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Just In Any Glass Men up to this?

Bradley Signs

Bradley Signs
SHORPY-8b14253a.preview.jpg

SHORPY-8b14253a.preview.jpg
 

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
Secrete image that you have to reply to see.... Question in the title that has nothing to do with the photo.... I'm working too hard on this thread, I'm about to send Yankee&Brit an invoice for my time.
 

James Burke

Being a grandpa is more fun than working
Rub the biggest and boldest black Sharpie marker over your monitor completely...and make sure you reach all four corners. Image will appear within 30 seconds.

If image does not appear, you have faulty Sharpies. Repeat the process using new Sharpies, more pressure and less profanity.

Re-starting your computer several times may improve your results. If no improvement is seen after several days, replace your monitor and click on this thread again.

JB
 
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visual800

Active Member
You must be referring to the neon in this old sign...DAMN what some letters! I would say each letters is about 4' tall. I love the ladder implicated into the sign, I bet OSHA wont not be amused by that these days. This was back when real people built stuff without BS regulations
 

Pauly

Printrade.com.au
You must be referring to the neon in this old sign...DAMN what some letters! I would say each letters is about 4' tall. I love the ladder implicated into the sign, I bet OSHA wont not be amused by that these days. This was back when real people built stuff without BS regulations
Pretty sure the ladder is only used to maintain the sign.
 

James Burke

Being a grandpa is more fun than working
This sign is definitely worthy of the gorgeous architecture it hangs on.

With all the technology we have today, it's a shame we don't build grand buildings like this anymore. Aesthetics have given way to function...and that's to our own hurt.

I did a little bit of research on this. It opened in 1915, and was built at the cost of $1M.
Financing was provided by "citizen subscribers". (And you thought crowdfunding was a new idea)

Sadly, it was demolished in 1983 and a parking lot now occupies its place. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Fontenelle

JB
 
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Rocco G

New Member
Pretty sure the ladder is only used to maintain the sign.

I'd say that the ladder is 100% there to service the sign. I've climbed a few sign structure ladders, though nothing even close to this. And the brackets under the letters were probably there so you had something to stand on if the glass needed to be replaced. If you were lucky you had a kidney belt for "safety".

Can you imagine servicing this sign? You would drive there with a wooden extension ladder on top of a Ford model T pickup, then set up the ladder just to reach the sign before having to climb 8-9 stories in the air to change a neon transformer? And those were fully copper wound beasties, no electronic transformers back then. And no GFI either.
 

MikePro

New Member
neon is awesome, but at that scale you could do a hell of a faux-neon setup with the same pattern and upsell the fact that it will almost never require service AND save you ~65% in energy costs.
 

Mike99705

New Member
neon is awesome, but at that scale you could do a hell of a faux-neon setup with the same pattern and upsell the fact that it will almost never require service AND save you ~65% in energy costs.
MikePro,
Do not buy into the LED bs. If that is clear red you could never make up the cost to retrofit. And would not look as near as good.
Mike
 

Andy D

Active Member
Is that a service ladder between the sign and the building?
How would they have serviced a sign like in the years before crane trucks?
Repel?
 

RaymondLoewy

Pretty fly for a Sign Guy
neon is awesome, but at that scale you could do a hell of a faux-neon setup with the same pattern and upsell the fact that it will almost never require service AND save you ~65% in energy costs.
I would like to hop into your Delorean, and will assist you with the retro-fit free of charge!
I might even pay you if you find any of John D's stash!
 

MikePro

New Member
MikePro,
Do not buy into the LED bs. If that is clear red you could never make up the cost to retrofit. And would not look as near as good.
Mike

we still do neon in-house. no doubt, its sexy.... but when you're 15+ft away, and if done right, you wouldn't know the difference.
I could explain the cost savings, but that's my salespitch. it would pay for itself in the long-run.
 

Bradley Signs

Bradley Signs
You must be referring to the neon in this old sign...DAMN what some letters! I would say each letters is about 4' tall. I love the ladder implicated into the sign, I bet OSHA wont not be amused by that these days. This was back when real people built stuff without BS regulations

Some one gets it!
I wondered what brave soul would climb that spindly ladder to change some glass tube!
Anyone ever climb those things?
In Cleveland when I was on the installation crew, (because Erection Crew is just a creepy title), the buildings downtown had many of these ladders, and the mortar joints were crumbling and some of the iron was rusty and wobbly in the holes...
Sometimes the swing seat just wasn't an option..
 
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