive 6 orange tags, and can have up to 6 units pumped). If you are in an eight week, or week-long intensive class, and have not finished all of your work by the end of class, you have until 3 months after the date of your class to complete your project and get your pieces pumped without having to pay as a renter.
| Length of Workshop | Number of units included in the cost of the course |
| One Day Workshop | 1 Unit |
| Two Day Workshop | 2 Units |
| Eight Week Course | 6 Units |
| Week-Long Intensive | 6 Units |
| University Courses | 12-15 Units per Semester |
Note that students will receive one transformer, regardless of the length of class. To purchase an additional transformer, please refer to the list of Neon Suppliers in the Additional Resources section.
Bombarding Process
During the course of your class you will learn to bend glass tubing to different shapes. What gives neon its light and color, is the gas that it is bombarded with. The standard gasses that are available to students, and are included in the cost of the class are Neon, Argon, Neon/Mercury, and Argon/Mercury.
Krypton and Xenon are available for an additional charge (students will pay the standard charge, minus $30 per unit). You can refer to the standard charges in our Studio Rates page. Helium is available only upon approval, and does not have an additional charge.
Picking up your work
During a one-day or two-day workshop, it is possible that the teacher will have time to bombard your piece during the class so you can take it home that day; but often times, this process will need to happen outside of class and can take up to two weeks for your piece to be processed. You will receive an email from frontdesk@urbanglass.org notifying you that your piece is ready for pick up.
To bring your neon unit home, lay it on a flat sheet of cardboard, and use tape or zip ties to fix it in place. You can use pieces of foam to support pieces that do not lay flat. UrbanGlass has tape, zip ties, and scrap cardboard, but if you have a large piece, we recommend bringing your own packing materials.
If you are traveling from out of town, please inform the teacher, so they can work with you to have your piece completed by the end of class. Neon is delicate, and shipping is not recommend. However, if you do need to ship your piece, we will connect you with one of our neon technicians who has expertise packing neon. They will provide you with a quote and you can make the payment by contacting frontdesk@urbanglass.org. Pieces with mercury cannot be shipped.
Additional Resources