Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that neon exposure can be hazardous. Though liquid neon can be hazardous because it is so cold, neon lights use the gas form. This version has been corrected.

A reader wants to fix this neon clock, but some clock shops didn’t want to work on it because of the neon. (Reader photo)

Q: I have a neon clock that I bought in 1992. The neon light is fine, but the clock stopped working. I took it to a clock shop and phoned a second one, but neither wanted to work on it out of fear of breaking the neon tube and having to replace it. I have a friend who has the same clock and who had to replace the movement, but he said it was very difficult and recommended that I not try to fix the clock on my own. The part is by Lanshire, and the number is XL7. I found refurbished movements at Norkro in Portland, Ore. How do I find someone to make the repair?

Germantown

A: In addition to selling parts, Norkro (503-352-5483; norkro.com) does repair work. The owner, Michael Radi, said he’s been doing this work for 18 years and repairs several Lanshire mechanisms each week.

The repair would cost $45 to $65, assuming you send him only the movement. He prefers that because it would eliminate the risk of having the neon break during shipping. If you send him the whole clock, he would charge $125.

The factory that made Lanshire parts discontinued production several years ago, Radi said in an email. But he has a supply of gears and other parts, so he is able to rebuild the motors. The biggest variable in pricing, other than whether he has to take out and reinstall the mechanism, is the quality of the gears.

First produced in 1935, Hummel figurines are based on sketches made by a German nun, Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. A reader is looking for a business that repairs them. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

If you’d rather connect with someone closer to home, Edward Compton, owner of Ecker’s Clock & Watch Shop in Bethesda (301-652-0549; eckersclocks.com), said he’s happy to work on neon clocks and Lanshire mechanisms. He would need to inspect the clock to give an estimate, but he said the repair could run between $200 and $250, depending on how difficult it is to extract the mechanism and what is wrong with it.

Is there a place that fixes Hummels?

Arlington

Two places that repair Hummel figurines are Chatree’s in Alexandria (703-548-0168; chatrees.com) and MacDowell Restorations in Waterford, Va. (540-882-9000; macdowellrestorations.com).

Chatree, who goes only by the name he has given to his shop, said the cost varies according to the degree of damage, of course, but also according to the type of repair you want. He can glue pieces back together, generally for $15 to $45 per figurine, “but you will see a line,” he said. Or he can make what he calls a cosmetic repair, meaning the seams will be invisible. That might cost $35 to $85.

The most challenging part of a cosmetic repair is matching the glaze colors and sheen. Hummels are fired at a relatively low temperature, midway between terra cotta and earthenware and far lower than porcelain, he said. “They break easily. If you sneeze on them, they break,” he said with a chuckle. Hummels have a satin glaze, “not too gloss and not too matte,” he said.

Karin MacDowell, who owns MacDowell Restorations with her husband, Robert, said that if your broken pieces have clean, unstained edges that fit together well, they can glue them together so tightly that the seams will be nearly invisible and the piece will appear as good as new. Their fees begin around $150.

She suggested emailing a picture to rmacdowell@macdowellrestorations.com so they can assess the damage and make a recommendation. “Sometimes a repair is not worth it,” she said.

Antique HQ (antique-hq.com) publishes a chart showing suggested retail prices and fair market values (auction prices), for Hummel figurines. A few go for more than $1,000, while many others are less than $150, especially at auction prices.

Hummel figurines are based on sketches made by a German nun, Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. First produced in 1935, they became valuable collectors’ items in the 1970s, but prices then dropped. The original manufacturer, W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik in Germany, stopped making them in 2008. A few other companies have tried to keep them in production since then, with mixed results.

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