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00:01Here at The Repair Shop, countless treasures have been brought back to life.
00:07Cha-ching!
00:08That reveal so much about who we are.
00:11Yeah!
00:12And where we're from.
00:14It's like it's brand new.
00:15But there's so much more out there.
00:17Let's do it.
00:18That's not yet made it to the barn.
00:20This is amazing.
00:22So the team are hitting the road.
00:25I just love getting up close and personal with the objects.
00:27And we're going to get a glimpse into some amazing heritage crafts.
00:31Yes.
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 is going to penetrate.
00:47On their most ambitious restorations yet.
00:50To think every day you come up, this is your office.
00:52Wow!
00:53It'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.
01:06Wow!
01:07There's a legacy here that needs to be protected.
01:19This time, Dom and Will are travelling to the home county of Buckinghamshire.
01:24This would be good for some off-roading through here.
01:26What, are you and your BMX?
01:28I can't believe it's the BMX.
01:29I haven't got a BMX.
01:31They'll be working to revive a relic of Britain's code-breaking past.
01:36Our historians here have estimated that Bletchley Park, at its peak, was getting through
01:39around two million of these cards every week.
01:42A week?
01:42Mm-hmm.
01:43I think about a year.
01:44And Dom comes up with a plan to restore a once blossoming brooch.
01:49Oh, it's beautiful.
01:50Do you mind if I take a look?
01:51Absolutely.
01:51Oh, it's so delicate, isn't it?
01:54It is very delicate, yes.
01:55And there'll be no more bad hair days for Will as he weaves his way through the traditional
02:01techniques of wig-making.
02:03How did you do that?
02:05You can do this.
02:07That's like tying up your shoelaces with one hand.
02:12Buckinghamshire is a county that sits just outside of London and stretches up to the Midlands.
02:19It's an area steeped in history, famed for its contrasting landscapes, and home to the
02:25market town of Bletchley.
02:28I'm really excited to go to Bletchley Park today.
02:31Oh, what are you up to?
02:32Well, I am meeting Erica, and I believe she has a code-breaking card-punching machine.
02:39Wow, that sounds interesting.
02:40Really cool.
02:41I think we've had a few items come into the barn over the last eight years.
02:44Yeah, we have.
02:44Tim's had a bicycle.
02:45Yes.
02:46Susie had a code-breaking case.
02:48Yes.
02:49And today I actually get to go to the big house itself.
02:55Bletchley Park was the site of a top-secret hub for code-breakers during the Second World War.
03:01The work carried out here was vital to Britain's success in the conflict.
03:07The team at Bletchley has asked the repair shop crew to help preserve an important piece of machinery,
03:14the likes of which would have been used in the code-breaking process.
03:17So, Will is here to meet Erica and find out more.
03:22I didn't realise that there's more to Bletchley Park than just the manor house.
03:26There are so many other buildings here, and I've been on a very small walk around.
03:30It's huge.
03:31It is, it is.
03:32There's the mansion, there's the hut, the sort of temporary hut.
03:36There's all this gorgeous landscape as well.
03:38And there are also things like this.
03:40There are indeed.
03:41It's a lovely machine.
03:41Yes.
03:42What connection does this have to the code-breaking process?
03:44So, this machine is a Hollerith card-punching machine.
03:49And machines like this would have been part of a much larger data processing operation here at Bletchley Park in
03:55the Second World War.
03:56There would be a young woman, it's the most junior role in the section, is to sit with one of
04:00these machines and a blank card.
04:02And they would have been given a form with just numbers or letters on it.
04:05And so you sit there at this machine and you have to punch digit by digit into the cards, exactly
04:11what you see there.
04:11And it would have been used to punch cards a bit like this.
04:15These small rectangular holes would have been punched into cards and each hole represents a piece of data.
04:22Inputting data was a key step in the code-breaking process.
04:27Punch machines like this were an early piece of information technology that helped pave the way for modern computers.
04:35Each hole in a card stood for a letter or number.
04:39Stacked together, they held vast amounts of information.
04:43Our historians here have estimated that Bletchley Park, at its peak, was getting through around 2 million of these cards
04:49every week.
04:50I think about a year, a week. No, absolutely.
04:52So, how much information would you get on one card then?
04:55Very, very small amount of information.
04:57Cards like this have 80 columns of data, which means you can put 80 numbers, or actually letters if you
05:03use a combination of these, into your cards.
05:06Larger Hollerith machines then sorted and analysed the cards, helping codebreakers spot repeated words like a routine greeting.
05:17And once the daily code settings were cracked, the messages could finally be translated back into German.
05:27How many people would have been working here?
05:29At its peak, which is January 1945, there's around 9,000 people working here and local outstations.
05:38No.
05:38And 75% of those people were women.
05:40But the key thing about it was, it was completely secret.
05:43This looks very rusty at the moment.
05:45This one is definitely showing its age.
05:48I can press a button, you can see there are elements of it that do move, but there are small
05:54holes underneath these bits here that create the rectangular holes.
05:58And as a button presses, the machine should sort of move on each increment and the card would move through.
06:05Bits of it still work.
06:06So what are you hoping we're going to do with this machine? Keeping it looking old or having it looking
06:10quite new?
06:12We'd quite like it to look like an old machine, but also we'd like it to work properly.
06:19And we would love it if when you put in a card, you press the button, hole is there, pull
06:24it out and it looks like it's just freshly punched.
06:26It means that our visitors have a chance to get hands on and maybe bring a bit of that history
06:32to life.
06:33So get rid of the rust, something that functions, but something that has retained that character and the authenticity.
06:39Yeah.
06:39I'm sure we can do something with you.
06:41Brilliant.
06:46As Will cracks chords, Dom is back on the road to meet Jackie, whose priceless mid-century heirloom is in
06:55desperate need of repair.
06:58What have you brought in for us today then?
07:00I have brought in a brooch that used to belong to my Nana.
07:05Oh, it's beautiful.
07:06Do you mind if I take a look?
07:07Absolutely.
07:08Oh, it's so delicate, isn't it?
07:10It is very delicate, yes.
07:11So where did you get this from?
07:13It belonged to my Nana.
07:14Basically, she had loads and loads of brooches and all of her sort of bits and bobs and jewellery got
07:19passed along to me after she had passed away.
07:22OK.
07:22What was Nana's name?
07:23Nana's name was Margaret.
07:25Every play I did, every sports event, everything I did, my Nana was there.
07:29Sounds like a very supportive lady.
07:30Yeah, she was the best lady ever, yeah.
07:32Aw.
07:32Yeah.
07:33Where was this?
07:34My Nana was originally from Sully Hall.
07:37Her and my Gaga, as we called him, they moved from Sully Hall to Canada in 1957.
07:44So my mum was born there and then I grew up there and they lived about 10 minutes away from
07:48me in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
07:50OK.
07:51You don't sound Canadian.
07:52No, I moved to Belfast about 10 years ago and have heavily adopted the accent.
07:56LAUGHTER
07:59While post-war Britain faced austerity and economic devastation, Canada was booming, with better jobs, housing and the lure of
08:09adventure.
08:10Commonwealth countries were calling out for skilled workers like Jackie's granddad, a millwright.
08:16More than half a million British people left for Canada in the 25 years after the war and Jackie's Nana
08:24and granddad were among them.
08:26What's your earliest memory of it then?
08:27Oh, I couldn't tell you.
08:29She wore quite a lot of brooches and jewellery.
08:32So I think I remember her wearing it maybe when I was about six or seven.
08:36I can remember her having that on.
08:38And it was just always a favourite of mine because it was so bright and fun.
08:42And in particular, that brooch I would wear quite a bit and people would ask me about it.
08:48And so that really brings her up in conversation, which I love.
08:51You seem to enjoy.
08:52Yeah, yeah.
08:53I can tell.
08:54I've got to ask, what happened?
08:56So one day I just had it pinned to my black dungarees and just walked up to the shop about
09:01five minutes from my house,
09:03came back, looked down and it was gone.
09:06I don't know how it fell off.
09:08I was devastated, searched everywhere, posted it everywhere I could, lost and found sites, everything, but yeah, nothing.
09:14But it's here?
09:15It's here.
09:16So what happened?
09:17Nearly three years to the day later, I was walking home, got to the front door of my apartment building
09:25and it was just laying there.
09:27On the floor?
09:28Yeah.
09:28Yeah.
09:29Three years later.
09:31Three years later, it was just in front of my apartment building.
09:34No.
09:34Yeah.
09:35I genuinely couldn't believe it.
09:37It's the fairies.
09:38That's exactly what I said.
09:40Isn't it?
09:41Absolutely.
09:41It must be.
09:42Yeah.
09:43On the first of April, a day of trickery, the fairies brought it back to me through my Nana.
09:47Absolutely.
09:48Yeah.
09:49Have you tried to have it repaired?
09:50I tentatively tried to clean it and then got really worried that I was using the wrong stuff.
09:55And then I was quite nervous to take it to someone if it wasn't done properly.
10:00You know?
10:01That would be my biggest fear.
10:02Yeah.
10:02So what is the dream?
10:04What are you hoping to see?
10:05I am hoping to see it restored to its bright and beautiful, vibrant, colourful brooch that
10:11it was before that really encapsulated my Nana.
10:15You know, to have it be those bright colours again that I'm able to actually wear it and
10:20that I can pin it back on and wear it proudly and be reminded of my Nana.
10:24It's an amazing memory of your Nan and the amazing childhood that you had together.
10:28And I completely understand what you want to happen to it.
10:31And I'm very pleased to say that Rich is at the bar I'm waiting and it's perfect for him.
10:37I can't wait.
10:38Brilliant.
10:38Thank you so much.
10:43While Dom prepares Jackie's brooch for the workshop repair,
10:47back at Bletchley, Will is teaming up with conservator Richard,
10:51a leading specialist in metalwork conservation,
10:54to decipher the issues with the card punching machine.
10:59Now you are the right person for the job here.
11:02I hope so.
11:02Yeah.
11:03Certainly metalwork is my thing.
11:05Amazing machine.
11:06I mean, first time I've seen it.
11:07Have you ever worked on a machine like this before?
11:09I have worked on mechanical things before, but not, no, certainly not a code breaking machine.
11:15It's a cool bit of kit, but very rusty.
11:17It is.
11:18Yeah.
11:19And there's a mixture of metals here.
11:21I mean, more will be revealed once you start stripping it down.
11:24Yeah.
11:25That's quite interesting because there are areas of metal where it's not actually rusty at all.
11:29Is that nickel plated or something?
11:30I think it's nickel plated, I think.
11:32And where it's the actual mechanism, it's probably been heavily oiled and lubricated over the years.
11:37Right.
11:37So you wouldn't expect it to corrode too much.
11:40But also, some of these keys, look like they've been melted.
11:43I don't understand how.
11:44I suspect whatever they were made of, a plastic or rubber type material, started disintegrating.
11:50What's your action plan here?
11:51First thing would be to dismantle it and understand the workings of it.
11:56Second thing would be to remove the corrosion to leave a nice finish, but not brand new looking.
12:02So functional, but also looking quite pretty.
12:05Yeah.
12:06What a lovely thing for you to work on.
12:07It's very historic.
12:09It has a past and you'll be part of its future.
12:11Yeah.
12:12I can't wait to start, get going with it and have a closer look.
12:17Right.
12:17Well, let's get you set up.
12:19Do you want to carry the heavy one?
12:20I will.
12:22I'll grab these.
12:23Right.
12:23Follow me.
12:29While conservator Richard decodes a wartime machine, at the repair shop, jewellery maestro Richard
12:36is turning his attention to an item that means the world to Jackie.
12:42This is such a pretty little brooch.
12:45Looks to me, though, that it has suffered some really bad oxidisation.
12:50Looks like on the surface here, it's got some kind of rust, which has caused it to become quite pitted.
12:57So in order to be able to diagnose what this metal is, I'm just going to be subjecting it to
13:02a non-destructive metal test.
13:09I'm just going to place the head of the brooch just on top of the aperture of the machine here.
13:17It works by emitting high power x-rays into the metal.
13:22I can see here that it is a mixture of copper and zinc, which indeed is a brass.
13:28But just as I thought there, I've got 2% of iron and it's that little bit of iron there,
13:34which is causing or has caused the rust.
13:39Now I know that the brooch is brass.
13:41I can go about removing the oxidisation and the paint, start thinking about my repair.
13:52I think I've got three quite challenging parts of this repair.
13:57Number one would be to try and straighten out this part of the pin catch at the back.
14:02It's not going to be able to operate until I've straightened it out.
14:06The second part is going to be whether I can remove all of this oxidisation, this rust from the petals.
14:14But the most concerning is to reattach the stem here back to the head of the flower.
14:21The problem there, of course, is putting heat onto the metal and putting heat onto metal is always a massive
14:28risk.
14:29It could cause it to distort further or indeed melt it.
14:33But it is sadly a risk I'm going to have to take.
14:39I'm just using a wire bristle in my drill here to get into the detail on the brooch.
14:47You can actually see the rich colour of the brass coming through.
14:54It's a very delicate operation. I've got lots of little beading here, lots of little lines going from the back
15:02portion of the leaf.
15:03I don't want to go too hard and remove any of those. I want to keep as much of this
15:07detail as I possibly can.
15:10And I need to ensure that I remove all of this oxides and paint.
15:16I want to do that before I put any heat onto it, because who knows, once you start putting heat
15:20onto it, it can cause the paint to melt further,
15:22which could be even more of a tough job to get off later.
15:25So in an ideal world, I want to try and remove as much of this as possible before I go
15:29about soldering the stem to the head.
15:43I think we start off with this section with the buttons, probably removing these four screws and just see if
15:50it works.
15:51But importantly, to label them, right?
15:53Yeah, we'll label them as we go along. That's the front left screw. If we could just put a bit
15:59of tape round that.
16:00Richard, do you like this kind of work?
16:02I've always had a passion for anything metalwork, whether it's silver, bronze, it's all very similar techniques.
16:08This is perfect for you then, right?
16:10It is, yeah.
16:12You got my next one?
16:13Well, this one will be...
16:15Don't tell me. Front right? Oh, we are cooking with gas, Richard.
16:19Are you going to clean up every single piece of this?
16:22Yes. So all the screws will be cleaned up and the threads will be cleaned up.
16:26I was hoping these just lift out, but they seem to be locked in.
16:30I think wiggling and jiggling.
16:31Hey, look. Oh, oh, Richard! Oh!
16:33Wiggle and jiggle as well.
16:35Little wiggle and jiggle? Yeah.
16:36Well, that's just literally freed up all the keys.
16:37Wonderful. Okay.
16:39Oh, take it out, Richard. I need to see it out.
16:41Let's start taking them out then.
16:42Oh, this is very exciting. Some of these keys are really bad, aren't they?
16:45They are, yes.
16:46And you can see where people's fingers have been hammering them up and down and the detail has worn off.
16:51I think if we lift that so the spring stays on and hopefully this will just slide out.
16:57It will. There we go.
17:00Methodically, Richard is working through the Hollerith machine, taking each piece apart and labelling it with care.
17:09Now he's ready for the next stage.
17:12If we just try a couple of small cleaning tests and see how it cleans up.
17:17Yeah. So what are we going to use then?
17:20I would normally start with a scalpel just to take the worst of the surface rust off.
17:26And then I would follow that, depending how bad it is, the very fine wire wall, possibly with a little
17:31bit of oil or lubricant on as you're cleaning.
17:34Well, let's get started. What can I do to help?
17:36So if you'd like to have a go on this.
17:38So this is that tricky plate that we were trying to get.
17:40Yeah. Yeah.
17:41That's the very same.
17:42The idea is to run it over the surface without scratching the surface below.
17:49This is really satisfying, isn't it?
17:51Now in taking this to pieces, has it given you more of an idea of how this actually works?
17:55I think I'm getting a little bit more idea. I think I'll have an even fuller idea once it's all
18:00apart.
18:01I think I've scraped off most of the rust.
18:03Yeah. I think we can probably move on to the wire walling now.
18:07Okay.
18:08So the wire wall, you can press quite hard and see how it comes up.
18:12The final finish, once we're happy with how clean it is, will be to give it a coat of wax.
18:19You'd wax the entire thing?
18:21Yes. So the wax will help preserve the steel.
18:24Yeah.
18:25Well, this is nice and smooth.
18:26You've got that very nice.
18:28Yeah.
18:28Look at yours.
18:29Yeah.
18:30Ooh.
18:30Very good.
18:31We need a little bit more, but yeah, it's not bad to take it further now.
18:34I think I need to get it back to the studio and get on with it.
18:38Yeah.
18:39So does that mean that I've got the job?
18:41Yeah.
18:41You can come and help please.
18:47With that restoration underway, back at the barn, Richard is carefully at work as he takes
18:54the next steps in a very delicate process.
18:58I've now removed as much of the oxides from the brooch as possible.
19:03And in order to fix the stem, I've made a little piece of brass wire, and this is going
19:10to affix just along the stem to form a sort of spine, to give it a bit of structure so
19:17that it will not only join well, but hopefully never break in that position again.
19:22This is where having my laser welder is absolutely ideal because I can tack it into place so I
19:28can make sure it's all level.
19:29Then I can do the soldering and it ensures it stays exactly where it should be.
19:45Now that's tacked into place quite nicely.
19:47Now I've just got to solder it.
19:50Now, although brass has quite a high melting temperature, I'm a little concerned that using
19:55too high a temperature solder on this could cause myself further problems.
19:58So I'm going to err a little bit on the side of caution.
20:01This is a tin-based solder, so it's going to melt well within the thresholds of brass, but
20:07it's not quite so low and as destructive as lead solder.
20:12I only need a relatively small amount of time.
20:15I just want to get it up to temperature there.
20:20It's just flowing beautifully all the way to the end.
20:30There we go.
20:32It's gone and re-oxidised again, which means that I'm going to have to re-clean that, but
20:36that's soldered quite nicely all the way across the top.
20:41That's in solid.
20:43I just need to now pop that in a little bit of acid for a few minutes.
20:47That's going to clean off some of the oxidisation.
20:49But for most of it, I'm going to have to resort right back to the brussel brush again.
20:56While Richard brings a piece of history back to life in the barn, Will is stepping back in time
21:02with Erica to reveal more about the part that machines played in breaking German codes during
21:08the Second World War.
21:10So this larger grey machine is an example of a sorting machine.
21:15So the cards that had the holes punched in them would have been fed into one end of this
21:20and then this machine would sort into whatever system you'd programmed in
21:24and then the various slots would have been filled with cards.
21:27I still feel like this is magic.
21:29I don't really understand how this works.
21:31But the card punching machine that Richard's working on punches the holes.
21:35Yes.
21:35That then is fed into this.
21:36A number of these machines, so they'd be tabulating machines, sorting machines, copying machines
21:42and they'd all be programmed to do a particular function.
21:45These Hollerith machines searched the hole punched cards for patterns in the data,
21:51speeding up the code breakers work and proving crucial for Britain's success in the war.
21:57These machines would have made such a racket, such a loud noise,
22:01but they would have been going 24-7
22:02and the cards that would have been put into these would have been punched by.
22:06You'll be familiar with one of these.
22:08Of course.
22:08A card punching machine.
22:10The experience our visitors are currently getting with this kind of machine,
22:13obviously these are unique historic items, but they can't touch them.
22:17And the brilliant thing that's happening with the machine that Richard has is,
22:20once we've fixed it, we can get our hands on it.
22:31Back at the barn, Richard has a rather colourful plan for Jackie's brooch.
22:38So I've polished the back part of the brooch to get that as shiny as possible.
22:44Jackie mentioned that the centre part of the flower was white, the surrounding petals were blue,
22:50and the stem and the leaves were green.
22:52So I've got the corresponding colours in these lovely little tins of enamel paint,
22:57and they're just so beautiful to use.
23:00And so I'm just going to start off by painting the centre one with the white,
23:04and then I'm going to work my way outwards.
23:06Hopefully none of the colours will run.
23:09Of course, standard enamel is a molten glass, and it requires an exceptionally high heat.
23:14So on the occasional jewellery repairs, these little enamel paints work just beautifully.
23:22I'm really, really keen for this white paint not to make any contact with those leaves.
23:32Seems to be viscous enough to just hold without running down too much.
23:37The beauty of pre-mixed paints.
23:43Although it's really not part of my everyday job, I just love painting.
23:47It's so therapeutic.
23:49Just wish maybe I had a similar sort of inclination to decorate my house.
23:57When Jackie sees this, I am hoping that it will just bring back all the memories of when it was
24:02in one piece,
24:03because a lot of this colour that I'm applying now is just an interpretation of what I think it should
24:08be looking like.
24:09So it's going to be a little bit nervous until such time as it gets her approval,
24:12but I'm pretty confident.
24:14We're close.
24:19Hey, Rich.
24:20Hi, Erj.
24:21This looks amazing.
24:22It's cute, isn't it?
24:23It's completely different than what I saw before.
24:26It is lovely.
24:27Look at that. Thank you.
24:28I didn't know you painted too.
24:30Not since the aircraft days.
24:32You did?
24:33Amazing.
24:35I'll leave you to it.
24:37Cheers.
24:43While Richard indulges his childhood hobby, Will has travelled to London to meet Caroline,
24:51to learn a craft that dates back centuries.
24:55The team here are specialists in creating handmade human hair wigs.
25:02I'm really excited to be here today.
25:04Are you going to tell me all about wig making?
25:05Yeah.
25:06The first step is taking a template.
25:09And if you'd like to come and have a seat here, I'll show you what it's all about.
25:13Oh, yeah, thanks.
25:16Oh, this is very exciting.
25:19But what is the first step in wig making?
25:21Well, the very first step in wig making is making a template.
25:26I'm going to wrap you in this.
25:28So what I need you to do is just pop your finger in front of your mouth so you can
25:32breathe.
25:32Okay.
25:33Okay.
25:34Oh, gosh.
25:35Then I'm going to strap you with this.
25:38I'm going to wrap it round.
25:39Oh, gosh.
25:39I need to do it tight because we actually need to get into all the nooks and crannies of your
25:46head.
25:46And this is normal procedure, right?
25:48This is for everybody.
25:50Yes.
25:50Very good.
25:51Yeah.
25:53I feel like I'm back in school.
25:55No.
25:56No, I'm cutting you out.
25:57I'm cutting you out.
25:58There we go.
25:58There we go.
25:59Oh.
25:59There we go.
26:00All right.
26:02So what I'm going to do now is I'm going to strap you down with sellotape.
26:06Okay.
26:08Okay.
26:08This is template making by hand as opposed to machine.
26:15Yeah.
26:15Which is how they started.
26:17What I'm going to do now is draw on your hairline.
26:20So this is what I'm going to do to get in the detail.
26:23Over your ear and down into the nape.
26:28Then this will go off to Janet, who will then make the template into the foundation.
26:35Exciting.
26:36Okay.
26:37Here we go.
26:37Let's take this off.
26:38Is this going to slip off?
26:39Whoa.
26:39It should slip off.
26:42Oh, my word.
26:44Oh.
26:44And this is your head.
26:46Look at that.
26:47Perfect.
26:48Right.
26:48Thank you so much.
26:50I'll see you in a bit.
26:50Very welcome.
26:52Wig making in England dates back to Tudor times.
26:57And the fashion was made popular by Queen Elizabeth I.
27:01While the trend has faded, the craft lives on.
27:04And with more than 50 years experience, the team here create bespoke pieces, particularly
27:11for people experiencing medical hair loss.
27:15Hi, Janet.
27:16Hi.
27:16I've had my template made.
27:18Great.
27:18Yeah.
27:18What are we up to in here?
27:19Right.
27:20Okay.
27:20So, next stage will be, with your template, I'll find a block, which is more or less fitting
27:26it.
27:27And that's one of these wooden things?
27:28Yeah, that's one of these wooden ones.
27:29And what I need to do is make it exact.
27:31So, I pad it with greaseproof paper, and I keep sellotaping, sellotaping.
27:37Eventually, it won't need padding.
27:39I see.
27:40So, the wooden block roughly fills out the space.
27:43Exactly.
27:44But all the empty spaces in there.
27:46Yeah, the void is gone, and it's really hard.
27:48This can take me about a day to do.
27:50Well, at what point do these begin to look like wigs?
27:52Well, this is the net, and this is what the foundation is made of, the wig foundation.
27:58And what I do is, I'll be moulding the top part of the wig, and I use a hot block.
28:05The shape of the head is not a flat surface.
28:07No, no, no.
28:08So, how do you get that round?
28:10Okay, I'll show you.
28:11Oh, right, okay.
28:12Yeah, please.
28:13Okay, yeah.
28:14So, the hot block, and literally, I just...
28:18Oh, so that's hot as it?
28:19Yeah, that's really hot.
28:20Oh, my gosh.
28:20Okay, fine.
28:21So, the heat is softening the net?
28:24It's heat mouldable net, and I just keep banding it over, and then as I go, I'm just
28:31pulling out all the pleats, and then eventually, I'll get to this.
28:38Perfect mould.
28:39What happens after this?
28:40Well, this now goes onto the block, and I whip it.
28:43You whip it?
28:44Yes, whip it.
28:45We'll come and see.
28:49The heat moulded lace is then pulled under tension over the custom block, and fixed with
28:55tidy points to ensure it's an exact match to the client's head.
29:00Then, the whipping can begin.
29:04This is beginning to take shape, isn't it?
29:06It is.
29:06So, I use a very fine...
29:07You've got nothing yet.
29:09Yeah, you can't see it.
29:10I didn't think you had anything in your hands.
29:11No, no.
29:12That's actual...
29:12It's really fine, yes.
29:14It's a really strong monofilament.
29:15Yeah, you can't break it.
29:17We're attaching this net to the underneath net.
29:21So, we go in every hole, picking up the underneath.
29:25It's like a little fishing hook, and as you go, you're just pulling it back through.
29:29Once you've got your speed up, you can really go.
29:32Would you like to have a go, Will?
29:33Yes, please.
29:34Okay, there you go.
29:35There's your knotting hook.
29:37There is actually a hook on the end of there.
29:39That's unbelievable.
29:39Yeah, we need to work through there.
29:41So, just go in through the next hole, pick up the other layer.
29:46See that?
29:47The hook's getting caught on everything.
29:49Yeah.
29:50Yay!
29:51You've done it.
29:51Yeah, brilliant.
29:52At what point does the hair actually start to get added?
29:54There's a few more bits to do on this, and then the client comes in for a second fitting
29:58where we adjust the front hairline, and then it goes to our knotting department,
30:02and Brenda is upstairs waiting to show you how it goes.
30:06Well, we're going to speak to Brenda, and I will leave you to...
30:08Okay, thank you.
30:08Focus again.
30:09Yeah.
30:10See you in a bit.
30:11Yeah, see you in a bit.
30:19Hi there, Brenda.
30:20Hi there, Will.
30:21They actually now start to look like wigs.
30:23I've been whipping downstairs for ages.
30:25This is a very similar process.
30:27Okay.
30:27Only instead of carrying on with the same piece of whipping thread,
30:31you just let the hair go through.
30:33I've got a piece here for you, ready?
30:35Oh, am I going to do so?
30:36I'll just show you quickly.
30:39Hook the hair on.
30:40Keep the tension there.
30:42Take it into the bend of the hook.
30:44Mm.
30:45Round the back.
30:46Twist it round.
30:48No.
30:49You must be...
30:50How did you do that?
30:52You can do this.
30:53Yes.
30:53That's like tying up your shoelaces with one hand.
30:56How did you do that?
30:58Go in.
30:58Into the hoop?
30:59Yeah.
30:59Oh.
31:00Just one.
31:01Oh.
31:02At the other side.
31:03Yeah.
31:04Hook on, hold the tension.
31:06And then pull.
31:07Pull.
31:08Pull.
31:08Like that?
31:09Yep.
31:10Whoa!
31:12Look at that.
31:13Very good.
31:15I mean, it's barely on there, but that's pretty good.
31:18Look, you haven't got much to do.
31:20I'm joking.
31:22Whereabouts does all the hair come from?
31:23We have hair merchants who supply us hair.
31:27It's all human hair because it reacts similar to a grown head of hair.
31:32How long would it take you to make this?
31:34This is going to take about three weeks to not.
31:37But there must be something quite rewarding when you've been working for ages on something,
31:42it's then collected, and the person that it then belongs to must be over the moon.
31:47Yeah, just seeing them walk away happy is lovely.
31:50Yeah.
31:51And all that patience pays off.
31:54Now, there's only one thing left to do.
31:57Look at these.
31:59I know.
31:59These are two finished pieces.
32:01Would you like to try one on?
32:03Should I go for the blonde box first?
32:04Yes, go on.
32:05I think your fringe will look amazing.
32:07Okay.
32:08I'm going on.
32:09That's it.
32:10There we go.
32:11Oh, I look like the prettiest gal at the ball.
32:13Look at that.
32:15Swap.
32:15Okay.
32:16Okay.
32:18Oh, my gosh.
32:20Oh, my goodness me.
32:22Have a look at yourself in the mirror.
32:24I look like Beyonce.
32:26Look at that.
32:27That's so versatile.
32:29Oh, look at that.
32:30There you go.
32:32Right.
32:32I'll see you later then.
32:33I'm off.
32:36Will enjoyed that way too much.
32:41As Will parts ways, at his workshop in Surrey, Richard is revealing hidden layers of the
32:48Hollerith card punching machine.
32:50So, I've removed the top component from here, which leaves the whole bed of the Hollerith machine free and easy
33:00to start cleaning.
33:01So, I'm still working on the main bed of the machine to remove the initial corrosion using a fine scalpel
33:09to take the top layer off.
33:11The key is not to dig the scalpel into the surface.
33:16Otherwise, although the steel is hard, you can start making marks and scratches.
33:23I think we'll start to see how it's coming up.
33:30So, that's the finish we're hoping to try and achieve.
33:34You can see the difference between the rusted part and the clean part on that side there.
33:41Richard is cleaning away the rust, then sharpening and greasing the mechanism, protecting the iron from further damage.
33:49There you can see that's cleaning up very nicely.
33:53And once it's all clean, he can begin the jigsaw puzzle of putting the machine back together.
34:01And once they're in the right place, we ought to be able to just press the key just to try
34:05it.
34:07Yep.
34:08And that seems to work perfectly.
34:12Yep.
34:13So, we'll just go along and adjust the rest of them, and then we should be almost there.
34:21While Richard presses on with the delicate restoration of the card-punching machine, over in the barn, Richard and Dom
34:29have invited Jackie to collect her beloved brooch.
34:34How are you getting on, Rich? You all finished?
34:36We're all good to go, Dom.
34:37Come on, then.
34:43Oh, look at that.
34:45That's a bit more what it should look like.
34:47A little bit cleaner.
34:48Shall we get it covered up?
34:49Let's do that.
34:54OK.
34:56Jackie is going to love that.
34:57I hope so.
34:58It looks so much better.
35:05Welcome to the barn.
35:06Thank you so much.
35:07This is Rich.
35:09Hello.
35:09Lovely to meet you.
35:10So, Jackie, the poor brooch was not looking its best, I think it's fair to say.
35:14No, definitely not.
35:15Will you remind us?
35:15Yes, it was broken into pieces.
35:18There was hardly any colour left on it.
35:20It was really rusted.
35:22I don't think that the fastener worked anymore.
35:25Yeah, it was not in a nice state.
35:27That's for sure.
35:27Other than that, it was OK.
35:29Yeah, other than that, it looked great.
35:31That is not how you remember it from your childhood, is it?
35:34Certainly not.
35:35No, I remember it being very vibrant and bright and always on my nana's blue blazer with the bright blue
35:42in the flower.
35:43So, yeah.
35:43You're so lucky to have something like this that has such strong connections to somebody that clearly means so much
35:50to you.
35:51Absolutely.
35:51Yeah, I am really lucky.
35:52I mean, I got left a lot of her lovely, a lot of her lovely jewellery that she always would
35:57say, oh, it's not worth anything.
35:59But obviously to me, it's worth everything.
36:01So, yeah, I'm really excited.
36:02I've been looking forward to it.
36:04What are you hoping to see then?
36:05I think I'm just hoping to see it how I remember it.
36:09That's really all. Brightly coloured, back in one piece.
36:13I don't remember how you remembered it.
36:16So hopefully it's been interpreted properly.
36:18I'm sure it has, yes.
36:20Well, are you ready to take a look?
36:22I think so. I'm really excited.
36:24Yeah?
36:24Yeah.
36:25Go on then, Rachel.
36:32Oh, it's perfect.
36:35Oh, it's just how I remember it.
36:38Oh, thank you so much.
36:39Am I allowed to pick it up?
36:40Of course.
36:40I feel like I'm going to drop it again.
36:42Oh.
36:43Oh, it's so beautiful.
36:45Oh, it just keeps so silly to cry over.
36:49Oh, it's perfect.
36:52I'm so happy.
36:54Despite crying, I'm really, really happy.
36:56Yeah, happy to.
36:57Oh, thank you so much.
36:58I can't believe it.
36:59I can't believe you hadn't seen it in its proper state because that's exactly how it looked.
37:03Your joy.
37:05You can tell how much that means to you.
37:07Yeah, I'm afraid to wear it, honestly, but I will.
37:10I am going to wear it because it needs to be worn.
37:12It needs to be seen.
37:13Yes, of course.
37:13It's so beautiful again.
37:15I'm wondering if today is one of those special occasions that's worth you putting it on.
37:18Shall I pop it on?
37:19Do you want to?
37:19I would love to.
37:20If you're comfortable.
37:21Yes, I would love to.
37:23Make sure that it's okay.
37:24Yeah, it has all been tightened up a little bit, so.
37:27Tighten that.
37:28At least it's going to stay on then.
37:30Beautiful.
37:30There we go.
37:31Thank you so much.
37:32Love it.
37:32I am just delighted.
37:34Your joy and happiness and just love of it was so clear.
37:38It's been a pleasure.
37:40I'm very excited.
37:40Look after it.
37:41I'll try my best.
37:41No, I will.
37:42I will.
37:42I won't be back in here with it broken again.
37:44No.
37:46Thank you so much.
37:47See you later.
37:49Bye.
37:49Bye.
37:50I'm so worried wearing that.
37:52What?
37:52I know you fixed it.
37:53I'm more worried.
37:54Yeah.
37:57I am feeling just over the moon to have this brooch of my nana's back.
38:02Yeah.
38:02I'm just so happy and I can't believe, to be honest, I'm like shocked that it looks exactly
38:08as it did because there was not really any colour left on it.
38:12So, yeah, it's just a bright and cheerful thing to have pinned to you every day.
38:15So, yeah, delighted to have it.
38:17One beloved item safely returned, in one piece, to its rightful honour.
38:24But another is about to be tested.
38:27Will is on his way back to Bletchley Park.
38:31Well, I'm heading back to Bletchley Park and I'm going to catch up with Richard.
38:35Erica's enthusiasm was so infectious that I could not wait for her to see the work that
38:40Richard's done.
38:47Being able to take a machine and being able to make it work so that members of the public
38:52can see it being used, can feel it being used.
38:54I'm really looking forward to that.
38:57This is incredibly exciting to have this amazing opportunity to restore an item that brings
39:02it back into use and then we can then share that with our visitors.
39:05It's such a phenomenal opportunity for us here at Bletchley Park.
39:09Hey Richard.
39:10Hi.
39:14All right, let's take a look.
39:15I've been so excited to see this.
39:16It's been a challenge for sure.
39:18Has it?
39:19It certainly has, yeah.
39:23That's not the same one, is it?
39:25Certainly is, yeah.
39:26Well, I was a bit nervous about it but I think gradually got to learn how it all came apart.
39:31Yeah.
39:32And more importantly, how it all went back together.
39:34That's so smooth.
39:35With the knobs working, the buttons have all been re-lettered.
39:39That bit of brass has got numbers on it.
39:41Yeah, we couldn't see that at all before.
39:43Yeah.
39:44Now you can actually put a card in there and punch some holes.
39:47You can.
39:48Yes?
39:49Yes.
39:49You're pleased with the outcome?
39:50Very pleased, yeah.
39:51Well, I'm hoping Erica and the team are going to be just as pleased as you are.
39:56I hope so.
39:56Actually, I think they're on their way now so let's get this covered up.
39:58Okay.
40:00Here we are.
40:08Hello, hello, come in, come in.
40:10How are we?
40:11We good?
40:12Yes.
40:13I would like to introduce you all to Richard.
40:15Richard has been working incredibly hard to get this machine working again.
40:19It was very rusty, wasn't it Richard?
40:21It was, yes.
40:22Yeah.
40:22Yeah.
40:23Covered in rust.
40:24Covered in rust.
40:24Missing things and yeah.
40:26How important is it to you, Erica, to have this working again?
40:30This machine represents a lesser known part of our story and a lesser told part of our
40:35story.
40:36Yeah.
40:36It's also quite hard to explain.
40:38So this is a really useful way of helping us do that by actually being able to touch it
40:43and have a go.
40:44I'm really excited to show you this.
40:46I mean, I've only done a tiny bit of work on it but Richard did absolutely everything
40:50else.
40:51Should we take a look at it?
40:52You ready to see it?
40:53Yeah.
40:53Yeah?
40:54Okay, here we go.
41:00That's very nice, isn't it?
41:02Look how smooth this is.
41:04Prepare yourself.
41:06Look at that.
41:07Didn't have that action when I saw it.
41:09Who wants to give it a go first?
41:11Erica, yes.
41:12Got some cards here.
41:13There you go.
41:14Lovely.
41:14Thank you very much.
41:15Now, I don't know the last time this was actually properly working and whether it was
41:19really actually used.
41:20None of us have been able to use this thing properly.
41:22So I will just test it to see if it cuts, I think, first.
41:26So let's press some of these buttons.
41:30And I hope we will.
41:34Oh, look at that.
41:35There we go.
41:35It cuts.
41:37Fantastic.
41:38How does it feel to be using a bit of history there?
41:40It's lovely and it looks, it's not shiny new as if it's just box fresh but it looks
41:45like it's being used.
41:47It's beautiful.
41:48The gauges, the numbers, the Holoreth label at the front, it all looks absolutely lovely.
41:52Yeah.
41:53It's beautiful enough to make me want to throw away my computer and just do the rest
41:56of my work on this, Richard.
41:58So, well done, Richard.
41:59Great job.
42:04Right, who else wants to give it a go?
42:06Back in working order, the Holoreth machine is ready for the museum's handling collection
42:12so new generations can experience what it was like for Britain's top secret code breakers.
42:18Being able to press the button, seeing that really smooth action and just seeing how that
42:23manual process, one hole by one hole actually happened, kind of brought it home to me that
42:30that same feeling will happen with people using it.
42:33I feel like the card punch machine is a really tactile link to our history.
42:39It's so nice to see that it's back again.
42:43It's been an honour to be here, to have that hands-on interaction with the card punching machine
42:49is, you know, incredibly special.
42:54If you'd like to see more fantastic fixes and restorations, search BBC iPlayer for The Repair Shop on the road.
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