iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 15/04/2026

www.westsiderag.com/2026/03/25/w...

A refurbished old channel neon sign reading “Murray’s STURGEON SHOP” - the Murray’s is filled with yellow tubes in a script font. the sign is mounted on a white board.

Below the sign is a small shop with a display window and a roll down gate.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 15/04/2026

What am I going to do with 8lbs of uranium glass tubes? I have no idea. That's a problem for future me.

a bundle of small, green glowing, glass tubes, arranged in 6 bunches and wrapped in bubble wrap. There are random packing peanuts and a brown cardboard box next to the packet of tubes. On the bottom left is the edge of a UV flashlight and a purple glow coming out from the front.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 11/04/2026

Me: Will it stick? Narrator: It would not stick. No matter how many times he tried. The difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion was too great between the glasses and he didn't bother to google it before trying.

A think green-ish tube of glass with a neon electrode on the end. The background is a shop floor with some plumbing below a table. There is a chair in the background. On the right hand side it a metal pipe with a few flexible gas lines leading up to a torch which is not in the photo.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 11/04/2026

Weird discovery about uranium glass today - when you heat it, it looses it's ability to fluoresce. The dark spot in the tube was held in a flame for just a second. After the tube cools, the bent portion glows the same as the unbent glass. Does not adhere to soda-lime glass. Does to boro.

A thin glass tube in front of a black beanbag and on top of a dirty workbench. The tube is hit with UV light and most of the tube is glowing green - except for one dark spot in the middle of the tube.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 27/03/2026

It’s a little on the thin side - but let me see if I can attach electrodes to this uranium glass tube. (I only have soda lime electrodes - may need to order some borosilicate ones.)

A bundle of thing glass tubes in bubble wrap sitting in a counter. They are being illuminated with UV light and glowing bright green.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 26/03/2026

Here is another one. Base44 whatever that ai slop is

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 26/03/2026

I'm kinda digging all of the Aperture Science rebranding that is going on. It's not about why. It's about Why Not?!

It is a black circle, with stripes cut of of the circle on the bottom half. The circle is rotate 45 degrees.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 25/03/2026

Real Neon Shops use Stazon Blockout paint to block out light from tubes. www.brillite.com/products/pai... I’m cheap. I like Rustoleum latex paint. And egg cartons.

A white neon tube with the end bent in to a U shape and dipped in black paint. The whole thing is tenuously balanced on an egg carton. Next to the tube is a small can of black latex paint.

A close up of a red circular neon tube with both ends forming a straight line. The straight parts of the tube are tickle coated in black paint and also perched precarious on a home made stand of cardboard and waste plastic.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 22/03/2026

Eye placement and blockout paint aside - I’m excited with how this is turning out. Next up: measure and laser cut acrylic backing

A pigeon shape in neon - the body is in a sky blue, the eye is a deep red, and the neck stripes are a coral pink and green.

The tubes are just laid out on a workbench and connected with random wires. At the top of the frame is a random white neon tube that is not illuminated.

The whole setup looks a little sketchy.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 22/03/2026

Ok the neck bands are looking pretty awesome. They still need some blockout paint but I love the colors.

A small u-shaped neon tube. The top is glowing a coral pink and the bottom one is glowing a green with a blue tint. On the left side of the tubes are electrodes.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 13/03/2026

I tend to like simple solutions

a sign mounted by a street encouraging pedestrians to "Be seen. Grab a brick!" Below the sign is a small box holding a few red bricks.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 09/03/2026

I had an oopsie along the way - this coated glass loves to just break if you reheat it. Or, you know, even look at it funny. The white stuff in the tube is the phosphor that glows. The tube is filled with argon and mercury - and the Hg goes off UV light to excite it.

A bent red neon tube with a hole in the middle of it. The hole exposes a white inner coating of the red tube.

The tube is floating above an outline of the pigeon template.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 08/03/2026

Ok it’s off to be pumped. I’m not super in love with the shape of the head but will probably remake that soon.

The pigeon building three units of glass, they body and stripes are white glass (which will glow blue, green, and pink) and a bright red eye (which will glow red) electrodes are on the ends and it’s sitting on a dirty workbench.

A close up of the red eye. An electrode is on one end and a hose is on the other. The eye is almost shaped like a sideways omega symbol

A side view of the neon pigeon. Neon signs are generally two layers - the back layer being interconnections between glass and to allow for bends that are too narrow to make on a single pane of glass.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 08/03/2026

Having to add handles to the red glass tube so that I can bend them around the flame

A red tube of glass bent in a triangular shape with a bright yellow cork in one end of the tube

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 08/03/2026

Neck rings almost done. They will glow two different colors

Two different r pieces of white glass fused together to make the stripes around the pigeon neck

A close up of the tube with one end glowing pink under UV light

A close up of the other end of the tube glowing green under uv light

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 08/03/2026

Working on an evil red pigeon eye (pattern flipped for bending)

An outline of a pigeon drawing, with a red segment of neon glass marked to be bent in to the eye of the bird. Below that are two white tubes that will glow green and pink when illuminated.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 17/02/2026

Joseph Kosuth Three Adjectives (Red, Yellow, Blue)

A neon sign on a dark wall reading
“ADJECTIVE” in red

“ADJECTIVE” in yellow

“ADJECTIVE” in blue

The three words are all written on a single line, in all caps block letters.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 15/02/2026

I’m not great at the side joins but let’s see if this baby pumps.

A 12 mm clear neon tube with a 10mm cobalt tube at a right angle to the glass. This isn’t a bend, it’s 90 degrees perpendicular to the glass.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 14/02/2026

Not neon - just taking a moment to appreciate how amazing this red vinyl version of Man Machine looks

A close up of a red record sitting on a clear platter with a tone arm and stylus in a red case hovering over the first track

A photo of the cover of Kraftwerk The Man Machine sitting next to the bright red record playing on a record player with a white plinth, with the tone arm still playing the first track. The set is sitting on a wooden stereo cabinet with a nixie clock next to the record player.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 13/12/2025

Oh good, I’m back in 1993 and found a good Internet cafe with a fast T1 connection

A chaotic photo of construction, old signs, and wires hanging. The center of the frame has a sign that reads “Internet E-Mail T1”

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 09/12/2025

I just got this plasma globe / ring. It is a circular plasma formed by a strong RF field. The gas is primarily xenon giving it a ghostly white glow. I could watch this thing for hours. www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809...

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 21/11/2025

Don’t make me choose 😣 🥟 - or - 🎸?

A sign that reads:
“PIEROGI ROOM ⬆️
MUSIC THIS WAY ➡️”

The sign is on a white wall illuminated with red/orange light and there is a small picture frame with upcoming shows

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 17/11/2025

Wayne Strattan Decision Machine (2016) Museum of Neon Art

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 16/11/2025

Not neon - but my security camera captured an amazing shot of a lightening strike on 1 WTC last night. It’s hard to imagine the scale of the arc - it has to be >2x the height of the building

A photo from a security camera - 1 World Trade Center is in the background of the farm and several smaller electrical arcs flowing out of one large arc originating at the top of the building.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 15/11/2025

Bruce Nauman Double Poke in the Eye II www.sothebys.com/en/buy/aucti...

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 15/11/2025

GLENN LIGON Double America 2 www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6...

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 01/11/2025

Neon filled cobalt is probably one of absolute favorite combinations. It’s hard to capture the electric glow of the magenta color with a camera and the dark blue of the glass really contrasts the plasma hi-lighting it.

A wavy neon sign tube on a workbench. The tube is a deep violet blue and dark but the plasma center of the tube is glowing a deep magenta color.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 31/10/2025

Bruce Nauman - Double Poke in the Eye II

Two neon outlines of heads - one blue and one yellow. Each has a pair of neon shaped hands pointed directly at each other in a menacing way.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 04/10/2025

I know there is a very small circle of people who will appreciate this - but Freya from Brooklyn Glass makes an appearance Shop Cats of New York www.iamthecatphotographer.com/shopcatsofny

a photo of a book, with cat photos, all arranged in a high school yearbook style layout. The center of the image has a grey (Russian Blue?) grumpy looking cat with the name "Freya" and BROOKLYN GLASS written below it.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 24/09/2025

IVÁN NAVARRO (B. 1972) UNTITLED (EMPIRE STATE)

A rectangular mirror filled with white neon, arranged in a perpendicular/rectangular pattern. The work is on an industrial white wall with an electrical wire hanging out the bottom. The piece is approximately 5 feet wide and 2 feet call.

A close up of several right angle bends of white neon, forming an infinity pattern in the mirror

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 14/09/2025

I think one of my favorite Easter eggs is that when I wash my glasses, the Oliver Peoples logo appears in water beads on the lenses. (The mark is totally invisible otherwise)

A close up of a eyeglass lens with two square water beads, two triangle beads, and two circular beads

Eyeglasses that have just been washed with two subtle Oliver Peoples logos in water on each lens

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 13/09/2025

Let's see: Neon? ✅ Sparks? ✅ Yup. That's all this post needs.

A neon sign of the marquee of the Kings Theater in Brooklyn with the letters "SPARKS MAD! TOUR SEPT 12"

The marquee is a a 1920s (est?) era sign with gold leaf floral pattern with a double outline of white neon surrounding the lettering of the sign.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 05/09/2025

Just because you can make a handheld SDR/LoRA/GNSS/Thermal Camera Linux handheld doesn't mean you SHOULD. Just kidding. I love this thing. I upgraded it to a CM5 and it works surprisingly well. www.clockworkpi.com/uconsole hackergadgets.com/products/uco... www.tindie.com/products/dee...

a cyberdeck-style computer, with a handheld form factor. The screen is showing a waterfall plot of a frequency spectrum. Below that is a keyboard. The device has 4 antennas on it and a thermal camera on the right side.

The top of the device, showing a pcb with antenna mounts for GNSS, LoRA, Wifi, and a telescoping antenna.

A close up of the thermal camera plugged in to the USBC port. The screen is not showing a thermal image - it is still displaying the SDR Waterfall chart.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 02/09/2025

I always loved the Grumpy’s sign in Minneapolis. That said, 99% of the time I was just going to Maxwell’s instead.

A photo of a space age neon sign reading “Grumpy’s Dining Bar” - taken at night with a storefront filled with brewery signs slightly visible below.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 27/08/2025

A @bsky.app feature that I wish LinkedIn would adopt:

A screen shot of the “muted words” feature in the BlueSky app - with the text “salon musk” entered

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 12/08/2025

Pretty sure my wife won't be excited to see what I'm making. But this looks like a fun project so.....here we go.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 08/08/2025

Great neon and a weird movie. I ❤️ Brazil

A theater marquee with blue outline bubble letters spelling “Film Forum” and a lot of movies underneath. The entire storefront is covered in scaffolding

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 03/08/2025

Made a trip out to the New York Sign Museum - highly recommend. Not a ton of neon but good for history of signs in the city

A red neon sign reading Bongos 85. It’s made up of three strips of 10mm tube forming a serif scrip word underlined with incandescent bulbs

A photo of a workshop with many old yellow signs from closed businesses

A pink neon “Queen” sign burring behind many old panel storefront signs hanging from the ceiling. The word is in an all capital script and the Q has a little crown in the negative space.

A shot from the ship, with a big “Jesus Saves” sign on the right, a Pizza sign in the left, and a blade style Deli sign.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 21/07/2025

USB powered neon? Sure. Why not? Just a small scrap tube - this is a proof of concept for a desk art sculpture I’m working on. This is a tek22 12vdc to 5kv connected to a USBC to 12v power supply.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 22/06/2025

Which of these goes on my neon toolbox? Because they’re all awesome. My god, what have I done?

Three stickers referencing the Talking Heads. One in the shape of a stop sign reading “stop making sense” one reading “same as it ever was” over and over, and finally one in a Trivial Pursuit style design reading “you may ask yourself” followed by the lyrics to Once in a Lifetime.

You may ask yourself:
How does this work?
Am I right?
Am I wrong?
How did I get here?
Where is that large automobile?

My god! What have I done?

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 10/06/2025

Made a much smaller 6mm tube paper plane - and filled with Neon & Mercury - mostly because I love the color change with temperature

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 25/05/2025

I found a new life goal - when I eventually buy a house in Palm Springs, I want neon house numbers like I saw today in Greenpoint 🤤

Close up of a white neon house number reading 163

A great townhouse with a black door and a white neon sign reading 163 (the house number)

A red brick town house with the white neon sign reading 175 right on the exposed brick

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 24/05/2025

Neon shop is closed this weekend sooooo time to buy more pen ink and Italian cocktails

Four boxes of fountain pen ink - sitting on a bar with a background shelf with a hundred-ish bottles of amaro and vermouth

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 11/05/2025

Hmm. I can’t leave all of this space on my try open for long. Time to get more inks 🤷‍♂️

A notepad with a pen on it. Behind it is a wooden tray with a blue and green fountain pen ink bottle. Behind that is a Louis Poulsen PH 3/2 Poul Henningsen lamp.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 11/05/2025

Inspired by @brunettewreck.bsky.social - I just picked up a plunger/converter for my pen and a few inks. Let’s make a mess.

Several shelves filled with colorful bottles of fountain pen inks

A shot of hundreds of pens and notebooks for people to try writing on. Most are colorful gel type pens, stacked in small mason jars

A pair of bottles of ink, a notebook, and a pen nib soaking in a small flask being cleaned

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 07/05/2025

Pfft. Vi/M are easy to close. Just ask ChatGPT

a screen shot of ChatGPT with the query "how do I exit vi?"

The responses are to power off the computer or kill the process.

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 02/05/2025

Looking at this closer. 1) I like the Y - normally I start from the bottom but this looks nice 2) c’mon - it’s a bummer the Technolux logo is visible

Side vide of a yellow neon Y where the glass connects at the top part of both halves of the Y

Technilux N117 gold marking visible on the front of a neon letter

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Electron Valve @electronvalve.co · 02/05/2025

JOSEPH KOSUTH ONE AND EIGHT-A DESCRIPTION circa 1965 On display for the next week and a half or so at Sotheby’s Est 100-150k

A yellow neon sign in block letters reading

“NEON ELECTRICAL LIGHT ENGLISH GLASS LETTERS YELLOW EIGHT”

A side view of the darkened neon sign reading

“NEON ELECTRICAL LIGHT ENGLISH GLASS LETTERS YELLOW EIGHT”

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