04x29 - Military Compass

[bunniefuu]

Welcome to The Repair Shop, where
much-loved but broken treasures...

This is amazing.
It's absolutely brilliant.

..are brought back to life.

Welcome to my universe.
It's pretty marvellous.

Furniture restorer Jay Blades...

It's so nice that we can be
part of that kind of history

to just keep this going.

..and a dream team of
some of the country's

most skilled craftspeople.

I'm having a lot of fun and I'm
really liking the end result.

Sounds like teamwork.

..bring their talents to bear on
beloved pieces of family history...

Look at that. I'm liking what I see.
Yes.

Is this working? You beauty.

..utilising expertise passed down
the generations...

I'm going to teach you how to do it
the old-fashioned way.

..transforming priceless pieces
of family history...

Oh, my goodness, me.

..The Repair Shop team will
resurrect the items...

Oh, gosh!

..the memories...

I'm going to have to hug you.

..and the stories behind them.

Oh, look at that. Thank you so much.

I can't see it because there's tears
in my eyes.

This is a very emotional job to do,
but incredibly worthwhile.

THEY CHEER

In The Repair Shop today...

Start the engine.

..a miniature tractor is saved
from being put out to pasture...

Brilliant. Well done, you.

..while compass expert Barry
tackles his oldest ever assignment.

You can see it is clean.

I wish I looked that good
after 100 years.

Today's first hopeful visitors

are Sandy and Steven Richards
from Cornwall.

They've brought along
a very fragile keepsake

for the attention of ceramics expert
Kirsten Ramsay.

Hello. Hello. Hi.

Hi, I'm Jay. Hello, nice
to meet you. I'm Sandy.

All right, Sandy. So, what've we got
in the box?

It's my mum's plate.

It has her photograph on it.

My father had this made
for my mother many years ago.

Right. May I take it...
Yes. ..and have a look? Yes.

This is your mum?

This is my mum, Katherine.
Katherine. Known as Kathy.

It's obviously been in the wars.
Yes, it has.

My mother and father, they were
immigrants from Ireland

and they came over to London,
to Stoke Newington.

We lived in a street where there
were many different nationalities,

and Mum became quite the matriarch
of the road.

What road? It was Allen Road in
Stoke Newington. Cor blimey,

I lived on Londesborough Road.
Did you? Yeah.

So did I. I lived on
Londesborough Road, Number 49.

Well, I was 32, man.
You were neighbours. Yeah.

So, we must have been neighbours
at some point.

So, when was that you lived there?

I would have been in Stoke Newington
in the '80s. Is it? Yeah.

Seriously? Yes. That's when I
was there. Yes.

From the '70s up to the...
Yeah, '70s to '80s.

Those roads, those people,
the best times I had.

Yeah, they were. Yeah.

And I remember the elders as well,

so your mum would have been
one of those.

Yes. They looked after everybody.
Yes, that's right.

Even if you weren't related,

whether you was a different race
and all that.

It was like, "That's my uncle."

Those were proper days, them were.
Yeah. They were, weren't they? Yeah.

Do you know where your dad
bought this or when he bought it?

No idea, no. My father had it made
for her. It was a token of his love

because he said she had the most
beautiful face and high cheekbones,

and, as a child, I only knew
it as broken... Oh, really?

But obviously it has some
sentimental value

because you've kept it
for quite a long time... Yes.

..in its broken state as well.
Like that, yeah.

And she had a stroke and she lost
her sight and she couldn't walk...

..and she couldn't feed herself.

So I spent a lot of time
with her and I gave up my job

and I continued to care for mum
up until five weeks ago

when she passed away.

Oh. I'm sorry.
Yeah, so, erm...

And that's how I want
to remember her...

..and not the person that
she looked before she died.

Oh, OK. I understand.

Sandy and Kathy had such
a wonderful relationship.

They were like best friends.
Wonderful. Yeah, we were.

The more I've looked at it,
the more I just feel

I would love to have that on the
wall or on my shelf

so I could look at it
every day and remember her.

Do you know who's fixed this, then?
Because obviously it was broken

and then someone's
put it back together.

I don't think anyone would
own up to it.

THEY LAUGH

No wonder.

It's a shame it's... You know, the
breaks go right through her face.

It looks like at some point

the lips have actually been sort of
retouched.

It might well have had
some more colour originally.

It's black and white, but, actually,
her hair was dark

and her eyes were electric blue.

Oh, really. So she was
very stunning lady.

She had really Irish
blue eyes, as they say.

I mean, she sounds
like an amazing woman.

And we will take great care of it...
Thank you.

..cos it's obviously
incredibly precious.

I will do the best job that I can.

I'm not expecting miracles.

Really not.

Thank you for coming in. Thank you.
Thank you. Bye. Bye-bye.

I've spent many years just putting
my finger across her face,

and, especially in the
last few weeks,

I just feel really attached to it.

So, just to be able to see
the photograph just slightly clearer

without that crack running all the
way through would be amazing.

I think it's a real challenge,
but I'm really hopeful.

If anybody can fix it, it's Kirsten.

She's from my neck of the woods.
I know!

Special. God, talk about
a small world.

I know, I know. But this, there's
a lot of things wrong with this

then, really, isn't there?

My initial concern
is the photograph,

looking at the sort of damage
that's on it already.

That's quite unstable.

I'm going to have to try
and get that apart

without damaging the print.

It's a small plate, but there's...
There's a lot.

..a lot involved, actually.

Have you done one of
these before, then? No.

OK. No. So it sounds like you've
got your work cut out. I have, yeah.

All right. Good luck.
I'll make a start. Thank you.

This is actually... It's kind of
filling me with fear a little bit,

because it's actually going to be
quite tricky.

So, it's quite daunting

because I have to take it apart to
actually clean it.

I don't want to disturb or lose any
of the photographic image of Kathy.

I think this is probably
just plaster,

a little bit of
animal glue,

but I think that these bits
are just going to pick off.

I've also got all this
sort of damage around here

that someone's tried to restore.

I really don't know what...
This is almost like rubber.

See, this just bends.

Yeah, that's just going
to come away now.

There is going to be some
trial and error,

but this holds so much emotion
for Sandy.

I'm going to have to proceed
quite carefully.

The next item through the doors
is a little more robust.

Nicola Cleemore and her niece,
Emily,

are hoping mechanically-minded
David Burville

can help restore an heirloom

that travelled the globe
with Nicola's father.

Hello. Hello, there.

Hiya, I'm Steve. Hi, Steve.
I'm David.

I'm Nicola.

Right. What we got in the box?

All right, well, this is a
70-year-old model of a Fergie,

Ferguson tractor...

..that my father used after the w*r.

The box itself makes the tracks.

If you pull... Yes, that's it.

Oh. Yes.

It's not just a box. It's not just
a box, no.

This was the Ferguson tractor,
and used for...?

Well, we think as a demonstrator

when my father first went over
to Africa. Right.

He took this as a salesman
for Ferguson tractors

to take out to farmers to show them
how these new ploughs worked,

because at the time, apparently,

these ploughs were revolutionary
new ploughs.

Right, so this is the demonstrator?

Yeah. This isn't a toy at all?
No, it's definitely not a toy.

So, because obviously your father
couldn't drive around... No.

..with a tractor
to demonstrate.

No. We have got some photographs
of my father on a tractor,

on a Fergie, taking it off
an airplane.

He always talked about being
the first...

..person to take a Fergie over to...

..Africa. Right. My father would
have only been 22.

I mean, the idea now of doing
something like that

when you're only 22.

My mum was a couple of
years older, she was 24.

But to then go and live in the bush
would have been absolutely amazing.

And I think they were going
into the unknown.

For them to go out there,
I think, was very, very brave.

BOTH: Yeah.

Well, even nowadays, at the age
of 22 and 24, it would be so...

Back then, you can't really imagine
what it was like for them.

It was quite an adventure, really.
To have this...

..something that he loved
and something that he worked with

on such an adventure...

You know, we've all got an
emotional attachment to this

because it does take us back to...
And both our grandparents,

you know, it's not just Bill,
it's Joy as well

cos they went on the
adventure together. Yeah.

It's really important to all of us.

For sure.

He was quite a larger than life
character.

And this, in many respects...

..represents something that he loved
so much... Yeah.

..that it's brought him to life

as far as the grandchildren
are concerned,

because they did miss out,
not knowing their grandfather.

So this gives that
sort of connection.

So, obviously the tractor is fairly
well worn and it's seen better days.

But what would you like us
to do with it?

I think that the main thing for us
is to see if the wind-up mechanism,

which it refers to in the box,

there's a label saying wind-up
tractor,

if you can get that lined up
to work again

and it to be red and shiny
again.

And it would be good to put
the seat back on... Yes.

..cos it's a lovely
little red seat.

Bit uncomfortable down there.
Yeah. Yes, yes. So...

What do you think, then, David?

I think we've got our work cut out,
but I think it's possible.

OK. Thank you very much for bringing
this in.

Thank you, we're delighted.
Thank you.

Lovely to meet you. Take care.

It would be amazing to see
it working.

That would be the pinnacle for us.

But if they can't make it
to actually move,

but just to see it in a shiny state
would be fantastic as well.

And what a legacy for my father

and for his children
and his grandchildren.

It's a beautifully, beautifully
made model, but...

..unfortunately...

..over the years, the tractor itself
looks as though it's been dropped.

This linkage is bent
quite severely.

Another main problem is

this is the winding handle
for the clockwork mechanism,

and it is in the
position of the starting handle

on the full-size tractor.

So this is where you would
have started the engine.

What this does is this winds...

..a long-coiled spring...

..which is effectively the drive
shaft to the rear axle.

The first process, really,
is to start cleaning it.

It's quite rusty and...

..and then that will allow us
to then start looking at the parts

which are bent that need
the major works.

I'm going to use a rotary wire brush

to take off the remains of the
old paint and then the rust.

Having separated most of
the old repairs

on the cherished decorative plate,

Kirsten's about to tackle
the join that goes

right across the middle.

I need to get this apart.
It's really unfortunate

that the damage has actually
been sustained through Kathy's face.

I'm going to proceed really, really
carefully, because obviously

there's so much sort of emotion
tied up in this piece,

and I just don't want to do
any sort of damage.

I'm going to try and take
this apart,

but what I'm first of all going to
do is see if I can just...

..remove that excess adhesive
with some acetone

on a cotton wool swab.

I would expect for the old adhesive
to actually start to soften

if it was going to react
to the acetone.

It's still...

..actually...

..sounding quite brittle,
but I'll keep going.

I'm actually going to see
if I can ease the pieces apart.

This is actually quite exciting.

The first stage...

..appears to be happening.
Oh, actually, look at that.

Goodness. Right before my eyes.

I have success.

So, these other pieces here

are actually going to be a bit
more tricky

because they are much
tighter together.

I'm absolutely delighted
that this is now in pieces

and I can move on to the next stage,

which is hopefully less time
consuming.

Just cleaning all the breakages
and getting it ready for bonding.

I think, actually, this has
come up really beautifully.

So, I'm actually quite looking
forward to getting it back together

and starting to see...

..Kathy's face coming back.

So, there's something slightly...

..stopping that from going together.

So, it might be that I've actually
just missed a tiny bit of adhesive.

Just going to have a...

..close look.

So, it seems really pernickety,
but...

..there is something stopping
that from going together...

..beautifully.

There is no point just thinking,
"That'll do."

I need to get that better.

It's amazing, actually. You think,

"Oh, you'd be able to see something
with your eyes,"

but, actually, your fingertips
are so sensitive,

you put something together
and you can almost feel

that actually it just
isn't quite right,

which is why I don't like
wearing gloves when I'm working

because you just need that
sensitivity with your fingertips.

I think I felt something
actually just down here coming off.

Right, let's see if this
goes together better now.

Yeah. It's fine.

That's good.
Yeah, I'm happy with that.

Right. Ready to get sticking.

So, yeah, this is really fiddly.

This is kind of almost
hold your breath territory.

There we go.

It's a really nice feeling

when you actually get all the pieces
together

and there's a, kind of, a locking
feeling where everything aligns

and, suddenly,
this sort of very fragile

sort of piece of ceramic
suddenly regains its strength.

It becomes whole
and it becomes strong

and it's a really nice sensation.

And this will
just slide down into...

..the joins.

Next to test
The Repair Shop's experts,

Steven Munn of Worcestershire.

He's brought a military instrument
with a long and venerable history

for the attention of master
saddlemaker Suzie Fletcher

and magnetic instrument expert
Barry Phillips.

Hello. I'm Suzie. Hi there,
I'm Steven. Lovely to meet you.

Steven, I'm Barry.
Pleasure to meet you, Barry.

So, what have you brought into...
Well... ..The Repair Shop today?

..I have brought my
1917 World w*r I Army compass...

..originally issued to a gentleman

called Captain Cattermole of the
Royal Field a*tillery... OK.

..which, there's a few faults on it,

but it's a thing of, to me,
a thing of great beauty. Yeah.

So, Steven, 1917. How did it come
to you?

Well, this was given to me
by a gentleman called...

Well, I only know him as Mr Mason,
I never found out his first name.

But he was a captain in the
Royal Engineers in World w*r II...

..and he taught me surveying
in 1973.

And we were talking about hill
walking and climbing and hiking,

and he came in the
next day and he handed me this.

And he said, "Well, I'm honour-bound
to give this to somebody...

"..who's interested
in hill walking,"

because that was how he received it.

He was given it to by Captain
Cattermole, which means, in turn,

I'm honour-bound to pass it
on to somebody else.

I hate... If a piece of equipment
can still be functional

and it's got the use,
it should be used.

Can I have a look at it?

Oh, yes, please. Thank you.

What do you actually
want us to do to this?

Well, this... Yeah, it's loose. ..it
should stay up when you put it up...

That's right, for bearings. Yes.
So you can take a sighting.

The card doesn't move, so there's
something wrong with the pivot.

Yeah. And the jewel assembly.
Yeah.

But again, till we get inside,
we won't know what that is.

And then the biggie, I suppose,

is the radium paint on either side.
Yeah.

Radium was used as the
glow-in-the-dark element of watches

and compasses from the 1900s
until the '60s.

It doesn't glow any more... No.

..but it is still
potentially hazardous.

What, like, radiation?
Yes, it's not...it's not huge.

No. I mean that can be dealt with.

And then I suppose
if Suzie could do something

for this leather case,
I'd be most grateful,

cos this truck used to be
a lot longer.

It used to sort of go round like
that and hang just at the waist.

Yeah, it's beautiful,
absolutely beautiful.

Unfortunately, leather does
suffer through time and use and...

..that's going to be a little bit
tricky to save

if you're going to be using it,
but I'll see what I can do.

So, why now are you
wanting this mended?

I suppose I've got to find somebody
to pass it on to,

so before I can do that, it's got
to be... It's got to be working.

..safe and working.
Yeah, safe and working.

Safe and working, so, once that's
happened,

then I can find somebody to pass it
on to

and my job is done.

All right, Steven, well, this is
a lovely challenge for us both.

I'll bet it's the oldest
I've ever seen. Oh.

So, that is quite something.

So, yeah, that gives us
something to work on.

Brilliant. Thanks so much, Steven.
We'll be in touch.

Much thanks. Cheers. Goodbye.
Goodbye.

When I hold the compass,

it always reminds me of its long
history,

the fact that it's served
in two World Wars.

It's a memento of those two wars,

but it's a useful thing
in its own right.

And it's such a beautiful
piece of equipment.

It'd be really sad for it not
to function any more.

I think you've got the harder
part to do.

Mine, hopefully, is going to be
straightforward... Straightforward.

..but then again, you never know, do
you? No. You never know.

The radium is going to be the first
thing that's got to be done

and sealed so that we can stand near
it and use it.

Radium's luminous green glow

comes from the small amount of
radiation it naturally emits,

but sealing the radium with a coat
of heavy lacquer makes it safe.

So, that's something that you have
to do fairly regularly? Yeah.

What about you and your case?

Well, yeah, it is a lovely,
lovely case.

I have to see what I'm able
to do with this strap.

It's in a bit of a sorry state,

but that's what we're here for,
isn't it? That's right, yeah.

So, I guess we get it started,
shall we?

Yeah. Good luck. OK.

Considering it's 100 years old,
it's in excellent condition.

The worry is there are two
parts in the compass

which can stop it working.

The worst scenario is that one
of them is broken,

but until I get that top bezel
off,

I can't be totally sure, to be
honest.

To get the bezel off, we use this.
It's a broken hacksaw blade.

We force the blade in.

And there is the ring exposing
the card.

So, the card will then lift out,

exposing the workings of the
compass.

So, I think that the best thing now

is if I paint the dial
to make it inert.

It's only background radiation,

but it would be safer to do
that as the next operation.

David is also well on track
with his restoration.

Having cleaned up the demonstration
model tractor,

he can attend to repairs, beginning
with the little seat.

It's just taken, it's still got the
original solder on it.

So, it was only a case of heating
it up

and just making sure that
it's...

..sitting in the right place.

So, now, we've got the seat
attached,

and the next thing which was missing
was the starting handle

on the front of the tractor.

Now, I've made a new starting
handle.

So, that fits that fits nicely
into the original hole.

But this needs just soldering on.

The starter handle attaches
to a spring inside the tractor,

so when it's wound up, it
rotates the rear wheels.

Nicola's father would have been
turning the original handle

and winding this tractor up

to demonstrate it to the farmers
out in Africa.

It's quite a nice feeling
to be holding that

and imagining how many
tractors...

..did this little model
actually sell?

Hopefully, the family are going
to really appreciate that

and that connection
with it.

This starter mechanism isn't
the only moving part of the tractor

which needs David's attention.

So, at some point, the model
has been dropped,

and unfortunately it's bent some of
the linkages

which hold the plough.

So, what I'm going to do now

is just very gently straighten
out these linkages.

It's always a tense moment

when you're bending something back
of this age,

because it's difficult to actually
see if it's starting to fracture.

That will now sit nice and even
on both sides.

I'm happy with that now.

On the other side of The Repair
Shop, Kirsten is about to start

reconstructing the decorative
surround

which is completely missing
from one side of the plate.

What I'm going to do is to take
a mould

of this area here that's actually
missing.

I'm going to use a modelling
material.

It's...

..pretty versatile stuff.
You know, it works beautifully,

so I am actually just kind of
gently...

..easing it into...

..the pierced section,
just to make sure

that I do pick up all the detail
that I need.

Yep, that's gone off quite
nicely. And, actually,

that's a really lovely impression
that's been taken there.

Kirsten mixes in the poxy resin to
fill the mould she has just made,

recreating the missing border.

So, looking at this little dish,
there's a sort of blueness to it,

so I'm going to be adding
quite a few pigments

to try and colour match that.

So, I'm going to introduce it. This
is a really nice part, actually.

Now I've got the colour, actually
sort of pressing it into the mould,

it's quite satisfying. It's a
really nice material to work with.

Won't really know how this is
until I actually remove the mould.

So...

..fingers crossed.

This is the moment of truth.

I'm going to see if I can remove
the mould now.

That looks OK, actually.

It's really nice to see
this whole again.

So, I think it's going to be quite
a transformation.

For Sandy to actually see
this piece replaced,

I mean, she will never have
seen that

in her living memory,
I don't think, so...

..yeah, really relieved and
quite happy.

Meanwhile, the restoration
of a compass

which has seen action in two World
Wars is continuing apace.

While Bradley tries to work out why
the compass mechanism is jammed...

..Suzie is starting work
on the leather pouch.

I'm getting ready to make the strap
and cut my two strips off.

When we cut leather, it creates a
very sharp edge.

The top and the sides.

That edge is very, very sharp, so I
use what we call an edge tool.

It creates just a lovely
little round to the edge.

It's a process that...

..actually adds that finishing
touch.

Having prised the compass open,

Barry must know meticulously
dismantle

and examine every tiny component.

You've got 100 years of wear.

Now, there must be something
in there that could stop.

We call it friction.

It's when the card doesn't
return to a given site.

The card is the circular
rotating section of the compass

which points north.

This often gets clogged with dust
and grime,

so Barry needs to clean the tiny
elements.

It's just a simple piece of bamboo,
and all you literally do

is wind it down, push
it right down, take it off.

When you look at the pivot,
you can see it is clean.

I wish I looked that good
after 100 years.

When Steven brought the compass
in, this bearing ring,

which is the main part of this
compass, was stuck.

The significance of this is
that you set this...

..to the bearing that you want to
walk,

and you know that you're not
veering from that line.

So this is the most important part.

This has to work.

I don't think it's rotated
for a long time.

I'm scraping the bezel, which is
brass,

just to make sure that there's
no burr

which could have been causing
the degree ring not to move.

With the bearing ring now
moving freely,

Barry can address the loose hinge.

And for that, he needs
a helping hand.

Steven, I don't know if you can
help me with this?

It's lovely, isn't it?

It is a very nice instrument.

That is a tapered pin.

Yeah. I mean, it's already
beginning to... To get loose. Yeah.

Do you have a stock pin
that might be that size?

Yeah, I've got plenty of brass.

All right, let's see if that
does it.

How's that? Yeah, that's solved a
big problem. Righty-h*.

Thank you, Steve. No problem at all.
Fantastic.

More metal magic, as David's
about to perk up the paintwork

of the 70-year-old model tractor.

The grey colour has gone
on really nicely.

The wheel arches, the seat
and the bonnet...

..are then going to be sprayed red.

It now looks the part, but how does
it plough?

Time for a test drive.

Got it set up? Yeah, we're getting
there.

We're getting there. You know
they're coming? I know, yeah.

Tight schedule, mate, tight
schedule. Is it working?

It is working, yeah, and it does
actually plough,

but we need something to put
in this trough.

What, like earth and stuff? Well,
yeah, but it's going to be messy.

So I don't think we can use...

I'll tell you what, actually, I've
got sawdust. There we are.

Oh, fantastic.

Been saving that for a rainy day.
Oh, it's great.

That'll do, innit? Yeah.
And it won't be dirty.

We're just going to put
some of that in there.

Yeah. Is it really going plough
though, yeah? Yeah.

That's what it is designed
to do.

All right, all right. Let's see it
do it. Can I have a look at this?

JAY LAUGHS

Start the engine.

THEY LAUGH

Doesn't that look great?
Great fun.

I would want to buy a tractor.

When I saw something through that,
I would want to buy one. Yeah.

Brilliant. Well done, you. All
right, well, what we've got to do,

we can't keep playing around
with this.

Let's just get this all
cleaned up... Yeah.

..and then we'll cover it over,
yeah?

Looking forward to seeing her
father's beloved model Fergie

is Nicola, and this time she's
brought along her brother, Bill,

who also remembers the tractor
from his childhood.

Our expectations are that hopefully
it's working.

That would be great.

The tractor is part of my dad
and my dad's been gone for 30 years,

so it's like bringing him back as
well a little bit,

so I'm excited about that.

Hello, how you doing? Very well
indeed, thank you.

And you are? Bill. All right, Bill?

So...

..can you remember what it looked
like when you brought it in?

Oh, very much so. Yes, it was in a
poor state of repair.

BILL: But we've never, or I've never
seen it working.

My sister... My other sister
remembers it being shiny, but...

Right.

..I don't have any
recollection of it ever working

or seeing it work, so...

What we'll do,
we'll let you see it.

And let's see if we've got it.

See if you like it. OK.

DAVID LAUGHS

Ready? Yeah.

SHE GASPS

It's the handle!

Thank you. Thank you.

I didn't do anything.

DAVID: Smartened it up a little bit.

Oh, yes, you have.

So... You want to see it work?

Does it...?

Well, the question is does
it work?

Well, when you wind him up,

you've got to lift the back wheels
off the track

and then basically you just
let it go.

So, three, two, one.

SHE LAUGHS IN JOY

Amazing. Look at that.

That's quality, isn't it?

It's just...

..all your Christmases in one.

I'm sure you when your dad
was given that

from the, you know, the company,
he must have had fun with it.

BILL: Do you reckon?

I'm sure it would have been, yeah.

They don't give you things
like that to work with any more.

So, do you think your dad
would recognise this?

Oh, gosh, he would be over the
moon with that.

He would be absolutely
over the moon.

We've certainly had a lot
of fun with it.

It's been a great project.

We'll get it all packed up and then
it can be off ploughing. Yeah.

Yeah? All right.
Fantastic.

It's a bit of legacy for the
grandchildren.

That is a story that not
many people can say,

that "my grandad took tractors into
Africa 70 years ago".

Their story is such a historical one

that our children will be able
to take forward as well.

Also working to preserve family
memories,

Kirsten has been entrusted
with the sensitive task

of repairing a plate bearing the
portrait of a beloved mother.

I'm just about to embark on the most
tricky part of this restoration.

This is the photograph of Sandy's
mom, Kathy.

The final part really is just
to actually touch in

the little bits that have been
missing.

This is a much-loved mother
to Sandy.

And, you know, obviously it's a face

that she's really, really
familiar with,

and, you know, you kind of just sort
of stipple it in,

but you get, like, a little bit too
dark or a little bit too light,

and all of a sudden the kind of face
looks quite creepy or set in stone.

It's not going to look
like the loved one

that Sandy is going to remember.

It's also a very recent loss.

So I'm quite... I'm quite...
I'm quite scared

to actually do this and get it
wrong.

So I'm just going to make a
suggestion of what should be there,

and I'm hoping that that
will be right.

You have got an area of shadow,
actually, under the chin.

If I go to actually put
that detail in,

it's going to look like a beard.

So I'm going to leave that
well alone,

and I'm just going to really go
for the detail around the eyes.

So, here.

When owner Sandy brought
this cherished plate in,

it was ridden with cracks and
bodged repairs,

and the portrait of Kathy
was faded and worn.

Now, after hours of meticulous work,

it's been given a new lease of
life...

..and Sandy and her husband Steven
have arrived

to see Kirsten's restoration for
themselves.

The last couple of years
have been very difficult.

It's painful to watch your mum
deteriorate.

It was a very painful time for me.

But she would want me to keep
going...

..and the plate reminds me
that I need to keep going.

Good to see you again. Likewise.

How you doing, Steven? You all
right? Yeah, hi. Come on over.

Hello, Kirsten.
It's lovely to see you.

And you, too.
I've been excited all day.

So, erm... Yeah, we're here.
We're ready.

Fantastic.

All right.

SANDY GASPS

I don't believe that.

Goodness.

Wow. I'm just speechless.

How have you managed to do that?
Wow.

Oh, Kirsten... Oh, my word, that is
so much work.

..I'm just so grateful.
Thank you so much.

It's such a tribute
to my mum and dad.

That's amazing. Wow.

To see it like this, my mum and dad
will be smiling down on you.

Oh, thank you. That's... Thank you.
..really lovely.

It's amazing. I'm so grateful.

I will cherish this forever.

That's how my mom used to look,
so...

That's what I wanted to hear.

Cos only you could tell us what mum
would look like. Yeah.

It will help me forget what she
looked like

when she was passing away.

Yeah. Thank you.

It's beautiful.

You're really far away, but
I want to give you a hug, really.

Thank you, Kirsten, for everything.
You're so welcome.

Thank you so much,
it's absolutely amazing.

Thank you, bless you.

STEVEN: I feel very nervous about
even touching it now.

I was just thinking that.

It's more than I expected. Her plate
and her face are just beautiful,

and I can cherish this forever.

It's all yours.

Thank you so much. Bless you both.

You take care. Thank you. Goodbye.
Goodbye.

It will be on display in our home,
for evermore.

Morning. You all right? Yeah.

Bright and early, and Suzie is eager
to get going on the leather pouch

for the compass handed down through
two generations of soldiers.

This is a little bit of
a tricky job

I've got to do on Steven's
compass case.

The stitching on this strap that
closes the case together has gone.

It needs to be replaced.

Problem is, I can't get my fingers
inside the case

to pull the needles through.

I came up with an old, old method
I used to use on a horse harness...

..and I think it's going to work.

So, I've got my thread waxed and
I've got one needle on it.

And I've got some very, very fine
fishing line here.

I've created a loop.

Now I'm going to push
it through that hole

with my thread that doesn't have the
needle on.

I'm going to start pulling
that nylon thread.

Now I can remove that fishing
line...

..pull this all the way through.

So that's creating a locking stitch.

So, now, I just need to go ahead
and repeat that process 12 times.

Suzie's got some work to do,
but her collaborator Barry

is almost done with his half
of the assignment.

When he bought the compass
in, the card wasn't moving.

I think it was probably something
to do with dirt on the pivot

of the sapphire. That's been done.

I'm going to put the card
back in...

..and you'll see that it's swinging
absolutely freely.

That is very good.

I'm very happy with the way
it's gone.

We've done the radium. That is now
totally inert.

I think he'll be very happy
with what we've done.

Owner Steven was given this charming
little piece of military history

by an old colleague,

and he's returned to The Repair Shop
to collect it.

The compass is important to me
for a number of reasons.

I suppose it's the representation of
history.

It's gone through two World Wars,

so I'm hoping it will last
another 101 years, you know?

I just have this sort of...

..a great idea of it passing down
time, you know?

Just imagine who will be
using it next.

Steven. Great to see you again.
Pleased to see you again.

How we doing? Very well, thank you.

All right. So, I guess you want to
see what's underneath the blanket?

Oh, yes, please. Yeah?

Oooh.

STEVEN LAUGHS GIDDILY

Lovely.

Look at that. That is beautiful.

That is lovely, thank you.

It's an old friend, this one.
A very old friend.

Wow. It's beautiful.

So, when's the last time
you had that working, then?

Probably... It's probably about
10, 15 years.

So, this had got so tatty
and falling to...

This is wonderful, by the way.

Yeah, Suzie done that.

Yeah. Thank you, Suzie.

You did a lovely
job, I'm very impressed.

It's hard to tell which were the
original... I know, I know.

..cos the new... We'll see
if it's long enough.

Here we go.

And then you've got the hat as well,
haven't you?

Oh, yeah. You've got to have the
hat. That's brilliant.

All right. OK, much thanks. Cheers.

All right, you take care.
Cheerio, Steven.

Now being reunited with my compass,
I'm really happy.

They've done a wonderful job.

You know, it looks as almost as new.

I'm going to treasure it for as long
as it's still in my possession,

and then pass it on to somebody else
who needs a good compass.

Join us next time... Fantastic. ..as
crumbling artefacts...

I mean,

I thought there was something living
in here at one point.

..are transformed into glorious
treasure.

Oh! Crikey, that's amazing.

The colour. Can you hear it?

..in The Repair Shop.