questions about neon lighting thingys

bleeb82 · Post by **bleeb82** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:42 am

could anyone please explain how you would attach neon wire to black clothing in the most simplistic way possible?

now, keep in mind i cant sauder,sew,cant think up of hip/cool designs it just aint my thing..ive other talents ;)

oh, and if i were to buy the wire online, how would it get to me? are there switches on/off for the lighting (forgive my ignorance) any time you want it on,

and can you cut the wire to make whatever shapes/designs etc. ?

any info wud be fan-bloody-tastic

thanks

Post by **Eric** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:27 pm

Bleeb- here are some sites to get you started:

http://www.coolneon.com/

http://www.coolight.com/

As for attaching them to clothing without sewing- I just safety pin them on (safety pin from the inside of your clothes, put the EL wire through the opening). I don't, of course, do fancy designs that way. I just pin something on so that I'm not a darkwad.

Token · Post by **Token** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:34 pm

It is called EL Wire or Electroluminescent Wire.

It is powered via batteries and driver box that generates the required high voltage, high frequency, low current for the EL Wire.

You must have delicate hands to solder the wire. It is not a beginner type soldering job.

The wire can be attached to clothing by any convenient method; hand sewing, glue, hot glue etc.

Many vendors sell pre-made lengths of EL Wire that you could use.

Doing fancy stuff with chasing lights requires a sequencer.

Here are some basic instructions on soldering EL Wire

http://www.coolneon.com/soldering.html

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:35 pm

http://www.lennyjones.net/kimono%20page/kimono.html

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:48 pm

You can buy pre-made kits. The link is in the Burning Bright Tribe, but tribe is down right now. Heck, I used to do micro-miniature circuit repair, and I avoid soldering the crap.

chiefdanfox · Post by **chiefdanfox** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:15 pm

I used fishing line to attach EL wire to my tux, thereby eliminating the unsightly and embarrassing "thread line" crossing over the ELwire. I wanted to save all my embarrassment for my stumbling around drunk as an Irish fly in a whisky bottle.

Orchid · Post by **Orchid** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:20 pm

If you buy from www.coolneon.com, you can pay $4 and they'll solder it for you. I used to do electronics repair, and I still don't want to mess around with it. $4 is a very good value.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:08 pm

god, screw all this talk about soldering.

Most el-wire comes plug and play. Use black electrical tape to hide parts of the wire at points you do not want to glow. Use safety pins or Goop to attach the crap to your fabric. Its about as easy as First Grade arts and crafts.

Rusted Iron · Post by **Rusted Iron** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:36 pm

Can some one tell me the best type of glue to use to attach el-wire to sheet metal?

thx

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:52 pm

That depends on what you are trying to do.
Tubelite carries some stuff that is compatible with most plastics.
Schnee-Morehead makes stuff that will stick to anything.
Do you want to ever remove it?

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:15 am

Rusted Iron wrote:Can some one tell me the best type of glue to use to attach el-wire to sheet metal?

thx

GOOP
A little dab'll do ya. And it peels off clean later on, if you wish, with a little work. Try to avoid pulling on the EL too much, or else you could stretch and then break those evil little teensy wires in spots where you'll never, ever notice and troubleshooting will drive you mad.... MAD, I tell you!

....or punch/drill two little holes every few inches, and "sew" the wire to the metal. I've also used zipstrips, although they show more.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:46 am

Does anyone know how tolerant the elwire material is or what it's composition is?
Schnee-Morehead has their seam sealer in clear.
It contains acetone though, or did last time I checked.

3M weatherstripping adhesive is supposed to be benign too.
Not as sticky.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:07 pm

Rusted Iron wrote:Can some one tell me the best type of glue to use to attach el-wire to sheet metal?

GOOP, Godammit!

Jes, kiddin with the tone....

chiefdanfox · Post by **chiefdanfox** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:10 pm

So TdF, how do you spell that stuff you are talking about?

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:21 pm

SPOOGE!

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:21 pm

sorry, had a dislexic moment there..

Boijoy · Post by **Boijoy** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 4:50 pm

attaching e-wire to cloth. They sell " sewing/fabric glue " at any fabric store.. Thats what I used last year. Its clear in color and holds like a champ. Takes a bit to dry.. so you kind of have to glue it in sections.

I HATE sewing.

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:03 pm

gyre wrote:Does anyone know how tolerant the elwire material is or what it's composition is?
Schnee-Morehead has their seam sealer in clear.
It contains acetone though, or did last time I checked.

3M weatherstripping adhesive is supposed to be benign too.
Not as sticky.

The outer coating is PVC if that helps.

Badger

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:37 pm

I found these profiles designed to hold elwire in exposed locations such as stair treads.
This might be very useful for the side of a vehicle or other places where mounting it without destruction is difficult.
Maybe this would be useful.
http://www.elam-lytec.com/accessories.asp

Are you sure it's pvc?
The only source I can find is wikipedia.
Elam doesn't specify.
Do you think all versions are the same?

Lytec appears to have some more involved manufacturing techniques.
There are scads of ignition cable manufacturers, yet most seem very unsophisticated.
I use Magnecor out of australia.
When you cut theirs open, it is very different.
I can't help wondering if the same doesn't apply here.
I am told that controlling a spiral or any other conductive coating over a wire is very difficult.
Magnecor is unique in not using a conductive glue to do it.
This looks like a place where design matters.
Anyone have experience with Elam Lytec vs other brands?

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:22 pm

gyre wrote:Are you sure it's pvc?
The only source I can find is wikipedia.
Elam doesn't specify.
Do you think all versions are the same?

Do a google search for "El wire pvc". You'll get a ton of hits.
http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/light-up ... ations.pdf

Badger

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:36 pm

Good material.
Has anyone used an acetone based product on this stuff?
I know pvc pipe won't take it, but this is a different type of pvc.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:11 am

its fuckin' plastic, just glue it with some GOOP and stop all this shit about soldering and acetone and plastic nails and the molecular structure of PVC, goddamit!

again, kidding with the tone

Boijoy · Post by **Boijoy** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:27 pm

Oh Oh !!! I have an idea. How about just using some Goop ?? :lol:

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:59 pm

Is Goop clear?
I want something clear if possible.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:49 pm

Goop is clear

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:27 pm

Does it contain no solvents?
I've used some things made by the same company that I suspect are the same thing.
After a time, it becomes fairly stiff, although not rigid.
Some have been clear, some versions, not.
I thought there was a solvent of some kind.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:00 am

gyre wrote:Does it contain no solvents?
I've used some things made by the same company that I suspect are the same thing.
After a time, it becomes fairly stiff, although not rigid.
Some have been clear, some versions, not.
I thought there was a solvent of some kind.

The solvent for GOOP is.....elbow grease.
Good question, actually. I plan to perform some experiments using "the classic solvents" to see what works. GOOP does stiffen with time, although the "outdoor" or "RV" variety might have an additional UV inhibitor to slow deterioration. I almost wonder if they might have been tinkering with the formula a little, since the last few tubes I've used had a particularly prominent smell almost reminiscent of Testor's Model Cement...it still has a fruity body, though, and an excellent finish. Good with cheese OR fruit, or as a dessert glue.

GOOP can be used on fabric, but don't expect it to EVER come out of anything porous or woven. My favorite hat has patches ("Kalamazoo" from a local scout troop shoulder patch, and a name patch that says "Art") that I GOOPed on YEARS ago, and the hat's survived numerous washes.

Without knowing FOR SURE, I'd have to concur that the plastic outer on EL is some species of vinyl/PVC.

phil · Post by **phil** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:33 am

Detailed instructions at

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to- ... r-garment/

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:50 pm

not sure if I was lucid when I saw it, but I thought I saw Goop brand Goop solvent. Anyone else see this in the hardware store? Really, for most applications, the aforementioned elbow grease is the way to get GOOP off. get an edge started then peel it like rubber cement. After a few years, though, maybe ya need the solvent.

Post by **mdmf007** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:07 pm

Im thinking that stitching over would be the simplest.