13x08 - A dictaphone, a broken fruit bowl & a much loved cat

[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!

- Oh!

- 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!

- Morning.
- Morning.

How are you doing?
- Very well, thank you.

Is there no ends to your talents, Jay?

- Look at that. That looks nice,
doesn't it?

- Awaiting the barn's first arrival,
master craftsman Jonathan Reid -

one of only a handful of
scissor-makers left in Britain.

- What's the official name for a
scissor maker, then?

- Uh, it's a putter, which is...
- A putter?

- A putter. Yeah. Short for
putter-togetherer.

- Yeah? Wow.

- Hoping Jonathan can do just that

is Jannette Stanley, who's brought
some tools of her trade

that carry a very special meaning.

- Hello.
- Hello!

- You must be Jannette.
- Yes.

- I'm Jonathan. Nice to meet you.
- Hello, Jonathan.

- So, what have you got in the bag?

- My dad's hairdressing cut-throats
and his scissors.
- OK.

So he must have been a barber, then?
- Oh, definitely.

- Yeah?
- Yes. I'm the hairdresser. He's the
barber.

- He's the barber, all right.
- Yeah.

- So how did your dad become a barber?

- He got called up for National
Service.
- Right.

- They obviously needed barbers, and
that's where he learnt his trade.

So when my dad came out of the army,
he carried on doing his barbering.

- Right.
- He became the manager of the salon
and just stayed there.

He never left.
- He must have loved it, though.

- Oh, he did. Yeah, he did. He had
people queuing for him.

If you've had a couple of thousand
heads

go through your hands, then you know
what you're doing!

Do you know what I mean?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- So, yeah, they were queuing for my
dad, so...
- Wow.

- ..and that made me proud as well.
- Good on you.

- I just wanted to follow in the
footsteps of my dad.
- Yeah.

- So I went into the salon with him,
and this cut-throat here was the one

that my dad sort of allowed me to use
on somebody.

When I was 16...
- OK.
- ..I used to cut my dad's hair.

He said I've got the knack.

- Good on ya!

- And then I got my own salon when I
was 19.

- So what did your dad think of that?

- I never forget - the very first day,
we'd got it all set up...
- Yeah.

- ..and he just looked at me and said,
"I'm so proud of you.

"I am so proud of the fact that you
did what I felt I couldn't do."

- Good on you.
- So when my dad passed away, the only
things that I got

of my dad were his cut-throats.
- Yeah.
- So I have nothing else.

- So what is actually wrong with each
of these items?

- Your scissors, they have a hard job
opening now,

so you've got to literally prise them
to open them,

how rusty they've gone.
- And how did they look?

- I don't ever remember them being
silver-silver.
- Mm.
- OK.

- It was the matte silver, if you
like.
- Yeah.

- Do you know what I mean?
- Yeah.

- But the cut-throats themselves...so
you can see

where he would have kept it nice and
oiled.

- Yeah.
- But the tips there...
- Yeah.

- They've just gone to rust.

To have them looking that I can use
them,

honestly, it would mean the world to
me.

My dad would be proud and I would be
proud.
- Yeah.

Well, Jannette, thank you for bringing
these in.

- I do appreciate it, I really do.
Thank you.

- See you soon.
- Bye.
- Bye-bye.

That is rusty.

Whoa. Got your work cut out.

- Yeah. But I'm still confident.
- That's what I like to hear,

cos I need a short back and sides when
you've finished!

- JONATHAN LAUGHS

- All right?

- These are really precious to
Jannette.

She doesn't remember these being
polished to a mirror finish.

However, a mirror-finish polish
actually protects the scissors

from rust, so I have to figure
something out to get a matte finish

on this scissor blade while also
providing some rust protection

for the scissors.

Now, with the cut-throat razors,

I'm going to have to find a way of
grinding that rust away

without grinding that metal too thin.

And the scissors,

before I can grind any of that rust
away, I'm going to have to take

that tail down so I can actually take
these scissors apart.

- Next, a tale of love and resilience

courtesy of Lesley Anderson and
daughter Nicola.

- You're a cat person, aren't you?

- Yeah! I love a kitty!

- I might have a surprise for you.
- Really?
- Mm.

- Oh, I can't wait!

- They're hoping cuddly toy
conservators Julie Tatchell

and Amanda Middleditch can revive a
furry feline friend.

- Hello!
- BOTH:
- Hello.

- Welcome to the barn.
- BOTH:
- Thank you.

- So, who have you brought us today?

Oh, look!
- This is Jess,

and he belongs to my son Colin.

Colin is now 12 years old...
- OK.

- ..and he's our foster son

and now we are legal guardians for
him.

And he has loved Jess from the day he
came into our house.

- Been loved to bits!

- He has been loved to bits! He really
has.

Colin lived in hospital...
- Oh, OK.
- ..for his first two years,

and Colin came on our radar, let's
say,

as a child with very complex medical
needs looking for a home.

Colin was born with Pierre Robin
sequence, which means his jaw

hadn't grown out and his windpipe was
quite flat.
- OK.

- So he had to have a tracheostomy in.
- Right.

- And also he was never able to eat,
so he's PEG-fed through a tube

in his tummy.
- Oh, goodness.

- Erm, he talks with a talker. He has
no speech.

He also has a very severe heart
condition.

He's had two major open heart
surgeries.
- OK.

- And Jess goes in to the theatre with
him, and Jess is there

when he wakens up.
- Yeah.

- So Jess has been his comfort...

Of two stomas that keep him alive.

And so Colin had put a tracheostomy
and a PEG in, and he holds

him like this...
- Oh, look!
- ..so he does.

- What was it like when you first met
him?

- I just fell in love with him.

Colin came home for palliative care.

He wasn't supposed to survive.
- No!
- Really?

- And that was ten years ago.

So, yes, it's been a journey.

- What's it like having Colin as a
little brother?

- It's great. I mean, he just brings
so much fun and mischief

to our house, so he does.

He's never felt anything but, you
know, a brother.

Like, he's just part of the family.

And he was like that as soon as he
came into the house, wasn't he?

- Well, he's a rascal, but he's very
good.

We wouldn't be without him. And Jess
has been

the one thing that has been with him
since the day he came home.

He looks for him every night before he
goes to bed.

He's very, very important to him.

- So can you please tell us what you
would like

us to do with Jess?

- Well, I have patched him with
felt...
- Mm-hm.

- ..here and here.
- OK.

- He is a bit of a mess. I'm sorry!

- Don't worry. Don't worry. This is
what we do.

- We don't know what the future holds
for Colin.

You know, against all the odds, he's
still here,

and Jess is still with him.

- Thank you so much for bringing

little Jess in, and for trusting us
with him.

- Thank you very, very much for your
help.
- Thank you.

- Thank you. Goodbye.
- Bye.
- Bye!

- What an amazing family.
- Incredible.

We've got a really important job to do
here.

What a responsibility.

Oh, Jess!

What I propose is... Where the stomas
are, add, like...

How can I explain it?

Like the finger of a glove.
- Yep.

That goes actually into his body.
- That goes into his body.
- Lovely.

- That way, he can still put his
fingers in there

and he'll have more strength.
- Perfect.

And he's going to be lined so that
that is another added layer

of strength, but definitely a nice
bath.

- Oh, yes. And hopefully, Jess will be
feeling

more like his old self!
- Yes.

- The first cut-throat razors were
manufactured in Sheffield

in 1680, and the design has changed
very little since.

It's down to Jonathan to restore this
one to its traditional best.

- I've noticed the wedge has actually
come loose.

So the wedge is this white part at the
bottom of the handle

that holds the handle in a V shape,

and allow us to shut the blade inside
of the handle.

It doesn't look like that pin is
holding the handle together

very well, so I'll need to take that
pin out of it

and replace it so that that wedge
doesn't shift.

All this needs is a bit of light
sanding.

The real damage is on the inside of
the handle, where the toe

of that blade has been rusting.

Now, we want to ensure that we clean
the inside of this handle

as best we can. Otherwise, that's
going to cause problems

for the blade when it sits inside the
handle.

That's the wedge and the handle
looking pretty good now.

I just need to focus on the blade

and then put this thing back together.

This razor has a lot of bad water
damage at the toe of the blade.

The really deep stuff is unfortunately
going to have to stay.

To remove that, I'd have to
hollow-grind this blade all over

again. Simply using a bit of oil and
this abrasive pad,

eventually, this blade should really
brighten up.

- Next, a doorstep delivery.

- Hi there. You must be Sebastian.
- I am.

- I'm Will. Nice to meet you.

Right. Let me give you a hand.
- Thank you very much.

- Sebastian Amyes has driven from
Edinburgh

with a fascinating piece of history.

- Right, what do we have here?

- We have a Dictaphone.
- A Dictaphone?

- A 1928 Dictaphone, I think.

- OK, this is beyond my average bit of
woodwork, so we might need

some help here. Mark?

- Yes?
- Do you mind popping over?

- Gladly. What have we got?

- Authority on all things audio, Mark
Stuckey.

- What a fascinating piece of
machinery.

- It was my godfather's.

He was an author, and he used to use
it to dictate his books

to his secretary. So he would dictate
onto these wax cylinders,

and she would type out the
manuscripts.

- Now, how exactly does this work?
Because I've got no idea.

Wax cylinders?
- Yeah.

You see, this one...
- Oh, yes.
- ..has got recordings on it.

- That has got a recording on it.

- And it would just...

..slip on like that.

- It's the opposite of a gramophone
concept.

Your voice there activates a
diaphragm.

That diaphragm moves the stylus,

and it goes in and out recording the
sound.

- Whilst the wax cylinder is...

- Moving along.
- ..turning around. Oh, I see.

- Yeah.
- So you can play back on this as
well?
- Yes.

- What was your godfather's name?
- William Gerhardie.

He was born in Russia to British
parents in 1895,

and stayed in Russia until he came to
England to be educated.

And he had quite an interesting First
World w*r.

He joined the British Army and was
immediately sent back

to Saint Petersburg - or Petrograd, as
it was then - to the British

Embassy, because he had a knowledge of
Russia

that not many British people had.

He then went to Oxford and started
writing, and had his first book

published while he was an
undergraduate in 1922.

And that book was Futility,

so it was about his experiences in
Russia, and his books

did sell really well.

He started writing about his
experiences in the Jazz Age

in the 1920s.
- That fantastic period of the '20s
and '30s,

he must have met some amazing and
famous people.

- He knew George Bernard Shaw, Graham
Greene.

Evelyn Waugh said that he had talent,

but he thought Gerhardie had genius.
- Oh, wow.

- So he had very high praise from his
fellow authors.
- Yes.

- So how does he sort of know the
family?

- My mother met him during the Second
World w*r.

They lived in flats next door to one
another.

He became very close to the whole
family.

We used to spend quite a lot of time
round at his flat. When I was older,

I used to speak to him on the
telephone -

quite often for an hour or two.
- Really?

- Yeah. I think he felt that our
family was part of his family.
- Yes.

So when did he actually die?
- 1977.

And my mother inherited this.

I'm afraid that we have never seen it
work.
- Right.

- Really?
- No.

All we know, or we think we know is
that what is on some

of the cylinders will have been
recorded 80 years ago.

- Wow. A little time capsule.

Yeah. How exciting.
- Yes.

Have you ever worked on something like
this before?
- No.

- No?
- No.

- Well, I hope you manage to be able
to do something with it!

- That makes two of us!

- OK. Well, thank you very much
indeed.
- It's been a great pleasure.

Nice to see you.
- Bye-bye.

- What an amazing machine.
- It's superb.

I can't wait to sort of dive in and
have a look.

- I just want to know what's on there.
- Yes. Don't we all?

- Hopefully, we're going to find out!
Good luck.
- Thank you.

It's a fascinating piece of equipment.

This is totally foreign to me, and
that's why it's exciting.

But, at the same time, a bit of
trepidation, thinking,

"Oh, what have I put myself in for?"

I'm going to take this off here,

but I can see that I can unscrew these

and this has got a hinge at the back.

This should open up.

It's incredibly heavy.

First thing I've got to do is look at
every detail

of this and study it intently

so I've got a good understanding of
how it was meant

to have functioned before I take
anything apart. Very important.

- While Mark masters the insides of
the Dictaphone,

Amanda has been tasked with helping
Jess the cat

with his tummy trouble.

- The tummy panel is really where
Colin puts his fingers

into the stomas, and you can really
see the damage that this has caused.

It's in really poor condition.

And I think, on this occasion, I am
going to replace this tummy panel.

So from what's left of it, I've
managed to make myself

a template, and I'm about to cut out
the new fur.

What is really important when you're
cutting out fur

is to make sure you use tiny, pointed
scissors

and cut just the back.

Don't cut any of this pile, cos that
can really ruin the work

that you're doing. If there's a chunk
missing,

it can look really, really ugly.

- Before I washed Jess, I removed all
Lesley's previous repairs

and patches. It did reveal that these
patches had covered areas

of damage where Jess's body had
stretched out.

And it's my job now to bring Jess back
to the shape that he should be.

This is fiddly, but only inasmuch as
I'm gently encouraging

those ladders to close back up again.

Once I'm happy with the shape, I'll
then be able to draw

around that body and the legs,

and create the template that I need

for the fleece that will line his
body.

- Jonathan is using a sharpening stone
to give the rust

on the scissors its marching orders.

- So the trick to doing this well is a
very subtle hand movement.

The blade not only has to be curved,
but I have to put a twist

into the blade like a propeller.

The shape should be there now.

Judging on how the light bounces off
the inside of that blade,

I can see that there's a twist and a
curve.

So if I were to compare that to the
blade

that I haven't yet ground,

really pleased with how this one's
turned out.

I just have to do the same with the
rusty one.

Watch this, then.

Lovely. Two.
- Two!

- That's a warm-up.

One, two, three...

Oh, that's... Oh! Now, that is ten.
- That was good.

- That was very, very good.

So I've gotten the scissor blades to
this mirror polish,

but this isn't how Jannette remembers
these.

The matte-grey finish that Jannette
remembers is actually probably

down to the care of these scissors.

If you treat them well and you apply
oil and you keep them clean,

they will slowly develop that darker
grey patina.

So I'm actually going to be forcing a
patina with a home remedy

that was used to treat carbon steel to
prepare it for work

that involved moisture and water.

I need the hot water to speed up the
reaction.

And I've also got white vinegar, which
will be the acid that forms

that patina, but evenly and very
quickly.

That's what's going to give us that
grey finish.

So we just need to put these in the
solution now.

All I've got to do is wait.

- As Jonathan stands by...

..Mark's repair to the 1920s
Dictaphone is gathering pace.

- I've had a good look around now at
all the mechanisms, and I've got

a good idea how this is expected to
function.

Now the next thing is putting power to
it

and to see what actually happens.

Mains electricity in the sort of late


was around the 110V, not the 240 we
know today.

So I need something to turn the power
up slowly, not fully,

cos I could damage it.

To do that, I'm using an item called a
Variac.

I slowly wind the voltage up, looking
to see if there's

any current flow.

We're now at 40V.

It's trying to turn.

And when you consider this has been
asleep for over


the 50s and 70s...



and it's ticking over nicely.

No smells whatsoever, which is always
a good sign.

Well done, old thing. You are doing
remarkably well.

- It's really important that I make
sure that Colin can still hold Jess

in the way that he's used to. What
I've come up with is one tube

so he can put his thumb in one end

and his finger in the other.

And we have to imagine that this is
all going to be inside Jess's body.

So the first thing I need to do is to
attach this tube

to the lining of the tummy panel.

I'm going to stitch around this twice
to make sure

it's good and strong, and will take
all the love

that Colin wants to give him.

- I actually have pet ducks.

- You get that?
- You fed him!

Aw! This is lovely, isn't it?

- Very well-deserved break.
- Aw!

- Ducks seem to be enjoying our
company as well, so...

- I think they just want the food.

- You reckon?
- Yeah!

I don't think they'd care who it was!

- Mark is coaxing the 1920s Dictaphone
back into action

after decades lying dormant.

- I've cleaned up the clutch and all
the gears,

so they're now moving freely.

What I need to do now is the sound
head, which is here.

What have we got? Right...

Air comes in to this chamber.

This diaphragm will flex,

which makes the needle point move up
and down.

And when you put it to play mode, it
will go up and down

in those indentations on the wax
cylinder.

Part of the original gasket, made of
rubber, has deteriorated.

Therefore, there's no longer a perfect
seal.

So I'm going to have to very carefully
take all this out,

redo the gaskets, reassemble it,

and hopefully, by then,

we should have a nice, tight, filled
chamber again.

And then it should work as good as the
day it did over 70 years ago.

Here we go.

- WHIRS

- This is the lining that I've made
from the fleece for Colin's cat,

which I've just got to feed into
Jess's body.

And there...

..I now have a good framework to make
the repairs into.

So how's his tummy coming along?

- It's done. It's done.
- Oh, let me see.
- Yeah.

Have a feel, see what you think.

- Oh, yeah. It feels really robust.
- Good.

- I really like that.

- So I guess the question here is...

..are they going to fit together?

- Well, that'll be down to our
templating skills, I think!

There you go.
- Oh, thank you very much!

- I'll watch in a supporting role.
- OK.

That tucks in there.

That goes round. I think we're going
to be OK, you know.

That goes round his little leg, look.

- It's going to fit perfect.
- Brilliant.

So I'll get this stitched in here.
- Yep.

- Put the stuffing in, head on - Jess
will be ready to go home.

- Exciting. Well done.

- Jonathan has managed to recreate an
aged matte patina on the

newly restored barber's scissors.

- The water vinegar solution that I
used has actually put

a really even grey finish

that's closer to what Jannette should
remember.

Now, with the cut-throat razors, the
last thing I need to do

is put that edge on it.

The stone I'm using here is a wet
stone.

I'm starting with the roughest one

before I then go on to a finer grit
stone,

where I can begin to hone that edge.

It's been a massive joy working on
this barber's set,

so I'm really looking forward to
Jannette's reaction when she sees

the state closer to what she
remembers.

- Jannette used these very tools to
cut her beloved dad's hair

from the age of 16.

- Those are beautiful.

Wow.

Are you happy?
- Very happy.

They work as well!
- Well done.

- They also hold powerful memories of
being taught by him.

- How are you doing?
- Hello, hello!

Are you all right?
- So, how are you doing?

- Nervous.

- You're nervous?
- Yeah, I am.

- Why?
- I didn't realise how much I'd miss
them.

It's daft. I know it's daft.
- No, it's not daft. It's not.

- Well, I hope I do you both proud.
- Yeah.

I'm sure you will.

- Go on, do the honours.

- Are you ready?
- Yeah.

- SNIFFLES

- Oh, my God! I can't believe that.

Jonathan, you've done a brilliant job.

Look at those scissors!

Oh, my Lordy.

Oh, that is absolutely...

That's spot-on. That is spot-on.

And look at those.

- Is that the finish you remember?
- I...

Yeah. It's just... That's just blown
me away, I tell you!

That's just brought back so, so many
happy memories

of me and my dad. I can't thank you
enough.

I really can't thank you enough.

It's just...

That's my dad there.

My dad right there.

This is all I have of my dad.

And to see them in this condition is
just outstanding.

Absolutely outstanding.

Thank you, Jonathan.

- JAY CHUCKLES

JANNETTE CHUCKLES

- Thank you so much.

- You take care now.

- Thank you.

- Bless her.

So you did that. Well done, man.
- Thank you.

- Good on you. On to the next one.

- Absolutely elated.

I never thought that anybody would be
able to fix these.

My dad was everything to me.

So this is the biggest of things

that I could ever have done for my
dad.

To see them go from rust to silver to
shine

makes me feel so happy.

- BIRDSONG

- Squeeze it! There you go. All right.

I've got it. Got it, got it, got it.
- Got it?
- Let go!

- Go on. Keep going.
- I've got it! Let go!

- Keep going. Go on. Keep going!

- More stories from the past, as items
continue to arrive at the barn.

Sisters Christine Sipos and Sian
Gwyer, from Newport in South Wales,

are hoping conservator Kirsten Ramsay

can work her ceramic sorcery.

- Hi there.
- Come in, grab a seat.

- Oh, thank you.

- Now, I'm sure there's something
glamorous inside this cardboard box,

right?
- This is the top of it, which is not
damaged.

- Oh, look at that!

- This is what was damaged.

- Oh, dear, oh, dear! Goodness.

- There's quite a few small pieces.
- OK.

- Oh, there you go.
- Right,

so I'm not too sure exactly what I'm
looking at,

apart from a lot of broken pieces.

What exactly is this?
- Fruit dish.

- Fruit bowl.
- Yeah.

That stands up, and that goes on the
top.

- So it's from Hungary, wasn't it?
- Yeah.
- OK.

And what's the connection with
Hungary?

- My husband, Itsvan, but he's known
as Steve.

That's where he was from.
- So, you're Welsh?

- I'm Welsh.
- How did you both meet?

- In a pub. I was playing darts.

Steve threw a packet of cigarettes
over,

and he said, "Open them for me."

Oh, I...

I picked them up and I threw them
back.

I said, "Open them yourself!"

- WILL LAUGHS

- And it just went from there.

He was very muscly, strong.

His mannerisms was like Sean Connery.

- Really?
- Mm.
- Yeah.

- A young, muscly, Hungarian Sean
Connery.

- Oh, yes!
- Yes.

- I couldn't have asked for a better
person.

He was kind, gentle...

- You say "was" - has he passed away?

- Oh, sorry, yes.

He was k*lled by a drunk driver 23
years ago.
- Gosh.

- He was a very caring man.
- Mm.

- When and why did Steve come over to
the UK?

- Well, he had the uprise in Hungary,

and that's where he escaped, then,
from Budapest.

- After the Second World w*r, under a
Soviet Allied government

and the iron fist of communism, the
Hungarian people suffered

oppressive rule and poor living
standards.

But on the 23rd of October, 1956, a
protest in Budapest -

demanding the withdrawal of Soviet
troops - sparked a revolution.

Soviet tanks rolled in to crush the
national uprising,

and as thousands were k*lled and
wounded,

nearly a quarter of a million
Hungarians fled the country.

- They were running towards Austria

because there was two planes in
Austria - one was for America

and one was for Britain. He got
through the border

and the American plane was full, so he
had to go on the British one.

- And the rest is history, as they
say!
- Yeah.
- Isn't it?

- Steve came over in 1956 and we met
in 1975.

- So can you tell us how you came to
have this beautiful bowl?

- He hadn't been back home since the
uprise.

I kept on and on to him about, "We'll
go and visit your mam."

So in 1985 was the first time we went
over there.

She couldn't believe he was home.
- Mm.
- Yeah.

- Me and Steve then, we was going past
this shop,

but I said, "Oh, look at that. Isn't
that beautiful?"

And Steve said, "Do you want it?"

- Aw!
- It was beautiful.

And nobody had seen one like it.

It's memories of my first visit over
to see his mam.

And it's pride and joy on the cabinet,
isn't it?

- Why is this so damaged?

- Eight years ago, I went up to stay
with her for a couple of days,

and I was cleaning. And as I picked it
up, I didn't realise

that the bottom came away from the
top, and it just smashed.

And I was absolutely heartbroken,

because I knew how much it meant to
Christine.

- I can see some glue,

so someone has tried to fix this,
right?
- Yes.

- It was a... I don't know what glue
she used, but it wasn't very good.

- That's not saying much about my
handiwork!

- Well, it's going to be a pleasure to
try and get

these pieces back together.

- Oh, it'd be more than a dream.

And I know they'll all be up there
cheering.

- Thank you for coming to see us, and
we'll see you very soon.

- All right. Thank you very much.
- Thank you very much.
- Bye-bye.

- Bye-bye.
- Thank you.
- Bye-bye!

- This is absolutely amazing.

- There's so much wrapped up in this.

It does feel like quite a
responsibility to get this back

and looking good again.

What a lovely story from Christine.

The actual fruit bowl itself seems to
be completely undamaged,

so I think this would sit

on top of this pedestal.

So then we've got this base,

and I'm slightly concerned that

this area here is missing.

And we've got these figures

that sit on top of the base.

I'm hoping that the pieces will go
together quite nicely.

They tend to with porcelain.

I'm just going to start trying to
remove this old adhesive.

I'm just going to get it cleaned up so
that I can get on to the next

stage of reassembling this.

- Mark's all ears on his repair of the
vintage Dictaphone.

- I've refitted the sound head.

Now, before I can even attempt to
really test it, I've got to get

the speaker tube operational.

Now, the speaker tube connects
physically to there,

so you can sort of talk down it and
listen back.

This particular mechanism also has the
switch, which is effectively

an on-off switch. When you want to
record or play, you press that.

That will then activate this cylinder
so it will rotate,

so you can then start your play or
record.

Unfortunately, it looks like here, the
actual cable, the inner wire

within that cable is actually broken.

Because when you depress the button,
nothing's happening.

It's quite tricky, it's quite small,

and it's really something which I'm
not so experienced

to deal with. So let's go and see if I
can have a chat with Dom.

- Mark has asked me to have a look at
this hand-piece for the Dictaphone.

I think there's a cable inside,

almost like a brake cable on a
push-bike.

I bet that's broken,

which is causing, like, a weak link,
essentially.

I'm going to take the end off, have a
look inside

how this is put together.

It's tiny!

And these little components are so
small.

- HAMMERING

- A lot smaller than I'm used to
working on.

This is definitely a challenge for me.

Ooh... Ah! Hey! Here we go!

That is the inner cable.

I've found it!

Yeah. Look, the fact that that's
coming out of there

means that it's broken.

This thin piece of wire is the answer
to my problems.

It's just the right size to fit all of
the pieces from the original

wire and solder them all onto this,
which is easier said than done.

Everything is tiny.

- I think Colin's cat is looking
purr-fect!

Absolutely perfect.

The trachea hole and the stoma,

we've got those in place, so Colin
will be able to put his fingers

in there and get that lovely comfort.

So one of my final jobs, this...

These little eyes are looking a bit
scuffed,

and they look a bit like he's got
cataracts, bless him!

So I'm going to try and bring some of
that shine back

with a little bit of an eye polish.

Who would have guessed a manicurist
buffer would have turned out

to be the perfect tool for shining
eyes?

There we go. Look at that.

What a difference.

I think that'll just put the finishing
touches on him, and he'll

be all ready to go back to Colin and
his family.

Perfect.

- When Jess the cat arrived at the
barn, he was looking

like he'd used up most of his nine
lives.

- Very excited!
- Yeah, I think Jess is excited.

Right, this is your moment.

There you go.

- Right!

- But he's helped Colin, along with
mum Lesley and sister Nicola,

through the toughest of times.

- Hello!

- Hi!
- Hi!

- You must be Colin!

Welcome to the barn!

How lovely to meet you.

- Hello, Lesley.
- Hello.
- Hello, Nicola.
- Welcome back!

- Thank you.
- Oh, this is such a lovely surprise!

Have you come to meet Jess again?

- Yes, I know he's there!
- Oh!

- He has really missed him.

Really missed him.

It's a strange thing - he has been
missed by all of us

because he's just such a part of
Colin.

- OK. You've waited really patiently,
don't you think?
- Yes.

- Are you ready?

- Oh!
- Oh!

- LAUGHTER

HE CRIES

- Oh, wow.

Isn't he beautiful?! Can we have a
look at him?

- He's got a collar!

- What do you say to the ladies?

Do you have a high five for them, or a
hug for them?

- Yay!
- Oh!

- He really looks fantastic.

Thank you so, so much.

- You're so welcome.
- So, so welcome.

- Thank you.
- You are so welcome, Colin.

- So welcome. So welcome.
- Thank you so much.

- Are you going to cuddle him tonight?

Yeah?

- He will be there every night now.

But listen, thank you very, very much
indeed.

We really do appreciate it.
- Absolutely.

Can I shake your hand, young man?
- Aha.

- It's been a pleasure.

- Thank you. Oh!

- Oh!

- LAUGHTER

- Jess, it's been a pleasure to meet
you as well.

- LAUGHTER

- You take care.
- Thank you.

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you very much.

- Bye! Bye, Colin!

- Bye!

- ALL: Bye.

- I think he was happy!

- Oh, that was so lovely.

- Just to see the joy that Jess brings
him,

erm, was just wonderful.

- For him to just burst into tears, it
did,

it made it quite emotional for all of
us, didn't it?

- It's very happy tears for Colin.

He just is so excited to have him, and
it's just lovely

that he has his companion back.

Is it a one thumbs up or a two thumbs
up?

- All hands up!

- All hands up! Brilliant.

- INDISTINCT CONVERSATION

- At last, I've cleaned up all of the
pieces for Christine's fruit bowl.

So I'm now going to put these bits

back together, and I'm going to hold

them in place using tape to get

all of these pieces in exactly the
right position.

This is quite fiddly.

When you've got a section missing,

it never quite balances and everything
wants to move around.

Right, that feels like it's aligned.

I want to just get the tape in place,

and using quite a bit of pressure,

pulling it and holding those two
pieces together.

Once I've got the whole thing
reassembled, I'm going to introduce

an epoxy resin using capillary action.

And that means the adhesive will be
drawn down into the cracks.

- WHIRS

- This feels like a real achievement
just to see Christine and Steve's

bowl base standing upright.

The alignment is really spot-on now,
so I'm going to get my adhesive

ready, which is a two-part epoxy.

I've got it over some hot water.

I want it as runny as possible

so that it's drawn down into those
joins.

I'm confident that this is going to be
strong and stable

once the epoxy resin's cured.

I then need to address this missing
section here.

This has gone together really nicely.

I can now handle this and not worry
that it's going to fall to pieces.

But it's shown me some considerable
areas of loss.

The main area of concern is this
section right at the front.

It's got this raised decoration.

I'm going to take a mould of another
section of the base and see if

I can cast it and transfer it to fill
in this gap.

I'm going to use a two-part silicone
mould for this.

So they use this for making
impressions for hearing A*DS.

I'm going to press it on, because I
want to get

all of that lovely detail.

So that's my mould,

and I can see on there there's some of
that lovely detail from the base.

And I'm going to introduce the plaster
into the mould.

Whilst the plaster is hardening,

I'm going to fill some of these other
missing areas.

I'm going to use epoxy resin paste

and just shape these bits freehand.

So that shape's coming along.

I'm already thinking what colours I'm
going to use

when I start retouching this.

These are such lovely, strong, vibrant
colours.

- With Dom's switch work on the
Dictaphone complete,

it's Mark's time to test.

- So let's see, if we engage that...

There we go. That's working.

And it stops and it starts and it
stops, which is good.

So what I'm going to do is put this
now to play,

and that's just pushing this back
here.

- GARBLED SOUND

- Can hear something, but it's a bit
slow.

- SINGING BECOMES AUDIBLE

- Overall, considering it wasn't
working at all and we've now got

a fairly good audible sound out of it,
I'm happy that Sebastian

can hear once again his godfather
talking.

We shall bring the past back to the
present.

- Anglo-Russian novelist and
playwright William Gerhardie

once used this Dictaphone to create
his masterpieces.

- How are you doing, Mark?
- Hi, Jay! All ready.

- Looking good.
- Yeah.

- It's working?
- Yes, yes. It's working.

- Sebastian's going to like that.
- Yeah.

It'll be interesting, though.

A voice he's not heard for a long
time.

- Having lain silent for decades,

today, William's godson Sebastian

is hoping to hear his voice from the
past.

- Hello, Sebastian!
- Hello!

- How are you?
- Fine, thank you.

- So, how are you feeling?

- Apprehensive, excited - I have no
idea what's going to happen.

- And you've never seen this working,
have you? You've never...
- Never. No.

I strongly suspect that it hasn't
worked since the Second World w*r.

- OK. Ready, Mark?
- Yes.

Are you ready?
- I am.

Wow!

It's a lot cleaner than it was.
- Right.

- How...
- How does it work?
- How does it work?

- You had a number of these wax
cylinders.
- Yeah.

- A lot of them, though, as you
probably were aware,

were badly damaged.
- Yes.

- This one here was incredibly
damaged.
- Yeah.

- There's hardly any sign of any
information on there.
- Right.

- But the machine now is sensitive
enough to pick up

a ghostly impression what was left.
- Oh, wow.

- So what I've got to do is put this
on here...
- Yeah.

- ..like that.

So you can just hold the horn.
- Yeah.

- It's quite quiet because the
impressions are very faint.

- CRACKLING

INDISTINCT SPEECH

..tell these stories whenever they
come, because...

INDISTINCT

- Wow!

- It's the proper thing...

INDISTINCT

- That is... I'm astonished! That is
fantastic.

That is absolutely fantastic. Wow!

I am in awe!

I think I'm absolutely in awe.

I'm amazed.

His main means of communication
towards the end of his life

was by a telephone, and hearing his
voice through this speaker

was like hearing his voice on the
telephone.

Just hearing that again...
- Yeah.
- ..just is incredible.

Thank you very much indeed.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- You take care.
- You take care.
- Thank you. Bye-bye.

- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.

He was over the moon.
- He was happy. That's good. Yes.

- You made his day.

- The Dictaphone is more than I could
have possibly imagined.

I'm absolutely astonished!

It's fantastic.

I mean, to hear my godfather from 80,
maybe even 90 years ago,

I think is an incredible thing to have
achieved.

You'd forget somebody's voice over a
period of time,

and it immediately comes back to you.

So, yes, it was a wonderful
experience.

Absolutely wonderful.

- The Hungarian fruit bowl is back in
one piece, with just some final

delicate touches required to get it to
gold standard.

- We're finally ready to put this gold
decoration back onto the missing

section of the base.

The lines are quite fine and you've
got to try

and recreate that looseness.

I'm going to use a metal lacquer.

I think putting this gold back on is
really going to just pull

all of that together.

I'm looking forward to returning

this to Christine and Sian,

and seeing what their reaction is.

- Christine and her late husband
bought this fruit bowl on his first

trip back to Hungary, after fleeing a
political uprising

almost 30 years earlier.

- Jay?

- Yeah. Ready?

- Mm-hm.
- Wow. Looks amazing.

- Thank you.

- For Christine and her sister Sian,
it's a symbol

of reunions and remembrance.

- Hello!
- Hello.
- How are you doing, ladies? All
right.

- We're fine, thank you.

Nervous!
- You're nervous?

- I don't know how I'm going to react!
- OK!

- LAUGHTER

- Well, take a deep breath, yeah?

Ready?
- OK.

- Oh, my God!

Oh, gosh!

- Oh, my...!

- Oh, that's beautiful!

- Oh, it's beyond words.

Oh, honest to God! It is...

Wow.

Oh, Kirsten, I'm going to have to come
and cwtsh you!

- THEY LAUGH

- Come on!

Oh, thank you, sweetheart.

Oh, bless you.

You're an angel.

- Oh, bless.

- Oh, my God!

I can't believe it.

Oh, look at that.
- Yeah!

- See, that's what...
- I'm afraid to touch it. Sorry!

- Steve always said, you know, that
was him and that's me.

- That was you, yeah.
- Oh! Bless.
- Yeah.
- Isn't it?

Oh, thank you, sweetheart.

Oh, I love it.

Oh, God bless him!

- It's been a real pleasure to do that
for you,

and seeing your reaction is just
incredible.

- I'm blown away.

Yeah.
- No, we thank you both for bringing
this in

and telling us about Steve.
- Thank you for taking it on,
honestly.

- What a lovely thing for me to be
able to do for you, so...

- Oh, thank you ever so much.
- That's all right.

- You take care.
- Thank you.

- Aw!
- Look at the sisters.

Aw, it makes you want to have a
sister, innit? Cor blimey.

Bless them.

Let's wrap this up really well.
- I'm going to wrap it so carefully.

Yeah.
- Well done, you.
- Thank you.

- It's just a miracle.

It's as beautiful today as the day we
bought it from the shop.

It was precious to me, precious to
Steve.

It's nice to have a bit of Steve back.

And I know he's going to be watching
down and say, "That's my girls."

- 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.