I need someone to repair my neon beer sign...

Does anyone know of anyone in the Bay Area who repairs neon beer signs? Trust me, it is beyond my ability to repair. Would a sign shop take on a repair this small? I wouldn't bother fixing a LITE beer sign but the palm tree and waves make it pretty cool. Here is an example of one that is working. Mine has a crack on the outer ring but the inside stuff works.

Any sign shop that deals in neon should have no problem blowing you a new ring to replace your sign. Heck I'm sure if you wanted to remove the word "Lite" with a sail boat or something, they would do it. I have worked for both sign shops and Miller beer, and I can tell you that they aren't that big of a pain in the wazoo to repair. I will say, don't take it to a beer distributor (especially to get repaired) because thy normally don't like to let their neon signs get away from them (even if you legally bought them). That might not go for all distributors, but the one I worked for was notorious for keeping POS signage years after the advertising campaign has been forgotten.

But, I cannot help you with local neon/sign shops. I recommend calling around to get prices (make sure you know the circumference of the broken area in case they ask) and make sure you pick one that's been around for a while. Neon stations are delicate beasts and the right person has to know the correct way to do it so that the bends are nice and smooth. Good luck!

I work at a sign shop in Sacramento that does neon design and repair, but I have to warn you, it's not for the faint of heart. Even minor repairs can cost a minimum of a couple hundred bucks. We used to have a full time neon blower, but the industry has changed so much that neon work isn't as common as it used to be and he now just works part time.

On 2011-04-12 03:53, SuperEight wrote:
I need someone to repair my neon beer sign...

You need to repair your choice of beer too. :D

Good luck on the sign.

Sorry about the sign. I know of someone that works in glass media in Alameda, his name is Jaime Guerrero, and his studio is actually just a few blocks from my house. He makes all kinds of amazing glass sculptures, and can blow glass as well. A couple of years ago, I searched all over for someone that could blow a couple of large 16 inch glass globes to match a vintage one that I have, and everyone that I talked to said that if I wanted one that big, then I should talk to Jaime. He can be pricey, though, it all depends on the scope of the job - blowing a large 16 inch globe was a three man job: one person to run the kiln and open the kiln doors for him, another to assist him in getting the glass set up, and Jaime to actually blow the glass orb. And this was during our last oil crisis a couple of years ago when oil was at a then all time high - he said that just firing up the kiln cost him $100!

But the scope of what you need might be much much easier to deal with. If Jaime is too pricey, or doesn't work in neon, I'm willing to bet that he could refer you to someone that could help you out. You can find his contact info here: http://www.guerreroglass.com/contact.html

Also, signs like that are fairly common on ebay. The prices run all over the place, from really outrageously pricey to really outrageously cheap. Here's a Lite Beer one with a palm tree for $175, one with a cactus for $69, an O'Doul's bowling one for $125, and one with a kangaroo that's currently going for only $4.99 (but has expensive shipping). There are a LOT of them on ebay, my search pulled up over 6,700 items, so you just have to keep looking to find the right one at the right price. I have a sign exactly like this one that Coco Loco absoluely DESPISES, and just searching for "lite beer neon" pulled up exact matches for mine that this time ranged from $175 to over $300, but the last time I checked the price on it (two years ago) I found them as cheap as $25 bucks. So who knows, maybe Coco Loco will sell mine to you when I'm not looking! :D

If it ends up being too expensive to repair, and you decide to replace your sign, there are a bunch out there that are cool, or "interesting". Such as Fat Tire, Blue Moon, Star Wars, and Beer Pong. There are a lot of cool old vintage ones, such as Buckeye Beer, and Stag, but my favs are this Bear Whiz Beer one, and this really cool vintage Alley Oop Bowling sign from Oakland, Calif. I couldn't find a "Tiki Food" neon sign in a big neon circle with a big slash through it, though. Hope this info helps, and hope you can get your sign fixed!

http://www.nightsofneon.com/
located in Van Nuys, CA.