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00:01A remarkable workshop of wonder.
00:03This is amazing!
00:06Home to experts of every kind.
00:09Thank you!
00:11Together, they revive beloved belongings.
00:14Oh, get an idea of it.
00:16This is amazing.
00:17This is absolutely brilliant.
00:19Bringing both the items...
00:22This looks like it's seen much better days.
00:26And the memories they hold.
00:30It's him.
00:31You ready?
00:31Yeah.
00:32I'm ready.
00:33Back to life.
00:36Wow.
00:39It's amazing.
00:41They are stunning.
00:43I like it.
00:47Welcome to the repair shop.
00:58It's a new morning at the repair shop.
01:02What are you up to?
01:03Spider!
01:04Look!
01:05Oh, no.
01:06It's all right.
01:07Oh, it's huge.
01:09And preparing to tame a different type of beast inside the barn.
01:13It's a lion.
01:14Is it a lion?
01:15A Chinese lion.
01:16Are the multi-skilled David Burville and paintings-restorer Lucia Scalise, who will need to work in perfect tandem.
01:25Look at that.
01:26Yeah.
01:28That's incredible, isn't it?
01:29I think there are two pairs, look.
01:30Wow.
01:30I suppose front and back.
01:32Yeah.
01:33Hoping their joint efforts will be a roaring success, leader of pool-based Chinese dance troupe Dragon of the South,
01:41Tony Sevier, who's come with long-term member Alfie Alla.
01:47Hello.
01:48Hello.
01:49This must be yours.
01:51Indeed.
01:52This is our baby lion.
01:53It's a traditional Chinese lion costume.
01:56It came from China originally.
01:58It's been part of our team for 20 years.
02:00We use it for performances and training, specifically for bringing the next generation into the art of Chinese lion dancing.
02:07And we do a lot of festivals and carnivals, particularly Chinese New Year, bringing blessings of good fortune and to
02:14scare away evil spirits and demons.
02:15I've seen some of these dancers.
02:17They're very energetic, aren't they?
02:19Yes.
02:19I just love the enjoyment we bring to the audience.
02:21My mum was Chinese.
02:23I've got proud Chinese roots.
02:25And I think it's important for the Asian community to keep hold of their traditions.
02:30So Alfie, how old were you when you joined the team?
02:33I think I would have been 13 when I first joined the team.
02:36So I'm 20 now.
02:37You started in the small lion and now you've progressed to our lead dancer in the big red gold lions.
02:42Yeah.
02:42It's just the best feeling in the world.
02:44Just to see little kids smiling when you go up to them and dance with them, it makes me feel
02:49incredibly proud.
02:50It's nice for us to be able to bring the younger children into the team and teach them an ancient
02:56art that is their heritage.
02:58That makes this particular little lion quite an important piece, doesn't it?
03:03Indeed.
03:04But you can see how dirty it all is after years of use.
03:07It's been off a lot of evil spirits and demons.
03:09I'm sure.
03:09Well, that's it.
03:10That's it.
03:10It takes its toll, yeah.
03:12What do you want us to do with this?
03:14Ideally, if you could clean up the outside, repair all the holes, the painting would be wonderful if that could
03:20be done.
03:21But the main part is the structure and I've done some very rough repairs to the frame with some gaffer
03:29tape and the frame is broken in several places along here.
03:32And you can see down on this side, it has actually come apart.
03:36So, if this can be repaired to make it strong and be able to survive another 10, 15 years of
03:42performances.
03:44Without the younger generation coming through, the team won't exist in a few years' time.
03:50And this is their step into the lion dancing family.
03:54Thank you very much for bringing it in.
03:58Bye-bye.
03:58Take care.
04:03Wow.
04:03What a thing, David.
04:04What a thing.
04:05It's incredible, isn't it?
04:06I think I've got a lot of structure work to do before I can give it to you, haven't I?
04:10Before I can start working on over this decoration on the surface and repair.
04:14Yeah.
04:14I'd better get it back to the bench.
04:15Yeah.
04:16Can you give me a hand?
04:16I'll give you a hand.
04:17I'll get an idea of it.
04:30The main frame is made out of bamboo, which is put together with like a cotton tape and string and
04:39covered in a type of cloth, which is then covered in this fantastic paintwork.
04:45I think it's got to the point where the repairs just can't cope with the amount of damage.
04:52So the first thing I'm going to look at is to remove all of this repair work, get back to
04:58the basic bamboo frame and then try and brace the parts which are damaged.
05:06Because this has got to last for years to come.
05:10And then I can give that to Lucia and then she can get all of this beautiful artwork sorted out.
05:18Making their way next to the barn are Anne and Colin Draycott from Burton in Staffordshire, who have a pair
05:25of fragile figurines for the attention of Will and ceramics expert, Kirsten.
05:32Hello.
05:33Hello.
05:34Hello.
05:35Hello.
05:37These are absolutely fantastic.
05:42Yes.
05:42Yeah, we quite like them.
05:44What exactly are they?
05:45They're maquettes made by my brother Leonard McComb.
05:49And Leonard made these in 1993.
05:52He was a great man, a great artist.
05:55He wasn't just a sculptor because he also made etchings.
05:59He made watercolours, oils.
06:01It covered the whole spectrum.
06:04He won several prizes during his time putting work into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions.
06:09When we had the funeral, that was in Westminster Cathedral.
06:13Oh, goodness.
06:13Yes.
06:13Because he's done two mosaics as you walk in.
06:16One of St Francis with the birds and one of St Anthony with the fishes.
06:21So he's really a very sort of acclaimed and established artist.
06:25I think his place in the 21st century is very strong, yes.
06:29But he didn't shout about his work.
06:32Now, maquettes are just small versions of what you were intending to make on a larger scale.
06:37Yes.
06:37So how big would these have been?
06:39Eight foot.
06:40He never actually made the eight foot ones, but these are the designs.
06:44I know they're representing the celebration of Christ.
06:47He had them always in his studio.
06:50He was proud of them.
06:51So we have them now because he left me all his work when he passed away in 2018.
06:57We were very close because the same week as my father died, I was born.
07:03So it was Leonard that brought me out of hospital.
07:06And so he's always been very special.
07:08Did he step in as that kind of father figure?
07:11Yes, he did.
07:12And very much so.
07:13It was 18 years between us.
07:15We just had a lovely relationship.
07:16I was truly so fond of him.
07:20But out of everything, why have you had on to these two?
07:23Well, because they're very special.
07:25They're Len.
07:25They celebrate a kind of joy that he found in every painting or any sculpture he did.
07:31They are absolutely beautiful.
07:35I love them.
07:35Thank you, but there's been an accident.
07:38A mere corpora, I'm afraid.
07:40I didn't know how to pack artwork.
07:42I didn't wrap it well.
07:43I dropped it.
07:44And these are the remaining bits of his leg.
07:49Oh, goodness.
07:52OK.
07:54And it also broke across the back, which again is quite evident.
08:00Very upsetting.
08:00Very upsetting.
08:02To have them restored to what they were like, you know, with all this gold to be illuminated.
08:07They used to glisten.
08:09It would just be wonderful for us and for the family.
08:12I'm certainly going to do everything that I can to try and get them back to how you remember them.
08:17Thank you so much.
08:18Thank you so much.
08:18That's grand.
08:20We'll see you soon.
08:21Bye-bye.
08:21Bye.
08:27These are great.
08:29Absolutely beautiful.
08:30Where do you start?
08:31Where do you start?
08:32Do you know what?
08:33A good start would be, if you carry one, I'll help you with the other onto your bench.
08:36Thank you very much.
08:37You can take the break on one.
08:38OK.
08:40Oh, they are heavy.
08:41They are heavy.
08:43Goodness.
08:55Clearly, Leonard was an incredibly gifted artist.
09:01I mean, the colours are so vibrant.
09:04And then you've got the gold on top, which Anne says she remembers shining.
09:10And I just think these are absolutely beautiful.
09:13You've got a wire armature, which is then covered with what I think is probably an air drying clay,
09:24because I can see little fibres in the actual clay itself.
09:29I'm using a soft bristle brush, and this just removes any surface dirt
09:38and allows me to assess the damage.
09:42They are quite fragile, and there's quite a lot of areas where they are cracked and the clay is crumbling.
09:53The male figure, it's got a crack right the way through the body here.
10:01This is actually loose and moving.
10:04This corner has been really damaged.
10:08I've got a piece of the leg there, but the foot is missing.
10:13I'm going to have to recreate the foot.
10:15I'm going to continue to just remove the rest of this surface dirt,
10:21and then I can start to stabilise these cracks and areas of loss.
10:39To help get the baby lion back in full performance condition,
10:43David has entrusted textile restorer Rebecca with the glittering costume elements.
10:49Hello, Rebecca.
10:50Hi.
10:51I wonder whether you could help us.
10:54Okay.
10:55It's looking a little bit worse for wear.
10:58Well, it looks like it needs a really good clean.
11:02Anything that you can do to it, I'll be really appreciative.
11:06Okay.
11:07Yeah.
11:07Leave it with me.
11:08Lovely.
11:08Wonderful.
11:09Okay.
11:12There's this lovely soft fur trim that is all over the whole costume.
11:17It's quite greasy to the touch.
11:19So what I am going to try is a bit of steaming.
11:23It's actually quite a gentle technique.
11:26What it's doing basically is it's heat and moisture.
11:30So all of these fibres, they're sort of relaxing,
11:35and then they'll take on that bit of moisture.
11:37And also that dirt is released as well.
11:41I think what I'll do is I can use a bit of a brush.
11:44Yeah.
11:47I think that's going to work well.
11:59The whole head has just sprung apart basically.
12:03And this baby lion costume, it really goes through so much stress.
12:11It's suffered a double break where the handle that the dancer holds onto
12:18is actually fixed to that bamboo ring.
12:21What I've got to do is I've got to regain that strength.
12:25I've cut a length of bamboo which I'm going to split down
12:30so that will give me my splints that I need.
12:39So that gives me my two splints.
12:42As they are, they're very flexible,
12:46but they want to go back to their straight position.
12:51And in this situation it needs to have a bit of a curve on it.
12:55What I'm going to do is put a slight bend on them.
13:00So I'm going to use the soldering iron as an intense heat source.
13:05Basically the heat is actually relaxing the fibres in the bamboo
13:10and allowing me to bend it and then it will actually stay in that position.
13:19And that will now follow the shape of the original frame.
13:26That looks really promising.
13:27I've just got one more splint to bend
13:30and then I can actually start to glue and tape that back together.
13:50I've now glued the original pieces of the frame in between the new bamboo splints that I've made.
13:58The next stage is I'm going to put some cotton tape actually around the whole assembly.
14:06I'm going to use a technique that I use in the organ building.
14:10I'm going to wet this cotton tape.
14:12That will allow the cotton tape to just stretch a little bit.
14:15It just relaxes the fibres in the cotton tape.
14:20When it dries out the cotton tape will actually shrink
14:23and it will actually pull everything together really tightly.
14:38And that should last for many, many dances.
14:50Next to arrive at the barn is Sally O'Connor from Sussex,
14:54carrying with her something small but filled with memories,
14:58a cherished memento she's hoping Master Goldsmith Richard Talman can bring back to life.
15:06Hello. Hi. Hi. Welcome.
15:08Thank you. Are you OK? Thank you, yes.
15:10Nice to see you. Nice to see you.
15:12What have you brought in for us?
15:13I've bought my mum's diamond from her engagement ring.
15:18OK. I've got to ask. Anything else?
15:20Yeah. Where's the rest of it?
15:22So the rest of it is on my finger.
15:23If you can see there, the diamond's fallen out of the engagement ring.
15:28But you're still wearing it?
15:28Still wearing it. I can't take it off.
15:31It's stuck on.
15:32I've tried ice. I've tried the ribbon technique.
15:35I've tried olive oil.
15:37Yeah, you can't get it off. No.
15:38So when did you actually get given the ring?
15:40On my wedding day.
15:41My dad came to the house and he came in and presented me with mum's engagement ring.
15:47Oh.
15:47He'd saved it especially.
15:49And I couldn't stop crying because that's when I saw it again for the first time since mum had passed
15:55away.
15:56When did you lose your mum?
15:57In 1992 she passed away very, very suddenly of cancer.
16:03Sorry.
16:04And I do think of mum every time I look at the ring.
16:06She's with me all the time when it's on my finger.
16:09Is that how it feels?
16:10Yes.
16:11How long ago did the diamond and it part company?
16:13Well, over a year ago.
16:16I came home from work one day and it was my son who said,
16:19Mum, Mum, your diamond's gone.
16:22Must have spent an hour looking all on the floor under the freezer.
16:25And I thought, I'll get my bag out.
16:28And there it was, stuck in the clipboard.
16:31How? I do not know.
16:33Fate, isn't it?
16:33Yeah.
16:34So what's the plan? What are you hoping we can do then?
16:38Hoping, really hoping that you can make it complete again.
16:41Just to have the diamond back in would mean the world to me.
16:44We can't put it off any longer.
16:45I am.
16:46We're going to have to cut it off.
16:47I know, I know.
16:48Painless procedure, I promise.
16:50I hope so, thank you.
16:52If it goes well, yeah.
16:54Just turn your hand over.
16:56Lovely.
16:57Are you nervous?
16:58How are you feeling?
16:59Yeah, very nervous.
17:00Yeah, I bet.
17:01This is a specially designed ring cutter.
17:03Just going to place this under.
17:06I don't think I can look.
17:08It's all for the greater good, I promise.
17:12There you go.
17:14So now, okay.
17:16Now as I pull that back like so, you could just try to remove your finger and slide it away.
17:21Thank you, I think.
17:25Before you go, Sally, I just need to measure your finger.
17:27Okay, thank you.
17:28Okay, so that should go.
17:31There you go.
17:32Yeah.
17:33So you're a finger size P.
17:34The time has come to say goodbye to us and to your ring.
17:38To my ring.
17:39Thank you so much.
17:40It's been lovely speaking to you.
17:41And you both.
17:42Thank you very much.
17:43See you soon.
17:44Yeah, see you soon.
17:45Bye.
17:46Bye.
17:47Bye.
17:48Bye.
17:58This ring clearly has had a very loved journey throughout its life.
18:03And it's most certainly not Sally's fault that the diamond fell out.
18:07The claws that were holding it in, all eight of them, have just worn away.
18:12And I'm really looking forward to being able to get this back in and make it whole again.
18:17And I'm just going to pop that diamond back for safekeeping in the box.
18:21What I also need to do is I need to enlarge the size of the ring.
18:26I'm going to be milling a piece of 18 karat gold, which is the same as the band.
18:30And then I can solder that into the back of the ring and make that complete again.
18:35So firstly, I need to make this ring perfectly round to the finger size we need it.
18:43Just going to bring that now onto the triplet.
18:46Just going to use my fingernails, just ease the ring back.
18:56Just need to continue lightly tapping this ring up the triplet to get it to the correct size.
19:02And once I get there, I can work out the piece of metal I need to do to complete the
19:06back of the join to make it the perfect finger size.
19:20On her repair of the maquettes by artist Lena McCone, Kirsten has completed the cleaning work and can begin the
19:28delicate task of rebuilding the broken areas.
19:31The statue is made of an air drying clay.
19:36So unlike many ceramics that are fired in a kiln, it's not as hard and not as strong.
19:43This area in particular is very mobile and loose.
19:49I'm using fish glue and some deionized water.
19:53I've got a rather terrifying looking syringe here.
19:57But this should be perfect to try and get the consolidant into that gap.
20:03I want to get as much in there as I possibly can so that it will strengthen that join and
20:11stabilize the clay.
20:12Hopefully that will be enough to hold it in place.
20:16And I've got some very low tack tape here to pull this section into alignment.
20:28And then I'm just going to leave that until the glue hardens and hopefully that will stay in the correct
20:34position.
20:47Working on the engagement ring repair, Rich is getting ready to bring things full circle.
20:54So this ring is now perfectly round.
20:57It's at the finger size that's going to fit Sally.
21:00But as you can see here, we've got a little bit of a bridge and a gap.
21:04Now, what I'm going to need to do is take this little piece of 18 karat gold, which is gold.
21:10It's just a little bit dark because I've heated it and make a little portion curved to fit into the
21:16back there.
21:16Currently, this is miles too big.
21:18So I need to mill this using the rolling mills down to two millimetres wide by one millimetre deep.
21:26And that will fit in there perfectly.
21:29On this set of rolling mills, I've got nine square shaped grooves.
21:33So you start off in the smallest one that it will fit.
21:36And then each time it passes through, I turn this wheel, which brings these two rollers together,
21:43which means that when I pass it through, it gets that little bit smaller still.
21:46And it's important when you're using the rolling mills to keep checking the measurement.
21:51Because if I go down a little bit too far, even if it's by a fraction,
21:55I've got to melt this metal down and start all over again.
21:59And now I've got it just over a millimetre one way and just over two millimetres the other way.
22:04So that's now the perfect size for me to make the bridge in the back of Sally's ring.
22:20Whilst Rebecca stitches a supportive fabric inside the costume,
22:24Lucia takes delivery of the now fortified lion's head,
22:28ready to restore the vibrant colours that have been lost over time.
22:34David's handed this back to me and it's in really fantastic structural shape now.
22:39He's done a great job with the bamboo framework, so I've got a great sort of structure to work on.
22:45Just painting the losses in with a metallic paint, which is the same shade of blue,
22:51which I've actually had to modify a little bit by putting in a matte acrylic blue paint,
22:57which makes it a little bit more opaque.
23:01And the colour match is, I'm thrilled to bits.
23:05This has glitter in it, so it catches the light and sparkles.
23:12On top of this blue, I'm going to have to paint these other neon designs.
23:16So we've got beautiful oranges, we've got yellows, we've got fluorescenty pinks up here.
23:22Once I've put in all the metallic blue base coats, I'll be ready to move on to the other neon
23:27colours,
23:28which is very exciting.
23:37With the angel maquette strengthened and salvaged pieces replaced,
23:43Kirsten can focus on crafting their missing extremities.
23:47Now that this area is secure, I can start reconstructing the leg
23:53and I've got these missing pieces that I'm going to bond into place.
24:00I'm going to pop some adhesive on there.
24:05I'm going to offer it up.
24:11And hope that this will hold it in place.
24:27I've managed to bond and fill the back section of this maquette.
24:33And I'm now going to try and tackle the foot using the same material as Leonard made the maquettes with.
24:46Now I've never used air drying clay before, so this is a lovely experiment for me.
24:54Unfortunately, I've got the other foot just here and I can use that as a reference.
25:02This is a really nice material to work in.
25:05It's quite responsive.
25:08And take a little bit away here to get that shape.
25:17I'm just going to use one of these tools and see if I can get that detailing in a bit
25:23better.
25:24I think the original is quite rough and ready.
25:28This was a maquette. It was a working model, like a 3D sketch.
25:32The detail has gone into body, the trumpet, the decoration.
25:38And I feel like the feet, where it meets the base, it's more just a point of contact.
25:47That shape is coming along really nicely.
25:51I've just got a bit of refining to do.
25:54And once that's done, I can then work on the other maquette.
26:15With the separate repairs now finished, the baby line is ready to come together once again.
26:23Oh, hello, hello.
26:26This is so fantastic.
26:28I can't wait to see it moving.
26:30And at least it can move now without any bits falling off.
26:33So he's definitely ready to be dressed.
26:35Yes, well, I'm going to get him all together now and then he's ready for Tony and Alfie.
26:40Fantastic. I'll leave you to it, David, really.
26:42Thank you guys.
26:43Thanks very much.
26:50This colourful costume helped train scores of young dance group members
26:54in the ancient rituals of their Chinese ancestors.
26:58But 20 years of rigorous performances took the toll on the beast,
27:04from head to tail.
27:09Now Tony's returned with dancer Alfie and young recruits Rin and Evren
27:16to see if the costume can keep their traditions alive on the streets of Poole.
27:23Oh, wow.
27:24Hello.
27:26All of you, you've doubled in size as a team.
27:30So Tony and Alfie, how are you feeling about actually seeing it repaired?
27:35I'm just really excited.
27:36It's been a long wait.
27:37My heart's going.
27:38We've definitely missed it as a team and looking forward to having it back.
27:42Yeah.
27:43Are you ready to see it?
27:45Very ready.
27:50Oh, wow.
27:52It's looking good.
27:57The beard's looking clean as well.
27:59That's Rebecca.
28:01It's like a brand new line.
28:03It is.
28:03Is it?
28:04Yeah.
28:05And the paint work as well.
28:06The paper that was missing from the side has been replaced
28:09and we should have a look at the frame, really, to make sure the frame's good.
28:12HE LAUGHS
28:16Are you going to put it on?
28:18Oh, my goodness, look at that.
28:29Does it feel comfortable in there, Efren?
28:31Yeah, a lot.
28:32And ready to come back to life?
28:35HE LAUGHS
28:36I think that was a yes.
28:37That's a yes.
28:37That's a yes.
29:00HE LAUGHS
29:00Oh, my word, my word!
29:07It was incredible. To see it come to life was beyond magical.
29:14I think we all feel blessed to have worked on it, you know.
29:17We thank you. It's an amazing job that you've done for us
29:20and we'll appreciate that every time we perform.
29:23Great. I'll open the door for you. Thank you.
29:25If you'd like to lead the way.
29:29Thank you. Take care. All the best.
29:31Thank you. Bye-bye. Take care. Bye.
29:33That was marvellous. Marvellous.
29:38It symbolises youth and just a generational start.
29:43So, to see it working in full and looking as good as it did, amazing.
30:08Will, what have you found now?
30:11What is it?
30:13What do you think of this? Oh, beer. Yes.
30:17Arriving just in time for last orders is Adam Crowe from Buxton and Derbyshire,
30:23who is hoping the combined forces of Dom and Will
30:26can restore a battered relic that once belonged to his fun-loving father.
30:32Hi there. Hi. Hi. Welcome. Hi. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
30:36This must be yours. It is, yes.
30:38What exactly is it? These are my dad's old beer pumps
30:42that he used to dispense his home brews.
30:46So, these were at home? Yeah, yeah. They were at home in the corner of our dining room.
30:50Now, I've heard of people with a home brew set-up, but nothing like this.
30:54No, no. I think they're pretty unusual.
30:56I think he found them in a local kind of furniture antique store
30:59and, you know, used them quite a lot.
31:02Dad was a really gregarious guy. He liked people.
31:07It was a bit of kind of life and soul of the party, my dad.
31:09So, yeah, if he liked the beer that he brewed, he'd want people to try it.
31:13Guests would arrive and the first thing Dad would say was,
31:16come and have a pint of my latest, you know.
31:18So, what's your earliest memory of these pumps then?
31:20I think probably 83, 84.
31:24I think I very possibly had my first taste of beer
31:28poured through these pumps from one of my dad's brews
31:31when I was about maybe 14.
31:32When's the last time they've been used?
31:34That's a good question. Probably, like, mid-90s.
31:38Is your dad still around?
31:40No, he died in 2007.
31:42These pumps are really the only physical object I have
31:46that connect me to my dad.
31:47Yeah.
31:47And it's kind of to my shame
31:49that I've not actually done anything with them, you know,
31:50and actually kind of restored them or tried to get them back to life.
31:53Now, one of the first things that I noticed were the woodworm holes.
31:57Yes.
31:57And I can see them a mile away with furniture.
31:59But what else is wrong with this?
32:01Ah, it's just generally very tatty.
32:03The mechanism itself.
32:04I think one of them's jammed.
32:06All of that is on the other side.
32:07Can we flip it? Do you mind?
32:08Yeah, let's flip it around.
32:13The taps are here, but they need reattaching.
32:15There is a shelf that's missing.
32:17These brackets kind of fold down so you can actually, you know,
32:20put the tanker or the glass down while you're pouring it.
32:22Looking at these pipes out the back here,
32:24I wouldn't want to have a pint out of these.
32:26They might add a bit of flavour to your beer.
32:27Yeah, not the kind of flavour you'd want.
32:30No, no, exactly.
32:31And this is precisely why I've never used them.
32:34How would it feel to put a pint to this?
32:36Ah, wonderful.
32:38I think it would feel like every time I did it,
32:42I was kind of suddenly remembering my dad and honouring him.
32:45Well, I think we completely understand how precious these are to you.
32:48So thank you so much for trusting us with them.
32:50Oh, I'm looking forward to having them back.
32:53Thanks very much.
32:54Thank you. Cheers. Bye.
32:57Yes, Rob, this is absolutely brilliant.
33:00Imagine having that in your living room.
33:01Oh, yes.
33:02Perfect.
33:13I absolutely love this.
33:15It is very cool, isn't it?
33:16Yeah.
33:16All this mechanism is proper stuff.
33:19It is proper stuff, yeah.
33:19Yeah, it really is.
33:20One thing I'm not happy with is the woodworm damage.
33:24So rather than bring it straight into the barn,
33:25I'm going to get this scent off for treatment.
33:28It would be ideal to get the metal stuff out first, though.
33:30Let's do it.
33:30I'm here.
33:30So I'm on hand to help out.
33:32Tools in hand.
33:33Let's go for it.
33:37That doesn't unbolt off there.
33:39Right.
33:43While Dom and Will get to grips with the pump,
33:46Rich is ready to set a new piece of gold into Sally's mother's engagement ring.
33:54So I've taken the piece of gold from the rolling mills and I've now got this little piece of gold
34:00resting in that little void there.
34:02The dimensions of the piece of metal that I'm putting into the ring is just slightly wider in both ways.
34:08The reason for this is when the piece is in, I can then file it up to fit in all
34:13directions to make sure it's perfect.
34:15Now it's time to solder it.
34:18I'm just going to take a piece of solder.
34:19Now this piece of solder is made from 18 karat yellow gold, but it's just got a little bit extra
34:24of a lower melting temperature metal like copper and silver in it.
34:28So that when I heat it, the solder will melt and flood through the gap just before the ring itself
34:34melts.
34:49I'm happy with that.
34:50That's soldered perfectly.
34:52That just needs to go into the acid now to clean off any of the oxidization.
34:59I can now file that back and sandpaper it.
35:02And then once that rings all nice and round, it'll be time to do the most important thing.
35:06And that's to get that diamond back in the setting.
35:18Oh my gosh, Kirsten, these are so beautiful.
35:21Aren't they?
35:21Originally, these were going to be made into eight foot sculptures.
35:26And do you know what?
35:28Oh, go on.
35:29The most beautiful sketches.
35:31Is that for them?
35:32Yeah.
35:34Oh my.
35:34No.
35:35Yes.
35:36Oh gosh, she's gorgeous.
35:40Isn't it nice that you have both of them together?
35:42It just adds to it.
35:44Absolutely.
35:45Anyway, lovely to show them to you.
35:47Absolutely.
35:47Oh, thank you so much.
35:48I feel very, very blessed.
35:50Me too.
35:56On the repair of Adam's father's beer pumps, Dom is investigating the mechanism that pooled a thousand pints.
36:07I need to get this apart so that I can assess all the components, make sure everything is doing its
36:13job as it should be so we can get this pumping beer once again.
36:20I wonder if we're going to get a little hint of Adam's father's last brew.
36:28It does smell a bit beer, that stale gone off beer.
36:31Definitely need to give all of these components a very, very good clean.
36:38There are so many unique, different sized O-rings and seals, which are all absolutely critical for this working again.
36:50I'm actually pleasantly surprised that most of these components look okay.
36:55I think they will go again.
36:56Yes, I need to dismantle it, replace the seals and the O-rings.
36:59The hose is one thing that I definitely will be replacing because this has had its day.
37:05This should be perfectly clear.
37:07That is horrible.
37:09Before I can think about installing any new parts, I need to get all of this nice and clean and
37:14remove all of this smelly old beer.
37:20The cabinet that houses the beer pumps has returned from its woodworm treatment and is ready for Will to begin
37:27his part of the repair.
37:29The issue with woodworm is that those holes you see on the surface are pretty much the tip of the
37:33iceberg.
37:35The inside of the wood is where most of the damage is.
37:39Thankfully, by the sounds of it though, there's still quite a lot of solid wood on the inside here.
37:44So I quite like to keep as much of the original wood as possible.
37:48And to do that, I need to fill the holes with something.
37:51And here I've got some wood filler.
37:53This is a beautiful piece of wood and it's going to have a natural polish finish to it.
37:58So I need this colour to look exactly like the wood.
38:01And at the moment, looking at the filler I've got, that's incredibly light.
38:05So I'm going to add some browns and some orange pigments to that to try to get that nice mixture.
38:13When it comes to using the pigments, a little goes a long way.
38:17So I can actually use these quite sparingly.
38:20You really need to work these pigments in.
38:22It takes a while, but it's worthwhile doing because then you end up getting a really nice even colour.
38:28I think I'm almost there actually.
38:32I'm happy with that.
38:35Right, now that I've got my colour, I need to add the hardener.
38:38There's no going back after this.
38:44Here we go.
39:00With all the damage secured and filled on the maquettes, Kirsten can finally restore their unique paintwork.
39:07For me, the colours are absolutely beautiful and quite ethereal.
39:12There's a brightness to them and it's lots and lots of layers of paint and lots of different colours.
39:19So I've got a palette with several different colours on it and I'm trying to do exactly the same as
39:27Leonard.
39:28I'm using a stipple effect as well because the original foot, if you look closely,
39:34almost lots and lots of little dabs of different colours of brown.
39:56And I'm now going to retouch the blue on the robes.
40:05It's quite a lot of different colours creating one uniform colour.
40:11But this is exactly the sort of challenge that I love.
40:17And once I've finished retouching all of this blue, I'm then going to see if I can recreate the areas
40:26of loss on the gold.
40:45I'm just going to carry on.
40:47And once I've filled in all those missing areas, these will be ready to go back to Anne and Colin.
40:57These clay maquettes fell victim to an unfortunate mishap that left them cracked, chipped and with missing limbs.
41:12Where are they?
41:13Don't worry.
41:14Do you know what, they're so fragile that I don't want to cover them so I just pop them round
41:18the corner.
41:18Sounds like a good idea.
41:27Now Anne, accompanied by her husband Colin, is back, hoping to honour her brother Leonard's memory and his esteemed career
41:36as an artist.
41:41Hello.
41:42Hello.
41:43Hello.
41:43Well, hello.
41:45It's an empty table.
41:47Yes, where are the mickles?
41:49They are safe.
41:49Lovely.
41:50How have you both been?
41:51We're dying in anticipation.
41:53We've missed them.
41:54There's an empty space on our mantelpiece where they sat.
41:57We're really excited to see them.
41:59Great.
42:00Well, there's no better time like the present.
42:01Yes.
42:02We're going to have to ask you to turn around, please.
42:04Yes.
42:07No peeking.
42:08No.
42:09No.
42:16If you're ready, you can turn around.
42:21Oh, wow.
42:24Oh, come on.
42:26Oh, dear.
42:27The feet are back.
42:29Oh, look.
42:31The vulcan of all the cracks.
42:34Wow.
42:35Oh, they're very beautiful.
42:38Oh, my word.
42:39Look at all the detail you've done.
42:41Oh, gosh.
42:42Wow.
42:43They're absolutely stunning.
42:45His foot and his hand.
42:47Put all the gold leaf back, haven't you?
42:49I've not tried to do too much.
42:51No.
42:51Just to keep it in keeping, really.
42:55But they say yes to life, don't they?
42:57Absolutely.
42:57Yes, don't they?
43:00Thank you so much, Kirsten.
43:02Absolutely.
43:03They're very beautiful.
43:05They are beautiful.
43:06It's been an absolute pleasure to work on them.
43:08I think, given that it's raining outside.
43:11Yes.
43:11Are you happy if we get these packed up?
43:13Yes.
43:14And then we'll bring them.
43:14Oh, that would be lovely.
43:16Bye-bye.
43:17Bye-bye.
43:24I'm absolutely overwhelmed by what Kirsten's done.
43:29It's absolutely beautiful.
43:31She's recaptured everything that we wanted her to do and more.
43:35She's a true artist, as Len was a true artist.
43:53As Rich approaches the end of his repair on Sally's mother's engagement ring, one very important job still remains.
44:03So that's the ring back together in the new finger size that's going to fit Sally.
44:09Now, I've got the diamond seated back in the crown collet.
44:13So what I'm going to do is I'm going to take this 18 karat gold wire and I'm going to
44:16place it on the end of each claw,
44:18and then apply the beam of the laser slowly to melt and build up that claw.
44:23And then do that eight times to secure that diamond back in.
44:35I'm taking the very fine piece of 18 karat white gold wire I've got here.
44:40I'm just laying that on top of the claw.
44:42And then as it's on top of the claw, I'm just firing the laser beam down onto it.
44:46It's melting that metal onto the existing claw.
44:53And I'm going to be able to rebuild all of that claw that has just worn away over the last
44:5730 years or so.
44:58It's just a very, very time consuming process.
45:04So we can see here the claws quite jagged and spiky and not very nice.
45:09If I now turn the beam a lot wider and the power a lot bigger, it melts it over.
45:14You see it's polishing the outside into a perfect claw.
45:19It's like a mirrored finish now on the outside.
45:22And that's ultimately what I'm going to want to end up with on all of them.
45:25So now I've got to repeat the same on all of these claws all the way around the diamond.
45:30It's going to take me quite some time, but it's going to be worth it.
45:43On their mission to repair the beer pumps, Will is replacing a drop-down shelf to the cabinet.
45:53Whilst Dom begins rebuilding the pumps themselves.
45:59I've got all of the components for the pumping mechanism in front of me here.
46:03Nice and clean. I've got replacement seals.
46:05We're good to go to get all of this rebuilt, reassembled and pumping beer again.
46:11If I can remember how this all goes back together.
46:14This is the all-important plunger with a replacement seal.
46:18And now hopefully that is going to seal against that inside bore of the glass.
46:25I've put a tiny smear of grease around it just to help lubricate it.
46:32Let's screw him on the end.
46:37And this really is the pump mechanism back together.
46:46It's making all the right noises.
46:48I can hear it sucking air from the bottom.
46:51The little disc inside lifting and it pumping air out the top.
46:58Although that all sounds very promising.
47:02I need to see if it actually works with pulling liquid through.
47:07There's only one way to do that.
47:08Finish rebuilding it, get it into its final housing.
47:11Attach some pipes.
47:14And see if it works.
47:21So I've got a bowl of water.
47:23And although it looks like I'm playing the guitar.
47:25Hopefully this is going to pump water from there into there.
47:39There it comes, it's drawing it in.
47:43Fantastic.
47:44Then that non-return valve should not let it go back.
47:51Well, although I'm making an absolute mess.
47:53I would say that is a success.
47:58Perfect, look at that.
48:02Brilliant.
48:03I just need to do the same to the other pump.
48:05Get that rebuilt as well.
48:08Goodness me, why don't I get all the messy jobs?
48:11Look at the state of this.
48:12As Dom splashes water all over his bench,
48:17Rich is preparing for the delicate process
48:19of resetting the engagement ring's diamond.
48:25The stone is now back nice and tight and secure in the ring.
48:29Just going to place it in a wooden clamp here.
48:32And then get a setting tool, which we call a pusher.
48:36And that enables me to just push over on top of the claw.
48:41And you just rock from the side, rolling it round into the top.
48:46And then go round 180 degrees to the exact opposite there.
48:52And whenever you're stone setting, always working on the opposites.
48:56By working opposites, I guarantee that it's getting it as level and as tight as possible.
49:03So that's now all of the claws nice and tight over the diamond,
49:08which means that's nice and secure.
49:10Probably back to similar to when it was made the first time.
49:13I think I'm ready to take that over to the polisher,
49:16give this a really beautiful luster,
49:18and it'll be time to hand back to Sally.
49:21Really, really looking forward to her seeing this again.
49:23And hopefully she'll remember that day it was presented to her by her father
49:26and bring back all those lovely memories of her mum.
49:30When it arrived, Sally's late mother's engagement ring
49:34was wedged tightly on her finger,
49:37its centrepiece diamond long gone from its setting.
49:42Now returning with her father James,
49:44who gave her the ring on her wedding day,
49:47they're hoping to see its sparkle restored
49:49and the memories it holds shining once again.
49:53Rich, Tom, come on, it's the big day.
49:56It is indeed.
49:57You're ready.
49:58I'm ready.
50:00How's that?
50:01Hopefully it fits.
50:02Like a glove.
50:03There you go.
50:04That is sparkling.
50:06Thanks mate.
50:15Hello.
50:16Hello.
50:16Welcome back.
50:18Sally, how are you?
50:20I'm good, thank you.
50:22How are you feeling?
50:22Yeah.
50:22Can't wait to see it and hopefully get it back on my finger
50:26because I have missed it.
50:27Have you?
50:28Yes.
50:28To think you've worn it all this time is amazing.
50:31Yeah.
50:32Yeah, it would be great to see it back.
50:33It's your link to your mother.
50:35It means a lot, doesn't it?
50:36You ready to take a look?
50:37Yes, I am ready.
50:39Ready?
50:39Yes.
50:44Oh, wow.
50:45It's sparkly.
50:45That's fantastic, isn't it?
50:48That doesn't look like the same ring.
50:51Does it?
50:52That's beautiful.
50:52That's beautiful.
50:53I am.
50:54Please pick it up and take a look.
50:55Can I?
50:56Yes.
50:57Shaking now.
50:58Oh, wow.
50:59It's really lovely, isn't it?
51:01Yeah.
51:01You've done a super job.
51:03You're very welcome.
51:04I hope it fits.
51:05Here we go.
51:06Yes.
51:08Yeah, thank you.
51:09Wow.
51:10I am shaking.
51:11I've never seen it sparkly so much.
51:12Never seen it look.
51:13Shining like mum.
51:15Yeah, it does.
51:16Yes, it's lovely.
51:17Does that bring you back now to your wedding day?
51:19Yes, it does.
51:21The morning to the...
51:22Yeah, make-up on, crying.
51:24Yeah.
51:24Do you remember?
51:25Yeah.
51:26Yeah.
51:26It does.
51:28It does.
51:30She was very special.
51:31I know everyone says that about their mum, but she had a certain shine, didn't she?
51:36She did.
51:37Words don't say how happy I am to have it back on my finger.
51:41I think the smile on both of your faces and the laughs and the smiles that you've both got
51:45say it all.
51:46No words are necessary.
51:47I'm so pleased for you both.
51:50Take care.
51:51Bye-bye.
51:58To have the ring back here on my finger means the world to me.
52:02Just looking at it now shining is just unbelievable.
52:06It's sparkling like it used to.
52:09It feels special and mum's back with me, isn't she?
52:13She is.
52:13It's the link between you and it's special.
52:17Yeah.
52:17But it is special.
52:28On their joint repair of the beer pumps, Will and Dom are giving the metal and woodwork
52:33a final smarten up before the taps are reassembled, ready to pour their first pint in over 30 years.
52:50Hey.
52:51There he is.
52:52You okay?
52:53Do you know what?
52:53This is the shortest walk to the pub after work.
52:55Beautiful.
52:55Oh, my God.
52:57Oh.
52:58It's looking good, isn't it?
52:59Really good.
52:59You know what?
53:00I've just finished off that shelf.
53:01That looks brilliant.
53:02Shall we see if it fits?
53:02Yes.
53:04It should sit there.
53:05Of course it does.
53:06Beautiful.
53:07And we've also got a keg of beer.
53:09No.
53:09It's ready to go.
53:10But we should let Adam pull the first pint, shouldn't we?
53:12I think we should.
53:13Right.
53:13If you grab that.
53:13That's it.
53:18That's it.
53:18When Adam arrived with the beer pumps, they were in desperate need of a mechanical overhaul
53:23to get the jammed levers and pistons working again, and the bar was tatty and ravaged by
53:30woodwork.
53:33Now, right on time for an after work pint, Adam is back at the barn, in the hope that Dom
53:40and
53:40Will have restored his father's beer pumps to full working order.
53:45Hi.
53:46Adam.
53:46Hi.
53:46Nice to see you again.
53:48Welcome back.
53:49I see you've come prepared.
53:51Yeah.
53:52Well, you know, on the off chance that there was going to be some beer flowing through the
53:56pumps.
53:57How's it going to feel to you to be able to pull that first pint?
53:59It's going to feel fantastic.
54:01It's going to feel like stepping back in time, like a connection with my dad.
54:04Can't wait.
54:05Well, do you want to take a look?
54:07Absolutely.
54:07Yes, please.
54:08You ready?
54:09Yeah, yeah.
54:09I'm ready.
54:09Come on, Will.
54:21Wow.
54:24Oh, that's amazing.
54:28It's wonderful.
54:28It's so good.
54:29It looks amazing.
54:33It's exactly what I had in mind because you can still see that it's an old piece, but
54:39it just looks incredible.
54:41You've done a wonderful job on it.
54:43And the shelf.
54:44That shelf actually bang on what I remember it was.
54:48Yeah, that's great.
54:52The whole mechanism has been taken apart.
54:54Everything's been cleaned up and rebuilt.
54:56Yeah.
54:56Yeah.
54:56I mean, all that looks kind of brand new.
54:58The mechanical bits.
55:00Yeah.
55:01You're happy?
55:01Oh.
55:02I can't.
55:03I don't think I've got words to say.
55:05I'm happy I am.
55:06Yeah.
55:07It's wonderful.
55:08Absolutely wonderful.
55:09If I close my eyes, it's going back to the family dining room in kind of 1986, you know.
55:17It's fantastic.
55:18Yeah.
55:19What do you think the dad would make all of this?
55:22He'd be thrilled.
55:24He'd be utterly delighted that this thing that he bought, that he got so much pleasure
55:29from, is going to get a new lease of life.
55:32Wonderful.
55:32I guess this only leaves one thing.
55:34Oh, yeah.
55:35Do you fancy trying them out?
55:36Can I?
55:36We've saved this moment for you.
55:38So this will be the first pint that these have pulled.
55:40Excellent.
55:41In, what?
55:42Over 30 years.
55:43I've been looking forward to it.
55:45Over to you.
55:46Oh.
55:48That's so good.
55:51It's been a long time since they've done that.
55:53They have.
56:02Great.
56:04Absolutely.
56:05Now, I know it's not your dad's home brewed beer, but it's the next best thing.
56:10Yeah.
56:10Yeah.
56:11It's great.
56:12I'm glad it's still making you smile all these years later.
56:14Oh.
56:14I can't tell you how delighted I am with it.
56:17It's wonderful.
56:18Tell you what, I'm feeling a little bit left out here.
56:20Do you fancy a pint?
56:21Definitely.
56:22Yeah?
56:22Absolutely.
56:23Let's do it.
56:23If you wouldn't mind.
56:24Good.
56:24Yeah, yeah.
56:25Great.
56:29It's got the knack of that, isn't it?
56:31Oh, that's got a good head on it.
56:32Oh, yeah, yeah.
56:33Oh, yeah.
56:33Down the side, I think, is the technique, isn't it?
56:41So, yeah, I'd like to just raise a toast to my dad, Peter, and thank you so much for restoring
56:48his beer pumps.
56:49Yeah.
56:49For Peter.
56:50Peter.
56:55Oh, yes.
56:56That's very satisfying.
56:57This is the first of many for you.
57:00Job well done.
57:01Job well done.
57:02Cheers.
57:09If you have a treasured possession that's seen better days, and you think the team can
57:14help, please get in touch at bbc.co.uk slash techpar, and join us in The Repair Shop.
57:30We'll see you next time.
57:31Bye.
57:39Bye.
57:43Bye.
57:45Bye.
57:46Bye.
57:46Bye.
57:47Bye.
57:48Bye.
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