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PAA April 2026 – Daniel McFarlan Moore: Pioneer of Plasma
The Plasma Art Alliance’s April meeting spotlights Daniel McFarlan Moore, an early pioneer whose gas‑filled “Moore Lamps” helped lay the groundwork for modern plasma light. Cary Rapaport, Wayne Strattman, and Dydia DeLyser trace how Moore’s engineering innovations and large‑scale luminous installations anticipated the aesthetics and technical foundations of today’s plasma art. His legacy reveals a…
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STORE Notice: Away This Summer — Away Dates for June!
The Taming Lightning Store will have two shipping blackout windows this summer while I’m away at the Glass Art Society Conference in Corning (May 31st–June 7th) and teaching at Pilchuck Glass School (June 20th–July 4th). Orders placed 2 days before each departure will ship before I leave — everything else ships 2 days after I’m…
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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,…
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🔒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.
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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…
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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.
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🆓Neon principles: the art of shaping light with neon by Randall L Caba
Neon Principles: The Art of Shaping Light with Neon by Randall L. Caba is a 227‑page foundational workbook on neon tube design, construction, and glassworking techniques. Published in 1992, it serves as a practical, technical guide for anyone learning or refining the craft of shaping light through traditional neon processes
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🆓Handbook of Electron tube and vacuum techniques by Fred Rosebury
Fred Rosebury’s Handbook of Electron Tube and Vacuum Techniques (1965). This volume is more than a manual—it’s a bridge between the physics of vacuum systems and the craft of building electron tubes. Rosebury meticulously documents methods for glass‑to‑metal seals, electrode fabrication, pumping strategies, and leak detection, while also providing practical guidance on materials and instrumentation.
