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00:01Here at The Repair Shop,
00:03countless treasures have been brought back to life.
00:07Cha-ching.
00:08That reveal so much about who we are
00:11and where we're from.
00:14It's like it's brand new.
00:15But there's so much more out there
00:18that's not yet made it to the barn.
00:20This is amazing.
00:22So the team are hitting the road.
00:24I just love getting up close and personal with the objects.
00:27And we're going to get a glimpse into some amazing heritage crafts.
00:31I cannot wait.
00:34On a unique adventure.
00:36Oh, yes.
00:37This is terrifying.
00:39To join forces with expert craftspeople.
00:43Whoa!
00:44If we don't point these joints, moisture's going to penetrate.
00:47On their most ambitious restorations yet.
00:50To think every day you come up, this is your office.
00:52Wow! It's big!
00:54Keeping heritage crafts alive.
00:56Keep going.
00:57Keep going.
00:58It's getting hot in there.
01:00On precious restorations around the country.
01:03I can't even imagine what it looks like.
01:06There's a legacy here that needs to be protected.
01:16This time, on a road trip through Scotland,
01:20Dom gets to grips with a giant spider.
01:22These handles have seemed better.
01:24What's wrong with that wobbly bit?
01:25It's really loose.
01:27Better not wobble that anymore.
01:28I don't want to break it more than it's already broken.
01:30Will is in the highlands.
01:32It is beautiful.
01:33It's got quite a dark history, this place.
01:36To hear how an historic artefact survived a horrific battle.
01:40This is the Appian Chalice.
01:43And they celebrate his communion on the morning of the battle.
01:48And creating new treasures.
01:50How high is it in there then?
01:52At this moment in time, it'll be 1110 degrees.
01:55I can feel it from here and I'm nowhere near.
01:57Dom has to keep a cool head.
01:59Don't you worry, Scott.
02:00I've got it.
02:01It's all under control.
02:07On today's trip, Will and Dom are heading first for Dunblane.
02:13It's one of the oldest settlements in Scotland,
02:16built on the banks of the Alan Water
02:19and believed to have been founded in the 7th century by St Blane.
02:26Will, you have lucked out today.
02:28I've taken one for the team here.
02:29Go on.
02:30I'm going to the Dunblane Centre.
02:32We need some help with a giant spider.
02:35What, an actual spider?
02:36No, a giant wooden one.
02:38Oh, gosh.
02:38It's a slide for kids.
02:40Okay, cool.
02:41Do you know what?
02:42If I had a spider slide to use as a child,
02:46that might have helped me with my phobia of spiders.
02:48Or maybe might have just finished you off.
02:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:04To find out more about the oversized Arachnid,
03:08Dom is visiting the Dunblane Centre
03:11to meet former manager Stacey Constantini.
03:16I'm so intrigued.
03:18Why?
03:18Why are we standing in front of a giant wooden spider?
03:22Yeah, I've asked myself that question a lot.
03:23But the big giant spider, there's a big story behind him.
03:26This guy came to the Dunblane Centre,
03:29where we are just now, about five, four or five years ago.
03:33He was put up for adoption in the local newspaper.
03:38One of my staff came to me and said,
03:41we need to get him for here, and I agreed.
03:44The spider had been a star attraction
03:46at the nearby Thistle Shopping Centre
03:49until it was removed in 2014.
03:52A campaign began to find this well-loved local landmark a new home,
03:57and Stacey gave it a warm welcome at the community centre.
04:02Do you know why it was made in the first place?
04:04Yeah, so he was designed by a guy called Stephen Hoffman,
04:08and it was a competition, I think, a sculpture competition,
04:12and he won.
04:13Do you know when that was?
04:14About 1980, so the year I was born.
04:17The spider was designed as an artwork,
04:21celebrating one of Scotland's greatest heroes.
04:24Apparently, he was inspired by the local legend of Robert the Bruce.
04:28So in a cave not too far away from here, he apparently hid out,
04:31and he'd seen a spider trying to weave its web,
04:36and it kept falling down and kept falling down and kept falling down,
04:39and it kept trying.
04:41Inspired by the tenacious spider,
04:44Robert the Bruce rallied his troops
04:46and defeated the English at the Battle of Manukburn,
04:49or so the legend goes.
04:52What's your earliest memory of this, then?
04:54When I was little, and I used to go shopping with my parents,
04:57I used to play on this,
04:58so I can remember it probably from being around three-ish.
05:03He originally was just the spider without the slide,
05:07and used to climb on him,
05:09had fun on him,
05:11as has so many people who live in Dunblane in the surrounding areas,
05:14so I really wanted him.
05:17All of a sudden, the kids started climbing all over it,
05:19so a slide was added.
05:21Uh-huh.
05:22And now he's here.
05:23He's here. Uh-huh. He's here.
05:25And I'm so glad he got here.
05:26So he's a local legend.
05:28Bit of an icon, yeah.
05:30Why do you want to get the spider restored?
05:32It brings so much joy and positivity to kids and adults alike,
05:36so it'd be such a shame to see him go to waste,
05:39and, you know, he's a good guy.
05:41We want to keep him.
05:42Well, Stacey, we are here to help.
05:43Mm-hm. While I'm here, what can I do?
05:46Right, okey-doke, there's a bit of a list.
05:48Go on, then. I'm ready.
05:49He's well-worn.
05:50So, yep, there's, like, wobbly bits.
05:53These handles have seemed better.
05:54What's wrong with that wobbly bit?
05:56It's really loose.
05:57Better not wobble that any more.
05:58I don't want to break it more than it's already broken.
06:00He's a bit rough and ready in places.
06:02He's splintery.
06:04There's holes.
06:05He needs a wee lick of paint here and there.
06:07He's had kids climbing all over him for 40 years.
06:10He has. He has.
06:10There's a lot of wear and tear in that slight part.
06:13Yeah.
06:14And I guess we've got quite a large health and safety consideration here,
06:17bearing in mind it's kids.
06:18Yes.
06:19With splinters and wobbly bits and sharp bits.
06:21Exactly.
06:22I mean, it's all character building,
06:23but you can't have kids going on and hurting themselves.
06:25So, yeah, we want to make sure that he's kept as best he can.
06:29Yeah, good sand down, tidy up any wobbly bits, any splintery bits, anything they need,
06:34any bits of damage to be repaired.
06:35To be repaired, yeah.
06:36And he's huge, as you can see, and it's quite heavy.
06:39So, could we put some wheels on the bottom of him?
06:41That would be amazing, because you've got to shift him around to make the space work.
06:44Do you know what?
06:45That makes complete sense.
06:46Yeah.
06:46Some cast of wheels underneath, so you can wheel him around.
06:48Yeah, just to make him a bit more mobile in his old age.
06:52Well, leave him with me, we'll do the best we can.
06:54OK.
06:54Well, he's not going anywhere till you put the wheels on, so you've got him.
06:57I'll get going, OK.
06:58OK, thank you.
07:00Getting the spiders safe for children to play on again is a big job,
07:05so Dom's called in hell.
07:07The Aberdeen-based furniture maker and restorer, Jen Humphreys.
07:12You OK?
07:13Yeah, wow.
07:14It's big.
07:15It's unique.
07:16Wow, I've not seen anything like it before.
07:18Yeah, it's quite old.
07:20Originally a sculpture, and then now turned into a piece of play equipment with a slide.
07:26Brilliant.
07:27But it needs a little bit of love.
07:28This has had kids clambering all over it, sliding down it, jumping on it,
07:32and that has taken its toll.
07:34There are a few sharp, sort of splintery edges which we need to deal with.
07:39But my biggest concern is Stacey really wants this to be on wheels,
07:43but it's really heavy.
07:45It is really, really heavy.
07:48What do you think?
07:49I think it's a big job.
07:51But hopefully we'll get it looking good and getting it safe,
07:54so it can be used safely and be a real asset to the centre.
07:58So where do you want to start?
08:00Let's get the slide off, because that unscrews round here, I believe.
08:06So we'll get the slide off, and then we'll get it on its side.
08:12Ready?
08:14Ready as I'll ever be.
08:15All right.
08:16Oh, yeah.
08:18There we go.
08:19Well done.
08:19Perfect.
08:20Oh, that's mucky in there.
08:23As if nothing else is getting a good sprinkling.
08:26OK, this is perfect here.
08:29And now you're starting to see...
08:31Look, this is the spider's face.
08:33These little fangs.
08:34Oh, that's so true.
08:35Isn't it?
08:35That hadn't occurred to me.
08:36Yeah, you can see it's that way.
08:38Look at that.
08:38Oh, you're a brainer than I am.
08:40That is delicious.
08:43Before starting to restore the spider, the first job is to make it mobile.
08:51It's looking good that we're vaulting wheels on.
08:54Yeah, it's reassuring.
08:55I'll feel a lot better when we get these on.
08:57Yes, absolutely.
09:04It's done.
09:05That's it.
09:05Let's...
09:06It's on its wheels.
09:07Let's take a moment to just celebrate this.
09:10Happy days.
09:11I guess we need to get it outside now so the real work can begin.
09:14Let's go for it.
09:15Come on, now we can wheel it so easily.
09:16You can put it wherever you want.
09:19Oh, it doesn't have a good steering, though.
09:21It's got a mind of its own.
09:24As the spider moves on to the next stage of its restoration,
09:30Will is heading further north through the Highlands.
09:35He's visiting one of Scotland's most historic and bloody battlefields.
09:39To meet the Reverend Amanda Faircloth,
09:42priest in charge of the West Highland region of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
09:47This is lovely, isn't it?
09:48Isn't it a beautiful day?
09:50What a setting here.
09:51It is beautiful.
09:53It's got quite a dark history, this place.
09:55This is Culloden Field, the site of the last battle on UK land.
10:02It was between the Jacobites, who were supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie,
10:06and the forces of the king.
10:09And it is a place where 1,600 men lost their lives in the course of an hour.
10:16Really?
10:171,500 of them belonging to the Jacobites' side.
10:21The Jacobites supported Charles Edward Stuart,
10:25known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.
10:28On the 16th of April, 1746,
10:30they confronted the army of King George II,
10:33commanded by the Duke of Cumberland.
10:36For the rebels, it was a military disaster.
10:39But two remarkable relics survived the battle.
10:44This is the Appian Chalice.
10:47So if you think about when you take communion,
10:49the wine goes in the chalice and the bread goes on a plate.
10:54And the plate has a special name, it's called a pattern.
10:57These will have been brought here by the chaplain,
11:00Reverend John McLaughlin,
11:02and they celebrated communion on the morning of the battle.
11:05The chalice and pattern were made in 1723
11:09for the West Highland Parish of Appen,
11:12an area that sent many Jacobite soldiers to Culloden.
11:16What's extraordinary about this object
11:19is where it's been and what it's seen.
11:22Yeah, of course.
11:22And, you know, it was here on this moor nearly 300 years ago,
11:27and it was the last time
11:30that a couple of hundred men ever shared communion.
11:34How did these survive?
11:36Legend has it that they were returned, spirited away,
11:40wrapped in the Appian banner,
11:42which was a flag a bit like the soul tyre.
11:44And we used these at St John's Church in Balahulish.
11:48That is amazing that this has been around for so long
11:50and it is still in use.
11:51We very often get visitors coming specifically
11:54to come and see these
11:56and actually have some time with the objects themselves.
12:01So people come far and wide to see these?
12:04Yeah, and if I can, then I'll let them see it.
12:07From this angle, I can see that there's a dent on the side here.
12:10Yes.
12:10Is that from the battle?
12:12I'm afraid not.
12:13But that dent appeared after I took up my post eight years ago.
12:17No.
12:18Exactly how?
12:19I don't know.
12:19That's the problem with silver.
12:20You drop it, you get a dent in it.
12:22So there's a wee dent around the edge.
12:24I think somebody's had a fettle at it to take some of it out.
12:27But I would very much like the rim
12:29to be fettled back to something that approximates to a circle.
12:34It would probably benefit from being looked at
12:36around the edge of the pattern as well.
12:38You can see where the tarnish is down there.
12:42You see the legend on the back of here.
12:44Yeah.
12:45The parish of Appin, spelt with an E, 1723, the year it was forged.
12:49It also says that around the edges, the rim of the cup.
12:53And that's a bit more worn, probably,
12:55because it has more lips on it than that has.
12:56Yeah.
12:57I would hate for it to disappear entirely.
13:00Why would you like to have this fixed?
13:01This is an important piece of history, and it's not mine.
13:06I am a custodian of this object for the time being
13:10that is so important to so many people who've gone before
13:13and has a part in the story of their lives,
13:17and it has a part in the story of the lives of the community
13:21I'm part of now that should be available for the future.
13:25Brenton is going to find this absolutely fascinating.
13:27I have a terrifying task now of having to transport these back to the barn.
13:32Lovely to meet you.
13:34You too.
13:34I'll see you soon.
13:34God bless.
13:35Travel safely.
13:43140 miles south in Dunblane,
13:46James dismantling the spider,
13:50discovering its hidden secrets.
13:53We've just given it a good old clean,
13:55and it's been like a treasure trove in there.
13:58Found lots of little model cars.
14:01There's been lots of snacks, lots of crisps,
14:04some birthday cake from the looks of it.
14:06You can kind of tell it obviously wasn't originally designed
14:09to be a children's toy.
14:11There are so many nooks and crannies
14:13that drums and snacks and whatnot have just fallen down.
14:18The spider is now being taken back to bare wood.
14:23First stripped,
14:25then sanded.
14:27So you can already see a difference
14:28as to where we've started to sand.
14:32It's just coming out really nice,
14:33so hopefully the rest of it looks the same.
14:37As I'm sanding,
14:38I'm finding lots of kind of rough edges.
14:41It's really important we sort these out,
14:43because if a kid sliding in a slide catches their finger,
14:47they're going to get a big old splinter,
14:50and that's going to be very, very sore.
14:54Giving children the opportunity to play safely
14:56has been at the heart of the Dunblane Centre's mission
15:00since it opened in 2004.
15:05It was built in the aftermath of a tragic event
15:08when a gunman killed 16 schoolchildren and their teacher
15:12at Dunblane Primary School in 1996.
15:15What happened at the primary school
15:17to our children and their teachers
15:19brought waves of sympathy and support from around the world.
15:24Centre manager Dionne Ward grew up in the town.
15:27When the events happened in 1996, I was 13 years old.
15:32Wow.
15:33It was a really, really hard time for everybody.
15:36The community just all felt it, all came together.
15:40A media frenzy descended on Dunblane,
15:43and local families wanted a place
15:46their children could escape to.
15:48The young people in the town
15:49didn't really have anywhere to go
15:50to kind of express how they were feeling or get support.
15:56So my dad was one of the people
15:58who decided, let's start a youth club.
16:00OK. What's dad's name?
16:01Stan.
16:02Stan.
16:03Stan.
16:03He was previously known as Stan Stan the Polis Man.
16:06But, yeah.
16:08So that was on this site here,
16:10which was an old mouldy hut.
16:12Oh.
16:13So we used to come to the youth club in the mouldy hut.
16:15Sometimes it was seven nights a week.
16:18And there was lots of money came into Dunblane
16:20after the event that happened.
16:22And they were able to buy the land
16:23that the centre is now built on.
16:25And build this amazing building.
16:26Absolutely.
16:27All from donations.
16:28Absolutely, yep.
16:29There's lots of people who were young people at the time,
16:31and they come in now with their kids
16:33to use the preschool service, and, yeah.
16:35So knowing that your dad was quite a pivotal part
16:38in this place.
16:39Yeah.
16:39Being born.
16:40Absolutely.
16:41And now you're one of the managers.
16:42Yeah.
16:42It's meant to be.
16:43It actually blows my mind, I'm not going to lie.
16:45It's, yeah.
16:46Why is it important to you to get the spider repaired?
16:49So everybody has a lot of happy memories of the spider
16:52from when they were young.
16:54So having the spider here is a bit of a draw for us,
16:57and it brings people in.
16:58I get it.
16:59I completely get it.
17:00It's a symbol of positivity.
17:02Absolutely.
17:02So to be able to have that for the next generation coming through
17:05and hopefully another 40 years' worth of children playing on it
17:08would just be amazing.
17:13Outside, Jen's working to make Dion's dream come true.
17:17Jen!
17:18Hello!
17:19Look at this!
17:20It's certainly making progress.
17:21Yes.
17:22So I'm trapped, yeah.
17:23Wow.
17:24This looks like a really fiddly thing to have to stand down.
17:27It's not all big flat surfaces,
17:29it's all little nebby bits inside.
17:31Yeah, I mean, there's just so many angles to it
17:34that a lot of it's needing done by hand,
17:35so it's just time-consuming, but we're making it.
17:38We're getting there.
17:38Well, whilst I'm here, do you need a hand?
17:40I'm happy to get stuck in.
17:41I'm delighted.
17:41Yeah?
17:42Grab that sand favour, find an area.
17:44Perfect.
17:48All right, I'll do it under this leg, shall I?
17:50Go for it.
17:51Yeah?
17:54God, this is a huge amount of work to sand this all down.
17:59When you first approach a job like this,
18:02do you kind of, I'm just wondering in your head,
18:04how you kind of, do you sort of map it out?
18:05Yeah, I mean, the benefit is it's symmetrical
18:09and it's got eight legs,
18:10so mentally I'm like, right, leg one,
18:13do the opposite.
18:14Leg two, do the opposite.
18:15Break it into chunks.
18:16Otherwise, it's too much to worry about.
18:18It was slightly overwhelming, yeah.
18:31It's getting there.
18:32It's getting there.
18:33Starting to get a bit of a hint of what it's going to look like
18:35and it's going to look beautiful, isn't it?
18:37Fingers crossed and hopefully it's nice and safe for the kids as well.
18:40All right, let's keep sanding.
18:50At the barn,
18:53Will is back from the battlefield at Culloden,
18:57bringing the treasured app and chalice and pattern
19:00to silversmith Brenton West.
19:04Hey, Brenton.
19:05Oh, wow.
19:06Nice bit of silver for you.
19:07What do you think?
19:09A bold over.
19:10Beautiful.
19:11Absolutely beautiful.
19:12Lovely, aren't they?
19:13Really.
19:14Unfortunately, the chalice has taken a bit of a tumble.
19:16There's a dent in the top there.
19:18Oh, yeah, great.
19:19And it doesn't have that sort of lovely round shape that it should do.
19:22Also, I'm not too sure what's happened here.
19:24Have you got any idea?
19:25Yeah, someone's pressed down on it, I think,
19:27or it's been put in a box in some way
19:29because the stem is pushed up a little bit onto the plate.
19:33Might be able to do something with that.
19:35Might be able to.
19:36I can definitely do something about that.
19:38Lovely.
19:38Well, if you wouldn't mind taking a look at both of those.
19:40Sure.
19:40Because this is not just important for Amanda and the church,
19:42but the entire community.
19:44See you in a bit.
19:49This is absolutely beautiful.
19:51I get very, very excited about old silver items.
19:57You couldn't get something more perfect than this.
19:59It's handmade.
20:01It's got hundreds of years of pattern on it.
20:04I live for jobs like this.
20:05The patina is discoloration, tarnish or other change
20:09resulting from natural ageing.
20:12It gives character,
20:14and Brenton will need to decide how much of it he removes.
20:18It would be very easy for me to knock this dent out,
20:22polish it up, and that's it done.
20:24But I want to keep as much of this patina as possible.
20:28I do have to be very careful because below the dent,
20:32I've got the engraving of 1723,
20:35and I certainly don't want to put any hammer marks
20:38or any dents anywhere near that.
20:43And using this planishing hammer,
20:45which I've had for over 45 years,
20:48one of the very first hammers I bought,
20:50I'm going to try and knock this dent out.
20:52Planishing is a technique for smoothing and shaping metal
20:56by resting the object against a stake,
20:58then using soft, glancing hammer blows.
21:02My biggest fear is that I'm not going to be able
21:06to get the dent out without hitting it really hard.
21:08Because it's such a precious piece,
21:11I have to just consider every hammer blow
21:13and whether it's being effective or not.
21:18The other thing I've got to be very careful
21:20is not to make this top edge thinner
21:23because you'll have a thick bit and a thin bit
21:25and it'll look a bit funny.
21:27I can see by looking at this
21:28that someone's had a go at repairing it.
21:31Where the dent is,
21:32there are some sort of grazes
21:34where someone's had a little go with something.
21:39Not necessarily a metal hammer,
21:40maybe a wooden hammer or something,
21:42but it has marked the silver
21:44and it just shows how soft this silver is
21:46and how easy it is to mark.
21:48The dent is coming out though nicely.
21:50Thank goodness.
21:52Just very, very slowly working away at it,
21:55trying to ease the dent out.
21:59What I'm doing now
22:01is exactly what the silversmith would have done
22:03when he made this.
22:05He'd have his planishing hammer
22:06with quite a curved face on it
22:08to get into here
22:10and he probably would have planished
22:11from the outside
22:12and then this little bit on the edge
22:14where it turns over
22:17would have planished that from the inside
22:18and if you've done a really good job,
22:20all you've got to do
22:21is give it a really light polish inside
22:22and that's it.
22:24I think I'm going to leave it at that
22:25because it's looking pretty good
22:28and we've got some nice hammer marks
22:29on the inside
22:30which I think will polish up quite well by hand
22:32but I'm pretty pleased
22:33that that has now got its dent gone
22:36and I'll try and get rid of the oval shape
22:39just by squeezing it in my hands
22:40to see if I can make it round again.
22:50Back in Scotland,
22:52Dom's left and blamed
22:54to seek out fellow craftspeople,
22:56artisans keeping heritage skills alive.
23:01In the town of Creaf,
23:03a company of artistic glassmakers
23:05use a process that's essentially unchanged
23:08for centuries.
23:11manager of Kate Ness Glass
23:13is Scott Sinclair.
23:15What an amazing workshop this is.
23:17Yes, it keeps us busy.
23:18It keeps us busy.
23:20Scott and his team produce paperweights
23:23from a collection of more than 2,500 designs.
23:27How long have you been here doing this?
23:29I've actually been doing this for 34 years now.
23:32Done it since I left school.
23:33So you've been making paperweights
23:35your whole working life?
23:36My whole working life.
23:37That is incredible.
23:38At least I've got the right man
23:39for the job to teach me.
23:40Yes.
23:41I'd love to learn how.
23:42Of course.
23:42Is it complicated?
23:44Yes.
23:45I'll keep an eye on you
23:46and I'll talk to you through it.
23:47We'll be fine.
23:48Where do we start?
23:49Start right here.
23:49I've got some equipment for you.
23:51So if you put that on your left arm.
23:52OK.
23:54I've got a feeling things are going to get hot.
23:56Yes.
23:56That'll save you getting burned by my rat with furnace.
23:58Yeah.
23:59And I've got some glasses here for you as well, though.
24:01Perfect.
24:03I've got the colours set out and ready to go.
24:05What is this, then?
24:07That's actually crushed glass.
24:09That's glass.
24:10It's just crushed down to what texture we use it.
24:14It's literally like flour.
24:16Yes, yes.
24:17So that's a powdered version of the glass.
24:20Amazing.
24:21Yeah.
24:25OK, so I guess this is where it all starts.
24:28This is where we'll get our first gather of glass.
24:30This is how the whole process starts.
24:32How hot is it in there, then?
24:34It'll be 1110 degrees.
24:36I can feel it from here and I'm nowhere near.
24:38OK, so what's the...
24:39I'm going in.
24:39You'll see a little shadow appear in the glass.
24:42Got it.
24:42Now you start turning like that,
24:45giving it a wee scoop up.
24:46That's a good start.
24:47Is it?
24:48So that's the start?
24:49Yes, that's the start.
24:50So we'll start walking back over there just now.
24:52I've got to walk as well now.
24:53You've got to walk now.
24:54You've got to walk in time.
25:01We'll set you down here, Dom.
25:04That's it.
25:05Just what we need to do now, pick that block up.
25:09Now this is a trickier bit for you.
25:10This is starting to get the shape before we pick up the colour.
25:13Just put your...
25:14That's it.
25:14And then keep that spinning at the same time.
25:16It's pulling it off the end and making it a nice and round,
25:19a nice, consistent shape.
25:20Yeah.
25:20So that's looking a good shape there now then.
25:22So what we would have to do is heat this up
25:24and then we'll then show you how to pick up the glass.
25:28So far, Dom's been forming the basic shape of the paperweight.
25:32Time now to get creative.
25:35We'll come out now.
25:38Keep that turning.
25:39And then now you just go right flat on the car.
25:41That's it.
25:43A little back.
25:44Then we can do the same again.
25:46Everyone's going there.
25:47Exact same again.
25:48It's like putting hundreds of thousands of ice cream.
25:51So you're picking up all that hot colour now.
25:53Now, one more time.
25:54It's actually sticking to the hot glass.
25:56Yes.
25:56So you see now there, you've got all that.
25:58Is that too much?
25:59No, that's fine.
26:00That's good.
26:02Dom will now keep repeating the process.
26:06Wow, the slightest.
26:07You see that glass, and the longer you're in there,
26:09it's just getting hotter and hotter and hotter.
26:12Adding bulk to the glass
26:14and layering colours to give depth.
26:17Now, we're going to take that bulk again from earlier
26:20and just do the exact same as what we did.
26:23Okay.
26:24Coming in.
26:25Yep.
26:26Now, you see that colour there?
26:28Yeah.
26:28That's the swirl.
26:29See all the nice twists there?
26:30There's all your twists.
26:33Now, would you like to put a bubble in there?
26:35Oh, can we?
26:36Would you like to blow one?
26:37Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
26:37In the middle?
26:38Yes.
26:39It's like we'll finish with the bulk.
26:40Now, you want to take that there.
26:44I'll keep this spinning for you,
26:45make it a bit easier.
26:46Now, push it right down.
26:48Perfect.
26:48That's perfect.
26:50Now, take that airline there and give that a blow.
26:56It's going.
26:57Oh, yeah, yeah.
26:59The airline fires compressed air
27:01into the heart of the molten glass.
27:03Right, now, that'll do us there.
27:05I'll leave you in complete control of that.
27:07Okay, I've got it.
27:08You've just got to put that back into the shape
27:10similar to what we had earlier.
27:11Don't you worry, Scott, I've got it.
27:14It's all under control.
27:15You're doing well.
27:16You're doing well.
27:17You're doing well.
27:18After another bulking up at the furnace
27:22and a final smooth and shape...
27:25Right, I think I will leave that in that.
27:28It's looking good.
27:29Yes, we're almost finished.
27:30One more step to go now.
27:32Dom's paperweight is ready to be cut free.
27:37Just like that.
27:38And there you go.
27:39That's your finished paperweight.
27:41It's done.
27:42Look at that.
27:44Perfect.
27:44Are you happy with it?
27:45I'm over the moon.
27:46It's brilliant.
27:47Well, maybe it's good to me.
27:48Maybe not you, but...
27:49I better get this in here before it breaks first away.
27:52Why will it break?
27:52If you leave that sitting there,
27:54the whole glass will just explode.
27:56But to avoid disaster,
27:58the superheated glass must cool slowly,
28:01overnight,
28:02in a temperature-controlled oven.
28:04That's that safe now until tomorrow morning, Dom.
28:07So that means I can't take it away now?
28:09Unfortunately, no.
28:09I'm going to have to send it to you.
28:11But I do have a couple of pieces,
28:12similar colours to what we've done,
28:14that I could take you to the finishing shop to see.
28:17I'd love to see them.
28:18Perfect.
28:18Come this way.
28:22So what happens through here, then?
28:24Well, this is where we're doing the finishing.
28:25We've got to polish off that wee bit of the base.
28:28It gets roughed, and then it gets smoothed.
28:30And then, at this moment,
28:31Fraser's doing the polish in.
28:34And this is the colours that we were using.
28:37Ah, yes, I can see all the bubbles.
28:39You see the same colours.
28:40It's so nice to be able to actually hold it now.
28:43This isn't mine, but it's what mine might look like.
28:45Every single piece is unique.
28:47You'll get no two pieces the same.
28:49Unique.
28:49That's a very polite way of putting it.
28:52Wow.
28:55And Scott did keep his word.
28:58Dom's paperweight now sits, proudly, on his bench.
29:09Brenton's also working on some unique pieces.
29:13I've hammered the rim back to shape,
29:15and I'm quite happy with the way it looks now.
29:17However, there are some hammer marks on the outside,
29:20and I need to remove those.
29:22They're very, very light.
29:23I just need to knock the peaks off them before I polish.
29:26To do that, I'm going to use a water of air stone,
29:29a traditional silversmith's tool.
29:32Unfortunately, you can't get these anymore,
29:33so these are like gold dust.
29:35I've got a few left, and I absolutely love using them.
29:38They work really, really well.
29:40So I'll wet the stone so that there's no friction.
29:45This is really, really fine.
29:47It's perfect for this sort of job
29:48because it doesn't put deep scratches in the metal.
29:51It's taking off the high spots,
29:53but you can see the low spots where they're still slightly shiny,
29:56and that's the bottom of the hammer mark.
29:59So I need to get the high part level with the low part.
30:04This takes a tiny amount of silver off,
30:06but it's so fine it won't affect the thickness of the chalice.
30:12There is one or two quite deep scratches in there,
30:15and normally I would try and stone those out,
30:19but they're scratches that were in there before,
30:21so I'm actually going to leave those there
30:23because they're part of the patiner.
30:24So that now is pretty much it.
30:28I don't think there's any more of my hammer marks showing.
30:31So that's now ready to polish,
30:33and I'm now going to turn my attention to the pattern.
30:37The pattern is the communion plate
30:40that has also suffered some wear over the last 300 years.
30:45This has been damaged by a weight,
30:49or some sort of weight,
30:51being put down on the edges of the plate,
30:54and that's pushed against the stem,
30:57and the metal has stretched slightly and bent down.
31:01This is more significant than it looks.
31:04If I put a straight ruler on it,
31:07I can see that the base of this plate is quite badly bent.
31:12I'm going to put a stake in the vice
31:13and try and manipulate it like I did with the chalice just by hand.
31:22I am being very gentle with this.
31:23There is a tiny risk that we could snap the centre out of this plate,
31:27but I'm being so gentle with it.
31:33I have actually managed to make that go down a bit.
31:36It hasn't got that big lump in the middle anymore.
31:38I've got to make it now look better.
31:41So I'm going to go to my burnisher
31:44and just give that a burnish,
31:46and I think we're nearly there.
31:48And I've got a burnisher,
31:49which I've made from an old file
31:50that I polished the end of,
31:52and I'm going to push that down,
31:53see if I can get the metal to move back to a flat plane.
31:57Using a burnisher is a pretty controlled way of moving metal.
32:02Not quite as effective as hammering,
32:05but still it can work.
32:16And I've got to make a look.
32:19Whenever I'm polishing,
32:20I never actually polish the hallmarks themselves
32:23because over time they wear away
32:26and they become what is called rubbed
32:28and you can't actually read them.
32:32That's looking really good now.
32:34On to the final polish for the chalice.
32:38This is always my favourite part
32:40of either making something
32:43or repairing something in silver,
32:45the final polish.
32:46And that's looking really nice now.
32:51When we'll give this back to Amanda,
32:53I hope that it does the church justice
32:57and she'll be able to carry on
32:59giving communion with it for years to come.
33:05In Dunblane,
33:08the spider is also starting to take on a sheen,
33:12thanks to Jen.
33:16So we've sealed the wood,
33:18we've put a couple of coats of oil on it
33:20and it's looking really good.
33:21So we're just putting on a final coat of wax.
33:25We're just using a furniture wax
33:28that you would use on dining chairs and things.
33:31It just means we know it's safe for kids,
33:34clambering all over it.
33:36It needs to be really hard-wearing
33:38and very, very smooth.
33:41After three coats of wax,
33:44the spider's looking buff.
33:45But its black highlights have faded
33:48and Jen's keen to keep it as original as possible.
33:52Black is definitely adding a lot of contrast.
33:55The wax has already enhanced the darker-coloured timbers.
34:01So it's a real privilege to get to clean up
34:03and expose all this beautiful craftsmanship.
34:08Right, time to put the handles back on
34:11and get these things attached back in.
34:19There we go.
34:21They're solid.
34:22So I reckon another top coat,
34:25get that polished out
34:26and we'll get the slide on.
34:28Job done.
34:33Further north,
34:35Will is carrying a precious cargo,
34:37bringing the Appen chalice and pattern back home.
34:41The last time I saw Amanda
34:42was at the Clodden battlefield.
34:44That is where the chalice would have been used.
34:47So it's great today to reunite Amanda
34:49and the community with her chalice.
34:56The chalice is a priceless relic
34:59not just to the church,
35:02but to clan steward,
35:04whose members made up the Appen regiment
35:06that took it to battle.
35:10In the village of Balachulish
35:12at the Church of St. John's,
35:14the Reverend Amanda Fairclough
35:16has had an anxious wait.
35:19The Appen chalice represents something
35:22really fundamental to this place.
35:25It's part of the history of the West Highlands.
35:28And to me,
35:30it represents the continuous community of believers
35:33who've worshipped using it.
35:35And I just think
35:37the chance we have to celebrate around it
35:39as a community is so good.
35:42Looking forward to it.
35:44Come in, come in.
35:50One of the great things about being on the road
35:52is that I actually get to
35:53meet the people face to face.
35:55And that's what the chalice is all about, really.
35:58It's about the community
35:59and about the church.
36:00And it's a pleasure for me
36:02to be able to bring this back home to you.
36:03What are you hoping to see?
36:04I'm hoping to see everybody else
36:06is really captured by the beauty of it.
36:10What does the chalice mean to you?
36:12The very fact that it went to Culloden
36:14with the Appen Regiment and other Jacobites
36:19means that it's even now dear to our hearts.
36:24And many of the same families
36:27whose forebears were at Culloden
36:29still live in the area today.
36:32And I am a descendant
36:34from one of the Stuarts of Appen families
36:36from that time.
36:38Amazing.
36:38One of your ancestors
36:39actually taken communion from this?
36:41Yes.
36:42Because they were at Culloden
36:43with the Appen Regiment.
36:45Well, it's a great honour
36:46to be able to have this restored for you.
36:48I mean, I know what it means to you
36:50and the rest of the community.
36:51Would you like to take a look?
36:53Yes.
36:54OK, here we go.
36:57Oh, wonderful.
37:00Oh, that is fantastic.
37:07Beautiful.
37:10And here, let's double-check this.
37:12Oh, yeah.
37:13The parish of Appen, 1723.
37:16I remember when I showed it to you first at Culloden,
37:21you said,
37:21gosh, that's shiny,
37:22but that outshines Culloden.
37:24Yeah, definitely.
37:25Thank you so, so much.
37:28Are you pleased?
37:29There you go.
37:30Great start.
37:33How important to you is it
37:34to have this back in the church?
37:36It's hugely important
37:37that we get to use it
37:38in the present on a regular basis.
37:41So when is this going to be used next?
37:42Sunday after next.
37:44Would you all like to take a look?
37:45Yes.
37:45Come forward.
37:53There are five or six churches
37:55around this loch
37:56and this chalice has been used
37:59as part of worship
37:59for these six churches
38:01all of my life.
38:02And so it's bound to benefit
38:04both this congregation
38:05and future congregations
38:06as well as many, many visitors
38:08that we have
38:08to these parishes every year.
38:11The community gets to partake of it
38:13quite literally.
38:14It's not something that we get to admire
38:15from sort of far away in the pews.
38:17It's something that we get to actually partake in
38:19as part of the communion,
38:20as part of the service.
38:21So we are very much one with history.
38:26I'm so pleased
38:28that so many of the community
38:29were able to be here today
38:30and seeing how delighted they were.
38:33First service when we get
38:35the restored up in chalice out again.
38:37We'll be celebrating the fact
38:39that it's back home.
38:40It's where it belongs.
38:41It's looking the best it has
38:43for 302 years.
38:45And here's the next 302
38:48and however many more after that.
38:52That went incredibly well.
38:54Everyone is delighted with Brenton's work.
38:56And what a fitting tribute
38:57to those men who left home
38:58and never returned.
39:01Amanda is so passionate
39:02about the local community.
39:04And I really think that
39:05having the chalice and pattern restored
39:07was a personal mission of hers.
39:09And I feel now
39:11she's giving it back to the people.
39:16Further south,
39:20in Dunblane,
39:23Dom's about to meet
39:24another excited audience.
39:27It's very exciting
39:28that the spider
39:29is going to be revealed.
39:31I feel really nervous.
39:32But yeah,
39:33it's really, really good.
39:34Such lovely people here.
39:35So it's great for the Dunblane Centre.
39:37It's great for the spider
39:38to be hopefully
39:39getting a new lease of life.
39:42I'm quite excited to see
39:43how it looks now
39:44and if it's kind of like
39:45how I remember it being
39:46when I was a little girl,
39:47sort of the age of some of these
39:48little kids here today.
39:50Because that's what age I was
39:51when I first was on there.
39:53So I'm hoping
39:53it's going to look like
39:54it did in the 80s.
40:02Hello, everyone.
40:04Wow.
40:09What a welcome.
40:10Thank you so much.
40:12I knew that this spider
40:13meant a lot to you all,
40:14but I was not expecting
40:15a turnout like this.
40:16I can feel the excitement
40:17in the room.
40:19Everyone's smiles all round.
40:20Yeah.
40:21Stacey, how are you feeling?
40:22Oh, I can't wait to see it
40:24because it feels like
40:24such a long time
40:25that we've been waiting
40:26on it happening
40:27and now it's here.
40:28So I'm looking forward
40:29to seeing it
40:29and seeing all these
40:30wee guys have a go on it.
40:31It'll be good.
40:31Yeah.
40:32That's what it's all about,
40:33isn't it?
40:33Yeah, absolutely.
40:34That's what it's all about.
40:35Do lots of you
40:36remember the spider
40:37from your childhood?
40:39Yeah?
40:41Well, Stacey,
40:43can I borrow a hand
40:44if you don't mind?
40:44Of course.
40:45Is that OK?
40:45I'd love to.
40:46I'll come round.
40:46Before we get
40:48completely mobbed.
40:50Are you all ready?
40:52Yes!
40:53Stacey, you ready?
40:54I'm ready.
40:55Let's do it.
40:55Let's do it.
41:06Stripped down
41:07and sanded.
41:09Free from
41:10scelphs and splinters.
41:12Made safe,
41:13secure,
41:14and now ready
41:15for sliding,
41:17the spider
41:17is pristine,
41:19though maybe
41:20not for long.
41:21Right,
41:21who's first?
41:25It was fab.
41:26It was really good.
41:27It was lovely
41:28to see everybody's faces.
41:29Everyone was excited.
41:31And it's going to last
41:32for years and years
41:33and years,
41:33so maybe my grandkids
41:34will get to go
41:35in a long time.
41:36So, yeah,
41:37I'm really pleased with that.
41:38It was great.
41:40It was the most
41:42exhilarating thing
41:43I've done in years.
41:44I've been so happy
41:46to be a part of this.
41:47Really lovely.
41:48And look at this
41:49smiling, you know.
41:50This is the most
41:51important thing
41:52is for people
41:53to smile
41:54and be kind.
41:56Very important.
41:59Well, the spider
42:00is hopefully going to have
42:01at least another
42:0240 years in it now.
42:03And the Dunblane Centre,
42:05yeah, we'll just keep
42:05kicking along
42:06and doing what we do
42:07and welcoming new faces,
42:09welcoming old faces.
42:11Yeah,
42:11we'll just keep at it.
42:13That's what we do best.
42:20And after another day
42:21doing what they do best,
42:24restoring the nation's heritage,
42:26Dom and Will
42:27are heading back
42:28to the barn.
42:29How did you get on
42:30with the spider?
42:31It was so good.
42:32It was so much fun.
42:34It was out of control.
42:35I can imagine.
42:36We even had
42:37an 85-year-old lady up here.
42:39Really?
42:39Sliding down the slide.
42:41Yeah, another big tick.
42:42Another good day.
42:43Yeah.
42:43Very good.
42:44Another good road trip.
42:45Now I'm driving,
42:46you just sit back and relax.
42:47Oh, thank you.
42:48Okay.
42:49Time for a nap.
42:55If you'd like to see
42:57more fantastic fixes
42:58and restorations,
42:59search BBC iPlayer
43:01for The Repair Shop
43:03on the road.
43:21We'll see you next time.
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