Custom neon signs, bent by hand to say exactly what you mean

One-of-a-kind neon

Custom neon signs made in Colorado

About half of the work that comes through our door is a custom build: a sign that didn't exist until someone called with an idea. Boyd Struble has been bending neon since the mid-1980s and has run Boyd's NEON in Colorado Springs since 2001. By his own estimate he has built hundreds of signs, probably thousands, and each custom piece still starts the same way, with a conversation about what you want it to say.

What we make

If it can be drawn as a line, it can usually be bent in glass. Custom neon jobs often include:

• Logos and brand marks for shops, studios and local businesses.
• Lettering and script, from a single word to a full phrase or a business name.
• Characters and icons, like animals, mascots and symbols with personality.
• Feature signs for restaurants, bars, tattoo studios and hotels, where neon sets the mood of the whole room.
• Game rooms, man caves and home bars, built around a name, a team or a favorite phrase.
• Pieces for private collectors and one-off gifts for someone who loves real neon.

How to brief us

You don't need finished artwork to get started. A sketch on paper or a phone photo is plenty. To give you an accurate quote, it helps to share:

• Wording or artwork: the exact text, your logo file, or a drawing of the shape.
• Approximate size: the width you have in mind, or the wall or window it needs to fit.
• Colors: specific colors, or simply the mood you're after.
• Indoor or outdoor: where the sign will live changes how it's built and protected.
• Mounting: hung from chains, fixed to a wall, set in a window or mounted on a backing.

Call or email with those details and we'll talk through what will read best from where people will see it.

The color science: neon vs. argon

Every color in a neon sign comes from the gas inside the tube and the glass around it. Neon gas on its own glows a warm red-orange, the classic look of a vintage diner sign. Argon with a drop of mercury, sealed inside phosphor-coated or colored glass, produces the blues, greens, pinks and whites. By mixing tubes on one sign we can build a palette that matches your brand or your room.

Why real glass neon

LED "neon" is a plastic strip imitating a look. Real neon gives a soft, 360-degree glow that comes off every side of the tube, which is what gives it depth and warmth on a wall. It's also repairable: a broken tube can be re-bent or re-pumped instead of thrown away. Weighing real neon against LED for your space and budget? We'll talk it through honestly.

How your sign is made

Your idea becomes a full-size pattern. Glass tubing is heated over a flame and bent by hand to follow it, curve by curve. Electrodes are attached, then the tube is heated in a bombarder to drive out impurities so the glow stays clean. Finally it is pumped down to a vacuum and backfilled with neon or argon, then lit up so the glow can be checked. See the gallery for finished work.

Backed by a one-year guarantee

All of our work comes with a one-year guarantee. If a custom sign we built fails under normal use in that first year, we'll make it right. As the shop has always said: we appreciate your business, and work hard to earn your trust and respect.