- 2 days ago
The Repair Shop S16E04
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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?
00:32Yeah.
00:32I'm ready.
00:33Back to life.
00:38Wow.
00:39It's amazing.
00:41They are stunning.
00:44I like it.
00:47Welcome to the repair shop.
00:59There was a time I used to walk you to school and now we're walking to work together.
01:03This lovely spear with you.
01:05Oh, that's so sweet.
01:13I'm no builder but needless to say this looks like it's seen much better days.
01:20Yeah.
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.
01:29Looking 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.
01:39Absolutely.
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.
02:11I bet it was glorious when it was first built.
02:13Absolutely.
02:14What was your dad's name?
02:15My father was 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.
02:33And so 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 in very nicely with the red bricks of the house.
03:06And I only ever saw it as a little house.
03:08Oh.
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.
03:51Um, 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 you need to 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.
04:52And that's one of the beauties of this model.
04:55So I need to retain that.
04:57I'm going to have to get a frame made to put the whole of the building on so that it's
05:05completely stabilised.
05:07The roof is absolutely just falling apart and I've got to start from afresh and make a new roof.
05:16I've got lots and lots of sections of the brickwork and even some single bricks and I'll have to think
05:23about making some more bricks.
05:26But 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 just clear the decks and start taking some of the rotten parts
05:46away.
06:04Nice shirt, Brenton.
06:06I like it.
06:06You do like a good shirt.
06:07I do, yeah.
06:08What 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 Nightingale Carnival.
06:40Was this in like the 60s?
06:41Yes.
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 a born Trinidadian.
06:56And 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 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.
07:28So 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.
07:57It'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, and 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 piece
08:24that 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?
08:35It'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.
08:54But 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.
09:10So I 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.
09:32I'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.
09:47And the material has become rather torn.
09:52Oh, yeah.
09:52Look at that.
09:53I wonder if you could try and tidy it up for us.
09:56Yeah.
09:57And it just needs a bit of attention.
10:14The miniature watermill is sitting level on its new foundation frame.
10:20Steve 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
10:45to make the red brick.
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, but 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 might 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.
11:27I might have to decrease the amount I've put in.
11:30But yeah, that's one brick.
11:34I've got to experiment making some more.
11:57The bricks that I've made are pretty good actually.
12:02And 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 and it will stick the mortar together as well.
12:27I think that's enough glue now.
12:28I'm just going to pop this into place.
12:37Cool.
12:45OK.
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.
13:37Hello.
13:38Hello.
13:38Hi, welcome.
13:40What have you got for us today?
13:42These are very old long track speed skates.
13:45They're like ice skates?
13:47Ice 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.
13:54So whose are these then?
13:56So these are my skates.
13:57There's two types of disciplines in speed skating.
14:00One is called long track.
14:01One 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 fens.
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?
15:16I ended up winning the competition.
15:19What 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.
15:29Just so naive about the enormity of the trophy, the 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 and I got a bronze medal in the world
15:49championships.
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.
16:09It's lovely, fantastic.
16:12Certainly after my wife died and Fanky'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, to have something to show for what we
16:40both 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.
16:49Yeah.
16:49And I think a couple of the eyelids have gone.
16:51Lost 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 fence to freeze over first.
17:01Yeah, we might be waiting a few years.
17:04Well, 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 skate.
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.
17:41What an incredible piece of footwear these are.
17:44From an incredible man, actually.
17:47Now, 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, hoping with some wire wool, I can take a lot of that
18:13off.
18:18Already, that's working.
18:22That's quite astounding, actually.
18:25I'm going to continue with the wire wool on the chrome, and then I can put these blades in some
18:33de-rusting solution.
18:35And I'm just hoping, looking how well that chrome's coming up, from just a little bit of work, I'll be
18:42onto 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.
19:01Absolutely rotten to bits.
19:04Yeah.
19:05And it's got to have water running over it.
19:07Yeah.
19:08I just wondered whether you could make another one and use this one as a pattern.
19:11Yeah.
19:12OK.
19:13Do you want it sandblasted, make it look a bit aged?
19:15That would be amazing.
19:17OK.
19:25Outside, 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, because any sort of force on it will bend it.
19:38You can really see how badly bent that is.
19:43And 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.
19:58And 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.
20:36The next 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
21:15that's all the way around the edges,
21:18all of this loss will be held nice and secure.
21:21So the holes will be infilled
21:24and then this piece of fabric will be nice and strong
21:27and have a good structure.
21:29I'm going to start in the centre
21:30and I'm going to work my way to one side and then to the 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
22:08with a much needed new roof.
22:12I'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
22:28before then starting to put the felt tiles on.
22:33Because this mill is going to live outside,
22:35it'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,
23:35to make it 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,
23:51Dean is ready to see if the speed skate blades have regained their shine.
23:55So now's the moment of truth where I pull them out and hopefully all that rust has removed.
24:03It'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.
24:49And what I'm doing here is to try and create a template that I can transfer onto a piece of
24:54new leather.
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 scive 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.
26:20The main point of this was to get a knife.
26:22A nice blend between that new leather and the old leather in terms of its texture and its handle.
26:30And that positioning is really pleasing actually.
26:33I'm going to hammer that down just to make sure the bond is strong.
26:43That feels amazing. It's almost seamless.
26:47Now I can apply this same principle to the tear at the front here.
26:51And then all the black leather will be nicely repaired.
27:01Steve has completed all the heavy building work on his repair of the water mill.
27:07He's now ready to move on to the finer fixtures and fittings.
27:11David has made such a good job of making this wheel.
27:16I've also made a little pump assembly.
27:20And this will sit into the water bund there.
27:26And I've got this lovely bit of lead pipe that sits over this copper pipe here.
27:33And the water will come out of there and drive the water wheel.
27:39Now it's time to get all the bits back together.
27:44Get the wheel on. Get the pump in. Get the roof back on.
27:47And then it'll be ready. Very exciting.
27:58When Brian's water mill arrived, it was a crumbling relic
28:02after being exposed to the elements for over 30 years.
28:07Now Don has returned with her mother, Pan,
28:10hoping Steve has been able to rebuild the ruin
28:13that keeps Brian's legacy alive.
28:16Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello.
28:19Hello, Pamela. Nice to meet you.
28:21Yes, thank you, and you.
28:22Brian poured his heart into doing this, didn't he?
28:25What were your thoughts when it was sat in the garden in bits?
28:30I think we were all deciding what we were going to do, weren't we?
28:33Who was going to do it? Who could do it to his standard?
28:37So to see it restored and preserved, it would mean just everything.
28:42So would you like to see it?
28:45Yes.
28:46Absolutely.
28:47So excited to see it.
28:49OK, here we go.
28:51Oh, my gosh.
28:53Oh, that's...
28:54Oh, look at that!
28:59Isn't that lovely?
29:02Gosh, that's amazing.
29:05And you've done all these.
29:07That's great work.
29:08Yeah.
29:08Lovely. Gosh, and this.
29:10Oh, gosh, thank you.
29:11And there's even water in there.
29:14And the wheel.
29:16Would you like to see if it works?
29:19Yes.
29:19OK, I'll just switch it on for you.
29:23Oh, lovely.
29:26Wow.
29:27That's just amazing.
29:31Oh, so lovely, isn't it?
29:33Yes, it does, yeah.
29:34That looks so good.
29:36Oh, God.
29:36It's just beyond anything that we could have thought would ever happen to it.
29:42Thank you so much.
29:44The watermill just sums up a legacy that will now stay in the family, be preserved,
29:51and Dad would be so pleased to know that it's working and it's loved, and it's still loved.
30:03It was just the best thing we could have done, wasn't it?
30:19From one Fletcher to another now, as Sharon from Western Supermere and Kelly from Plymouth are hoping Fred could get
30:27a treasured timepiece ticking again.
30:32Hi there.
30:33Hello.
30:33Hi.
30:33Hello.
30:34Nice to meet you, babe.
30:35And you?
30:35It's a great clock.
30:37It is.
30:38This was my dad Roy's clock, and it was left when he passed to Kelly.
30:43Are you related to the family?
30:45Just very good friends, one of Dad's best friends, very close to him.
30:48We actually met through a mutual friend.
30:50She was doing some care work for Roy, and she asked me to help, which mainly involved cleaning and doing
30:59a bit of grocery shopping.
31:00And we made a friendship from there, really.
31:04He wasn't a typical older gent.
31:06He didn't act 90, did he?
31:09He was a very fun, energetic, youthful in soul and mind, actually.
31:20We had a lot of adventures, whether it was just going for cocoa or a little drive and me getting
31:25lost, which I'm very good at.
31:27He was a great company to be around.
31:29He had a lot of stories that he loved sharing, and I loved listening.
31:33It seems like quite an unlikely relationship that the two of you had.
31:37I originally was there to help Roy and to make Roy's life that little bit easier and to bring a
31:45bit more joy.
31:46But I actually didn't know how important his friendship was to me.
31:52Life can be very overwhelming and very stressful.
31:55Roy definitely made my day a bit brighter, and I wish he knew how important he was to me.
32:04What was Roy like as a dad?
32:06It was fantastic.
32:08He was a legend.
32:10I was always a daddy's girl anyway.
32:12He was very supportive in my life, and he was just the mainstay, really.
32:17Yeah.
32:17Do you live quite near to Roy?
32:19No, we're a couple of hours apart.
32:21Oh, right.
32:22So Kelly kept him going and did all the fun stuff, didn't he?
32:25All the fun.
32:26She would be a bit of a daredevil, whereas we would keep dad quiet.
32:28You're 90, you don't want to do that.
32:30And Kelly would be like, yeah, okay, don't worry, leave it with me.
32:33And then they'd be gallivanting off.
32:36And he loved it.
32:37This clock was the one next to Roy.
32:40He sat right next to it.
32:41So when I was sat in my space on that sofa and I looked over speaking to Roy, I'd always
32:47see the clock in the background.
32:48Roy always wanted me to have the clock.
32:52It was one of his wishes when he passed.
32:55So it's quite special to me.
32:57In an ideal world, what are you hoping for?
33:00I would just absolutely love to have it working.
33:04I've never heard it tick, so that would be amazing.
33:08Okay.
33:09Obviously, there's a chip.
33:12Roy was an avid DIYer and there's paint specs everywhere.
33:17And if you could help, it would mean so much to me.
33:22And it's not going to bring Roy back.
33:27But he would be really proud.
33:29I'll do my best.
33:30Thank you very much.
33:31And I can't wait to see what you're able to do.
33:34We'll see you very soon.
33:35Bye-bye.
33:36Thank you. Bye.
33:44Would you like a hand?
33:45I think I'll be right.
33:46Yeah? You sure?
33:47I think so.
33:48You don't have to watch.
33:48Come on, nice and heavy.
34:01It's a great clock, but Roy's left Kelly.
34:03Unfortunately, it doesn't tick, which is obviously quite important.
34:06So getting to ticking and striking, two priorities.
34:10There's quite a lot of brass work on this case,
34:12and it's all pretty dull and tarnished.
34:15There's this chip here and quite a lot of paint splattered all over the case.
34:19I think if I get Kirsten to have a look at this chip,
34:22just looking at the dial here,
34:23the numerals are a bit worn around here.
34:27So I'm going to have a think about what to do to try and tackle that problem.
34:31First things first, I need to take the mechanism out of the clock,
34:34disassemble everything and remove all the dirt and grime
34:37so I can figure out what's really going on.
34:44Oh, ice skates?
34:46Yes.
34:47Do you ice skate?
34:48I've been once.
34:49Yeah.
34:50And I don't think I go back.
34:52I nearly broke my neck.
34:53Oh, no!
34:54The kids found it very entertaining.
34:56You're like a giraffe.
34:58Very much, yeah.
34:59Sitting around.
34:59Like a long bambi.
35:00Yeah.
35:06Happy with his headpiece,
35:08Brenton is ready to turn his attention to its croning glory.
35:12Got to make something for the front where there's something missing.
35:15And this is a piece of copper which I've just cut out,
35:19which I'm going to embellish,
35:21and I'm sticking this to a piece of wood with a thermal glue.
35:27What this glue will do is it will support the metal while I make the marks
35:32and hold it in position.
35:34I want the pattern to reflect the headpiece,
35:38so the outside of the circle will have this chevron design on it
35:41and the middle of the circle will have these fish scale patterns on it.
35:53I'm always at my happiest when I'm recreating something,
35:58so I'm just trying to do justice to his craftsmanship.
36:12That is the chevron pattern round the outside looking really, really good.
36:17I just need to mark up the centre for the scales pattern,
36:22then I can solder that back onto its old bracket
36:26and reattach it to the headdress.
36:28Go!
36:32Go!
36:40Go!
36:43Go!
36:50Go!
36:51Go!
36:52Go!
36:53Go!
36:54Go!
36:55Go!
36:57Go!
36:57Go!
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
37:25outside, and this thinner, stiffer thread stays on the inside. So, pull that round a bit more, maybe.
37:34Let's have a look.
37:42This is really, really tricky. I have used these metal threads before, but usually I'm stitching them down.
37:48It's much more controllable. So having them sort of free-flowing is, yeah, it's really hard.
37:56I'm going to need a bit of time to work this out. I'm sure once I've got a few petals
38:01in,
38:02it'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.
38:29The 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 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,
38:58I will open that hole up to the right size so that the pivot fits in quite snugly.
39:03If you look at this bush compared to the hole, the hole is quite a lot smaller. So this is
39:09a brooch
39:10and I'm opening up the hole so 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.
39:35But there you go. Perfect. I got a really, really nice fit and that's definitely not going anywhere.
39:41Now we just need to open up the hole and the bush so the pivot fits in.
39:50Looks good.
39:57Moment of truth.
40:00That's pretty good, that. That's one down. I've got plenty more bushes to get one.
40:18Fred's called in tile restorer Cindy Welland to bring the smile back to the clock's face.
40:25So I've cleaned off the numerals, so I'm starting to repaint, but it's really, really tricky to paint onto
40:32a shiny metal surface because the paint will have a tendency to puddle rather than flow together.
40:40So by painting the lines on the outside first, it gives the paint a boundary because once it dries,
40:48then it contains it and I can puddle the paint in a little bit more easily. I'm going to finish
40:54the rest
40:54of the numerals and then I can add in all the minute markers as well.
41:04It's so lovely having Fred in the barn. He's an absolutely lovely lad.
41:07I'm 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.
41:23Having patched and repaired all the areas of black leather that needed doing, I can now turn my
41:28attention to these torn eyelets. Now the friction against the leather of pulling the laces tight,
41:35time after time, has just torn through the leather. What I'm going to do is split this seam here,
41:42and that will allow me to get inside and really assess the damage. If I apply too much force to
41:49open
41:49this, it could cause irreversible damage. Now there is a temptation to just put some metal eyelets
41:56in these hull boots, but 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. And I now need to turn
42:14my
42:14attention and 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. Thank you.
42:26It's a bit of a chip here. Right, okay. If you might be able to give me a hand.
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,
42:51but first, Brendan 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.
43:17It 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. But over time,
43:38the copper was crushed, the fabric frayed, and the embroidered details disappeared.
43:49I need sunglasses. Spectacular, isn't it? Wow.
43:54Wow. Returning 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. Thank you. Nice to see you both again.
44:10How are you feeling? Nervous and slightly emotional. It means a lot to me. It's my dad's legacy.
44:17Where do the nerves come from? Is that because... I'm worried what you've done with it.
44:22Oh, dear. Are you ready to take a look? I am ready to take a look. Yeah.
44:31Oh, wow. Oh, wow.
44:37Wow. God, it looks so regal.
44:45And you put all the pieces together. Oh, it's beautiful.
44:50Quite emotional. Yeah. Yeah. This is beautiful.
44:55And you've kept all the colours and everything. I love it.
44:5845 years old. And still kicking.
45:01Oh, still kicking with the help of you, Brenton.
45:04Thank you, Brenton. I can't take all of the credit.
45:06Rebecca helped us with the fabric and did a fantastic job.
45:10You did. Thank you so much. You're welcome.
45:13And this is brand new, so this wasn't there before.
45:16And you've just mimicked what he's done. It compliments it.
45:21Would you like to try it on? Why not? I'll give it a go.
45:29It fits you perfectly. It goes with the jacket, right?
45:32Yeah. Well, 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? Thank you.
45:44I'll grab the door. Thanks.
45:51See you. Bye.
45:55Well done.
45:56Good one, wasn't it?
45:57There you go. You can have a head.
45:58Well done. Great 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 in a Trini accent,
46:17Brenton and Rebecca, come and work for me.
46:22That's what he would say.
46:38That'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, it hits the pallet stones,
46:56which are attached to the pendulum.
46:59As that swings back and forwards, that'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, like this.
47:09But currently, they're all over the shop.
47:12This 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 they're held in with shellac.
47:21I'm just going to heat up the shellac by putting them on this heat mat.
47:24That's going to heat up the shellac so 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,
47:36so that when I reset the stones, I can just use fresh shellac.
47:48Now the pallets are nice and clean, first thing I'm going to do when setting in...
47:54...the stones is 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 to 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 is probably about a degree or two.
48:20Now I've got the pallet stones in the right place,
48:22I can put it in a movement and see how it engages with the escape wheel.
48:28This bit's always quite nerve-wracking because 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 is engaging with the escape wheel.
48:49The other one, not so much, so I've got adjustments.
48:58I'm going to use a two-part epoxy modelling material to fill this chip.
49:07I really love slate as a material, but I do shy away from working on it,
49:14because it's a very soft material.
49:18So with something like this, I want to try and get it as flat as I can,
49:23because I don't want to have to introduce any kind of abrasive sanding fabrics,
49:31just because I'm concerned about causing damage to 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.
49:59Dean's gliding towards the finish line with the long track speed skate restoration.
50:05Now I'm at a stage where I just need to buff the leather. This is a really enjoyable stage.
50:10It's where all the work kind of comes to life and that leather should get a lovely shine.
50:15As 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 and get them back to Steve.
50:36These long track speed skates kick-started an illustrious sporting career
50:41and a shared passion between her father and daughter.
50:45But when they arrived, they looked as if they had been left out in the cold with worn out leather
50:51and rusty blades.
50:53Dean, 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 to their winning ways.
51:08Hello, welcome back.
51:10Nice to see you.
51:11How have you been since leaving the skates with us?
51:13I think about it most days actually.
51:15Winning that competition was a sort of pathway to the improvements I was making as an athlete in speed skating.
51:21Yeah.
51:22Are you both ready to take a look?
51:23I'm really nervous.
51:24I'm nervous as well.
51:26We're nervous together.
51:32Wow.
51:33Whoa.
51:35Look at those.
51:39That is super.
51:43Wow.
51:44They look absolutely fantastic.
51:47You're fantastic where you, you know, all the scuffs and the holes and everything, the eyelets.
51:57I'm shaking.
51:58I'm actually shaking, physically shaking.
51:59Are you?
51:59I'm, there's such a complete contrast to what they were.
52:04I know how much he loves speed skating and I know how much these mean to him.
52:09Yeah.
52:10And I think it's just, it's phenomenal.
52:13If it does freeze over again on the fence, I'll take them with me and give them a, give them
52:18another try.
52:19It's been an absolute pleasure to work on them, it really has.
52:22Well, enjoy them.
52:23Thank you very much again.
52:24Very well.
52:25Bye.
52:25Good luck in the future.
52:26See you later.
52:26Bye bye.
52:33It was just overwhelming to see what they've been able to achieve to repair the skates.
52:40I think, especially since losing my mum, the 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 of, kind of a bond we've created
52:52through skating.
53:05Now Kirsten and Cindy have returned the restored case and face of Roy's clock.
53:12Fred is almost ready to complete the repair.
53:16Well, I'm really happy with that.
53:18I'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, and there's a, 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.
53:53I'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, she'll be reminded of her good friend
54:04Roy.
54:09Silent for years, chipped and with faded numerals, this 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, hoping to hear the clock tick, as it did in Roy's heyday.
54:37Hi, you two.
54:37Hi.
54:38Hello.
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'm, 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.
54:58Yeah.
54:58Fred?
55:03Wow.
55:04It looks different than it is, look, Flick.
55:09Black.
55:12I was going to put a black on.
55:15In all the gold, in the scratches.
55:19It's gold.
55:20And the chip.
55:27It's amazing.
55:30Oh, look at that.
55:32It's a sequel.
55:34I haven't got to pick all the specks of paint on.
55:39You must have put some hours into this.
55:42That's been a real team effort.
55:44Yeah, it has.
55:45Kirsten's done a really good job on the chip and Cindy's made the dowel look amazing.
55:50And lots of work from you, Fred, as well.
55:51Yeah, yeah.
55:52Yeah, I did.
55:53I did a little bit.
55:54Do you want to see it working?
55:55Absolutely.
55:56Yes, please.
55:57Okay.
56:01Gosh.
56:01I want to listen.
56:05Heartbeat of the clock.
56:08That's like really reassuring and comforting, Dick.
56:11It's a bit reassuring, like Dad was.
56:14Yeah, yeah.
56:17So it's almost like, will you be sitting in my front room?
56:20Yeah, that's lovely.
56:21Yeah, it's lovely.
56:22Well, it's all yours to take home now, so we'll wrap it up and we'll get it to
56:25the centre to you.
56:26I am, and we'll be forever grateful.
56:29It's been an absolute pleasure.
56:30Thank you all of you.
56:31Bye-bye.
56:32Thank you guys.
56:32Bye.
56:40Didn't realise that it was going to look so beautiful.
56:43It was very emotional, lots of different feels, but brilliant, absolutely fabulous.
56:49To have a constant reminder of the friendship that I had with Roy and the time we've spent
56:54together is absolutely wonderful.
57:03If you have a treasured possession that's seen better days and you think the team can
57:08help, please get in touch at bbc.co.uk slash techpark and join us in the repair shop.
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