Garage

From time to time, we're asked to breathe a little life back into a piece—just enough to make it more visually appealing. Most collectors prefer their old signs to look like they did right before they gave up the ghost. The image to the right shows the result after a few subtle touchups.

This is a great shot of the “good” side of the sign. Most signs that come through our facility have one good side and one bad—usually the bad side spent 80+ years baking in the afternoon sun, which cooked the paint right off. We can almost always tell how the sign was mounted based on the damage.

Delivery day is always a highlight of any project. We clean the shop, circle the piece for hours—sometimes days—looking for the smallest touchups to make before it heads out in the truck or trailer. When all is said and done, transporting a rare and highly valuable piece of American history is something we take with the utmost seriousness.

After carefully touching up this side of the sign, you can see how we preserved its weathered character. We use a variety of techniques to maintain that authentic 100-year-old look. At Fire Creek, we take pride in helping a piece look its age—especially when time needs a little help.

It’s always a great feeling to finish bending all the neon and then mount it back onto the sign—just like it was done 100 years ago in this sign’s case. Recreating the original patterns and strokes of the neon as closely as possible honors the way the original craftsman brought it to life.

At the Institute, we take every precaution to ensure safe and secure transport, from custom crating to padded straps and protective wrapping. Not only did this piece arrive safely to the customer—we also helped them hang it on the wall with care and precision. A job well done and a moment of pride.