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Short filmTranscript
00:00A workshop full of wonders.
00:03I heard the word watch.
00:06Home to experts and time-honoured crafts.
00:09Hopefully, we've got this in the nick of time.
00:12Together repairing treasured pieces of the past.
00:15Oh, no.
00:17Wow, look at that.
00:18Wow, look at that.
00:21I'm quite proud of that.
00:23And unlocking their stories.
00:25I'm completely blown away by this.
00:27Oh, dear.
00:30Bringing the broken.
00:32Oh, I'm desperate to take a look.
00:35Back to life.
00:37Oh, fantastic.
00:42Oh, my.
00:44Wow, this is amazing.
00:47Welcome to the repair shop.
00:57How are you this morning, Jules?
00:59Oh, I'm fantastic.
01:00I've had my coffee.
01:01Excellent.
01:09First to arrive at the barn from Ledbury, history enthusiast Mary, with a piece of clothing that tells of service to the nation at a turning point in time.
01:21It's destined for experts in all things leather, Susie Fletcher.
01:27Hello.
01:28Hello.
01:29Hi there.
01:30Hi.
01:31Welcome to the barn.
01:33What's this?
01:34This is a 1941 Auxiliary Territorial Service jerking.
01:41Goodness.
01:42The Auxiliary Territorial Service was the ladies' branch of the army.
01:47So this would have been worn in World War II then?
01:49In World War II, yes.
01:51I can show you the label there.
01:53Yeah.
01:54It's really nice on the inside, isn't it?
01:56It's lovely.
01:57It's wool, so it would be warm.
01:58So it says here in November 1941?
02:01Yes.
02:02Good.
02:03Yes.
02:04In the Second World War, over 250,000 women served in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service to free up men for combat.
02:16Driving army vehicles was one of many roles taken on by women, as was delivering urgent military messages on motorbikes.
02:26It would have been worn by drivers, motorcycle dispatch riders.
02:32This was one of the things they would have been issued with.
02:34What is it about the ATS that resonates with you?
02:37For the first time, women were able to step up and show that they could do the jobs that the men had done.
02:43And for a lot of them, it gave them their first taste of freedom.
02:47So being a little bit of a rebel and pushing boundaries myself, I felt that connection with those sort of ladies.
02:56Now, this is quite an interesting garment to own.
02:59I mean, has this been passed down through family or...?
03:02No. My sister writes in a classic motorcycle magazine and said,
03:07if anyone's got any stories or history about ladies in the ATS, we'd love to hear.
03:12And somebody wrote in and said, I've got this jacket.
03:15If you think it's of any use, you can have it.
03:18And by doing events and wearing things like this, we're able to keep it in people's memories.
03:24What events would those be?
03:26These would be World War II reenactment events.
03:29My role is the female dispatch rider.
03:32I'd been doing other types of reenactment and it suddenly clicked together that I could do all those things,
03:40the motorcycling, the reenactment and promoting women, all in one job.
03:47When I first got it, I wore it whenever I could.
03:50But that was when I began to realise that I was perhaps doing damage to it.
03:56I don't actually wear it much now.
03:59As you can see, the leather itself has been rubbed away.
04:02I believe that somebody's put it on over quite a lot of layers and ripped some of the arms.
04:08Yeah.
04:09And then if we look at the back, I'm not sure what's happened there.
04:13So, really, if you could do something that means I can wear it without worrying.
04:19Right.
04:20It is very precious to me.
04:22And I just want to share my enthusiasm for all of this with everybody.
04:29That's sort of my goal in life, really.
04:33Thank you so much for taking it on.
04:36We'll see you soon.
04:37Bye-bye.
04:38Bye-bye.
04:39The leather condition itself, over time, has weakened and it's beginning to flake away.
05:06The damage around the armpit here, we've got an actual tear.
05:13So, I have to figure out how I can repair that in an authentic way so it doesn't look out of place.
05:20When I look at the back, the hole in the shoulder here is quite extensive.
05:29But the first thing I need to start with is applying a gel that's going to help to stabilise all of those loose fibres and hopefully stick some of that surface back down.
05:42The barn's next project has already got Will and electronics expert Mark fired up.
05:57Now this looks really interesting.
05:58Yeah.
05:59Look at that.
06:00Not made of wood, so not for me.
06:01No, it's definitely for me.
06:05For husband and wife Stephen and Chris from Southampton, it holds the key to hidden memories of a life long gone.
06:16Hello.
06:17Hello, how are you?
06:18Nice to see you.
06:19Nice to see you.
06:20Do come sit down.
06:21Oh, hello.
06:22This is Gemma.
06:23Gemma, hello Gemma.
06:24Hello Gemma.
06:25Come sit.
06:26What do we have here?
06:27It's a projector which was owned from a good friend of ours called Frank.
06:31How did you meet Frank?
06:33We're both carpenters and when he came out of the Navy, he did a training course to become a carpenter.
06:39And I was working on some particular houses and Frank was working next door.
06:45And Christmas came and I said to Chris, he's very lonely, which he was.
06:50And I said, could we invite him for Christmas dinner?
06:53He came up and that was it.
06:55And he just became part of the family.
06:58He was like a father to us, wasn't he really?
07:00The best friend and father.
07:01Yeah, and the best friend, yeah.
07:03What sort of person was Frank?
07:05Very caring.
07:06I suffered many years disease, which is a disease of the inner ear.
07:10And he's been there so many times for me.
07:13It was a great friendship.
07:15Yeah.
07:16So what's on the reels?
07:17They're all the films of which Frank actually took while he was in the Royal Navy.
07:21He started his normal seaman and he carried on getting promoted until he became Chief Petty Officer.
07:27We saw a snippet about 40 years ago of one of the films.
07:31And then the projector gave up the ghost.
07:34Oh, right. Okay.
07:35And that was the last time?
07:36That was the last time it's been used, yes.
07:37Wow.
07:38Hidden memories.
07:39Yeah.
07:40Hidden memories, yeah.
07:41When were these being filmed originally?
07:43Probably from about 1958.
07:45He used to film various places he went to all over the world.
07:50Frank passed last November.
07:53And he always wanted us to have them because, you know, sorry, our children show such interest in them.
08:03But sorry.
08:05No, not at all.
08:06I tried so many times to get it repaired.
08:08Yeah.
08:09Places.
08:10Didn't want to take a chance of repairing it.
08:11Because it looks in pretty good condition for something so old.
08:14But that's obviously because it hasn't been used because it doesn't work.
08:16No.
08:17As you can see, it's got some broken pieces here which, unfortunately, I don't know where they go.
08:23No.
08:24How will it feel to have this working?
08:27It would just mean so much, wouldn't it, to be able to see Frank?
08:31It would be very powerful.
08:33I'm emotional now.
08:34I'm trying to hold it in just thinking about it.
08:37No pressure then.
08:39Well, it's been lovely to meet you both.
08:41Actually, to meet all three of you.
08:43Leave it with us and we'll see you very soon.
08:46You take care.
08:47Thanks a lot. Bye-bye.
08:48Bye-bye.
08:50Good girl, Jim.
08:52Frank did leave a legacy behind.
09:04Not just this projector, but also these remarkable films.
09:07There's a few little bits missing which should be in here.
09:11So let's just take the rear panel off.
09:14Now, the first thing I can see in here, there is definitely a belt missing.
09:18That belt takes up the film after it's gone through the projector.
09:22So it wraps it back round the spool.
09:24And that is very specific to the machine.
09:26So that's going to be a bit more fun.
09:28But what's the real big concern to me is when I'm rotating the shutter itself
09:34and this suddenly jams and it goes really tight,
09:38which would imply it's some, like, gearing.
09:41Oh, that's interesting. Someone's tried to glue it.
09:45And that cog is broken.
09:49Whoops. Here's a nail.
09:51Someone's tried to glue that back on and it didn't work.
09:55So that's why it's jamming.
09:57So what I'm going to need to do now is go and source a belt and a gear
10:01and then after that I can put power to it
10:03and we'll see what other issues I may have in this projector.
10:07Ah!
10:23What do you do? Close your eyes. Just so good.
10:25OK. It's fun. Here.
10:27Right, OK.
10:29Stop it! You're ruining my son!
10:33Having secured the flaking leather of the women's Second World War jerkin,
10:41Susie can now start making her subtle repairs to the tears and holes.
10:47This extensive damage at the shoulder area here,
10:52I'm going to tackle this from the inside.
10:55I need to unpick this seam here to get reinforcing leather in there.
11:05I can make sure that there's a match in the colour of the patch underneath
11:11and it will also give it more strength.
11:15Once I've got it in the right position, I will glue it in place.
11:21I've got a very small area here of the original
11:27and then I've got the seam underneath.
11:30And this is the area I'm going to start gluing into position first
11:36to try and get a really good lock on an area that could so easily pull apart
11:41as I'm working on it.
11:43I feel a little bit like a surgeon.
11:48So I'm very, very happy with where that leather is positioned.
12:09It's butted up to that seam beautifully.
12:12Once that's all fixed, I'll go ahead and tackle the rest of this loose area of leather.
12:21Next, Holly from Derbyshire, with a scientific text that's all a jumble
12:36for the attention of bookbinder Chris Shaw.
12:39Holly, hi. Hi. Are you OK? I'm good, thank you.
12:42What have you brought in for us?
12:44I've brought in a very poorly book.
12:46It certainly looks like an old book.
12:48It is. It's from 1879.
12:50It's a book about physiology, which is the subject that I specialise in.
12:54OK.
12:55And it was written by a very, very famous French physiologist called Claude Bernard,
13:00who was pretty much the father of modern scientific exploration in medicine and physiology.
13:06It sounds like this is quite an important book then.
13:08It is, absolutely.
13:10And it was my father's book, who was also a physiologist.
13:13What is physiology?
13:14Well, most people have heard of anatomy.
13:16Yes.
13:17Which is what things look like, which is the structure of an organism.
13:21And physiology is what it does and how it works.
13:24So there's physiology of plants, physiology of animals, and then there's human physiology.
13:28Oh.
13:29And I'm a human physiologist like my dad.
13:32As your father was.
13:33Yeah.
13:34And as his colleague who gifted him the book.
13:35My dad was an amazing scientist and very well published and really renowned all around the world.
13:40And Uncle Frank was sort of the North American equivalent of my dad.
13:43And they became great friends and colleagues.
13:45And to me, he was just Uncle Frank.
13:48Hence why.
13:49This is almost the most important bit.
13:51There's this really terribly fragile, falling apart piece of paper.
13:55And it's got the inscription from my Uncle Frank.
13:57And it says, to Tim Scratchard, which is my dad, with affection to a fellow experimentalist, Frank P Brooks.
14:04And so do you think your love of the subject was through your father?
14:07Completely.
14:08I was so lucky that I had a passion for science when I was a little girl.
14:11And that there was somebody at home that could teach me crazy experiments when I was a little girl growing up.
14:16Oh, brilliant.
14:17He'd be helping me build things in the garage.
14:19So he was an amazing person to grow up with.
14:22So the book, how come you've ended up with it?
14:25I had no idea of its existence until my graduation day.
14:28So my father passed away when I was at university.
14:32So he didn't see me graduate.
14:34And I think my brother must have found it and kept it to present to me on my graduation day.
14:39So it's incredibly important to me.
14:42But it's never been in a condition where I can really appreciate it and enjoy it.
14:47And every time I've kind of thought about it and got out and had a look, another little bit falls off.
14:51The front's not attached.
14:52The back's not attached.
14:53The spine's half missing.
14:54It's very, very sorry.
14:56And I'd love to be able to enjoy it.
14:58Because I mean, if I can gently open some of it, it's got illustrations showing sort of the anatomy and structures.
15:05And I guess this is a very direct link to dad.
15:09Absolutely.
15:10It's the only thing in the fire I'd grab.
15:12Yeah.
15:13It has been an absolute pleasure speaking to you.
15:14Thank you for trusting us with your beautiful book.
15:16No, thank you.
15:17Thanks a lot.
15:18Thank you, Holly.
15:19See you later then.
15:20Bye.
15:21Well, what an amazing book.
15:35Really special.
15:36It's obviously French.
15:38It's absolutely beautiful.
15:40The lovely typeface and the illustration has been hand-colored.
15:43But there is an awful lot wrong with it.
15:46The all-important dedication is beautiful.
15:50They've used Spanish Wave on the inside.
15:53And Spanish Wave came in towards the end of the 19th century.
15:57So this would have been, at that point, height of fashion.
16:01But you can see over the years, it is detached and torn.
16:05That needs sorting.
16:06It's got to be solid copy that she can read.
16:09First thing I'm going to do is clean the original lining off to see whether I need to resew it or not.
16:20Because it's animal-based glues, adding a bit of moisture, it's going to re-act and then lift the paper.
16:32Paste's all on.
16:33Now I just need to leave it to soak in and I can see if the lining comes off in about an hour or so.
16:39Replacing the belt that drives the projector has proved a problem for electronics expert, Mark.
16:56I've managed to source a gear and I've managed to fit that just now, which is good.
17:00But drive belt, can't source one anywhere and I've looked.
17:04To create a replacement using a length of stretchy rubber, he's called on toy restorer and expert in plastics, Charlotte, to provide an extra pair of hands.
17:15This is going to be really fiddly.
17:17I put this in this position where it should go and stretch it and then if you could mark it with that felt tip pen.
17:24Yeah.
17:25That's it.
17:26Great.
17:27Right, now what I need to do is cut that and then I'm going to put these two pieces together.
17:32Heat that up so it's red hot.
17:34Yeah.
17:35Then the blade's going to go in between there.
17:37Without burning you.
17:38Yeah, preferably.
17:39The result should be a near perfect seal.
17:47Okay.
17:50Put it there.
17:51Am I in the middle?
17:53I just slightly off.
17:57What I've got to do now is just let it cool down and then I can give it a trim and we'll see how it goes.
18:02Okay.
18:03No problem.
18:04Thanks so much.
18:09I like that.
18:18That is really good.
18:20Look at you little beauty.
18:23Let's put some light on the subject for a second.
18:28What I'm seeing at the moment is some slight flickering to the image.
18:33I'd expect it not to be so flickery so I need to check that.
18:38The only way to get round that is allow it to run for a considerable amount of time.
18:42This has been a steep for many decades.
18:45The pieces need to get lubricated and run smoothly.
18:48And just like me, it needs to be woken up, get those joints going.
18:51And over a period of time we should then work fluently and be back to normal.
18:56Continuing her quest to make the women's jerkin wearable again for Second World War reenactments, tackling the ripped armhole is Susie's next task.
19:17I've just stained some leather to match the surface of the jerkin because I need some strips to create some trim that I'm going to sew on the front of the armpits here.
19:32What's happened over the years is where there's been a lot of stress is actually tore the leather.
19:40So I'm just going to clip the trim in place so that I can hand sew it.
19:49The beauty of hand sewing is that you feel any sense of weakness and you can compensate for that.
19:59OK, so I've got that first stitch in.
20:07It's really nice because as I pulled up the thread, it drew everything together and it's made this seam where it was breaking apart close up and it's really strong again.
20:21So I'm very pleased with that.
20:24And now I can just get on and concentrate on this stitch line.
20:29It's looking and it's feeling so much stronger.
20:45I now need to focus my attention on recolouring.
20:50So I've got a colouring cream just to get a really nice shine.
20:56When it's dry, I can buff everything up.
21:04It's going to take me quite a while to do.
21:06I think by the end of it, it's going to look really, really beautiful.
21:09The glue's done its job releasing the paper on the spine of the physiology book so Chris can assess the state of the stitching underneath.
21:31Oh, it's actually, all the way along, the sewing's damaged.
21:40That's not good.
21:41That's not what a book should do.
21:42That's not what a book should do.
21:44But it's split in two spots.
21:47So that's an automatic into the naughty corner.
21:50It needs a re-sew.
21:51So I need to dismantle this book and then I've got a mountain of sewing to do later.
21:56I've been running the projector now for some while.
22:08Everything's working relating to the belt.
22:10No flicker, which is very rewarding to see.
22:13However, there is one little problem.
22:16I'll turn the projector off.
22:18There was a couple of items which were outside the projector, which was always a little bit worrying.
22:23And I've been looking at it and I can see exactly where they come from.
22:27It's actually part of the take-up spool for the film.
22:30If you can imagine that this goes on here, like that.
22:35You have the film here and it goes through the machine and then gets picked up to this side.
22:40And it goes in there.
22:42And just tighten it up.
22:45Yes, that's all good.
22:47Now that's in place, I'll put power on.
22:53That seems okay.
22:55The film will be picked up by the take-up spool.
22:58Like that.
23:06Leather restorer Susie's got one more job to do before the women's army jerkin is fully restored.
23:14Well, this jerkin is looking so much healthier.
23:18So I'm going to give the exterior a bit of a break and just focus on what's going on with the lining.
23:23The only thing I think it needs is a little bit of a refresh.
23:27So I'm just going to use a variety of different cloths and brushes here just to remove any of the surface dirt.
23:36I really appreciate all the effort that Mary's putting into keeping those stories, important stories alive.
23:48Part of the uniform worn by women supporting the army during the Second World War, this tattered and torn jerkin had a brief rebirth during historical reenactments.
24:03Hoping she can wear it again to spread the word about the war's female daredevils.
24:12History and motorbike enthusiast, Mary.
24:23Mary, that's incredible.
24:26It's my bike.
24:27It's beautiful.
24:29You look wonderful.
24:30Lovely to see you.
24:31Lovely to see you too.
24:32And you're smiling.
24:33Come in the bow.
24:37Oh gosh, this is exciting.
24:40Look at you.
24:41This is what they would wear as a dispatch rider.
24:44I'm so impressed.
24:45You can see why I want the extra last little bit.
24:49So, are you ready to see it?
24:52I have every faith in you.
24:54Well, let's see.
25:02Oh, wow.
25:04I mean, straight off the colour and the condition of the leather just hits me.
25:12I don't know if I dare touch it.
25:13I'm shaking now.
25:14Oh, bless you.
25:16Oh, look at where those splits were.
25:20And these seams.
25:22And the big hole.
25:28Wow.
25:31Wow.
25:33Um, that is amazing.
25:36You are brilliant.
25:39Oh, dear.
25:40Um, yeah.
25:41I've got watery eyes now.
25:42How silly.
25:44Would you like to try it on?
25:46Yes, please.
25:48Okey dokey.
25:51Manage that.
25:53Here we go.
25:54Oh.
25:55Look at that.
25:57It's sort of a bit like an old friend coming back as well.
26:01That looks absolutely amazing.
26:04It just feels complete.
26:06It just feels complete.
26:09It's just wonderful.
26:11Carry on the good work.
26:13All right.
26:14Take care.
26:15The whole jerkin just gleamed and glowed.
26:23It's lovely.
26:25It symbolises all those women who were determined to do their bit for the war.
26:32And it gives me more inspiration to talk to people about the women who wore these jerkins and these items.
26:41The way of sort of honoring every one of them.
26:45Next, a tired-out traditional instrument that's known countless pairs of hands.
27:04This is a harmonium.
27:06Is this a harmonium?
27:07Yeah.
27:08Yeah.
27:09It looks like an Indian harmonium.
27:11OK.
27:12That must be the most worn I've ever seen one.
27:16Relying on organ restorer David Burville to bring it back to life, Sheminder from Watford.
27:23Hi there.
27:24Hello.
27:25Hello.
27:27This must be yours.
27:28Yes, yes.
27:29It belongs to the family.
27:30It's about 55 to 60 years old.
27:34I mean, it looks slightly older than that at the moment.
27:37It looks well used.
27:39It's very well used.
27:41My father was a passionate musician and he brought it for my mum to learn on.
27:46My mum would practice on it on the dining table.
27:50And I played a lot on it myself for years and years.
27:54And also my dad played on it.
27:55He was very interested in Indian classical music.
27:59And his students also used to play on it.
28:01And my dad had thousands of students across the UK.
28:04What's your dad's name?
28:06Dumeet Singh Verdi.
28:07He used to teach the tabla, which is the Indian drum.
28:10Ah, yeah.
28:11And that's what he was a specialist in.
28:13And so when they came to learn tabla at home, because he had classes at home,
28:16the lounge would be packed with drummers, basically.
28:20This harmonium was always there with the tabla, always open.
28:23And then one of them would play a tune and everyone would jam.
28:27Yeah.
28:28So would you play the harmonium and sing at the same time?
28:30Yes, definitely.
28:32It's used within the Sikh culture on a daily basis.
28:35All the singing will be conducted with this.
28:38This will be on the stage in the Sikh temple, the Gurdwara.
28:41And we sing Sikh hymns from the scriptures.
28:45It gives you a really, like, nice background sound.
28:49My dad, he played with a fluttering motion.
28:52He was creative.
28:53He'd create tunes and then teach them to me.
28:56What was your dad like?
28:57My dad was just incredible.
28:58He was full of life and vitality.
29:01And we really grew up under his bright, sunny personality.
29:06And it was infectious.
29:08He was amazingly popular.
29:10Yeah.
29:11And everyone wanted to be his friend.
29:12But he was just a really good teacher.
29:14I mean, his legacy is continuing, you know, past his death.
29:17And I just think fixing this harmonium would just be incredible.
29:22How does this work?
29:23I've got no idea.
29:24It's actually a wind instrument.
29:26So you have bellows at the back here.
29:29So you pump it.
29:30You pump with one hand and you play with the other.
29:32Oh, so you don't play with both hands?
29:33No, you can't, yeah.
29:35The European ones were foot-pedalled.
29:37So you could play both hands.
29:38But these were always hand-operated.
29:42Yeah, it's in pretty bad condition
29:43because some of the keys have actually broken.
29:47And dropped.
29:49These knobs are not originals.
29:51The original knobs looked like this.
29:53It's an amazing family heirloom
29:55because it has these really fond memories.
29:58Yeah, yeah.
30:00It's really special.
30:01Yeah.
30:02I can't wait to hear this working.
30:04No, neither can I.
30:06Neither can I.
30:07We'll see you very soon.
30:08Thanks a lot.
30:09Bye-bye.
30:17This has been very, very well loved in its life.
30:32What a fantastic piece of history.
30:34But there's a lot of wear and tear,
30:37which you'd expect on something which has been used as much as this has.
30:42So I'm going to have to make some stop knobs on the front.
30:45The keyboard is really poorly.
30:48The keys are actually covered in an early form of plastic,
30:51which is called celluloid.
30:52Really, I want to retain as much of the original key coverings as possible.
30:59So I think I've got an idea of what I can do with the key coverings.
31:03So that's a work in progress.
31:06As I get inside the harmonium, I can see that the reeds, there are some which are bent.
31:14So already I've got lots to do.
31:15I'm going to get further down into the machine and see what else we've got to find.
31:22It's going to be really nice to get this back singing properly again.
31:36To re-sew the physiology books in our pages, Chris is preparing to use an age-old method.
31:44This is originally how the book was sewn back in 1870s.
31:47I still use this method today.
31:49So this is sunken cord method and it's sewn on cords, which is hemp,
31:54and you use a sewing frame to support the hemp.
31:57These are the cords that I'm going to sew around,
31:59which are going to be pulled into the pages, these little grooves.
32:03And you can see as I pull it tight, it goes nice and flush into that little groove.
32:11And it's a continuous strand of thread that I'm using, so straight away it's linked here.
32:17And then I'm going around the cord.
32:21And then you just get a gentle pull and they lock together.
32:26I do really love this time with a book.
32:30You have sort of quiet time with it and you can get to know it and just pick out little snippets.
32:35YouTubbies.
32:38Listen to me.
32:42Yeah.
32:44We're the Ada㏠fillers did look,
32:46we Oh!
32:48We are going to have a butterfly.
32:51Just check the notes,
32:52let's go for fun.
32:53I'm going to have to take my intro and start with g Beni's delan place.
32:55It's love that the egg has been missing.
32:57And I'll show you.
32:59Just talk about nice I have to read about that.
33:01Yes, I have never left.
33:03I've never heard vacuuming be so melodical before.
33:10That's so funny.
33:11I don't think I could play a tune on it,
33:12but it's definitely interesting.
33:15Do it again.
33:23So all the pages now have been mended, reattached,
33:26and now I'm just preparing the new leather to go onto the spine.
33:29To prepare it, you have to pare it down.
33:32You just have to get it so it's flexible,
33:34not too thick, and will open beautifully.
33:37I'm just wetting the leather so it becomes super stretchy.
33:42And on the side that's going to be touching the book,
33:45I'm going to be using some paste.
33:48So I'm all happy with that.
33:49I'm going to start now putting the spine on.
33:55When I pare it, the leather stretches,
33:57and then as it dries, it sort of, like, shrinks back.
34:00I'm just pushing the leather right in,
34:03and then I'll turn in top and bottom.
34:06So that's a new spine on.
34:20Now I just need to leave to dry,
34:22and then I can start remounting the original back down on it.
34:25Now that David's taken the Indian harmonium apart,
34:38he can begin his repairs in earnest.
34:41My first port of call is the reeds.
34:44These really are fundamental to the whole instrument.
34:48This is what produces the sound of the harmonium.
34:51So what I've been doing is making sure that there's no dirt
34:56that could stop the reeds from working.
34:59I've come across one or two which are actually quite badly bent.
35:03This is one of the bent ones,
35:05and this will not make a sound.
35:10Literally air is just passing through.
35:12Now I'm hoping that I can actually bend them back into shape.
35:18So I'm using this tool,
35:21and I can just very gently push the reed down
35:26back to its original position.
35:28The worry here is there's a line which is almost near the bend mark,
35:34and I don't know whether that's a fracture line or a scratch on the metal,
35:39or even a scratch on the metal,
35:40if you're bending it too far,
35:42that can actually cause a fracture.
35:47Just teasing it just a fraction more.
35:50I think that's actually looking quite nice.
35:54Brilliant.
36:01That was quite nerve-wracking.
36:03For that to be working is a major plus point,
36:07so I wouldn't want too many of those.
36:10Yes.
36:19Having equal challenges with the projector...
36:22Come on, you little devil.
36:24Mark's attempting to take off the all-important lens,
36:28so he can service it.
36:30But the moment I'm trying to undo this screw,
36:32only one minor problem,
36:34it won't let me take it out.
36:35Because it hasn't been removed for literally a long, long time.
36:39It's still holding on.
36:40So what we're going to have to do is use some heat.
36:43So I'm going to put the soldiering iron onto the screw head.
36:47That will create some heat against the threads,
36:50and cause it to expand,
36:52and often that will then break the lock.
36:54A little bit like that.
36:56Just let it cool for a second.
37:00Look at that.
37:01Straight away.
37:02It's amazing what heat can do.
37:04Comes off as easy as that.
37:07Got it.
37:08There we go.
37:09The only way you can examine a lens properly is look at it.
37:13And they've got quite a few little bits of debris, hairs.
37:17And if you don't remove that,
37:18you'll see it magnified onto the screen as well.
37:22The last thing we want to see on Frank's films
37:23is little bits of hairs trying to get into the action.
37:26Putting the woodturning machine through some unusual paces,
37:47David's trying to shape some plastic
37:49into replacements for the main set of stop knobs
37:52missing from the harmonium.
37:54So I'm just seeing how this plastic material turns up,
38:04and it's actually turning really nicely.
38:06Unfortunately, I haven't even got one of the original knobs to go by,
38:12so I've got no reference for size.
38:14I've got the original drone read stop knobs,
38:18and these are quite a bit smaller than the main knobs would have been.
38:25But they are a good reference.
38:29So what I'm doing is just trying to copy the profile,
38:34but scaled up that little bit.
38:35So I'm just trying to go by what I think looks as right as can possibly be.
38:52You're trying to recreate somebody's memory,
38:54that's what you're trying to do,
38:56and it's very, very difficult,
38:58but I'm hoping that this will be something akin to what was on it.
39:06That looks good,
39:13and it fits nicely in the hand,
39:17so I think that's going to be ideal.
39:20Getting them all consistent is going to be a little bit tricky,
39:22and I'm going to have to spray these the correct colour,
39:26but it's always fun,
39:28and I find it quite relaxing actually doing this sort of work.
39:31Before Chris can continue with the outside of the physiology book,
39:48another important job awaits within.
39:52I love a dedication in a book,
39:54but it's all shattered around the corner,
39:57and all these little chunks of paper which have come out,
40:01so I'm going to start mending it and fill in these gaps
40:04using some sort of vintage Spanish marble paper,
40:08so I just want to make sure that all the details marry up,
40:12and the important thing is the streaks,
40:15where the Spanish marble has lines come along,
40:17so I'm marrying up this line here with the line underneath.
40:22Now I just need to cut around it,
40:24and then I can see if it fits.
40:26So that's going to slot in there.
40:31Once it's all trimmed off after I've secured it into place,
40:35you're barely going to see it,
40:38and once all the jigsaw pieces are cut,
40:41I can then start sticking them together.
40:43Mark's preparing to put the projector through its test run
40:59with Frank's old cinefilm.
41:02I'm now just threading the film,
41:04which is, you have to be a little bit careful.
41:05Look at that.
41:12Whee!
41:13Frank certainly went to some places.
41:15I can see a naval officer.
41:17That's obviously promising.
41:19Amazing.
41:20And I'm privileged to be one of the first to see it
41:23before even Stephen sees it.
41:27They're as good as the day they were shot.
41:28After this projector gave up the ghost,
41:34it was left to gather dust,
41:36along with priceless footage of many an adventure at sea.
41:41Stephen and wife Chris have returned
41:44to find out if they can see their dearest friend Frank
41:47and the memories he captured during Navy life.
41:52Hello.
41:53How are you?
41:54Hello.
41:55Nice to see you.
41:56Have a seat.
41:59So, how have you been?
42:01Well, apprehensive, obviously.
42:03I've had butterflies all morning.
42:05I remember you were telling me before
42:07about Frank and his memories relating to that.
42:09Now, what do you hope you might see?
42:11He's told us so many stories of his life in the Navy,
42:15but it'd be lovely to see them in picture.
42:17Yeah.
42:18So, are you ready to see him?
42:20Oh, yes, please.
42:21Yes, definitely.
42:26Oh, wow.
42:26Look at this.
42:27Oh!
42:29Oh, it's lovely.
42:32We've not seen it like that.
42:34No.
42:35For a very long time.
42:36No.
42:37So, Mark, the big question is, is it working?
42:40Well, there's only one way to find out.
42:42Let me put that over there.
42:44OK.
42:46Are you ready for this?
42:48Yes.
42:49Yes.
42:49Oh, wow.
42:56That's fantastic.
42:58Oh.
43:02He told us they wanted you to play games on board Ludo and Lotto.
43:05Oh, really?
43:06On deck, yeah.
43:08And they were allowed to take their uniforms off
43:09and just have free time.
43:11Oh.
43:13See, Frank could have been on the little boat there
43:15because he was one of the only ones as a chief petty officer
43:19who could drive the small boats when they left the ship.
43:23I could sit here all day.
43:27That one's right when he's at Gibraltar.
43:29Gibraltar.
43:30That's something I have.
43:33There he is.
43:34Is that him?
43:34That's Frank.
43:37Oh.
43:38Oh, my goodness.
43:40He looked so young.
43:42I just can't believe it, honestly.
43:45Now we can see his previous life.
43:55Mark, I can't thank you enough.
43:57It's been a real pleasure.
44:01So, what would Frank make of all this?
44:04He'd be over the moon.
44:05Yeah.
44:05He'd just be so happy that we can watch it now.
44:09Yeah.
44:10I wish Frank was here to say thank you,
44:12because I know he would.
44:13It's been a great pleasure.
44:14You take care.
44:16Bye-bye.
44:21Absolutely amazing.
44:23I never thought we'd get to this day.
44:25Oh, it's been such a dream come true, really,
44:28and for Mark to be able to do that for us is so lovely.
44:33To see Frank stood there,
44:35it was something that I cherish forever, I think.
44:38And we're just going to enjoy them.
44:39Organ restorer David has thought of an ingenious way to make good the broken ivories of the Indian harmonium.
44:59Unfortunately, all of these keys have lost the tips of the celluloid and there's quite a few of them that have lost the celluloid completely.
45:12I'm going to take all of the old original key coverings off and replace these broken parts and then I'm going to save some of the original celluloid
45:28and put that on the tips of the keys.
45:30I really am so keen to keep the connection between Gurmeet, his wife, and everybody that's going to touch and play this instrument in the future.
45:44I've got some nice matching celluloid and I'm going to stick the keys onto the material.
45:57This is a sticky backed material, so I can just line everything up and then I can get a nice tight clean cut between each key.
46:14So that's the majority of those. I think I'm going to cut one out and just see what it looks like. I'm intrigued.
46:27Well that looks really nice. Right, I'll carry on cutting them out.
46:44I'm now on to the fun bit of actually incorporating the original material onto the tip of the keys.
46:53I'm adding just a little tiny strip of black celluloid.
46:58I just wanted to highlight the fact that the old key covering is still there,
47:05but the new key covering has actually given years more life.
47:12I think that with this tip, that link to the past is still there.
47:25Chrissie's repair of the physiology book is nearing its conclusion.
47:31I'm at last putting all the jigsaw puzzle back together.
47:35This is the last bit of the original book that I'm now remounting onto my new spine.
47:42So it fits like a dream.
47:46Now to make sure it's stuck, I have to mummify it with some tape,
47:51because obviously it's on a bend, so the cotton tape goes round it.
47:57What I'm trying not to do is tug, otherwise the spine's going to move.
48:01So my first wrap is just to hold it in place, and then gradually as I put more layers on,
48:07I can get slightly tighter, and you can just feel the very edge of the spine is getting stuck down,
48:14so that it'll just dry and set in the perfect position.
48:18I'm now unwrapping the spine.
48:31It's a bit like Christmas.
48:33And I hope it's going to be a nice surprise.
48:40Beautiful.
48:41It's on, it's stuck, it's firm, it looks the business.
48:48I have just got a few more bits of sort of blending in the spine,
48:52retooling this panel, and then it's ready to go back to Holly.
48:57A gift from one scientist to another,
49:01this important tome from the 1870s had begun to disintegrate.
49:06Chris, you're supposed to be fixing it, not reading it.
49:13It's the last look.
49:14It's looking brilliant.
49:15We should get this covered up.
49:19Physiologist Holly has returned to be reunited with the book that links her to her dad
49:25and their lifelong shared passion.
49:28Holly, welcome back to the barn.
49:30It's lovely to have you back.
49:32It's lovely to be here.
49:33Are you excited?
49:34I've been thinking about it ever since I dropped it off,
49:37so, and kind of can't imagine how there was anything to be done with it
49:41because it was in such a sorry state.
49:42What are you hoping to see today, then?
49:44Oh, functional, just in one piece,
49:47and with the inscription from my Uncle Frank to my dad in the front,
49:52actually not as a separate piece of paper hanging away.
49:55Well, you ready to take a look?
50:00Yeah?
50:01Yeah.
50:01Go on then, Chris.
50:02Oh, that's astonishing.
50:19Seriously.
50:23Oh, honestly.
50:25I don't have the superlatives, Chris, honestly.
50:35How is that in one piece?
50:40No.
50:43Look at that.
50:45Oh, it's absolutely beautiful.
50:47It wasn't even attached, and it was all ragged and got bits missing,
50:53and, yeah, it's whole again.
50:55Yeah.
50:56I don't know what to say.
50:57It is absolutely exquisite.
50:59I mean, I'd say you're a magician,
51:01but that would be doing you a disservice
51:04because that wouldn't recognise all your skill.
51:06Oh.
51:07It's unbelievable, honestly.
51:08Oh, thank you.
51:09Extraordinary.
51:10Extraordinary.
51:11It's always a real fine line knowing what to do,
51:13how much to do,
51:14because you've got to preserve the past.
51:16Yeah.
51:16But it's got to have the future with you, Holly.
51:18Yeah.
51:18I will treasure it, as will my family.
51:21Can I give you a hug?
51:22Yeah, you can.
51:24Thank you, Chris.
51:25Cheers.
51:25Thank you, Holly.
51:26Honestly, amazing work, mate.
51:29I hope you enjoy the book.
51:30I absolutely will.
51:32Thank you, Holly.
51:32Take care.
51:32Bye.
51:33Yeah, bye.
51:33Bye.
51:35Wow.
51:37This book is like a thread running through my family,
51:40and the fact that it's gone through so many hands
51:42before coming to mind, including those of my father,
51:46it's a link to the past,
51:47but it's a reminder that this is sort of what my family does.
51:51So, yeah, it's a real treasure,
51:52and I'm going to really enjoy going through it,
51:55cover to cover, without doing it any damage.
52:03Nearing the end of the line with the harmonium's restoration,
52:16David's improvising with tools again
52:18in order to balance the keys.
52:21Shaminda said that her dad used to flutter his hands over the keys,
52:28so I've got to recreate that super light touch.
52:32This one, it just thumps straight down,
52:35so that indicates that the spring pressure is too light.
52:41So I've used just a simple little tool holder
52:45to give me the perfect weight.
52:47Then I just turn the spring,
52:50and I just wait for the key to just start to bob up.
52:57So that is, yeah.
53:02That's nice.
53:03So that now feels exactly the same as all the previous keys.
53:08It really has been a pleasure working on this.
53:12Yeah, I'm really, I'm really itching to hear it now.
53:17This worn-out Indian instrument
53:23helped master of Sikh music, Garmit Singh Virdi,
53:27teach hundreds of students,
53:29including his own wife and daughter.
53:32With her aunt Manjeet and son Gordain,
53:36Shamindis returned
53:37to see if the treasured family heirloom
53:40has been restored.
53:41Hi there, Kate.
53:43Hello.
53:44Lovely to see you again.
53:46Well, thanks for coming down.
53:47How have you been?
53:48Very good.
53:49Waiting for this moment in anticipation.
53:51Yeah.
53:52I'm so excited.
53:54The thing with this harmonium is
53:56it was always used,
53:58and now it can come back into active use again,
54:01and that's going to be just fabulous.
54:03This is going to be super special, yeah.
54:05Right, well, are you ready to see something very special?
54:07Yes.
54:08Okay, here we go.
54:15What?
54:18That is so beautiful.
54:21That's amazing.
54:23That's so good.
54:24I can't believe it.
54:25Yeah.
54:25It's just an amazing piece of work you've done, David.
54:29Amazing, incredible, really.
54:31And the knobs are all so...
54:32They're exactly like they used to be.
54:36You're very, very welcome.
54:38And it looks authentic still,
54:41with the wear showing as well.
54:42It was important for me
54:45to keep some of the keys original.
54:50That's that new section.
54:52Yeah.
54:52And then the old.
54:54Yeah.
54:54And the history is captured within every key.
54:57It's just, it's lovely.
54:58Incredible, it's just incredible.
55:00Well, I feel extra honoured that you've left this in my hands
55:04and I've been able to hopefully do you justice
55:07and get it playing again, so...
55:11You've done more than justice, David.
55:13Oh, thank you.
55:14It's amazing.
55:14This really respects where the instruments come from.
55:18Can't wait to do a proper sing song on it.
55:20Really, really exciting.
55:22Would you play something for us?
55:24Yes, sure.
55:24Yeah, I'd be delighted to.
55:25Lovely.
55:26Yeah, thank you.
55:26Over to you.
55:27I've got to do a hymn, so I can cover my hair.
55:34Yeah.
55:34Harju, Harju, Harju,
55:42Raak le ho, pat meri.
55:47Harju, raak le ho, pat meri.
55:52Jam ko traas bhaeyo yuri antar
55:59Sharn gahi kirpa ned teri
56:06Sharn gahi kirpa ned teri
56:13Raak le ho, pat meri
56:17That was incredible.
56:22That was amazing.
56:25Well done, well done.
56:28Oh, that was incredible.
56:29That was incredible.
56:30I could really remember, you know, when I was little
56:33and I used to play it.
56:36I could really remember it.
56:37Yeah, yeah.
56:39It's been an absolute privilege
56:40and it's been such a privilege to hear you all play.
56:42It's been a joy to play it.
56:44Yeah, it's been a joy.
56:45You can take it back home and get the rest of the family involved now.
56:48I know, yeah.
56:49Yeah.
56:50A real heartfelt thank you to all of you.
56:53You're very welcome.
56:54You're very welcome.
56:55Take care.
56:55Safe journey back.
56:56Bye-bye, everyone.
56:57Bye.
56:57Take care.
56:59Dad inspires thousands across the UK
57:02and for this to be resurrected
57:04is just fantastic, you know, honour to him.
57:08If you have a treasured possession that's seen better days
57:18and you think the team can help,
57:20please get in touch at bbc.co.uk
57:23slash techpar
57:25and join us in The Repair Show.
57:27We'll see you next time.
57:57if you haven't checked it.
57:59Bye-bye.
58:00Bye-bye.
58:02Bye-bye.
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