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🔒Processing Dynamics: What’s Happening Inside the Tube Affects the Finished Product by Rusty Russo | Signs of the Times (sept 1999)

What’s really happening inside a neon tube during bombardment? Veteran glassblower Rusty Russo breaks down the science — ionization, viscous flow, molecular flow, and why your vacuum pump can be working hard while nothing is actually leaving the tube. His 1999 Signs of the Times article is now in the Taming Lightning Research Lab Library,…

May 11, 2026

Patreon, Science & Technical, The Research Lab Library

bombardment, gas dynamics, glassblowing, ionization, mean free path, molecular flow, neon processing, neon tube fabrication, sputtering, vacuum pressure, viscous flow
🔒Studio BTS | On plasma filling for Atupa (Cobalt Storm)

Patreon Exclusive A rough studio review of the plasma fill for Atupa (Cobalt Storm). In this behind-the-scenes video, I revisit footage from the fill while taking notes and talking through my thought process—covering manifold setup, driver choices, filament details, and how I use cumulative notes to navigate plasma fills from reference.

March 6, 2026

Patreon, Vlog
The Persistent Glow | Neon Symposium available ONLINE!

Did you miss the illuminating talks at The Persistent Glow: The Conservation and Continuity of Neon Artworks? So did I. I would have loved to been a part of this, but things just didn’t line up for me. I have some great news — the entire symposium is now available to watch on YouTube. Hosted…

January 28, 2026

Video
Lightwriters Neon Chicago | Special Workshops 2026

There’s something special happening in Chicago’s neon scene, and it’s coming straight from the warm glow of Lightwriters Neon Chicago. If you haven’t crossed paths with them yet, Lightwriters is a vibrant, family-rooted studio led by Zoelle Nagib and her father, master tube bender Jacob Fishman. Together, they’ve built a space where tradition, experimentation, and…

January 20, 2026

2026, Classes
Welcome to 2026: Building Context, Community, and Plasma Practice

2026 opens with more questions than answers—and that’s exactly the point. From expanding the Research Lab Library to rethinking how plasma and neon knowledge is shared, this year is guided by curiosity, context, and the belief that saying “I don’t know” is the first step toward meaningful discovery.

January 1, 2026

All, updates

🔒Processing Dynamics: What’s Happening Inside the Tube Affects the Finished Product by Rusty Russo | Signs of the Times (sept 1999)

🔒Studio BTS | On plasma filling for Atupa (Cobalt Storm)

The Persistent Glow | Neon Symposium available ONLINE!

Lightwriters Neon Chicago | Special Workshops 2026

Welcome to 2026: Building Context, Community, and Plasma Practice