Tod Swormstedt: The Roto-Sphere

Aaron Hammett: Reacted to “Warren Milks (invent…” with 😯

Randall Homan: Hello from San Francisco Neon!

Debra Jane Seltzer: Reacted to “Hello from San Francisco Neon!” with ❤️

Jonathan F: Reacted to “Hello from San Francisco Neon!” with ❤️

Todd Matuszewicz: Hello from Denver

Dydia DeLyser: Hello from Los Angeles. Glad to see you looking younger @Todd Matuszewicz

jim foreman: I live in Cincinnati, have been a member of the sign museum for many years, and it is well worth a visit.

Walter: i just visited the sign museum a few months ago, loved it

Jonathan F: Greetings from Brooklyn, NYC and a volunteer at the NY Sign Museum.
100% agree, If you’ve never been to the American Sign Museum, highly recommended, a must-see!

Laura Cotton: Hi from Albuquerque NM- we used to live in Ohio and visited the museum several times.

Laura Cotton: The NY sign museum is at top of list for our next visit to NYC!

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “Hello from Denver” with 🥳

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “Hello from Los Angeles. Glad to see you looking younger @Todd Matuszewicz” with 🤣

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “Greetings from Brooklyn, NYC and a volunteer at the NY Sign Museum.
100% agree, If you’ve never been to the American Sign Museum, highly recommended, a must-see!” with 😳

Chris Geddes: Tuning in from Denver as well… have got to figure out a way to get to Cincinnati to see this museum. Sounds AMAZING!!

Debra Jane Seltzer: Actually, the photo of Warren w/the Roto-Sphere was taken in Shreveport (just across the river) from where Warrent lived.

Jason smith: Reacted to “Actually, the phot…” with 👍

Laura Cotton: There is still one in Moriarity, NM but it no longer works.

Ken Stratman: Reacted to “There is still one…” with 😥

Debra Jane Seltzer: The Roto-Sphere page:
roadarch.com/roto.html

Jason smith: Reacted to “The Roto-Sphere pa…” with 👍

Ed Ochi: Reacted to “The Roto-Sphere page:
roadarch.com/roto.html” with ♥️

Christina Frasier: Reacted to “The Roto-Sphere page:
roadarch.com/roto.html” with ❤️

Jason smith: Reacted to “The Roto-Sphere pa…” with ❤️

Stephanie Stuckey: Been to the one in M…
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Debra Jane Seltzer: The one in Memphis was only partly lit and not spinning in June. These signs are “temperamental” (lots of work to maintain).

Alan Whitaker: I can fix it !!!

Jonathan F: Reacted to “The Roto-Sphere page:
roadarch.com/roto.html” with ❤️

Alexa: This is such a cool sign

Ken Stratman: Reacted to “I can fix it !!!” with ❤️

Jason smith: Reacted to “I can fix it !!!” with 👍

Stephanie Stuckey: Lakeland is worth th…
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Ken Stratman: Reacted to “Lakeland is worth …” with 👍

Alan Whitaker: Reacted to “Lakeland is worth th…” with 👍

Jonathan F: Reacted to “Lakeland is worth th…” with 👍

Denny Gibson: Greg Holmes, a.k.a. Ace Jackalope

Stephanie Stuckey: Question: Is the rotor sphere also referred to as “sputnik sign?”

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “The Roto-Sphere page:
roadarch.com/roto.html” with ❤️

Jason smith: were the spikes shipped with neon, or did the sign shop buying them have to fit them with neon?

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “Been to the one in M…” with 🤯

Ken Stratman: Amen Alan

Debra Jane Seltzer: Replying to “were the spikes shipped with neon, or did the sign shop buying them have to fit them with neon?”

The spikes didn’t have neon — shipped in their own box. The sphere was shipped on a pallet. The customer decided neon colors and paint colors. So some had multi-color neon and others one color.

Laura Cotton: The wind killed the restored one in NM

Jason smith: Reacted to “The spikes didn’t …” with 👍

Jason smith: Replying to “were the spikes sh…”

thank you

Stephanie Stuckey: Question: were the r…
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Debra Jane Seltzer: Replying to “Question: Is the rotor sphere also referred to as “sputnik sign?””

Warren never called them that but other people did. The name “Roto-Sphere” comes from the fact that these signs rotated in really 3 directions. The halves of the sphere spin in opposite directions (creating that crazy effect) and the whole sign revolves on the pole.

Laura Cotton: Isn’t there something similar to this at the ASM now? I seem to recall it, but it is a lot smaller.

Ken Stratman: Reacted to “The wind killed th…” with 😢

Debra Jane Seltzer: Lots of revolving going on then!
And lots of other sputnik style signs going on in 1960s: Neo-Lectras and more — https://www.roadarch.com/sca/roto2.html

but I don’t think copycats — there were lots of popular shapes in the 1950s/1960s (stars, amoebas, etc.):

The Norge Village signs were really at the beginning of plexiglass use.
https://www.roadarch.com/signs/norge.html

Jeff North: My dad has passed now, but he worked at South Bend Neon / North American Signs for over 40 years. I do remember driving by the Factory Tile Sign and him talking about it with pride as one of theirs. I am pretty sure he would have worked on it at some point. I am so glad ASM has preserved this; I can’t wait to visit the musueum.

Debra Jane Seltzer: Replying to “Isn’t there something similar to this at the ASM now? I seem to recall it, but it is a lot smaller.”

You’re probably think of the Shopland Satellite sign:

Laura Cotton: Replying to “Isn’t there somethin…”

Yes!

Steve Hartwich: Fantastic! Thank you!!

Christina Frasier: Reacted to “My dad has passed now, but he worked at South Bend Neon / North American Signs for over 40 years. I do remember driving by the Factory Tile Sign and him talking about it with pride as one of theirs. I am pretty sure he would have worked on it at some point. I am so glad ASM has preserved this; I can’t wait to visit the musueum.” with ❤️

Allison Engel: Is Warren Milks still alive? Was he aware of this renovation effort?

Ken Stratman: 👏

Joan Eddis-Koch: Reacted to “I can fix it !!!” with ❤️

Alan Woodruff: were all of the Roto Spheres multi color? Maybe some were tonal or solid color?

Laura Cotton: Can you repost that? I think you put it up before I joined and I would like to see the earrings!

Jeremy Ebersole: I picked the rotosphere for our SCA business cards years ago, as it seemed like there was really nothing more evocative of our mission 🙂

Mike Conway: Thank you Tod for a great presentation and thank you Alan and Debra Jane for saving this outstanding historical part of Americana.

Jason smith: is there ability build/convert existing ones to vfd motor drives to cut back on maintence? or eleminate componets prone to failure?

Kurt Schultz: Huntsvillians from back in the day appreciate your restoration and display of the McDonald’s sign that was part of Huntsville, AL for so many years. When we moved to Huntsville in the early 1970s we stayed in the hotel next to the restaurant where it was. It has been a part of my life and I was so happy to see it picked up.

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “My dad has passed now, but he worked at South Bend Neon / North American Signs for over 40 years. I do remember driving by the Factory Tile Sign and him talking about it with pride as one of theirs. I am pretty sure he would have worked on it at some point. I am so glad ASM has preserved this; I can’t wait to visit the musueum.” with 🤯

Todd Matuszewicz: As a tie in to the A…
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Laura Cotton: I just watched a short film at the NM History Museum about a mid-90’s effort to restore a bunch of signs in NM along RT 66, including the Roto-Sphere in Moriarity. Sadly, several of them are in disrepair again.

Laura Cotton: Shop Land was the one I was thinking of.

Debra Jane Seltzer: Replying to “Isn’t there something similar to this at the ASM now? I seem to recall it, but it is a lot smaller.”

Also the Earl Scheib sign has the neon cars going around the globe.

Rody Walter: For Alan…given your extensive mechanical knowledge of the Roto Sphere, if given the opportunity to re-design using modern equipment and techniques, what would you target for improvement?

Laura Cotton: Replying to “Isn’t there somethin…”

I remember the Earl Schieb one too. My husband grew up in Cincinnati and he just sang the jingle for me!

Peter Ives: I’m also in Albuquerque and often saw the sign in Moriarty which is 40 miles to the east. It is next to a restaurant (now closed I think) and an antiques shop. It still stands, but yes, doesn’t rotate. Years earlier there was another in Gallup NM on Route 66/I-40 to the west near the Arizona border. It was damaged by a wind storm and was taken to Albuquerque (for repair?). Wonder if that was where the Moriarty one came from.

Kurt Schultz: Reacted to “ee37ccd61424f7afa11957f8fab774d7.jpg” with ❤️

Laura Cotton: Replying to “I’m also in Albuquer…”

According to the film, the one in Moriarity was put there originally when the restaurant opened in the 60’s- It was restored in the mid-90’s using a Model-

Laura Cotton: Replying to “I’m also in Albuquer…”

T engine. High winds burned the motor out. The family that owned the restaurant still ran it until Covid times, now it is an antique store and the sphere is still there but not working. There is a guy here who has saved a bunch of old signs and has been keeping them in a warehouse, so the Roto-Sphere that was in Albuquerque might be there.

Debra Jane Seltzer: I have seen some smaller, modern versions but they are pretty cheese-y.

Aaron Hammett: Replying to “I’m also in Albuquerque and often saw the sign in Moriarty which is 40 miles to the east. It is next to a restaurant (now closed I think) and an antiques shop. It still stands, but yes, doesn’t rotate. Years earlier there was another in Gallup NM on Route 66/I-40 to the west near the Arizona border. It was damaged by a wind storm and was taken to Albuquerque (for repair?). Wonder if that was where the Moriarty one came from.”

VFD is electronic control for motors to control torque without a gearbox. VFD is Variable Frequency Drive.

Jason smith: Thank You Alan for your respone. I agree.

Debra Jane Seltzer: Replying to “As a tie in to the A…”

Yup – Star Bread was in Denver. Bottom of my Roto-Sphere page you’ll find LOADS of links to all the signs that are gone now.

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “Yup – Star Bread was in Denver. Bottom of my Roto-Sphere page you’ll find LOADS of links to all the signs that are gone now.” with ❤️

Chris Geddes: Reacted to “As a tie in to the A…” with ❤️

Debra Jane Seltzer: Replying to “ee37ccd61424f7afa11957f8fab774d7.jpg”

Above is Earl Scheib sign at the ASM.

Jason smith: Alan 👍👍👍

Ken Stratman: Thank y’all for doin’ the Lord’s work. I appreciate it so much.

Debra Jane Seltzer: Replying to “I’m also in Albuquerque and often saw the sign in Moriarty which is 40 miles to the east. It is next to a restaurant (now closed I think) and an antiques shop. It still stands, but yes, doesn’t rotate. Years earlier there was another in Gallup NM on Route 66/I-40 to the west near the Arizona border. It was damaged by a wind storm and was taken to Albuquerque (for repair?). Wonder if that was where the Moriarty one came from.”

The Albuquerque sign is in a private collection (not in Moriarty).

Alexa: I really need to get there

Stephanie Stuckey: I’ve been to the museum. It’s amazing!!

Laura Cotton: Replying to “I’m also in Albuquer…”

I would love to get a hold of the one in Moriarity for MY private collection! 😁

Alexa: Thank you for all you do to preserve the history!

Joan Eddis-Koch: There are a ton of other very cool places in Cincinnati in addition to the American Sign museum, so it is very much worth the trip! 😎

Peter Ives: Replying to “I’m also in Albuquer…”

The Garcia family in ABQ has stashed a batch of neon signs in a warehouse near Lomas Blvd and the RR tracks. They hope to have a museum soon. Thanx you Laura Cotton for the reminder .

Greg Johnsen: Tod is the best!!!!

Laura Cotton: Replying to “There are a ton of o…”

It’s a fun town.

Randall Homan: Tod, Alan, and Debra Jane, what an all-star team for Roto-Spheres!

Dydia DeLyser: It’s wonderful to see three people with such different kinds of expertise collaborate on an amazing project and a wonderful presentation! Thank you all three!

Stephanie Stuckey: Thank you, Tod, Alan and Debra Jane for all y’all do

Christina Frasier: Thank you so much. This was amazing!

Dydia DeLyser: Tod’s office at the ASM is right on “Main Street” with a sign on his door. Look for him!

Jeremy Ebersole: Awesome book on the ASM too! https://sca-roadside.org/american-sign-museum-celebrating-25-years/

Tod Swormstedt: Sign up to Stay in Touch!

Jason smith: My family and I have been to Sign The museum loved it! hoping to go back to see the expansion and the Rotosphere.

Ben Grothaus: Reacted to “Sign up to Stay in Touch!” with ❤️

Scott Field: Great presentation and thanks for all the work on the research and restoration

Chris Geddes: This was fabulous!! Thank you all for sharing your love of rotospheres with us!

Jeff North: Thanks so much for this session and for the work of SCA and ASM!

Jason smith: Great Presentation, Thank you to all!

Jeremy Ebersole: https://www.americansignmuseum.org/

Aaron Hammett: Reacted to “This was fabulous!! Thank you all for sharing your love of rotospheres with us!” with 👍

Randall Homan: Thanks SCA!

Dydia DeLyser: Thank you!!