Hi ALL ~ Meesh here.. NMG Board Member at Large.. I am back home at the ranch from a weekend of travels to NavCour Glassware in Lorain, OH for the Annual Neon Makers Guild meet up , and what a lovely time it was !! I mention fellow attendees, benders, and guild members in here but did not get everyone's last names // or know how to plug them or links to their work or profile.

To start, Doug, head of NavCour, welcomed us so warmly with his colleagues and what a beautiful shop ! Day 1 was really about exchange of conversation and getting to know people. We had folks come from all over. Still working on attracting members from the West, but it was really neat that people had traveled from all over, from Colorado to Georgia to be there in person. It was fun to get to know some of the greater neon community that exists here in the US. Being in a room with others who share a love and passion for Neon is a joy. From new hobbyists to seasoned pros it was reminder that the torch is staying lit. It's gatherings like these that help keep the fire alive, even re-ignighting it for us who may get lost in our own worlds -- to show up to this meet up and link with other benders and artists. I joined the NMG to stay connected to a craft I love and respect and it was great to be with so many others who share that value.  

Day #1 was a meet and greet. We ate pistachios, played uno, smoked cigars and did the "where ya from, howd ya get here, how long you've been in it" exchange. People brought goodies for the swap meet and there were lots of treasures to be found ! I scored some crossfires I am excited to add to my set up. On display were sculptural plasma pieces from Nico, which were really rad to see in person. For anyone needing a moment of silence from all the socialization, there was a film looping with cuts from various neon related videos, from movies where neon & plasmas was used as a practical effects, to a mini documentary from DJ of Hex Neon and the process of making a neon piece. Got to see some really interesting Neon in use !  There was also blacklight neon (( who knew ?! )) and uranium glass tube samples, which make a truly awesome color combo .. plus an old Brillite light box with color slides used by salesman for color samples.

Day #2 was a day of demos and play. Mon, resident tube bender at NavCour bent a script name for his upcoming niece in what seems like the blink of an eye. The calm and efficiency he exhibited was awe inspiring and certainly a mark of his training and career development working in a high volume production shop. Bing showed us a magic trick with a 15 mil tube, making a helix tube with two chambers that could host a line of each neon and argon in a single piece .. very unique ! The was a women's circle collaboration .. #girlpower.. with Eve and Haley -- masters at work --  showing us the art of trouble shooting on the fly. I asked anyone I could "how do you make a mercury trap" and got a nice tutorial and practical advice, as well as a range of technique. Zoelle did a circle demo and Korey showed me how to bend an "R" ..  pro tip : its the best letter to bend when learning because it has every kind of bend in it .. BUT ALSO : practice all your letters .. cuz you will need them !!!

On the scientific side, we got a real treat from the big boss himself, Doug, who gave us a first hand look at how a diffusion pump is made on the glass lathe. Remember your Didymium Lenses !! It was my first time seeing a glass lathe in use and It was quite impressive. The precision is just * WOW * 

One gentleman had a tube support from the 20s he said ! It was simple, yet very elegant I thought. I vote for a reinstating ! It was so interesting to see an old technique like that from when it all first started. 

Post party at the coolest spot in Lorain  -- other than NavCour, of course ! -- a cocktail bar "Speak of the Devil" .. and we know we can trust them because they have a great neon over their door. We chatted more, played hoops in the alley, and had a grand ol time to finish off a great weekend.

I really enjoyed getting to meet everyone in person, especially my fellow board members. We all remarked how it's nice for us to now be more than just floating heads on a screen. We are full real people !! OK,  I digress.. back to some thoughts in conclusion: The meet up was really great because it was an open opportunity for so much glass knowledge to be in one place. If you had questions you could ask them and get the expertise first hand, and if the explanation didn’t quite do it, you could walk right over to the bench and watch it live ! Something I also noticed at the meet up was a wide age range, which I must say is inspiring because, as we all know, there is a common comment of "neon is a dying industry" yet, it is instances like this meet up that signify otherwise, and that it is still so relevant and there are people willing and ensuring Neon continues to shine bright and long into the future.

I am happy the Guild exists and to be part of it. Thank you to the founders and people who have stepped up to organize and also to keep it going. 
I am really glad to be connected to you all. 

Hope to meet more of you at the next one and CHEERS ~ !!

Join us at Navcour Glassware in Lorain, Ohio for our next in person Bender Bash!  JULY 18TH AND 19TH 2025

Both members and non members are welcome to attend. We are still working on the specific two-day schedule but here is what you can expect. Friday afternoon will be a more informal hang out with pizza and snacks. ---- Saturday will be the main event. Full of neon and scientific glass demos, free torch time, a swap meet table, community discussions, 5 minutes/ 5 slides member presentations, troubleshooting help and much more! A group dinner to follow at a local restaurant.  This is the perfect opportunity to come ask questions, get advice, make new neon friends and just hang out with other people in this evolving industry.

The address: 3700 Broadway Ave. Lorain, Ohio 44052 (Plenty of parking is available) -- Please RSVP via email to: events@neonmakersguild.org

See you there!

In my lonely corner of Montana, one thing that I have wanted is to be able to connect with other benders. I have made stops into a few shops as I have driven around the country but not enough to satisfy that desire. This guild has done a lot to help satisfy that. It is humbling and encouraging to be able to take up the role as the president and steer this ship to help build the community. I’m grateful to Eve and the other founding members who made this possible and can’t say enough good about the work they have done to bring us together. My hope is that I can live up to the expectation that they have set, for it is not insignificant.

One of my biggest concerns for the guild is making sure that it is a place where those who are beginning their journey into neon will have the resources available to them to be able to be successful. We all want to see this medium continue and that will depend on the interest growing (those of us who have been around for any meaningful amount of time could talk about the various materials and supplies that we just can’t get anymore). I have been blessed to have a mentor who helped guide me through my start as a bender and have enjoyed being able to share my knowledge and skills with others and when I spend time with the members of this guild, I can very much feel that I am not alone in this regard.

Thank you to all who supported me in this endeavor. I will try to live up to the standard that has been set and will look forward to being with you as much as life allows.

As my tenure as Board President of the Neon Makers Guild comes to an end, my heart is full of  joy as I reflect on this neon community. As one of the founders, it has been rewarding to see so many people join, and to witness how the guild is bringing together neon makers — both seasoned veterans and newcomers alike.

I am incredibly grateful to my fellow founders—Danielle, Alleson, Robert, Cameron, and Nick—as well as to the current and incoming board members. Most of all, I want to thank our members, who are the heart of this community. The guild was created to unite neon makers, with the idea of helping each other learn and connect in the spirit of keeping this very special trade and handcraft alive. With a growing membership of 84 and counting, the Neon Makers Guild has built a strong foundation and has an inspiring future.

Looking ahead to 2025, the guild has exciting things planned! We can achieve even more with the help of our members, so I encourage you to consider joining a committee to help keep us moving forward, and to realize the full potential of this very special organization.

Together, let’s keep those neon torches burning bright!

With Gratitude,

 Eve Hoyt 

Recently, we hosted our first annual general membership meeting on Zoom. It was a panel style format, with each board member presenting. There were 19 members in attendance. A brief background of the guild was given before reports from the treasurer and each of the committee chairs. We also went over the results of the member survey that we sent out last month and talked about new initiatives planned for the coming year, including our next in-person meet up. Finally, we reminded folks of our need for more members to volunteer for committee work, and that nominations remain open for board positions for guild President and board members At-Large. If you would like to nominate yourself or another member for the board, or have questions regarding those positions, please email membership@neonmakersguild.org Nominations close on January 27th.

Please check your email inbox for the zoom link. 

The heat was very real, but the drinks were cool and the company was even cooler. Neon’s finest came to celebrate, reminisce, and plan for the future. Catching up with old friends and making new acquaintances was the highlight of the day. The beauty of these events nowadays is for the folks that are scattered around the country to finally meet people they’ve been talking to online for years! Especially for benders that are pretty isolated, getting the chance to connect face to face is rare and special. Although the NYC region was highly represented, people from all over the US traveled in, with the furthest being Seattle! Personally, I was excited to meet Steve Biebel from Atlantic City who is a second generation bender like myself, as well as women, gender-nonconforming and queer folks, all of whom are contributing important perspectives to what has traditionally been a very non-diverse world.

We set up silk screening, and decorated t-shirts, patches, and tote bags galore to commemorate the occasion. True to bash form there was a swap table with pieces of equipment looking for a new home and a cadre of antique electrodes for the curious and brave! The event was enlivened by a welding contest, to see who could make the most welds in a half stick of glass. The trophy went to James Akers, with a phenomenal 53 welds! Honorable mention goes to everyone who gave it a try, even those that gave up because sweat coated glass was too slippery to handle! The day was capped off by Sean Bradley and James Akers utilizing the hot shop to hand-pull tubing made from a chunk of uranium that Sean generously gifted the group. 

The Neon Makers Guild Board was represented by Eve Hoyt, Sean Bradley, Danielle James, and Zoelle Nagib, and the space was provided by Dave Ablon of Precision Neon at Brooklyn Glass. A huge THANK YOU to Dave Ablon for hosting, and DJ for planning!

The Kitco Cutter has become one of those tools of somewhat legendary status.  During its day, I am not sure it was a big seller and I only used them a few times.  But it seems like after the advent of lead-free glass this tool has gained a new usefulness in the neon studio and it has, more than once, shown itself to be a saver of one's bacon.  Apparently others feel the same and so there has been renewed interest and it seems I get asked where they can be bought or how can they be built with some regularity.  I had previously shared some reverse engineering information but now have tidied it up a bit.  It can be found on my blog page at:  Kitco Cutter Information  and I have also uploaded a copy to the NMG library as well.  Happy building! 

This is a fun little video demonstrating a cheap Neon Transformer operation with a little bit of hacking to run a lamp brighter. This is a really great channel for everything circuitry, even though half the time it's way over my head, the more I keep watching the more I catch as the years go by. Enjoy!