In early 1980s I became interested in "How do you make a neon sign" as a high school science teacher. I gained experience just by paying attention to window signs. I drove around with roommate (John Welbourn RIP) in evenings and found liquor stores with broken letters and had repairs done at one of a few "old man" (my age now) neon shops. We made a few bucks. Eventually found used equipment at Pioneer Neon Supply downtown Atlanta. Using Neon Techniques and Handling as our teacher ,we started. It took us a year (really) to make our first tube, no real help, just ourselves. We had to make a glass stopcock manifold, -pitifully funny. We then met a person working as a painter and sketch man at a local sign shop. Guy Lease (RIP) was a bender/artist from NY. Finally we got real help. $40 got us one night a week lessons. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. NOW, its suddenly 40 years later. Thanks to many great people that worked here, "WE DID IT". Mark Westphal (master bender), Leo Dolata (renaissance man) RIP , Sure Erk (Terrific bender) , Dave Spencer (now professor Dave), Pete Anziano (Terrific Do It All Guy), Kim Smith (Staff artist and sales), Current Staff, Craig Weido (shop manager and veteran bender), Vyvan Hughes (project manager, artist, part time bender) Kevin Wegner (sign mechanic extraordinaire), Andrew Munez (artist, tube pumper extraordinaire, ,part time bender), Yony Ipanaque (masterfull speedy bender ) Blaze Pearson (shows up for a bend and a bourbon now and then)and many more call me , us, to add to the neon co hall of fame