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00:01A remarkable workshop of wonder.
00:03This is amazing.
00:06Home to experts of every kind.
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.
00:37Wow.
00:39It's amazing.
00:41They are stunning.
00:44I like it.
00:47Welcome to the repair shop.
00:58There was a time I used to walk you to school and now we're walking to work together.
01:03This lovely spear with you.
01:04Oh, that's so sweet.
01:13I'm no builder but needless to say this looks like it's seen much better days.
01:19Yeah.
01:20Yeah.
01:20I mean, I've done up old buildings and I don't think any of them were as bad as this.
01:26Bad as this.
01:27No.
01:28Looking to put Steve Fletcher's building experience to the ultimate test is Dawn Shrides from West
01:36Sussex.
01:37This must be yours?
01:38It is, absolutely.
01:39What are we looking at?
01:41A ruin.
01:42Yes.
01:43No, this is a watermill.
01:45Okay.
01:45That my father built in 1996.
01:49Okay.
01:49He put it all together to go in front of our family home to replicate the red brick work
01:55of the house.
01:56Every little brick he made by hand.
01:59Individually?
02:00Individually.
02:01He wanted it to be a working watermill and obviously the years of it sitting on the ground
02:07outside.
02:08Yeah.
02:09The weather had gotten to it.
02:10I bet it was glorious when it was first built.
02:13Absolutely.
02:14What was your dad's name?
02:15My father called Brian.
02:16Was he always creative?
02:19Yes.
02:20As a teenager, he was an apprentice carpenter and he was always building extensions, porches,
02:28archways.
02:29Constantly on the driveway there was a pile of sand.
02:32Oh, right.
02:33So my sisters and I and cousins, we would play with toys in the sand and that's just how
02:39I remember him with old clothes on, digging sand, tinkering away in his shed at the end
02:46of the garden.
02:47So he had lots of projects on the go all the time then?
02:50Yes.
02:50Sounds like you, Steve.
02:53What was it that inspired your dad to build this mill?
02:56Having built the big family home and the extensions, I think it was the next project for him.
03:01I can remember it sitting there and we went in the front door.
03:03This matched him very nicely with the red bricks of the house.
03:06And I only ever saw it as a little house.
03:08Wow.
03:08And yeah, so he wanted it to be a working water mill.
03:13His intention was to put it in an underground chamber so that the water mill would turn.
03:19He died in 2014 and mum downsized.
03:22And in the move, it actually took four people to lift it and transport it and they put it
03:29down on the driveway and there it sat for the last four years.
03:32So having lived in those houses with all the extensions, she's now moved into a bungalow.
03:38Mm-hmm.
03:39There's nothing around her that reminds her of him.
03:42And this is so important because he's touched every single piece of this.
03:50Yeah.
03:50Um, he's crafted this and she looks out her front window and sees this deteriorating.
03:56It's just so sad to see.
03:58So to have it brought back to life for the family, for mum, just be amazing.
04:06Just to see it put back together.
04:09Yes.
04:10And whole again, I think is almost, we can't even think of that.
04:14I will do my absolute best for you and your mum.
04:19Thank you so much.
04:20Bye-bye.
04:20Bye-bye.
04:23What an amazing creation, Steve.
04:25Where do you think you're going to start?
04:26I don't know.
04:28I can see everything needs work on.
04:30Absolutely everything.
04:32Yeah.
04:33Well, you're a very brave man.
04:45It's a long time since I've done any building work.
04:48It looks like a real old building.
04:51And that's one of the beauties of this, this model.
04:55So I need to, to retain that.
04:58I'm going to have to get a frame made, um, to, to put the whole of the building on so
05:05that it's completely stabilised.
05:07The roof is absolutely just falling apart.
05:11And I've got to start from, from afresh and make a new roof.
05:16I've got lots and lots of sections of, of the brickwork.
05:20And even some single bricks.
05:22And I'll have to think about making some more bricks.
05:26Uh, but I won't know until I start putting things back together whether I've got all the parts or not.
05:32And it'll be really nice if I can get the water wheel actually turning with some water going over it.
05:39The first thing I'm going to do is, is just clear the decks and start taking some of the rotten
05:45parts away.
06:04Nice shirt, Brenton.
06:06I like it.
06:06You do like a good shirt.
06:07I do, yeah.
06:08Where is it, like a greyhound?
06:10It's a lurcher.
06:11It's a lurcher.
06:12It's a lurcher.
06:15Next to arrive into the barn, Simone Williams from West London.
06:20She's hoping Brenton can bring back the sparkle to a unique piece of carnival history.
06:26Hi.
06:27Hello.
06:27How are you?
06:28This looks really interesting.
06:30What are we looking at here?
06:32You are looking at a headdress that was made by my father, Vernon Fellows Williams.
06:37He was a founding member of Nutting Hill Carnival.
06:40Was this in like the 60s?
06:42Yes.
06:42The very first carnival was in 1966.
06:45And then in 1980, my dad started Genesis, a carnival band.
06:50And this was one of the first headpieces he made.
06:54He was born Trinidadian.
06:55And Trinidad is the home of carnival.
06:58And all of that came out in his work in the costumes as well.
07:01Did your dad play an instrument in the band?
07:04No, he wouldn't.
07:05He wouldn't play.
07:06He gave up the drumming when he started making costumes.
07:09Yeah.
07:10That was his love.
07:10Was this a full-time job?
07:12No.
07:12He had a business as well.
07:14And he would do this in the evenings and weekends.
07:16And my mum used to help.
07:18She had a job in the NHS and would come after work and come and everyone pitched in after
07:22work.
07:23So we really didn't sleep much.
07:25That's real dedication.
07:26Huge dedication.
07:27So have you been involved since you were?
07:29Since I was born.
07:31Yeah.
07:31I used to sleep in the workshop.
07:33We used to get sheets of foam and roll up in the foam.
07:37And your dad was making these things all the time.
07:40Yeah.
07:41This is fantastic, isn't it?
07:43Oh, is this metal?
07:44It's copper.
07:45It's actually copper.
07:46And on the inside, you've got galvanised wire, which is falling apart here.
07:52There's velvet.
07:54There's these decorative pieces and trims.
07:56It's quite bashed up.
07:58It's 45 years old.
08:00And it would be great to see that character come back to life.
08:04If I get it fixed, what's the plan for the headpiece?
08:07So the plan for the headpiece is for it to feature in the next carnival, which is in
08:122026.
08:13And that's going to be part of the 60th anniversary.
08:17And either my brother or my nephew will wear it to celebrate my dad and celebrate this
08:23piece that he made all those years ago.
08:26For now, it's in the right place.
08:28We'll see you very soon.
08:29Bye-bye.
08:30Bye.
08:33This is really cool, isn't it?
08:34It's so different, isn't it?
08:36Enjoy.
08:47Even close up, the work that Simone's father Vernon has done on it, it's incredible.
08:53But this poor headpiece has had better days.
08:58It's been crushed somehow.
09:00The copper is bent, it's gone dull, needs cleaning up and straightening.
09:05I've got something missing from the front, and I'm going to think about that and create
09:09something for that.
09:10I think the most important thing for me to do, first of all, is to separate the copper from
09:16the material, hopefully without doing any more damage.
09:23That's going to pop out quite nicely.
09:25So, the cloth part, I'm going to ask Rebecca to help me, because that's not my forte.
09:31I'm going to do the bit I'm good at, which is the metal work.
09:41Hi, Rebecca.
09:42Hi.
09:43I've got a Notting Hill Carnival head dress.
09:47Wow.
09:48And the material has become rather torn.
09:52Oh, yeah, look at that.
09:53I wonder if you could try and tidy it up for us.
09:56Yeah.
09:56And it just needs a bit of attention.
10:14The miniature watermill is sitting level on its new foundation frame.
10:19Steve must now gauge the missing brickwork.
10:23I've had a look at this fragment of one of Brian's bricks, and it's not like clay at all.
10:29It is sand and cement.
10:31So, I'm going to make up a four-to-one mix of sand and cement.
10:36And I'm just going to now put one scoop of the colour powder, which should give it the right colour
10:44to make the red brick.
10:49Right.
10:50Just going to pop a little bit of water in.
10:52Bricks, I don't think, are made this way.
10:55They're made with clay.
10:56But I'm doing it as Brian did.
11:00So, I've made up a mould for the bricks.
11:08I've made up a block of wood to go into the mould as well, so I can push it quite
11:14hard.
11:15I've got to squeeze a lot of the water out as well.
11:21That's not bad for a first attempt.
11:24It is very, very red though.
11:26I might have to decrease the amount that I've put in.
11:30But, yeah.
11:32That's one brick.
11:33Right.
11:34I've got to experiment making some more.
11:57The bricks that I've made are pretty good, actually.
12:01And I'm sure they're weathered down really well, the same as all the old bricks.
12:06So, I'm just starting now to put them permanently onto the metal frame.
12:12I'm actually going to glue the larger sections together.
12:16This is a really strong glue.
12:21It's waterproof.
12:24And it will stick the mortar together as well.
12:27Right.
12:27I think that's enough glue now.
12:29I'm just going to pop this into place.
12:45Okay.
12:58Right.
13:00So far, so good.
13:03Once I get all the base bricks in place, I can then start adding some of the new bricks.
13:21Next to glide into the barn is Steve from Leicestershire, along with his daughter Frankie.
13:28They're hoping master cobbler Dean will be able to give a sporting souvenir a second chance of glory.
13:36Hello.
13:38Hello.
13:38Hi, welcome.
13:40What have you got for us today?
13:42These are very old long track speed skates.
13:46They're ice skates?
13:46Ice skates, yes.
13:47Ice speed skates.
13:48Can we take a look?
13:49Yes, you can.
13:49They're huge.
13:51Yeah, the size of the blades on these.
13:52Yeah, they're about 17 inches in length.
13:55So, whose are these then?
13:56So, these are my skates.
13:58There's two types of disciplines in speed skating.
14:00One is called long track, one is called short track.
14:02Short track is more accessible across the world because it's done in traditional ice rinks.
14:07It's on a shorter track, over 111 metres track.
14:12So, I took up short track speed skating as a young boy and I've done it for most of my
14:15life.
14:16And then in 1985, I was only 16, 17 at the time, a friend and I got a phone call
14:22to say there's a long track competition on the fence.
14:26So, we went down to Bowie Fen, which is in Cambridgeshire.
14:31Fen skating is a time-honoured sporting tradition that takes place in East Anglia on the now rare occasions that
14:39the temperature drops well below freezing.
14:42The flooded meadows freeze solid and transform into a vast natural ice track, perfect for all types of skating.
14:52I was an indoor short track speed skater who has very different equipment to the natural ice or long track
14:59speed skating.
15:00Yeah.
15:00And using our short track speed skates ended up in the final.
15:05Literally five minutes before the final, somebody said, would you like to borrow these skates?
15:10Because they're long track skates, which again are very different to short track.
15:15So, how did you do?
15:15I ended up winning the competition.
15:20What I hadn't realised, it was the King Edward VII Cup donated by King Edward VII.
15:25I was just so naive of the enormity of the event, just so naive about the enormity of the trophy,
15:31the history of the trophy, the history of the sport.
15:33Yeah.
15:34On Fenland's natural ice speed skating.
15:37How significant was that win to the rest of your career then?
15:40Quite significant, I think, because winning that gave me the confidence of the speed skating ability.
15:44And I made it onto the World Championship team that year.
15:47And I got a bronze medal in the World Championships.
15:51I was lucky enough to be part of the Olympic team in 1988.
15:55And my daughter has started skating as well and has been speed skating.
15:58How do you find it, skating with your dad?
16:01It's good.
16:02We don't race against each other often, but we train together a lot.
16:06It's just really nice to have something that we can do together.
16:08It's lovely.
16:10Fantastic.
16:12Because certainly after my wife died, Fanki's mum died three years ago.
16:17Oh, I'm so sorry.
16:18We've become a very small unit and supported each other through some tough times.
16:24Yeah.
16:24So there's a strong bond between us in the skating because it's something we can do together.
16:30And because skating's been such a big part of both of our lives, especially recently,
16:34I think it's just important to recognise that and to restore them,
16:38to have something to show for what we both do.
16:41So what is actually wrong with them?
16:43I can see the blades are rusted.
16:45You can see they've completely failed there.
16:48Yeah.
16:49And I think a couple of the eyelids have gone.
16:51That's on this one too.
16:52Yeah.
16:52They're just generally scuffed.
16:54If I was able to repair them, would you be tempted to take them out?
16:58I think I would be, yeah.
16:59We need the fins to freeze over first.
17:01Yeah, we might be waiting a few years.
17:03Well, thank you so much, both of you, for trusting us with these beautiful skates.
17:09I know how much they mean to you both.
17:10We'll do our best.
17:12Thanks a lot.
17:13See you later.
17:13Bye-bye.
17:21Imagine strapping those to your feet.
17:22Couldn't even stand up in these, let alone skates.
17:24Absolutely no chance.
17:26I look forward to seeing what you do with them though.
17:28Yeah, there's a lot to think about, yeah.
17:29Good luck, mate.
17:40One incredible piece of footwear these are.
17:44From an incredible man, actually.
17:46Now there is quite a lot to do here.
17:49The skates themselves require quite a lot.
17:52There's a rust on the blades that I like to try and clean off as much as possible.
17:57The leather itself, it's got obvious damage to it.
18:01The first thing I'm going to do is to turn my attention to this chrome.
18:06Now there's a lot of tarnishing on that.
18:10I'm hoping with some wire wool, I can take a lot of that off.
18:18Already, that's working.
18:21That's quite astounding, actually.
18:25I'm going to continue with the wire wool on the chrome.
18:30And then I can put these blades in some de-rusting solution.
18:35And I'm just hoping, looking how well that chrome's coming up,
18:39from just a little bit of work, I'll be onto a winning streak.
18:43I'll be very happy.
18:53That's quite something, isn't it?
18:55It is.
18:55This water wheel is really, really very, very rotten.
19:01Yeah.
19:02Absolutely rotten to bits.
19:04Yeah.
19:05And it's got to have water running over it.
19:07Yeah.
19:08And I just wondered whether you could make another one and use this one as a pattern.
19:12Yeah.
19:12Okay.
19:13Do you want it sandblasted, make it look a bit aged?
19:15That would be amazing.
19:16Okay.
19:24Outside, Brenton is trying to coax the crumpled copper headpiece back into shape.
19:30Copper is quite soft, very malleable.
19:33That's part of the reason why it's damaged,
19:36because any sort of force on it will bend it.
19:38You can really see how badly bent that is.
19:42And a lot of this I can do by hand.
19:46The first thing I'm going to do is try and bend this area.
19:51My thumb can bend that bit quite easily.
19:55I've done some crowns and various headpieces.
19:59And I know the bit that goes on the head is oval.
20:02And if I can get this to a rough oval shape, half the battle is won.
20:11There we go.
20:12So this headband is now a pretty good oval shape.
20:15And I can now look at the wings.
20:18So I'm going to bend these forward to where I feel they would have been.
20:30I think that's pretty much the shape that's meant to be.
20:34That's looking pretty good to me.
20:36Next thing I can do to this is to give these a good polish.
20:54I've successfully removed the central fabric from the headpiece.
20:59And I'm now going to support it onto this black velvet.
21:03What I need to do is stitch the two pieces of fabric together.
21:08So this will do two things.
21:10It will hold the two pieces together.
21:12But it will also mean that all of this damage that's all the way around the edges,
21:17all of this loss will be held nice and secure.
21:22So the holes will be infilled and then this piece of fabric will be nice and strong and have a
21:28good structure.
21:29I'm going to start in the centre and I'm going to work my way to one side and then to
21:33the other.
21:34But black thread on black fabric with a black support fabric.
21:39So it's actually quite tricky to see.
22:01Steve has completed the brickwork on the miniature water mill.
22:05He now needs to protect the structure from the elements with a much needed new roof.
22:11I've tried to do it in the same way that Brian constructed his roof.
22:18The only thing that I'm going to do is improve slightly on Brian's design.
22:23I'm going to put a waterproof membrane over the roof before then starting to put the felt tiles on.
22:33Because this mill is going to live outside, it's got to stand up to all weathers.
22:37This is a real thick, loopy adhesive.
22:47It's really quite satisfying.
22:49It's like a thick treacle.
22:57Right, that's enough adhesive on.
22:59I need to get the membrane on now.
23:08Good, that should adhere nicely.
23:11Got to get the other side on, then I can get the felt on.
23:25I've now attached a lot of strips of felt.
23:29And then I came up with the idea of using a soldering iron to score all the lines to make
23:36it look like they're all separate tiles.
23:40And this is working an absolute treat.
23:47After a long bath and a de-rusting solution, Dean is ready to see if the speed skate blades have
23:54regained their shine.
23:55So now's the moment of truth where I pull them out and hopefully all that rust has removed.
24:02It's quite nerve wracking actually.
24:06That's worked really well.
24:08A lot of that orange rust has come away.
24:11That's going to polish up beautifully.
24:14I'm going to pull the other one out.
24:16That's actually in better condition than the other blade.
24:19But for now I'm happy with the result of the de-rusting solution.
24:23So I can concentrate on the other areas of damage.
24:34This huge area where the leather is simply scraped away is quite an odd shape.
24:41I've got to try and blend it in.
24:44So to do that I'm going to begin by putting some masking tape over that area.
24:49What I'm doing here is to try and create a template that I can transfer onto a piece of new
24:54leather.
24:56I'm going to use my fingers just to press in.
24:59Try and create an impression of that area that has worn away.
25:03Then I can get a rough cut of the leather and trim down as I need.
25:08And hopefully I should get a perfect shape that just sticks on there and blends nicely.
25:12I'm going to transfer my masking template onto the leather.
25:21I'm just going to cut that area off.
25:28Which will just make things a bit more manageable.
25:36So I'm happy with the shape of that. That should blend in really well.
25:40Now I'm going to skive the edges of the leather with my knife.
25:43And what I'm looking for is a paper thin edge that should blend beautifully when I glue it onto the
25:52skirt.
25:52And I'll get it as a paper.
25:58And then we'll see a paper.
25:59That's not what I'm looking for.
26:00I'm looking for a paper.
26:11I'm looking for a nail on the wood and a nail on the wood.
26:20The main point of this was to get a nail on the wood.
26:22nice blend between that new leather and the old leather in terms of its texture and its handle
26:29and that positioning is really pleasing actually I'm going to hammer that down just to make sure
26:35the bond is strong that feels amazing it's almost seamless now I can apply this same principle to
26:49the tear at the front here and then all the black leather will be nicely repaired
27:01Steve has completed all the heavy building work on his repair of the watermill he's now ready to move
27:08on to the finer fixtures and fittings David has made such a good job of making this wheel I've
27:16also made a little pump assembly and this will sit into the the water bund there I've got this lovely
27:27bit of lead pipe that sits over this copper pipe here and the water will come out of there and
27:35drive
27:36the water wheel now it's time to get all the bits back together get the wheel on get the pump
27:45in get
27:46the roof back on and then it'll be ready very exciting
27:58when Brian's water mill arrived it was a crumbling relic after being exposed to the elements for over
28:0530 years now Don has returned with her mother Pan hoping Steve has been able to rebuild the ruin that
28:13keeps Brian's legacy alive hello hello hello hello Pamela nice to meet you yes thank you and you Brian
28:22poured his heart into doing this didn't he what what were your thoughts when it was sat in the garden
28:29in
28:29in bits I think we were all deciding what we're going to do weren't we who was going to do
28:34it who
28:35could do it to his standard so to see it restored and preserved it would mean just everything so would
28:42you like to see it yes absolutely so excited to see it there we go oh my gosh oh look
28:54at that
28:57thank you
29:02gosh that's amazing and you've done all these work yeah lovely gosh and this no gosh thank you and
29:11there's even water in there in the wheel do you like to see if it works yes okay I'll just
29:20switch it
29:21on for you thank you oh wow that's just amazing
29:31oh god it's just beyond anything that we could have thought would ever happen to it thank you so
29:42much the watermill just sums up a legacy that will now stay in the family be preserved and dad would
29:53be so pleased to uh to know that it's it's working and and it's loved and it's still loved
30:03it was just the best thing we could have done wasn't it
30:18from one fletcher to another now as sharon from western super mayor and kelly from plymouth are hoping
30:26fred could get a treasured time piece ticking again hi there hi hello nice to meet you bay and you
30:35it's a great clock it is this was my dad roy's clock and it was left when he passed to
30:42kelly
30:43are you related to the family just very good friends one of dad's best friends very close to him we
30:48actually met through a mutual friend and she was doing some care work for roy and she asked me to
30:55help
30:56which mainly involved cleaning and doing a bit of grocery shopping and we made a friendship from
31:03there really he wasn't a typical older gent he he didn't act 90 did he he was a very fun
31:13energetic
31:14um youthful in soul and mind actually we had a lot of adventures whether it was just going for cocoa
31:23or a little drive and me getting lost which i'm very good at um he was great company to be
31:28around
31:29he had a lot of stories that he loved sharing and i loved listening it seems like quite an unlikely
31:35relationship that the two of you had i originally was there to help roy and to make roy's life that
31:44little bit easier and to bring a bit more joy but i actually didn't know how important his
31:49friendship was to me life can be very overwhelming and very stressful roy definitely made my day a bit
31:57brighter and i wish he knew how important um he was to me what was roy like as a dad
32:06it was fantastic
32:08he was a legend i was always a daddy's girl anyway was very supportive in my life and he was
32:15just just the mainstay really yeah do you live quite near to roy no we're a couple of hours apart
32:21whereby so kelly kept in going and did all the fun stuff didn't all the fun she would be a
32:26bit of a
32:26daredevil whereas we would keep dad quiet you're 90 you don't want to do that and kelly would be like
32:31yeah okay don't worry leave it with me and then they'd be gallivanting off um and he loved it this
32:38clock was the one next to roy he sat right next to it so when i was sat in my
32:43space on that sofa
32:44and i looked over speaking to roy i'd always see the clock in the background roy always wanted me
32:50to have the clock um it was one of his wishes when he passed so it's quite special to me
32:57in an ideal
32:58world what are you hoping for i would just absolutely love to have it working i've never heard it tick
33:05so that would that would be amazing okay obviously there's a chip um roy was uh an avid diy and
33:15there's
33:15there's paint specs everywhere and if you could help it would mean so much to me and um
33:23it's not going to bring roy back um but he would he would be really proud i'll do my best
33:30thank you
33:30very much and i can't wait to see what you're able to do we'll see you very soon thank you
33:35bye
33:36thank you bye
33:44we'd like a hand i think i'll be right yeah you sure i think so you'll have to watch
33:48go on nice and heavy
34:01it's a great clock but roy's left kelly unfortunately it doesn't tick which is
34:05obviously quite important so getting it ticking and striking two two priorities there's quite a lot
34:11of brass work on this case and it's all pretty dull and tarnished there's this chip here and quite a
34:17lot
34:17of paint splattered all over the case i think if i get kirsten to have a look at this chip
34:21just looking at the dial here the numerals are a bit worn around here um so i'm gonna have a
34:28think
34:28about what to do to try and tackle that problem first things first i need to take the mechanism out
34:33of the clock disassemble everything and remove all the dirt and grime so i can figure out what's really
34:43going on oh ice skates yes do you ice skate i've been once yeah and i don't think i go
34:51back
34:51i nearly broke my neck oh no the kids found it very entertaining you're like a giraffe
34:57very much yeah getting around a long bamba happy with his hippies brenton is ready to turn his
35:09attention to its croning glory got to make something for the front where there's something missing and
35:16this is a piece of copper which i've just cut out which i'm going to embellish and i'm sticking this
35:22to a piece of wood with a thermal glue what this glue will do is it will support the metal
35:30while i
35:31make the marks and hold it in position i want the pattern to reflect the headpiece so the outside of
35:39the circle will have this chevron design on it and the middle of the circle will have these fish scale
35:44patterns on it i'm always at my happiest when i'm recreating something so i'm just trying to do
36:00justice to his craftsmanship
36:12that is the chevron pattern around the outside looking really really good i just need to mark up
36:19the center for the scales pattern then i can solder that back onto its old bracket and reattach it to
36:27the headdress
36:29so
37:00So I've reshaped and covered the central section. So I'm now turning my attention to these lovely
37:06flowers. One of them is completely missing, so I'm going to attempt to remake it. So these
37:12flowers are beautifully made. They're made with this metal thread and I've made a template so I
37:18can hopefully get this same shape. I've got to make sure that the springy thread stays on the
37:24outside and this thinner, stiffer thread stays on the inside. So pull that round a bit more maybe.
37:34Let's have a look. This is really, really tricky. I have used these metal threads before but usually
37:46I'm stitching them down. It's much more controllable. So having them sort of free-flowing is, yeah,
37:54it's really hard. I'm going to need a bit of time to work this out. I'm sure once I've got
38:00a few
38:01petals in it'll be fine but this is quite baffling.
38:11With the mechanism now sparkling clean, it's time for Fred to pivot and tackle the repairs.
38:18I've just finished cleaning the clock after disassembling it. I have identified a few issues
38:23with it. Right now I'm working on some bushing. Just looking at this hole, it's really, really warm.
38:30The pivot inside it is moving backs and forwards a lot. Should not be able to move as much as
38:34that.
38:35And it's on quite an important wheel because it's, it's the wheel that lifts the hammer for the strike.
38:39So if I leave it like this, the hammer might not lift. So no strike. So to fill this hole,
38:45I'm going to be using a bush. So bushes are used to make an existing hole a lot smaller. This
38:52is a
38:52slightly tapered piece of brass with a hole through the middle of it. When I put the bush in, I
38:59will open
38:59that hole up to the right size so that the pivot fits in quite snugly. If you look at this
39:04bush compared
39:05to the hole, the hole is quite a lot smaller. So this is a brooch and I'm opening it up
39:11the hole
39:11so it's round, so that I can fit the bush quite snugly in it.
39:28I'm taking my time, but it's easy to get impatient and go too far. And then you're back to square
39:33one. But there you go. Perfect. I've got a really, really nice fit and that's definitely
39:40not going anywhere. Now we just need to open up the hole and the bush so that the pivot fits
39:44in. Looks good. Moment of truth. That's pretty good that. That's one down. I've got plenty
40:03more bushes to get one. Fred's called in tile restorer Cindy Welland to bring the smile back
40:23to the clock's face. So I've cleaned off the numerals. So I'm starting to repaint. But it's
40:30really, really tricky to paint onto a shiny metal surface because the paint will have
40:36a tendency to puddle rather than flow together. So by painting the lines on the outside first,
40:44it gives the paint a boundary because once it dries, then it contains it and I can puddle
40:50the paint in a little bit more easily. I'm going to finish the rest of the numerals and then
40:56I can add in all the minute markers as well. It's so lovely having Fred in the barn. He's
41:06an absolutely lovely lad. Very proud of him. Don't tell him as much as I should do really.
41:18Dean's repair of the long track speed skates is gathering pace. Having patched and repaired
41:25all the areas of black leather that needed doing, I can now turn my attention to these torn
41:30eyelets. Now the friction against the leather of pulling the laces tight time after time has
41:37just torn through the leather. What I'm going to do is split this seam here and that will
41:42allow me to get inside and really assess the damage. If I apply too much force to open this,
41:50it could cause irreversible damage. Now there is a temptation to just put some metal eyelets
41:55in these hull boots. I really think that would change the look. I'm going to use a fabric tape.
42:03It's nice and thin so it's not going to add unnecessary bulk. It should be quite invisible,
42:08but it should allow these skates to be laced up again and worn again. I now need to turn my
42:14attention
42:14and do the same process on the opposite side.
42:22Oh Fred, that looks really heavy. It is a little bit. Let me pop that there.
42:25Thank you. It's a bit of a chip here. Right. Okay. If you might be able to give me a
42:30hand.
42:30Is this slate? It is. Right. Slate can be quite difficult to repair so that it's invisible.
42:37Okay. Well, absolutely do what I can. Thank you. Yeah.
42:47It's nearly carnival time for the Notting Hill headpiece. But first,
42:52Brenton has got to put it back together.
42:56Rebecca has done a remarkable job of this decorative part of the headpiece.
43:05There we go. That's gone in there. Look at that. Great.
43:10So I've got to sew the cloth bit in position so it can't move about.
43:16It looks absolutely beautiful.
43:25Handcrafted by Vernon Williams, a pioneer at the very first Notting Hill Carnival,
43:31this headpiece was one of hundreds he created to celebrate culture and history.
43:37But over time, the copper was crushed, the fabric frayed, and the embroidered details disappeared.
43:49I need sunglasses. Spectacular, isn't it? Wow.
43:54Returning to the barn to see if her father's masterpiece might be carnival ready once again, Simone.
44:05Hi. Hello. Hello. Nice to see you again.
44:08Thank you. Nice to see you both again.
44:09How are you feeling? Nervous and slightly emotional.
44:15It means a lot to me. It's my dad's legacy.
44:17Where did the nerves come from? Is that because...
44:19I'm worried what you've done with it.
44:22Oh, dear.
44:24Are you ready to take a look? I am ready to take a look. Yeah.
44:31Oh, wow.
44:34Oh, wow.
44:38God, it looks so regal.
44:45And you put all the pieces together. Oh, it's beautiful.
44:50Quite emotional.
44:52Yeah.
44:52Yeah. This is beautiful.
44:54And you've kept all the colours and everything. I love it.
44:5845 years old.
45:00And still kicking.
45:01Still kicking with the help of you, Brenton.
45:04Thank you, Brenton.
45:05I can't take all of the credit.
45:06Rebecca helped us with the fabric and did a fantastic job.
45:09You did. Thank you so much.
45:11You're welcome.
45:13And this is brand new, so this wasn't there before.
45:16And you've just mimicked what he's done.
45:19It complements it.
45:21Would you like to try it on?
45:22Why not? I'll give it a go.
45:29It fits you perfectly.
45:30It goes with the jacket, right?
45:31Yeah.
45:33Well, that's your carnival outfit done.
45:35We have all enjoyed having this in the barn.
45:37We've all been talking about it.
45:38And we'll definitely be keeping our eye out this carnival for Genesis.
45:41Thank you so much.
45:42Who's yours to take away?
45:44I'll grab the door.
45:45Thanks.
45:50See ya.
45:51Bye.
45:55Well done.
45:56Good one, wasn't it?
45:57There you go, you can have the head.
45:58Well done.
45:59Great job, guys.
46:03Rebecca and Brenton have smashed it.
46:06They've just really honoured the craftsmanship.
46:08And it just feels like Dad made it.
46:12If my dad was here, he would say,
46:15in a Trini accent, Brenton and Rebecca,
46:19all you come and work for me.
46:22That's what he would say.
46:40While Kirsten cleans up the clock case,
46:43it's time for Fred to get the mechanism ticking.
46:48I'm now moving my attention to the pallets.
46:50As this wheel spins round,
46:53it hits the pallet stones,
46:56which are attached to the pendulum.
46:59As that swings back and forwards,
47:00that's what makes the ticking sound.
47:02These stones are currently at the wrong angle.
47:05They need to be completely perpendicular with the wheel,
47:08like this.
47:09But currently, they're a bit all over the shop.
47:11This is the reason why Kelly has not heard this clock tick at all.
47:16Going to be needing to straighten up the stones.
47:19And I held them with shellac.
47:20I'm just going to heat up the shellac
47:22by putting them on this heat mat.
47:24That's going to heat up the shellac
47:26so that it's soft enough for me to just pull out the stone.
47:33I'm just going to remove all the old shellac from the pallets,
47:35so that when I reset the stones,
47:38I can just use fresh shellac.
47:48Now the pallets are nice and clean.
47:50First thing I'm going to do when setting in the stones
47:54is put the shellac into the pallets.
47:59I'm just going to pop that in here.
48:03So it's really important for me to get the pallet stones
48:06to be perpendicular with the pallets.
48:09If it's not perpendicular, then it won't run correctly.
48:14The difference between this being right and wrong
48:16is probably about a degree or two.
48:20Now I've got the pallet stones in the right place,
48:22I'll put it in a movement
48:24and see how it engages with the skate wheel.
48:28This bit's always quite nerve-wracking
48:30because a lot of hard work has gone into this.
48:33I really hope it works.
48:46So I'm really happy with how one of the stones
48:48is engaging with the skate wheel.
48:49The other one, not so much.
48:51So I've got the adjustments.
48:59I'm going to use a two-part epoxy modelling material
49:03to fill this chip.
49:06I really love slate as a material,
49:10but I do shy away from working on it
49:14because it's a very soft material.
49:18So with something like this,
49:20I want to try and get it as flat as I can
49:22because I don't want to have to introduce
49:26any kind of abrasive sanding fabrics
49:30just because I'm concerned about causing damage
49:34to the surrounding area.
49:39I've got a bit more smoothing and shaping to do,
49:42but that edge is looking really nice and crisp now.
49:58Dean's gliding towards the finish line
50:01with the long track speed skate restoration.
50:05Now I'm at a stage where I just need to buff the leather.
50:08This is a really enjoyable stage.
50:10It's where all the work kind of comes to life
50:12and that leather should get a lovely shine
50:14as I buff it over with a soft brush.
50:21Now these skates have had a storied history.
50:25And now with these repairs and this preservation,
50:29they can last well into the future.
50:31Now all there is to do is to lace them up
50:34and get them back to Steve.
50:36These long track speed skates
50:38kick-started an illustrious sporting career
50:41and a shared passion between a father and daughter.
50:45But when they arrived,
50:47they looked as if they had been left out in the cold
50:49with worn out leather and rusty blades.
50:52Dean, they look so good.
50:55Well done.
50:57Now Steve and Frankie have returned to the barn,
51:00hoping Dean has been able to restore the skates
51:03to their winning ways.
51:08Hello, welcome back.
51:09Thank you. Nice to see you.
51:11How have you been since leaving the skates with us?
51:13Thinking about it most days actually,
51:14winning that competition was a sort of pathway
51:17through the improvements I was making
51:19as an athlete in speed skating.
51:21Yeah.
51:21Are you both ready to take a look?
51:23I'm really nervous.
51:24I'm nervous as well.
51:26Nervous together.
51:27Come on.
51:32Wow.
51:33Whoa.
51:34Look at those.
51:39That is super.
51:43Wow.
51:44They look absolutely fantastic.
51:47They're fantastic where you've, you know,
51:51all the scuffs and the holes and everything,
51:55the eyelets.
51:56I'm shaking.
51:58I'm actually shaking, physically shaking.
51:59Are you?
52:01It's such a complete contrast to what they were.
52:04I know how much he loves speed skating
52:07and I know how much these mean to him.
52:09Yeah.
52:10And I think it's just, it's phenomenal.
52:13If he does freeze over again on the fence,
52:16I'll take them with me and give them a,
52:18give them another try.
52:19It's been an absolute pleasure to work on them.
52:21It really has.
52:22Well, enjoy them.
52:23Thank you very much again.
52:24Very well.
52:26Bye-bye.
52:33It was just overwhelming to see what they've been able
52:37to achieve to repair the skates.
52:40I think, especially since losing my mum,
52:43the fact that skating keeps me and my dad more connected
52:47and I can look at these skates and it's kind of a signifier
52:50of kind of a bond we've created through skating.
53:06Now Kirsten and Cindy have returned the restored case
53:09and face of Roy's clock.
53:12Fred is almost ready to complete the repair.
53:16I'm really happy with that.
53:17I've got the movement finally all together and it's ticking.
53:24So I'm going to put everything back together.
53:27This is one of my favourite parts of the job.
53:29It's all looking real bright and shiny
53:30and there's a sense of pride that I get.
53:49I've got the majority of the clock back together now and I think it's looking really good.
53:52I've had a little plaque made as a bit of a tip of the cap to Roy.
53:58And I think it means that every time Kelly looks at this clock,
54:02she'll be reminded of her good friend Roy.
54:09Silent for years, chipped and with faded numerals,
54:13this clock stands as a symbol of an unexpected yet treasured friendship.
54:19And you've polished up the casework as well.
54:21I don't need your fingerprints on it.
54:23Good work, Fred. Thank you.
54:26Kelly and Sharon are returning,
54:28hoping to hear the clock tick as it did in Roy's headache.
54:36Hi you two.
54:37Hi. Hello.
54:39Welcome back.
54:41How are you feeling?
54:42It would be fantastic to see it working and hear it if it makes a sound.
54:47Yeah.
54:47So I am very excited.
54:50I'm just like excited to see what you've done.
54:54Would you like to take a look?
54:55Yeah.
54:57Okay.
54:58Fred?
55:03Wow.
55:04It looks different, doesn't it?
55:05It's lovely.
55:08Oh, the black.
55:09I was going to put a black on.
55:14And all the gold in the scratches.
55:19It's gold.
55:21And the chip.
55:27It's amazing.
55:30Oh, look at it.
55:34I haven't got to pick all the specks of paint on.
55:38You must have put some hours into this.
55:42That's been a real team effort.
55:43Yeah, it has.
55:45Kirsten's done a really good job on the chip
55:47and Cindy's made the doll look amazing.
55:50And lots of work from you, Fred, as well.
55:51Yeah.
55:52Yeah, I did.
55:53I did a little bit.
55:54Do you want to see it working?
55:56Absolutely.
55:56Yes, please.
55:57Okay.
56:01Gosh.
56:01Oh, listen.
56:05Heartbeat of the clock.
56:08That's, like, really reassuring and comforting, Vic.
56:11It's a bit reassuring, like Dad was.
56:14Yeah.
56:15Yeah.
56:17So it is almost like, well, you'll be sitting in my front room.
56:20Yeah.
56:20That's lovely.
56:21Yeah, it's lovely.
56:22Well, it's all yours to take home now.
56:24So we'll wrap it up and we'll get it sent off to you.
56:26I am and will be forever grateful.
56:29It's been an absolute pleasure.
56:30Thank you all of you.
56:31Bye-bye.
56:32Bye.
56:40Didn't realise it was going to look so beautiful.
56:43It was very emotional.
56:44Lots of different feels, but brilliant.
56:48Absolutely fabulous.
56:48To have a constant reminder of the friendship that I had with Roy and the time we've spent together is
56:55absolutely wonderful.
57:03If you have a treasured possession that's seen better days and you think the team can help, please get in
57:10touch at bbc.co.uk slash techpark and join us in the repair shop.
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