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00:01Here at The Repair Shop,
00:03countless treasures have been brought back to life.
00:07Ka-ching!
00:08It reveals 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.
01:15Today, we're in central Scotland.
01:19Will throws everything into fixing a dilapidated sign.
01:24What does this symbolise to you?
01:26It sort of symbolises what we stand for.
01:29We are offering our hands of friendship to the community.
01:33Back in the barn, we have a timely repair.
01:36As the temperature rises, the pendulums grow in length.
01:40That is amazing.
01:41That could reawaken treasured memories.
01:45When I talk about it with her, she gets quite emotional.
01:47It's just such a big part of her history.
01:55Here we go.
01:56Here we go.
01:57On the road.
01:57Just keep informing them out.
01:59Okay.
01:59And we'll be fine.
02:00Where are we going?
02:01We're going to Clackmanonshire.
02:02I've done a bit of research and apparently it is the smallest county in Britain, 61 square miles.
02:10I love these fun facts.
02:12You like the fun facts, don't you?
02:15Today's first stop is Alawa, the wee county's biggest town.
02:20It has a rich industrial heritage, including spinning meals for the knitwear industry
02:25and the glassworks, which was opened in 1750 and continues to this day.
02:30And all those workers needed a way to relax.
02:34I am going to meet James at his local bowling club.
02:38They're about to celebrate a really important anniversary.
02:42And they want me to have a look at their sign.
02:44It's a very old sign.
02:46Bowls is a popular sport here, with three clubs in a town of just over 20,000 people.
02:52And Will is answering the call of the Alawa Co-op Bowling Club,
02:56which has been a social hub at the heart of the community for 100 years.
03:02The club is important to me because it's really good for socialising, for meeting new people.
03:08I've been a member for 11 years now and I've made some great friendships.
03:12Since my accident at the time with the club, they've rallied around me very well here.
03:17Will's meeting club president James Lindsay,
03:20who needs help with an important restoration project to mark the club's centenary.
03:26James, nice to meet you.
03:27Hi, Will, thanks for coming.
03:29So what are we looking at here?
03:30This is our original sign that we had up on the balcony.
03:3440-year-old, at least.
03:36Because it was left out in the weather, got a little bit bent, shall we say.
03:41And the cracks are starting to show and the paint's all cracked and our handshake, that's the symbol of the
03:48club.
03:49It was gold hands and a gold rim.
03:52And our pictures, sadly, fading away as well.
03:55So it'd be just nice to get it back to some sort of original thing so we could see it
04:02up for our centenary celebrations this year.
04:06I mean, it's lasted quite well for something that's been left out in the rain, pretty much.
04:11But obviously, I mean, painting onto hardboard, it's going to end up warping and moving around.
04:16And that's why you've got all the cracks.
04:17Well, you know, you should have called me 50 years ago.
04:20What exactly would you like us to do with the sign?
04:23If possible, restore the lettering so it makes it more prominent looking.
04:29And clear the drawing of the bowling club and try and restore that so it can see it.
04:34So I see that you've got 1925 here, so that's the year that the club opened.
04:38That was the year the club opened.
04:39If possible, if you could add 2025 in the same format, that would be quite nice.
04:45What does this symbolise to you?
04:47It sort of symbolises what we stand for.
04:51We are offering our hands of friendship to the community.
04:54It gives the community opportunity to socialise.
04:57You've got your pubs and clubs and stuff, but sports-wise, there's stuff for the youth.
05:03But for the older generation, the bowls gives them opportunity to mix and socialise and have a bit of fun.
05:11I would love to give it a go.
05:13Absolutely.
05:14I've also got flat shoes on.
05:15You've got flat shoes.
05:16I've got a spare set of bowls.
05:18Let's go.
05:18Let's go and do this.
05:21Bowling is a game with ancient roots, and it was embraced by the Scots early on.
05:27Once a pastime for the upper classes, the modern game of lawn bowls opened to the masses in the 1830s,
05:33when the invention of the lawn mower meant greens could be maintained at less expense.
05:39At the same time, one Scottish company pioneered a game-changing, inexpensive way of making standardised bowls on a mechanical
05:47lathe,
05:48the process of which continues today.
05:52Hold on a second.
05:53How come yours looks better than mine?
05:56Well, the present has to have nice-looking bowls.
05:59Let's see what you can do.
06:08That wasn't too bad.
06:10What do you get out of bowls, personally?
06:14Confidence, I would have to say.
06:15Do you think that you wanting to have the sign fixed is almost like a thank you to the club
06:20for what they've done for you?
06:21It is a thank you to the club from me, because it was part of their history before I was
06:26here.
06:27If I can help a little and preserve it, then all the better to them.
06:34The sign will be restored as a tribute to 100 years of fun and friendship.
06:41But for now, Dom's heading 17 miles west to the village of Kippen to meet Kirstie Carberry,
06:47whose precious family heirloom needs attention from the experts back in the barn.
06:53Hello.
06:54Kirstie, hi.
06:55Hello, lovely to meet you.
06:56It's lovely to meet you.
06:58Thank you so much for having me over.
07:00Perfect day.
07:01Isn't it?
07:01It's beautiful.
07:02I didn't need my jumper.
07:03No.
07:05This must be the clock.
07:06This is the clock.
07:07Will you tell me a bit about it?
07:08It belongs to my mother.
07:10It was her grandfather's.
07:13So it goes back to late 1880.
07:17It's not been working for about seven years.
07:20OK.
07:21It is inscribed as well.
07:22It says Dr James Stewart.
07:25Which is your...
07:26Which is my great-grandfather.
07:27Great-grandfather.
07:28It's got the name of the house, which is Amun Sui House,
07:30and it says from Lady Scott.
07:33He lived at the start of his career on Nile of Harris,
07:38which is up the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
07:41OK.
07:42And the family that lived in this house,
07:45that gifted him this clock,
07:48he was a family doctor.
07:50I guess that's how things were back then.
07:52So the big house had...
07:53Had the family doctor.
07:54Their own, their family doctor.
07:56Yeah.
07:56And that was your great-grandfather?
07:57That was my great-grandfather, yeah.
07:59Oh, wow.
08:01The beautiful thank-you gift came from Lady Sophie Scott,
08:06a prominent landowner on Harris,
08:08whose friendly ghost supposedly still haunts the castle today.
08:12Passed-down generations,
08:15the clock became Kirsty's mum Margaret's pride and joy.
08:19And no wonder.
08:21It was cutting-edge technology from the 17th century,
08:24with its mechanism specially designed to keep time
08:27in the freezing cold conditions
08:29that could be encountered in remote parts of Scotland.
08:33Mum was born in St Andrews,
08:36but when she was born, they bought a hotel in Glencoe.
08:39She was an only child,
08:41and it was quite a lonely experience for her.
08:45They were both busy, I guess.
08:46They were both busy.
08:48She had a lot of time on her own.
08:50She had a beautiful black Labrador called Crooch,
08:53and he's in just about every picture of her in Glencoe.
08:57And it's one of those experiences
08:59that not many people have,
09:02to have grown up somewhere like that on your own.
09:05Just complete freedom.
09:06Yeah.
09:06Yeah, just hills and locks as entertainment.
09:10She's got very fond memories of Glencoe,
09:13and this is part of that history for her.
09:17It's amazing.
09:18Yeah.
09:18Mum's in a nursing home now,
09:19and I think it would be a bit too much to have in her room,
09:23so even if we could get it up and running,
09:26to have it in her house,
09:27so that she knows it's working.
09:30Yeah.
09:30She's been diagnosed with dementia.
09:33I guess it just must make you want to just cling on
09:36to the memories that she has got.
09:38And it's talking to her about things
09:40that I know she's going to remember,
09:42and that makes her happy as well.
09:43Does she know that you're getting it repaired?
09:45Does she?
09:46Yeah.
09:46Her face just lit up.
09:47It's beautiful.
09:49Oh, bless her.
09:49It sounds like you just want to get this working.
09:52Cosmetics, I mean, it looks beautiful as it is, I think.
09:55Yeah, and it is.
09:57It's shiny.
09:57You know, it looks in good condition.
09:59Very well looked after.
10:00But it's the workings, to see the workings of it
10:02and hear it again.
10:04It'll mean a lot.
10:05It's just going to jolt so many memories for her.
10:08For her.
10:08And for me.
10:09Absolutely.
10:12Steve is going to be so excited to work on this.
10:15I need to get back on the road and back to the barn,
10:17so if it's OK, I'll take the clock with me.
10:18Thank you so much.
10:19OK.
10:20Be careful.
10:21Yes, OK, OK.
10:44Back in Alawa, Will has enlisted a local specialist
10:48and familiar face to the repair shop team.
10:50Heritage sign writer Ross Hastie previously helped him
10:54with the historic carriage at Musselburgh.
10:57Will is hoping Ross will use his skills
10:59to restore the bowling club's cherished sign.
11:04Ross.
11:05Hello.
11:05Good to see you again, my friend.
11:07Good to see you too.
11:08Now, I need some help, please.
11:10This sign belongs to the Alawa bowling club.
11:13Yeah.
11:13And they're about to celebrate their 100th year.
11:16But it'd be really nice to sort of bring this into 2025
11:19and have it looking vibrant again.
11:21Can you help?
11:22Yeah, we can do that.
11:23I presume all this cracking in the paint has occurred
11:26because it has warped and moved around.
11:28Yeah, it's definitely been done in an oil-based paint,
11:31which dries hard and doesn't really allow for any expansion,
11:34so it's started to crack.
11:36It's started to crack.
11:37James, who is the current president of the club,
11:40did mention gold.
11:42Yes.
11:43Apparently the hands were golden
11:45and there's a golden circle going around the outside.
11:48Ooh.
11:48We can make them gold again.
11:50Yeah?
11:50Yeah.
11:51Would it be like a bit of gold paint?
11:52I think gold leaf.
11:54Gold leaf?
11:54Gold leaf would be the way.
11:56Bringing out the big guns.
11:57OK, I like that.
11:59Finally, the date on here, 1925,
12:01that's when the club started.
12:04James did say, if it was possible,
12:06if we could put 2025 on the other side in the same style.
12:10Yeah, that would be a nice touch.
12:12I think it will fit.
12:13Lovely.
12:14We can start by cleaning it
12:16with a fairly mild vinegar-based cleaner.
12:20That should remove any surface residue
12:22without hurting the background,
12:24so that would definitely be the place to start.
12:40Oh, my word.
12:41Look at that transformation already.
12:44Yeah, it's really brought back what the colour should be.
12:46What's next?
12:47I think we should definitely, just for safety,
12:49get a tracing of this,
12:51because the small detail on this is just hanging on right now,
12:54and I think if we give it a light sand
12:57in order to let the new paint adhere,
13:00we might end up losing some critical detail.
13:03So let's trace that now.
13:04OK.
13:06Leaving Will to trace the clubhouse motif,
13:09Ross is using his years of experience
13:12to try and find a colour that will match the base coat of the sign.
13:16I reckon I'm going to start with what's called fire red,
13:20which if I just wet this again,
13:22to get the colour back.
13:25By wetting it, it's going to show us
13:26what it's going to look like when it's varnished.
13:28It's a really good idea.
13:29Now, I think...
13:33..that fire red, as it is,
13:36is not far away.
13:38It just has to be looking absolutely spectacular.
13:41Yeah, we can do that.
13:44While it's game on for the sign restoration,
13:49Dom has arrived at the barn
13:51to drop off Kirsty's silent clock
13:54at the bench of third-generation horologist Steve Fletcher.
14:00Ah, so this is the clock.
14:03This is Kirsty's clock.
14:04Right.
14:05I love these absolutely beautiful clocks.
14:08They're either called four glass,
14:11because they've got four glasses.
14:12Four pieces of glass, I get that, yeah.
14:14Or they're called parish regulators as well,
14:17and they're regulators
14:18because they've got a temperature-compensated pendulum.
14:23What on earth does that mean?
14:25It's the temperature rises.
14:26The pendulums grow in length.
14:28The material, the steel...
14:30Expansion, yeah, yeah.
14:31No.
14:31And because these have got the two mercury tubes in there,
14:36the mercury goes the other way
14:38and compensates for the expansion of the main pendulum.
14:42To balance the weight of it all.
14:43Yeah.
14:43That is amazing.
14:45Yeah, so they keep absolutely bang-on time.
14:48Wow.
14:49It's an incredible condition, really,
14:51but, unfortunately, not working.
14:54OK.
14:55This is for her mum.
14:56Her mum, sadly, has got dementia.
14:58She's in her home.
14:58And so I'm hoping you're able to get it working
15:01and get it chiming and making its noises again
15:04so that Kirsty's mum...
15:06It might trigger a memory for her.
15:08OK, well, I'll take it apart, see what I can find wrong,
15:10and hopefully get it ticking and sounding right.
15:14Thanks, Steve.
15:14OK.
15:22So I can't see why the clock isn't working at the moment,
15:26so once I get in,
15:28I hope that there's going to be something that I can see.
15:42I'm just going to trigger the strike,
15:46which seems to be working OK.
15:49I can see I need to make some adjustments
15:51because it did falter a little bit.
15:54This lever that comes down at the back of the mechanism
15:58and drives the pendulum is called the crutch.
16:01I can feel that it's far too tight
16:05and won't do the job that it's designed to do.
16:08I can actually see that the friction part of the crutch
16:11at the top has been squeezed up.
16:14I can see the marks there
16:15where someone's got some pliers and has squeezed it up.
16:19I think someone has really struggled in the past
16:21with getting the right sort of spring for the fly,
16:25but it's quite a naive thing to do to squeeze it up,
16:29to make it tight.
16:30So I need to rectify that
16:33and put it back to how it should be.
16:36I just need to strip it down,
16:38give it a really good clean,
16:39and then I can go through everything
16:41with a fine tooth comb
16:43just to make sure that I identify anywhere
16:46that needs to be rectified.
17:03Back in Aloua, Ross is making progress.
17:07He's given the bowling club sign a gentle sanding,
17:11renewed the base coat with a matching red paint,
17:13and sealed the surface with a clear binding primer.
17:18Right now, I'm painting the black shadows again.
17:23I'm painting the black in to try and cover the cracks,
17:25but also, as I'm doing each bit,
17:27I'm trying to fix up the shape.
17:29Like here, that's not really a straight line anymore.
17:31But if I put it in,
17:33I'm just making it ever so slightly bigger
17:35so I can get it to a straight line.
17:52Well, the bulk of the work is done.
17:55All the backgrounds put back in,
17:56all the signwritings put back in.
17:58The blue was pretty close to one that I had out the can,
18:02so that didn't take much mixing.
18:04The green, I'm going to have to do a bit of mixing
18:06to try and match that.
18:12I'm using SignWriter's enamel.
18:14It's an oil-based enamel,
18:16similar just to a traditional oil-based gloss,
18:19although it's probably got a lot more pigment in it
18:23than normal oil-based gloss.
18:25So the colours are quite bright.
18:30Yay!
18:41I'm quite happy with that colour.
18:44It's similar in value as a colour,
18:48but it's more vibrant.
18:53I'm quite happy with that.
18:54It's a grass.
18:56Yeah.
18:57I mean, who's going to stop me?
19:00My grass, please.
19:01Doubt it.
19:06With Ross making headway on the sign,
19:09Will's travelling further north
19:11to the Speyside town of Rothes.
19:14Famous for its whisky production,
19:16Speyside alone boasts an incredible 50 distilleries.
19:20But to get all that lovely liquid gold,
19:23first you've got to start with a bit of copper.
19:26I'm off to a company that makes copper stills for distilleries.
19:31Oh, that's going to be such a good day.
19:32I'm a bit jealous.
19:33I know, sorry.
19:34The stills are beautiful, big, round copper,
19:37with all the, you know, the pipes coming out the top.
19:40It's like panel beating for cars, but out of copper.
19:45Scotland's whisky industry may date back centuries,
19:48but with annual exports worth an incredible £5.4 billion today,
19:53it's a business that's going from strength to strength.
19:57Both sculptural and functional,
20:00these famous stills have become a symbol of tradition and craftsmanship
20:04and have a key role to play in making sure
20:07Scotland's national tipple tastes as good as it should.
20:11Working like huge kettles,
20:13they boil up liquid to release the alcoholic vapours,
20:17removing impurities along the way
20:19and helping to create the whisky's distinctive flavour.
20:23With so much at stake, it needs an expert hand.
20:26So Will's hopped out to visit a 130-year-old business
20:30and meet Gary Garrick,
20:32who's dedicated 20 years to the ancient craft
20:35of coppersmithing whisky stones.
20:38Hi there, Gary. Nice to meet you.
20:40Oh, hello. Nice to meet you. Welcome to Precise.
20:42Thank you, thank you.
20:43This place is amazing.
20:44It is.
20:44So much copper.
20:45There is so much copper.
20:47Right, safety first.
20:49Safety first.
20:50Eh?
20:50Safety first, yes.
20:52So what are we doing here?
20:54Well, here we have copper that's been cut to size.
20:57We've taken it into this workshop to be rolled
20:59for making the stills in this workshop.
21:02So it goes from flat sheets...
21:05Flat sheets to rolled...
21:06To then.
21:06Yes, flat sheets to rolled sheets,
21:09to formed sheets and to full stills.
21:12It takes 1,600 hours to create the average still,
21:16and the process starts with giant sheets
21:19of 4mm thick copper being laser cut
21:22to the unique pattern of the still.
21:25Once cut to size,
21:26they move it to the copper shed,
21:28where Gary takes over the next step, shaping.
21:31I'm making sure the template is right to the copper,
21:35so when I line it up with the other sheets,
21:38it should be a round circle.
21:40I'm happy with that just now.
21:43The curved panels are then welded together
21:46into larger sections,
21:47which need further shaping by hand.
21:50This is huge!
21:52To achieve this,
21:54the copper first needs to be soft,
21:56and that requires heat.
21:58Whoa!
21:59That'll start.
22:05Oh, it starts from the bottom.
22:07Why?
22:09Heat rises, so...
22:11Once you get higher up...
22:13Because you're not quicker to heat that.
22:15Quick, it'll keep the heat up.
22:17So how long does it take to heat this up?
22:19It'll take a couple minutes.
22:23So, I know that is baking hot now.
22:25It's definitely changed colour.
22:27Yes.
22:27But this is now soft enough to start to shape.
22:29Yes, it is, yes.
22:30OK.
22:31You have to kind of work it up the way.
22:33Just kind of get the bumps out gradually.
22:36OK.
22:36Otherwise, you'll end up with lots of wrinkles,
22:38especially in this shape.
22:39Go and try.
22:40Can I come whack?
22:41Use this side.
22:43Yeah, that side.
22:44Start from here and work your way along.
22:46And then just whack along the line?
22:48Yes.
22:51Harder than that.
22:52A little bit harder than that.
22:53Oh, my arm.
22:54It's raised a ton.
22:55OK, ready?
23:03Hold on a second.
23:07Big forearms.
23:08Exactly.
23:09That's good.
23:10I've got longer arms as well.
23:12I'm sweating already.
23:14I've kind of come down that bit of an angle.
23:16Should I straighten that out?
23:17Yeah, you can if you want, yes.
23:24I'm going to hand that back to you because I don't have the energy to do it again.
23:29It may be hard graft, but a smooth finish is essential, allowing the copper to efficiently conduct heat and ensuring
23:38that the contents of each still are warmed evenly and precisely.
23:43After the malleting is done is the turn of mechanical hammers, which finish the surface to exacting design specifications.
23:51But there are places the machine can't reach, and for these, the human touch is still required.
23:59So we'll be using the flattener in the hammer to smooth out the copper up the top here and to
24:04blend it in with the rest of the copper that's been hammered.
24:07Right, and this hasn't been done on the machine because the machine can't get back, goes to the edge.
24:11Yes, exactly, yes.
24:13All right, let's see how it's done professionally.
24:15So watch your fingers.
24:18You've got the dolly on the surface.
24:20You've got the dolly on, and you're just hammering very softly until you find the head, and then you can
24:26hit a little bit harder.
24:28So.
24:38You can see, you can feel, it's kind of smooth there.
24:44You've kind of blended it in compared to what it is here.
24:48There you go.
24:49You can have a shot.
24:50Right, I get stuck in.
24:51Yes, I'll move out your weight.
24:53OK.
24:53Squeeze past.
24:54Very snug up here, isn't it, Gary?
24:56It is.
24:57OK.
24:59So.
24:59About there?
25:00So round about here, yes, that's what I've been hitting.
25:07Yes, so, yeah, they keep on going.
25:16You hit the head there, you hear the difference?
25:19Yeah, definitely.
25:20That's smoothing out at all?
25:21That's smoothing out there, yes.
25:23Right, so once this has all been finished, what's next?
25:26The join it on to the other parts of the still, this is only one part of the still, they're
25:31all welded together,
25:32and then they're mechanically hammered and joined all together, and then they're shipped out to the distilleries to be fitted.
25:42Scotland's whisky makers pour centuries of expertise into creating the perfect dram,
25:48but without the skills and craftsmanship of coppersmiths like Gary, they couldn't produce a job.
25:55You like whisky?
25:56Now and again when I'm allowed.
25:59Do you know what, thank you so much for today.
26:02No problem.
26:02It's an eye-opener, and I feel like I'm probably best suited towards work.
26:07It's OK, you're welcome back anytime.
26:20Back at the barn, having thoroughly cleaned every component of Kirsty's clock,
26:26Steve is now beginning the exacting task of examining each part to identify and fix any fault.
26:34At the moment, I'm just checking all the teeth of all the wheels.
26:39I have actually been given a lovely pair of magnifying glasses, which is really helping with the smaller wheels.
26:52I'm just going to look at the escape wheel, which is the wheel that drives the part of the mechanism
26:59that drives the pendulum.
27:01And this has got some very, very fine teeth, which are very easily bent.
27:08So I'm just checking it really, really carefully.
27:12I've actually spotted a tooth that is very, very slightly bent.
27:17The slight bend will make all the difference in the actual going of the clock.
27:22I do need to just straighten that out.
27:25I'm just going to do it very, very gently because it only needs a slight amount of power just to
27:32straighten that up.
27:35I'll be very, very careful because there's always a chance that you could break a tooth like this.
27:47There we are.
27:48You wouldn't know it's ever been bent.
27:51Right, that's all the teeth nice and straight.
27:55I need to now check all of the other components for any other damage.
28:13So I'm currently doing the bushing work at the moment.
28:17All the bearings, they have pivots at the end, and those pivots actually go into pivot holes.
28:23And those holes actually get worn.
28:27And what I need to do is make those holes a little bit bigger, put a tube of brass in,
28:33which is called a bush,
28:35and then make that hole the right size for the pivot so that it's nice and snug.
28:41If the clock runs with worn pivots, it creates so much damage.
28:46This hole that I'm going to work on now is so worn.
28:52I'm not sure how it ever works.
28:54Once I've bushed it, this just won't flop around like this at all, and then that will turn really efficiently.
29:03I'm going to use one of these tiny little bushes.
29:07So the hole that's in the centre of the bush is too tight for the pivot,
29:12but that's absolutely as it should be because then I'm just going to open up that hole to the right
29:19size.
29:20So what I need to do is open up this hole to accommodate the bush that I'm going to pop
29:26in there
29:26by using a brooch, which is a five-sided, tapered cutting tool.
29:33I'm just going to gently spin it and apply a little bit of force.
29:40I'm just taking off absolute tiny, tiny bits of brass.
29:46If I take off too much, then it does mean that I would have to go to a bigger bush,
29:51which I don't particularly want to do.
29:54There we go.
29:55That's sitting in there really, really nicely at the moment because it hasn't gone all the way in.
30:00But when I push it right the way in, it's going to be friction tight and will stay in there
30:08forever.
30:08So I'm just going to push the bush in with these parallel pliers.
30:17So that bush has gone in there absolutely perfectly.
30:21And now what I need to do is to open up the hole so that it's nice and snug for
30:27the pivot.
30:28And again, I'm using five-sided brooches.
30:31Got to be so careful not to overdo this because if you overdo it,
30:36then you'd have to punch the bush out again and put another one in.
30:42It's really worth just spending a bit of time just getting it right because you know this is going to
30:49make all the difference.
30:51Just going to see how it is all faring.
30:57And that's spinning nicely and there's just the right amount of movement in the pivot hole.
31:12Back in Allowa, Ross is adding the final touches to the bowling club sign.
31:17I'm about to put the old leaf on this.
31:21He's already painted a special glue called size onto the area that he wants to gild.
31:27This helps the gold leaf bond to the surface.
31:31I use the three-hour size on this, but I find that with certain sizes anyway,
31:37the longer you leave it, the shinier a gild you get.
31:41So with this particular one, I'm quite happy leaving it kind of four or five hours in these temperatures
31:46and it'll still take and I'll get a shiny gild.
31:52On a perfectly smooth surface, you would kind of gild it with this motion,
31:56you know, but pushing it gently into the surface.
32:01Although this surface is quite textured, there's still some wrinkles in it,
32:04so I'm having to push harder and just kind of tap it on rather than smooth it on like you
32:11would on a smooth surface.
32:14I'm now going to polish it a bit with velvet.
32:17Some people use cotton wool.
32:19I like to use velvet.
32:21And because it's a circular shape, I'm just going to follow the shape of the circle
32:26and that'll give it a nice gentle burnish.
32:29It doesn't look like much yet, but it will soon.
32:46In the barn, Steve's almost finished a complex series of repairs on Kirstie's clock,
32:53but there's one final, vital component requiring his expertise.
32:57I've now turned my attention to repairing the crutch,
33:02the part of the mechanism that transfers the power from the escape wheel
33:06through to the pallets, through to the pendulum.
33:10If this is too tight, then that will not happen.
33:13It's been really hammered at the top.
33:18It's splayed out the springy part,
33:22and it's actually so tight on the thread that it's not doing the job it's supposed to.
33:28So I'm going to put it on back to front.
33:34And then I'm going to actually squeeze that back to where it's supposed to be.
33:40I'm going to use some nylon-lined pliers
33:43and just squeeze it gently back to where it's supposed to be.
33:49There we go.
33:52Then I'm going to take it off.
33:55I'm going to put it on the other way round.
33:58And actually, that's already just improved it hugely,
34:02but I do need to relieve some of the tension as well.
34:04So I'm just going to pop my tweezers in there
34:08and open it up a little bit.
34:12So I'm just actually feeling for the right amount of tensions
34:17so that I'll know that if the pendulum is swung vigorously,
34:21the clock will go back into beat again.
34:25If it's too tight, that won't happen.
34:27If it's too loose, it'll just flop around and the clock won't work.
34:30So it has to be just right.
34:32And I've got it absolutely right now.
34:37That will work perfectly.
34:43With his repairs complete,
34:46Steve is undertaking the complicated task of reassembling the clock.
35:05I just need to get the gong back on
35:07and then it'll be ready to hand back over to Kirstie.
35:10And I'm sure they're going to absolutely love it.
35:22After hours of painstaking work,
35:25the clock that wouldn't strike is ready to be reunited with Kirstie.
35:29And Steve has entrusted Dom
35:31to deliver the precious timepiece safely back to Kippen.
35:35This is a slightly nerve-wracking time for me
35:37because Steve has given me very strict instructions
35:41for how to set this clock up.
35:42It's an incredibly old and incredibly fragile clock
35:46and I need to be careful.
35:52This is going to be a special day for Kirstie.
35:55It's been a while since this clock has worked
35:57and there is such a special reason
35:58for her wanting to get it working again.
36:01It's the sound, the sound this makes every hour, the strike.
36:05That's the noise that she wants her mum to hear
36:07and I really hope that it brings back
36:10some happy memories for her mum.
36:15I'm nervous.
36:16I'm excited as well.
36:18I've been mentioning it to mum
36:20when we've been visiting her
36:21and she gets quite emotional when I talk about it,
36:24which in turn gets me emotional.
36:28It's going to be great to see it again.
36:36Hi.
36:37Hello.
36:38Take a seat.
36:39It's good to see you again.
36:41You too, Dom.
36:42Since talking to me about the clock previously,
36:44have you been thinking about it more?
36:47Very much.
36:48It goes so far down into our family
36:51and when I talk about it with her,
36:53she gets quite emotional.
36:54It's just such a big part of her history.
36:56That must be so nice for you,
36:58getting to sit with mum and talking to her
37:00and seeing her react to things like that.
37:03I said, mum, they're coming back.
37:04They must have been able to fix it.
37:06And she got teary and she was like,
37:09really?
37:10I said, yeah.
37:11Really?
37:11Yeah.
37:12So to see her face when I talk about it,
37:14it just lights up.
37:15It's just lovely.
37:16That's magic.
37:17That's so special, isn't it?
37:18So what are you hoping to see then?
37:21To see it working, obviously.
37:24The pendulum on it had been damaged,
37:26so to see that back intact and working again,
37:31it's mesmerising to look at.
37:35And I remember that as a child,
37:36so no doubt when it's back on the shelf,
37:39I'll be looking at it again like I was when I was 10 years old.
37:44You're looking forward to seeing it?
37:45I am.
37:46You ready?
37:47I am ready.
37:48Yeah?
37:48Yeah.
37:51Oh, my goodness.
38:02Just stunning.
38:05You wouldn't know it's from the late 1800s, would you?
38:10Look at the colour of it.
38:12It has changed.
38:14It looks like new.
38:16It's an incredible thing.
38:17It really is.
38:18So did he fix it?
38:19Well, I can show you.
38:21Look at it.
38:29Oh.
38:30Just ever so gently ticking away.
38:33And it is.
38:33It's so subtle.
38:35Yeah.
38:36To have made something like that back in those days.
38:39Well done, Steve.
38:40It's working.
38:41Yeah.
38:42There's one thing that we've not heard yet.
38:45I think Steve has given me permission.
38:47He's told me how to do it safely so I can twiddle the hand round.
38:51To hear it chime.
38:52If you want to hear it.
38:52Yes, please.
38:53Yeah.
39:06Isn't that stunning?
39:09It's so gentle.
39:11It's not overpowering.
39:14It's just so gentle.
39:17Keep it wound up.
39:18Keep it going.
39:19But most importantly, just keep enjoying it.
39:21Oh, yeah.
39:25This historic clock, gifted from Lady Scott to Kirsty's great-grandfather, is keeping time once more and will hopefully spark
39:35some precious memories for Kirsty's mum.
39:38I'm just so looking forward to show mum that it is working, that it's been fixed and it's going to
39:45sit on the shelf again and pride of place.
40:01Will's back on the road to Alloa to reunite bowling club president James with the sign that spent 40 years
40:08at the mercy of the Scottish weather.
40:10It's a big day, it really is, because we're celebrating the centenary of the bowling club and I'm really excited
40:17to see what Ross has done with the sign.
40:20As the man himself arrives, hoping his work bores them over, the club members are gathering in eager anticipation.
40:28I'm feeling excited about seeing the sign again and what's been done to it.
40:33The sign was in such a bad condition, it'd be great to see it restored.
40:36I'm really looking forward to seeing the work that's happened to the sign, because I think it'd be quite good.
40:41I was hoping we can just bring new life into it, like we've brought new life into the club itself.
40:49Well, thanks for all coming down today.
40:51This is Ross.
40:52Ross has been working on the sign for you.
40:54It's really great to be part of the community here, and the fact that you're celebrating your 100th anniversary is
41:00quite a special thing.
41:01So, fingers crossed, you're happy with Ross's work.
41:04Are we all ready to see it?
41:06Yes!
41:08There we go.
41:09Oh, wow.
41:12Oh, look at that.
41:17Oh, it's really nice. Thank you very much for that.
41:20Thank you very much.
41:21Good news.
41:22Ross, do you want to explain exactly what you've done?
41:25Yeah, so I decided to lightly sand it and then seal it to stop it getting any worse.
41:31Mixed all the colours and repainted everything back in on top.
41:35Added the 20-25 banner and put some gold leaf on the hands.
41:41Yeah, well done, Ross.
41:46Well, I know how much this club means to you, James, and the impact that it's had on you over
41:51the years.
42:21I mean, it's a fantastic place.
42:21Blade with pride in the club.
42:23My favourite thing is the handshake because it symbolises the friendship that we have throughout the bowling community.
42:31Thank you so much for having us back and we're thrilled that you like the sign.
42:36A little golden handshake.
42:38That's how you do it.
42:38Who wants the game of balls?
42:40Yay!
42:41Come on!
42:46What a turnout.
42:48It really shows off what this is all about here.
42:51Community.
42:52It means so much to James and everyone loved the sign.
42:56Actually, I think I'm up.
43:00If you'd like to see more fantastic fixes and restorations, search BBC iPlayer for The Repair Shop on the road.
43:37We'll see you next time.
43:38We'll see you next time.
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