Faux Aged Neon Pub Sign

This Instrucatble will show you how to Faux Age a new sheet of steel to be used as the backing of a neon sign. The resulting retro-sign will look like it has been outside for decades in the sun / rain and abused by hicks with guns :-)

While you will not have this neon tube you can buy broken neon beer signs on the internet and the same process can be used to give new life to the unbroken neon tubes.

• Sheet of thin steal (big enough to mount the neon)
• Neon Tube
• Neon Transformer
• Soft wood for frame
• Assorted screws
• Tape
• Red & White Paint
• Sandpaper
• Salt & Vinegar
• Drill
• Tin Snips

The bar a friend of mine owns had a large neon sign made for a pre-existing front housing. Fortunately for me they did not take into account the building roof overhang and how close it was to the sign. They had the words "Public House" made in white Neon Tube but because of the height required it had to be split into groups of letters. Since they could not use one side of the sign for neon they gave me the top section which fortunately said "PUB" in capital letters.

For the transformer I was able to use a small 3.5kV transformer that is actually powered by a 12V transformer.
https://www.brightneonsigns.com/neon-power-supply-...
I was able to use such a small transformer because the length of the neon tube we not huge and it woudl only be used indoors so it did not need to be super bright.

I picked up a 12"x24" thin sheet of steel at a local hardware store which would perfectly fit the neon. Before I started I thoroughly cleaned and degreased the metal before giving it a light sand to scuff it up for the paint to adhere.

Next I printed the letters on my printer to the same size as the neon using removeable sticker paper. The letters were then cut out and stick to the metal and a border was taped up as well. I only put the border on three sides as I wanted it to feel like the signs bottom was cut off. The background was then painted red, The top was fully covered with less coverage on the bottom to mimic the effect that the paint has worn off over the years. Once the stickers were peeled of the painted already were covered in tape.

The letters and border were then painted white following the same principle of doing a full coating at the top of the sign and less coverage at the bottom. Once the tape was removed the sight was left for several days to dry completely.

In order to age and distress the sign you just need to do everything they tell you not to do with something that is new and shiny :-). Because I just used paint on bare metal when I peeled the tape off some paint cam peeled off but that helped to make it look rustic. The next step is to drill holes for the screws and the neon mounting points. I also added a "bullet hole" by drilling an extra bigger hole. One the holes are drilled I used a tapered screw head to hammer them into a concave shape. Again as I did this some paint would flake off adding to the "look". Next I cut the bottom of the sign roughly and put a "cut" on the side to make it look like it was bent at one point. With sand paper I roughed up all the areas around the holes and the cuts to remove the paint. Last step was to

Using some scrap soft wood I made a simple frame. This is the case where it is not better to do a good job and there is no need to perfectly line up the pieces of wood. Once put together the frame was then stained dark and then distressed with a hammer.

This part is a bit messy but fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spread salt over the metal. Spray the vinegar over the spots where you want bare metal to rust and the paint to age. Leave it overnight and then wipe the metal the next day with wet cloths. If any area still need more aging repeat the process on those areas. It may take several washes to get the salt residue off of the metal. The bare metal should have rusted, and the paint will look aged.

Screw the metal to the frame and then screw the neon holders into the metal. Tie the neon to the holders and pass the wires from the transformer through the holes in the metal and attach them to the neon tube. It does not matter which wire goes to which end of the tube. Place wire protector over the wire ends. screw transform to back of sign and tape the wires so they do not move.

The neon sign adds a rustic charm to my hallway. Because neon is so bright I do not turn it in too often but even not lit the sign is totally readable and a great decor piece. I do turn it on when I have people over and we are watching movies with the lights off as it gives a nice glow to the whole apartment.

Once again you can buy broken neon beer signs or even just tubes on the internet (ebay etc) and the same process can be used to give new life to the unbroken neon tubes.