02-08-2018 11:28 PM
02-09-2018 01:27 AM
No.
I think it is just a thing
02-09-2018 09:24 AM
It's part of a neon sign. Do an image search of "Sputnik Neon." There was on the laundromat in my neighborhood.
02-09-2018 09:36 AM - edited 02-09-2018 09:37 AM
wrote:It's part of a neon sign. Do an image search of "Sputnik Neon." There was on the laundromat in my neighborhood.
I'm not sure this was ever neon, but I believe you did nail it as a "Sputnik sign":
and
I had forotten about those things but, you're right, and they were everywhere -- laundromats, drive-ins, motels, you-name-it.
02-09-2018 10:07 AM
02-09-2018 04:59 PM
wrote:It's part of a neon sign. Do an image search of "Sputnik Neon." There was on the laundromat in my neighborhood.
You've got it. It seems the technical term for them is "Roto-spheres." Interesting article here:
02-09-2018 05:02 PM
wrote:I'm not sure this was ever neon
If you zoom in really close you can just about see a lighting filament around the edges.
02-09-2018 05:05 PM
wrote:
wrote:I'm not sure this was ever neon
If you zoom in really close you can just about see a lighting filament around the edges.
Okay, thanks. Not something I could see, even zooming in. It's a nifty thing.
02-10-2018 12:50 AM
wrote:
wrote:I'm not sure this was ever neon
If you zoom in really close you can just about see a lighting filament around the edges.
Oops! Make that "lighting tube," since neon lights don't have filaments.
02-10-2018 02:16 AM
I am old enough to have seen such things above restaurant and drive-in signs and such. I believe you would find an excellent market for it if your wish is to sell.
09-22-2018 04:34 PM
Thanks for the link about the Roto-spheres. Interesting read indead!
Cheers
Timeless Objekt
09-22-2018 09:22 PM
I like the yellow and the turquoise ones the best. The multi-color ones are just too darn fussy. Wasn't the original Sputnik silver?
09-23-2018 01:01 AM - edited 09-23-2018 01:04 AM
sonomabarn67 wrote:Wasn't the original Sputnik silver?
It was, indeed. However, it seems the design wasn't based on the satellite - at least, not directly - but on a "commercial for a children's toy or a spinning Christmas ornament." And in fact it doesn't really resemble the original Sputnik very much at all, when you look at it:
By the way, this is quite an old thread... I wonder if the OP has had any success with restoring or selling it.
09-23-2018 02:21 PM
That's very true. If the orig Sputnik turned up at a antique show or flea, no one would believe it because it doesn't look like the "real" Sputnik seen on ebay!
RIP Laika