13x05 - A loved chair, a carousel, a bangle & a bodhran

[bunniefuu]

Welcome to The Repair Shop...
- I'm ready to see some magic.

- ..where precious but faded
keepsakes...

- It's in a bit of a sorry state.

- Deep breath.
- ..are restored to their former
glory.

- New beginnings and new memories.

- Lovely.
- We could do that.

- A dream team of expert
craftspeople...

- Perfect - teamwork.
- That's the fun part.

- It's going to look absolutely
stunning.

- ..using traditional techniques
passed down the generations...

- If someone's made it, then I can fix
it.

- Go on, my son.

- ..restore irreplaceable treasures...

- Ah!

- LAUGHTER

- Aw!

- Take it away, Mark.
- ..and unlock the stories that they
hold.

- Hey!
- Oh, my God.

- It's like it's brand-new.

- You're a wizard.

- Thank you so much.

- This looks comfy, doesn't it?
- Hmm.

A bit of Art Deco design.

- Look at you. Showing off that
knowledge.

- Yeah.

- Sonnaz's knowledge of all things

upholstered is exactly what's brought
Londoner Leigh to the barn.

- Hello.
- Hiya.
- Hi.
- How are you doing?

You all right?
- Do you want to take a seat?
- Thanks.

- Now, this beautiful chair is yours?

- Yeah, I bought it with my partner,
Greg, 40 years ago.

- Seriously? 40 years?!

- Yeah. Well, I met Greg in '83.

- You had a smile when you said you
met Greg.

Where did you meet him?
- Yeah.

I mean, I went on holiday to Athens
and went to this seedy little bar.

- Yeah.
- And then I just caught a glimpse of
him in the mirrors.

- Yeah.
- And I went, "Wow."

And my friend said, "Why, what's
that?"

I said, "I've just seen the most
beautiful man."

And he was in the American Air Force
over there.

- Wow. So he was American?
- Yeah. Yeah.

And that was it.

That was the start of the most
wonderful relationship.

- Then he must have come back to
London.
- Yeah.

That's when the trouble started,
because he kept getting kicked

out of the country because he came on
a six-month visa,

and I couldn't marry him in those
days.

So he went back to DC.

We were trying all the way until '86,

when he finally got married to stay

in the country, and we remained
together.

- He got married to stay in the
country?
- To a female friend.

So everything was beautiful.

Brand-new flat, brand-new life
together.

- And this was a chair that both of
you bought?

- And this was it, yeah.

This was our first piece of furniture
that we bought to stay

together and build home.
- Wow.
- Yeah.

- There was one night I remember lying
in bed and I was thinking,

"Wow, I'm just so happy."

And I thought, "It's OK now.
Everything's in place."

- Yeah.
- But it turned out six months later,

he became very ill and found

out he was HIV positive.

That was Christmas '88,

and lasted until '89.

And that's when he died, 20 days
before his 30th birthday.

- Wow.

- It was during the time of the HIV
and A*DS crisis.

- Oh!
- Yeah.

So many friends I lost.

You know, nothing was told about how
you could get

it, and don't die of ignorance was
what they were saying.

Well, tell us how you can get it.
There was nothing.

You know, you were HIV positive, you
were going to die.

You know, that is it.

- Hearing you talk about it makes me
realise how devastating

a time it was.

- It was very emotional.

And it was friends that got you
through.
- Right.

- It's been quite a journey, having
the love of your life...

- Yeah.
- ..leaving you after six years and
still knowing you've got

something there that you did together,
and those memories.

So if you can sort of bring it back to
anything like it was...

- So this really was the star of the
show of your living room.

- Totally.

I've got photographs of him polishing
it at home.
- Aw.

- So he'd be disgusted with it.

- And how would you like it to look?

Because at the moment you've got the
back looking a little bit

different than the arms.
- Yeah.

All the leather had cracked and...

- Yeah. Completely.

- And some of the colour's come off
there, hasn't it?

- Yeah.
- So, a recolour.

- Yeah.
- And the cushion.

That's not the original, though, is
it?
- That's not the original.

I had to do that because the
leather...
- Had gone.

- Yeah.
- It would be great if it came like we
had it with all

the leather on it.
- Yeah.

- And get it looking good again and
loved.

Yeah.
- Yeah. Give it a bit of TLC.
- Yeah.

- Yeah. I'm going to do my absolute
best for you.

- Yeah.
- And Greg.
- Thank you.
- All right.
- That'd be brilliant.

- You take care now.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.

- I can see immediately some pretty
deep cracks.

My concern with those is that they
could wear all the way

through, and we could end up with a
hole.

That would really be a disaster,
because this whole panel

would have to be replaced.

Greg's hands have been on these two
front panels.

This has got the most wear, so his
hand's been here the most,

so it would be tragic to lose it.

So I'm going to really hope and pray
that I can strengthen

it in some way.

I'm going to have to take those legs
off, unpick the bottom cloth

and that will then inform my plan.

- So, how did you get into jewellery,
then? Did you study?

- Seven-year apprenticeship in Hatton
Garden.

- Seven years?
- Seven years I did, yeah.

- Wow. But you're still learning,
ain't you?

- Still learning every day.
- That's what I like to hear.

- RICHARD LAUGHS

Counting on Richard Talman's
hard-earned expertise in jewellery,

Sian Jones from Northampton.

- Hello.
- Hello.
- You all right?
- Yeah. Good, thank you.

- So, what have you brought us in?

- Um, I've brought in a bangle that my
parents gave me, um,

for my graduation.

They were very proud, I think, of what
I'd achieved...
- OK.

- ..to get to that point in my life.

- What do you mean? What did you go
through?

- Well, I found it quite difficult,
um, being dyslexic.

- Are you dyslexic?
- Yeah.
- It's the best club to be in.

I'm one of them as well.

So, was it identified at school?

Because I went to school in the '70s
and '80s

and it wasn't identified then.

- Not really identified properly.

So, 1984, I was about seven.

I was in a boarding school. My father
was in the Army.
- Right.

- So, because we moved around a lot,
it was kind

of the only realistic option.
- Yeah.

- And we always got ranked of how you
did.

So, every essay you wrote, there were
only 14 in the class,

so blessed to have a small class size,
but I was always 14th.

For me, letters move around on the
page.

- Same here.
- I have to break them down
individually.

I have to read them front and I have
to read them backwards.

And that is really difficult.

But actually my mum, Evis...
- Evis.
- ..she's been amazing.

She paid for me to get an assessment
done.

- OK.
- So, yeah, very grateful to her.

When I was younger, she would make me
read museum notices out loud

at every museum we went to.

Really painful.

- LAUGHTER

- And then I had to write that evening
a diary about what we did,

and I equally found that painful.

But it was done from a place of love,
and I now know that.

But, yeah, she's done a lot.

- And then you went to university?

- Yeah, yeah.
- What did you study?

- I did art and drama, but in my
second year at university,

I actually, um, failed my second year.

- OK.
- And then I had to confess up to the
university

that I was dyslexic. And I found that
really hard because I wanted

to be seen as an equal to my peers,
which I still do today.

- Right.
- Anyway, I then did get loads of help
at university.

I graduated in 2000.

It was a really, really, really
amazing feeling, and I felt

like if I could do that, I could do
anything.

- So, how did you feel when your
parents gave this to you?

- It made me feel that they were proud
of me for what I was achieving.

It was a really big deal for them to
see that moment happen.

- Yeah. Are Mum and Dad still with us?

- Dad's not, no. He died in 2017.
- OK.
- Yeah.

I think it's about realising what they
had done, how much support

they had given.

And I wore it to death, like every
day, because that makes me feel,

when I put it on, really, really
confident.

- When did it break?
- Yeah.

- Um, it went under a taxi on a night
out, but, um...

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't just go past
that.
- I don't remember much.

- It went under a taxi?

- Yeah. I think it just fell off, you
know?

- And the taxi drove over it?
- Yeah.

- Have you tried to get this repaired
before?

- Yeah, loads of times. And people
won't touch it.

And, you know, it would be wonderful
if it can be fixed, just to be able

to rewear it.
- You want to be able to wear it
again.

- I would love to be able to rewear
that.

- I'll do my very best for you.
- Thank you.

That's really kind.
- Thank you for bringing it in.

- No, thank you.
- Leave it with us. Bye-bye.
- Bye.
- Thank you.

This bangle, it's been squashed quite
a bit.

The hinge that joins this part to
here, that's broken.

And then the biggest concern is that
the amber will not tolerate

any direct heat whatsoever.

But I am going to need to use direct
heat to gas-solder the two parts

of the bangle together.

So my only option is to remove this
piece of amber.

I'm going to need to make a small cut
just in the corner

of the frame.

Having to cut very, very carefully
here, because as soon

as that saw blade goes through the
fine silver layer, it will go

straight into that amber like a hot
knife in butter.

I can feel that now. That's just cut
through. Using my fingers to do

this to minimise any damage.

There we go.

It's all in one piece, fortunately.

So I can set that to the back of my
bench,

keep that safe whilst I look at how
I'm going to repair this part.

- Sonnaz has also had success with
dismantling.

She now has the access needed for a
detailed assessment

of the armchair's leather.

- Those cracks on this side have gone
quite deep.

This is the worst-affected panel.

What I could do is line this panel in
situ, but there are similar

cracks on the panel behind, and
actually on the other

side as well.

So, although it seems quite drastic,
I'm going to have to strip

the chair, take all of the upholstery
off and line

those panels, and that's really just
going to mitigate

any further cracks.

And it will certainly help in
strengthening and stabilising

this side of the chair.

So I've made a cradle using some scrap
foam, which is essentially

the outside curve of the arm, and
that's going to enable me to line

it in that lovely curve.

I've opted to use a thin leather.

It's so strong and just beautifully
flexible as well.

So I'm literally just starting with a
tiny section

because as I'm working with it, I want
to be mindful that I'm not

glueing in any puckers or raised
sections.

I want it to be as invisible as
possible,

as if I'd never been there.

I just need to keep plugging away
little by little.

Once it's done, do the same to the
other arm and then it's ready

to go back onto the chair.

I've stuck both of the linings down
now, and I've put a fresh layer

of wadding on top of the original
wadding, just to give

it a little something extra.

One of the things I absolutely love
about reupholstery, it's kind

of like a 3D jigsaw puzzle.

When I first used to take big pieces
apart and I just used to think,

"Oh, my God, how am I going to get
this back together again?"

But having done this so many times,
where I've stripped chairs

right back and then had to put them
back together, thankfully it's not

as intimidating as it used to be.

I can't even feel the lining
underneath there, so that's

a big relief.

Now I can move on to the next arm.

Then once I've got that secured into
place, I can move

on to the back.

- David Burville's familiarity with
fairgrounds is putting him one

step ahead of Will.

- What am I looking at here? I've got
no idea.

- I believe it's a carousel, but, um,

obviously it needs putting together.

- LAUGHTER

The man seeking David's skills is Jon
Shelley from Swansea.

- Hi there.
- Hello.
- Good morning.

- You must be Jon.
- I am indeed.

- What's all of this?

- This is my father's model of a
carousel.

Scratch-built in 1951.

- Cor.
- Hold on. He built this himself?

- Yes.
- Was he a professional model-maker?

- No, just his hobby.

- So, where did your dad get the
inspiration to build this?

- I was told if a fairground came to
town,

he used to go and volunteer

to help them build it up so that he
could learn

how it all went together.

- Yeah. I have quite a lot of
involvement with fairgrounds

and they are the most complicated
things, so for him to have worked

all of this out is phenomenal.

- So, does this actually turn around,
then?

- Not now it doesn't.
- Not now it doesn't. But...
- But it used to.

And the horses gallop in sets of
three.
- Cor.

- Christmas 1954,

this particular model was in the local
tobacconist's shop

window, and he actually had it working
during the day.

- I see the name SH Shelley's. Is that
his surname?

- Yes. Stanley Harry.

He built quite a few fairground
models, four that I know of.

One took him six years.

- Really?!
- Yes.
- How long did this one take him?
- Four months.

- Four months.

- This is the last one.

When my father died, my mother gave
the other models to friends

that had the same interest.
- OK.

- Kept this one for me.

- How old were you when your dad
passed away?

- I was seven years old, and he was
taken ill.

- Oh, my gosh. That must have been
really tough at seven years old.

Really hard.
- Yeah.

- So, this is a tangible link to your
dad.

- It's the only link I have to my
father.

- Yeah.

- And it would be...

..really good to see it working again.

- What exactly would you like David to
do for you?

- To see if the centre console could
be fixed so that it rotates.

If I don't have that, I don't have a
model.

- It's the heart of it. Yeah.
- And, of course, the horses.

- Now, I can see there are a few
new-looking pieces here.

- I did those because a number of
them...

..are broken.

Whether you decide to use mine or
whether you decide to attempt...

- LAUGHTER

- ..to repair the originals, I
don't...

- I'm not going to say at this stage.
We'll work something out.

- It's been in this condition for so
many years now.

Would be nice to see it up and running
and fixed.

- Well, it's certainly going to be a
challenge, but I'm really looking

forward to it.
- We'll see you in four months to six
years, Jon.

Thank you for coming down.
- Thank you.
- It's been a pleasure.

Nice to meet you.
- Bye-bye now.
- Take care.

This really is an incredible machine.

Absolutely wonderful, but terrifying
at the same time.

I think with some of the materials
that Stanley had to hand,

it's unfortunately just worn a little
bit quicker

than it should have done.

This gearing is really loose.

This whole centre is really a bit
wobbly.

From this, the whole ride is built up.

This drives the crank rods, which the
horses are then attached

to, which actually makes them go up
and down.

We've got quite a few horses which are
missing legs and ears,

but I think I'm going to start on this
centre drum,

which is really the most complex part
of the whole machine.

Taking that to pieces, clean it up and
then we can see what's

going on with these bearings.

That's one.

Hoping that just slides out.

So, that's good.

- SONNAZ:
- All the upholstery is back in place,
which is great.

And now I'm at the stage where I'm
starting to feel

those really deep cracks.

There are lots of different types of
fillers for leather.

This particular filler is used within
the automotive and the marine

industry, so used for areas of high
wear and also areas

that are going to flex - just like the
fronts of these arms.

I'm initially going in with a thin
layer.

Once that thin layer has dried, then
I'll go on top

of that with a second layer and that
will bring it up level

with the leather.

Once I've built up the layers to the
correct level, I can spray on

the lovely paint

so this chair is the colour that Greg
and Leigh would have seen

when they first fell in love with it.

Then I can get on with the cushion.

- The critical part of repairing a
bangle like this is that we've got

two sides to it.

Each are identical sizes and in
identical places.

So the tricky bit now with such a
large structure is getting

it all held together so that I can
solder it back in exactly

the same place.

If one is even half a millimetre off,
it's not

going to be symmetrical.

I think I'm going to commit to that
being in the right place now.

So I'm just placing onto the join a
couple of pieces of silver solder.

Any second now, that solder should
flow and connect.

That's it.

So that solder has run exactly where I
wanted it to.

I could be quite confident that that
structure is as strong

as it possibly can be.

So now I need to reaffix the bottom
parts.

So, in order to recreate the hinge,
I'm just going to do exactly

the same as what was done before.

And that's by having a little tube at
the top here,

which is called chenier.

And then silver wire passes through
the chenier.

And then the chenier is soldered to
the top part of the bangle there.

And then that makes the hinge.

To do this, I'm going to take a fresh
piece of chenier,

which is a bit like a straw, and I'm
just going to solder

it across like so,

so I can be sure that the hinge is in
a complete straight line,

and then cut each side to the perfect
width.

I'm really enjoying working on this
bangle because of what it

means to Sian.

I too had a pretty rough time at
school, although I wasn't dyslexic

in any way. I just wasn't academic,
you know?

I was very happy to have left school
and actually got on with doing

what I wanted to do, which was making
things.

So now that's the hinge part all
cleaned up beautifully.

Now, this wire will be going through
either piece of the chenier...

..so that they can fit perfectly
inside the other portion

of the bangle to create the hinge.

- Having cleaned the central mechanism
of the carousel, David

has an intricate fix on his hands to
deal with some badly worn parts.

- If you try to turn this, the bevel
gears are moving from side to side,

and they're actually knocking into
each other and causing

it to jam.

The only way, really, that I can cure
this is to put a brass sleeve

into this bearing post.

That will make that really nice and
solid,

but still allow that bevel gear to
turn really nice and freely.

I've managed to find some nice brass
tube,

which is almost the right size,

so what I'm able to do is to get a
drill the exact outside diameter,

and then hopefully that brass tube
will fit into that bearing post

nice and snug.

So, that's drilled.

So, the moment of truth.

Brilliant.

What I can do now is I can cut off a
section just a little bit

longer than the diameter of that post.

That will allow me to flare the ends
out, to grip the bearing in.

Right. Well, that's actually the gear
mounted in.

Just another 11 to go.

- I'm really happy with how the
bangle's turned out, but as a result

of all the heating, it is now
extremely oxidised.

So what I need to do is polish this
bangle up. I'm going to start

by using a grease-abrasive on an
abrasive mop.

And that's going to remove all of the
oxidisation and some

of the lighter scratches.

Once I've successfully...

..polished that, then it'll be time
for me

to do the final lustre polish.

And it's that lustre polish that will
bring the silver

up to a mirrored finish, which will
make it look like new again.

And then it'll be ready to set the
amber back into it.

It's a really, really satisfying
process to go from that sort

of dull, matted look through to
something you can see

your face in.

Maybe not my face, though.

- I've finished spraying the chair,
and I'm thrilled

with how it's looking.

The last thing I need to do is
actually focus on the cushion.

So, I've cut a new piece of foam, I've
cut and sewn a new cover,

and I think it will look like it's
always been there.

While I've been working,

it's really given me time to think
quite deeply about the devastating

challenges that Leigh and Greg had,

just..in wanting to be together, let
alone the tragic loss of Greg.

And now that I've got the chair into a
much better condition,

hopefully it's a much more fitting
tribute to the love that Leigh

and Greg shared with one another.

- The armchair was in danger of
deteriorating

beyond the point of repair.

But for Leigh, its restoration is a
way to cherish memories

of his beloved partner, Greg.

- Here he is.
- Hi.
- Hiya.
- Hello.

How are you?
- I'm good, thank you.
- Good.
- Look at that smile.

Is that a little cheeky smile you've
got on there?

What have you done?
- No, it's just me.

- All right.

- How have you been?

- Good. Just, uh, excited to see what
it now looks like.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

- Come on, then.

- Oh, wow. Amazing.

- JAY CHUCKLES

- It's beautiful.

That must have taken a hell of a long
time to do, that,

wouldn't it?
- It was a big job.

- Mm-hm. That's fantastic.

Wow.

- THEY LAUGH

- Can I sit in it?
- Of course.
- Of course you can. It's yours. Go
on.

Look at that - leg up straight away.

You know you can't stay here.

It's got to come home with you.

- Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you.

- He's made up.
- It just feels so...

You know, it's just super.

Everything about it.

Wonderful.

It's kind of indescribable, really.

It's just that all the memories, all
the immense amount of love,

companionship, uh...

Yeah, all those beautiful things.

But, no, he's sitting back in it now,
smiling away.

- Yeah. Well, thank you for bringing
this in.

We'll get it shipped up to you.
- Wonderful.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you so much.
- All right.

You take care.
- Thank you.
- You take care.

- It's just bringing back all those
memories of all those years.

And it was just so unfair that he was
taken away so early,

the one person who I'd really loved.

The whole history is in that chair,
from start to finish, near enough.

And now the story goes on, the chair
goes on.

- Catherine Bradley from Holywood in
Northern Ireland is beating

a path to the barn in search of Pete
Woods' talent

for fixing percussion instruments.

- Hello.
- Hello.
- How are you doing?

Wow. What is that? Is that like a
drum, then?

- Yes. This is a bodhran.

It's a hand-held drum, which you use a
beater with.

Made by my brother, my late brother
Seamus.

He was a free spirit. Just loved
music.

You would have seen him with spoons in
his top pocket.

- Yeah.
- And mouth organ.

A bodhran or a guitar, anything.

He just loved to entertain.

- Yeah?
- Yeah, everybody loved him.

- How did he actually make this drum?

- This here was Dad's sieve for the
garden.

- I love it.
- Yeah.

- And this here, Dad was a drummer and
had a full kit of drums.

And so Seamus took the skin off his
drum.

By the way, this was all done in the
shed, unknown

to Mum and Dad. Let me tell you...

- Sounds like you, doesn't it?
- In a shed.

And my mother made Irish dancing
frocks.

My two sisters were champion Irish
dancers.
- Yeah.

- So he then proceeded to go into her
sewing box, take

out the transfer,

which was supposed to go on a dress
for the world champions...

- Yeah.
- ..and ironed it on.

- What was the transfer?
- The transfer was the Celtic symbol,

so it was.
- Yeah.

- And this colour here was like a
varnish that was on our doors,

in the house.

- LAUGHTER

- So he just went around the family
house like, "OK, I can use

"this, use that."
- Oh, yeah.
- I love it.
- Yeah.

- And it was free. Everything was free
because back then, you know, in the

'70s, growing up in Derry, it was
quite tough.

- Yeah.
- And...we turn it around the other
side.

That's his name.
- Yeah.
- Seamus.

- Your brother's not with us any more?
You're saying your late brother.

- No. He sadly passed away in...

..2016.
- OK.

- There was cancer in the bladder.

And they thought, right, this is going
to be treatable.

- OK.

- But it wasn't. Yeah.

So we made sure that we kept the music
going.

- Yeah.
- People came and played instruments
around him.

And he played the spoons right up to
the day before he died.

So he played his music right to the
very end.

- Yeah.

- Before he passed away, my mother and
father got a knock at the door

to say that someone had found
something belonging to Seamus.

It was mislaid for so many years, and
they wanted to return it.

- And it was in this condition?
- And it was in that condition.

You know, Mum and Dad, they were very,
very, very upset

whenever they seen the state of it
because it didn't

resemble Seamus whatsoever.

So it was put away.

- And the reason why you want to get
it restored now and repaired,

is it for Mum and Dad?
- Well...

..it would have been for Mum, but she
passed away in January.

So...
- Sorry.
- ..it's for Dad,

so he can actually play it himself.

For Dad to actually have it in his
hands, knowing that it was his

sieve, Mum's transfer,

and for him to actually play it, it
would just be fantastic.

- Catherine, thank you for bringing
this in and telling us

about your brother.
- Thank you so much.

- Leave it with us.
- OK. Thank you. Bye-bye.

- You take care now. Bye-bye.
- Bye.

- Pete, you've definitely got to do
your magic on this one.

- Right.

- HE SIGHS

- The bodhran is a traditional Irish
instrument.

What a great idea.

Couldn't afford one.

Let's make one.

Quite obviously, that head is not
playable,

and you just can't repair it.

So I'm going to get it off,

tidy up what he'd done, put a new head
on.

We've got to make sure that
Catherine's got a nice tipper,

the bit that you hit it with, and
hopefully get it all back

and working again.

The first thing I've got to do now is
just to try and get it apart,

which is going to be a bit of fun with
all these rusty nails.

Oh, that's looking good.

Oh, yes.

That's the first one off.

- David has re-sleeved all the
carousel's small gears so they no

longer wobble from side to side.

But he's run into a new problem.

- I've had all of the 12 bevel gears
on.

I've lined everything up as well as I
possibly can, but where

the gears should be meshing nicely, on
this main bevel gear,

they're just slightly different.

So the tips of the teeth are actually
catching each other,

so it's jumping in and out of mesh.

So although I've managed to cure one
problem with the little bevel gears,

this other main gear problem is going
to stop the ride solid.

It's going to jam up.

It's just not going to work.

I've literally explored all options,
and the plan that I've come

up with is a piece of neoprene rubber
on top

of the large bevel gear.

This will act basically like a tyre.

So the little bevel gears will become
wheels and they will run

around on the tyre, which will then
drive all of the cranks.

So that's sandwiched in between those
two gears.

And if I just turn it, they are making
their way round.

I must admit, I do feel mildly
relieved at the moment.

So now I've just got the rest of the
gears to fit.

Then I can actually start on the
horses and get them all back

on their four feet.

Stanley's horses,

they can't gallop without their legs.

Jon has made some replacement horses,
and he's done

a really good job.

But to keep Stanley's horses as
original as possible,

I'm going to use some of Jon's horses
and cut off the legs.

So this is combining Jon and Stanley's
craftsmanship.

I'm going to use a quick-drying,
strong gel glue.

So this should really give it some
strength.

So I think that's actually bonded.

Yep. So I've actually just noticed
I've got Mary the horse here.

So the next thing I'm going to do is
I'm going to put Mary's original

leg back on.

Well, that's Mary with all four legs.

I've got to shape the top of the new
leg down to fit

the profile of the old leg.

And it's on to all the rest of the
horses.

Then I can do some painting.

- Pete has prised the battered bodhran
apart and sanded the wooden hoop,

ready for some Seamus-style
sprucing-up.

- I'm just putting the stain on,

so...we take it back to

a little bit of what it was when he
originally made it.

Seamus was up to his tricks and nicked
some of the varnish

that they'd done the front door with.

It's wonderful.

And I'm just hoping that it's going to
come out

more or less the right colour.

But that's the stain on.

I'm going to let it dry, varnish it,
put the skin on so it can be played.

It's the most important thing.

I've varnished the drum - it's come up
nice -

put the two crosspieces in, which are
important because

that's what you hold it with.

Now I've just got to put the head on.

When Seamus originally made it, he
nicked one of his dad's drumheads,

which I don't think his dad was very
happy about.

So I measured it up and I've got a
head exactly the same thickness.

As it's just an old garden sieve that
Seamus used, putting nails

through it might do it actually more
damage, long run.

So...going a more modern method of
glueing it on.

Right. That's the glue around the edge
now.

We're ready now to put the head on.

Just going to put it on,

make sure it overlaps well.

The rope is just going to hold it nice
and tight.

And make sure that it's held well.

Oh!

As it dries, it will shrink a little
bit, and then we'll have a nice

tension on it. It's just getting that
balance.

At the end of the day, the most
important thing about a drum

is the sound.

It sounds a bit floppy at the moment,
but by the time

it dries off, it should be fine.

Once it's dry, I just trim it off and
it's time to get

it over to Dom for painting.

- I've now got the bangle, uh, all
nicely polished.

And now the final job is to get the
amber back into the setting.

So, just slot it in that side and
click it down like so.

I now need to push this fine silver
edge...

..back over the amber.

I've now got those two end sides quite
nicely pushed over.

That's not coming out, so I just need
to carry on pushing the setting

edge over each of the longer sides.

I really can't wait to get this back
onto Sian's wrist

so she can remember the confidence
this brings her once again.

- An unfortunate encounter with a taxi
had mangled the bangle,

given to Sian at her hard-won
graduation.

- Ready, Rich?
- I'm ready.

- Now, that is beautiful.

- Sian hopes this gift from supportive
parents will continue

to help her with the challenges of
dyslexia, just as they once did.

- Hello.
- Hello.
- How you doing?
- Good, thank you. Very good.

Slightly excited.
- Good on you.

- It's more than the bracelet, it
encompasses a lot of emotion

but a lot of the person that I was
before.

And realising how far I've come.

- So, this means a lot in the sense it
encompasses all of that, yeah?

- Yeah, yeah.
- All right, she's ready.

You ready?
- Yes!

- Rich, do the honours.

- Thank you.

That's amazing. Genuinely.

You're so clever.

It feels stronger.

- Put some magic into it, made it a
bit stronger.
- Aw.

My mother will be so pleased.

It just makes me feel confident, a
sense of pride.

It's a way of, I guess, showing
appreciation

to my parents as well, for the support
they've given me.

And just the struggles continuing.

I think it will resonate and drive me
further forward.

- Well, it's all yours now.
- Thank you.
- You take care.

- Thank you very much, Richard.
- Take care.

- Seriously appreciate it, thank you.
- Bye.
- Bye!

Thank you!

- There you go.

- My dyslexia's definitely had a
journey.

It was a real struggle and a real hard
thing to overcome.

But, you know, words are everywhere,
you can't avoid that,

it's not going to help you.

And I think it's not that I need the
bracelet necessarily,

it's just a reminder not to shy away
from things that you might

do if they're more difficult.

I think it'll just give me

a slight edge now to move myself
forward.

- Dominic Chinea is a man of many
talents, including sign writing.

But reproducing a design for the
bodhran is proving a stretch.

- Pete really has set me a challenge,
working on this Celtic knot.

It's one thing painting it on the
front of the drum,

which is a lovely idea,

but I'm trying to work out how to draw
the thing, first of all.

This looks simple in the reference
that Pete's given me

but it's really not.

It's a very, very clever design that
all interlocks

and works in with itself.

There's a lot to do and a lot to work
out, but I've got

my piece of graph paper, my compass, I
just need to sit down and stare at

this piece of paper until I've got my
head around the actual pattern.

Then I can think about getting my
brushes out

and transferring this onto the drum.

- The one thing that didn't come in
with Seamus' bodhran,

when Catherine brought it in, was the
tipper,

which is actually the bit that you hit
it with.

Tippers come in all different sizes
and shapes but, usually,

a ball on each end, because you're
only using one hand to play.

So I only need to make one.

- Now the maths lesson is over, I've
put my compass

and calculator away and got my
paintbrushes out,

it's time to paint the design onto the
skin of the drum.

This is the first of many layers of
paint.

As I work my way through, it's going
to come to life

and it's going to look better and
better.

- Well, I've managed to get the
carousel mostly assembled

but I'm just going to see if it
actually works.

If it doesn't,

I don't want to be taking off 36
horses to be remedying it.

So, we'll see what it does.

It's actually turning!

And by the looks of things, it's all
working.

So...

..I've just got 36 horses to put back
on

and then it's ready to go back to Jon.

- This handcrafted carousel lay broken
for years

and its talented maker died before his
time.

Now Jon hopes his late father's model
can have a new heyday.

- Hello, Jon.
- Hey. How are you?

- Good to see you, are you all right?

- How you doing, Jon?
- I'm fine, thank you, Jay.

I've waited 40 years for this.
- Cor!
- Oh, wow.

- That's how long it's been broken.

- I can see that this is important to
you.
- Yes.
- OK.

Dave, shall we?

Come on, then.

- Wow.

It looks terrific.
- Yeah?
- It looks terrific.

Are these all the original horses?
- Yes.

So, I used some of your horses as
parts

and reconstituted your dad's original
ones.
- Grand.

I prefer it with the 36 original...
- Yeah, yeah.

- It's got to be, hasn't it?
- Yeah, yeah.

- And the last time you saw it
complete like this was when?

- It's got to be ten years ago since I
built it up.

But I haven't seen it galloping for 40
years.
- Go on, then, Dave.

- So, we've got an added little bonus
as well.
- Right.

- FAIRGROUND MUSIC PLAYS

- Wow.

Thank you very much.

Absolutely fantastic.

It's back as it should be.
- Yeah.

- It means everything, it's...

..it's my dad's.
- Yeah.

- I'm just so grateful.

- Well, Jon, thank you for bringing
this in.

What we're going to do is get this
packed up and then sent off to you.

- Thank you very much.
- It's all him.
- Thanks again.

- You're very welcome.
- Take care now, all right?

- Yeah, it's been a pleasure.
- Bye-bye now.
- Bye-bye.
- Cheerio.

- He was happy.
- Yeah!

- I bet you're happy as well, eh?
- God, yes.
- Yeah?

- Oh, very! So relieved!

- I'm very proud of my father.

He must have been an amazing man.

To see it repaired and functioning
correctly is absolutely fantastic.

It's a dream come true.

I've waited so long.

Now it's back.

- Dom's done a lovely job on the sign
writing for me

with this Celtic knot.

I've now just got to put these pieces
of wood back on.

This is more decorative than anything,

but it's got to be back to what Seamus
made.

I'm just going to use these little,
tiny brass pins.

Makes a nice little job there.

Seamus was a bit of a character.

I should imagine, when he was about,
there was a lot of fun to be had.

I've now just got to finish this hoop
off.

There's another one to go on.

Then give it a good clean-up.

- This home-made drum was once a
symbol of Seamus' passion for music

and fun, but its tattered remains were
painful to see.

Now Seamus' sister Catherine is back
with her dad in the hope that

Pete has worked his magic.

- Come on in, come on.

- Take a seat, Dad.
- Thank you.

- This is my daddy, Jackie.

- How you feeling, sir?
- Very nervous.

- Nervous?
- Yes.

- Oh, and he looked at you when he
said nervous, Pete.
- He did.

- He's good at what he does, he is
good.
- On a good day.

- THEY CHUCKLE

- You ready to see it?
- Oh, yes.

- Drum roll! Drum roll.

- Oh, Jesus!

Oh, dear God.

- It's magnificent.

It's magnificent. I love the colours.

- I thought this was impossible.

Oh...

- You've done a miracle.

- Oh...

- Oh, look, Dad.

Seamus' name, still on it.

- I've kept it exactly as Seamus made
it.

- That is unbelievable, it really is.

Do you want to play it?
- Do you want to play it?

- Do you mind if I...?
- Yeah.
- There we go.

There we go.

Well done!

- How does it feel, Cathy, seeing Dad
play that now?

- I never thought I would see it.

I never thought I would see me dad
even attempting to

put his hand through it, because he
just would never have looked at it.

It didn't represent Seamus.

And whenever we have a look at it,

we'll look at it with a smile on our
face instead of sadness.

- Gentlemen, thank yous.

- Well, thank you both for coming in.

We're going to get this wrapped up and
bring it out to you.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank yous very, very much.

- Pleasure.
- Thank you, sir.

- Right, thank you.
- All right.

- Pete has done a fantastic job.

It's unbelievable.

- I couldn't get over it.

I thought that it could never be
fixed.

I thought I'd seen the last of the
drum.

- It now represents Seamus.

I can just visualise him smiling and
playing it.

That means the world to us, it really
does.

- If you have a treasured possession
that's seen better days

and you think the team can help,
please get in touch at...

..and join us in The Repair Shop.