A bit about myself, although I loath this kind of thing…
KID STUFF
I have always held fascination for neon and lighting. When we were young my parents would take us to A&W Root-beer Drive-In in Troy, Michigan and While sippin' my beer and chowing my Footlong Coney I would often admire the dazzling glow of the neon signs reflecting off the mag wheels, chrome side pipes, and on the hood-stripes of the 60's and 70's muscle cars and Hot-Rods parked next to us... To me Neon Light and Hot-Rods are like natural poetry; one embellishes the other and vice-versa! I do a lot of Hot-Rod inspired Neon signs and Art. I will always have a love for that stuff!
Fast-forward about 20 years from that snot-nosed kid who could do the longest wheelies in the whole neighborhood. I did all the normal kid stuff and played with Hotwheels cars and later A/FX cars. I jumped in on the leading edge of the whole BMX thing and raced a bit; was average. I started on Drums in 5th grade and lasted till 9th grade and then it wasn’t cool anymore to be in “band”. I still play my yellowed Slingerland's today!!
1975 we all started to ride Skateboards! (Still do to this day!!!!!) Over those skate years we had’em all including Z-Flex, Alva’s, Dogtown, etc. My coolest car, by far, was a 1970 Chevelle! I had it painted 1980 Corvette yellow and added some brushed aluminum 5-slot mags; very subtle!
EDUCATION
Fast-forward again: After I received a BA from Michigan State University I felt the need to pursue a challenge I had no idea would play such a major role in my life: I enrolled myself into NEON SCHOOL!!! I attended the Eberhardt Neon Studio and studied under the famed Glass Artist: Wolfgang Eberhardt in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. That was an incredible time for me living in a rented room above the Victoria Tavern just across “the river” from Detroit.
As a fledgling, neophyte, tubebender in 1988 I began to workout the kinks in my trade; pun noted. As soon as my skills would allow I began a push to make my and bends and signs, for that matter, as clean as I could! I challenged myself to make Logo's as absolutely true to life as possible. To this day after 22 years in the fires I try harder than ever to work as technically “clean” as possible utilizing techniques learned from Teachers’ and Mentors' long-gone.
I bought my first neon clock in 1992, a 6 sided Cleveland Script face, and immediately formed a love for it’s innate beauty, clean design and obvious function. It was a rust bucket and I had it metal-worked and painted working on it off and on over the course of (2) years. I still have it today! Since then I have bought and sold, collected and restored, countless clocks for myself, friends, family, celebrities and clients across the country. And I do more Repairs and Restorations today than ever. I recently restored a Harley-Davidson Cleveland (Electric Neon Clock Company) neon clock for myself and loaned it to the Studebaker National Museum in south Bend, Indiana where it adorned and personified a Harley-Davidson exhibit for several months until March 31, 2010.
MY WORK
My commitment to quality and originality is what sets me apart from the rest. I have the know-how and experience to do anything that needs to be done on a neon clock! I hope to do this work at this level for many years to come! Today my biggest clients are big-time car collectors, Antique collectors, and neon clock collectors from the Detroit area and across the country.
SHIPPING
My work ships coast to coast, via truck line or Greyhound Lines so distance is not an issue if you want it "just right"!
MY TRADE
My goal is to build you a sign from scratch or restore what you've had in the family for decades or something in-between. I network with talented metal fabricators, strippers, painters, powder-coaters, glazers, etc, I like to let the experts do the work in their field to get the best possible result every-time and on-time. I only use premium parts and components... The key to the “equation” for me is that I do my own neon! I can make neon EXACTLY the way it was made 75 years ago, aside from obvious differences in electrode technology! I have paid attention to all the little details and nuances so that when your tube breaks, or fails, I can replace it just like the original!
CLOCK COLLECTOR
I am a clock collector; plain and simple! I buy clocks and parts as often as I can! It “pays” for me to do so!
I specialize mainly in Cleveland (Electric Neon Clock Co, Cleveland, Ohio) but also have interest in Glo-Dial(Los Angeles, CA), Federal (Philadelphia, PA), Federalite (Philadelphia, PA), NPI (Neon Products Inc, Lima Ohio), Neo-Lite Attentioneer (Cleveland, Ohio) and many more!!!
SIGN RESTORER
I can work to restore or remake the neon on your Porcelain Enamel signs by Walker and Sons (Detroit, MI) among others.
Contemporary Neon Hot-Rod logo's and Signage
I can recreate logos and signs from brands and logos past and present.
Thank you for taking a moment and looking at my site! Talk soon!