03x05 - Victorian Nursery Chair

[bunniefuu]

Welcome to The Repair Shop,

where cherished family heirlooms
are brought back to life.

This is the workshop of dreams.

Home to furniture restorer
Jay Blades.

Nowadays, everybody spends a fortune
on stuff that, once it's broken,

they just bin it.
But everybody has something

that means too much
to be thrown away,

and that's where we come in.

Working alongside Jay

will be some of the country's
leading craftspeople.

Every piece has its own story.

It's amazing to think that

some of my work becomes part
of that story.

I've always played with things,
I've always repaired things.

And I just love it.

It's a real pleasure in bringing
people's pieces back to life again.

Each with their own
unique set of skills...

I can't wait to get started.

..they will resurrect...

..revive... On board, man!
..and rejuvenate...

..treasured possessions

and irreplaceable pieces
of family history...

Wow! ..bringing both the objects.

She's fantastic!
That's just taken me back 50 years.

..and the memories that they hold...

THEY GASP
Oh, yes!

..back to life. Oh, my God!

In The Repair Shop today...

Back to nature for Kirsten
as she fashions ceramic flowers

for an extraordinary clock.

I just want to get that
crinkly edge a bit more.

Our art conservator Lucia has
to use all her tricks of the trade

to revive a neglected painting.

I'm just working in a tiny, little
area to see what effect I get.

You see what happens?

Wow, it's working.

It's working! It's working.

So nice. I think that chair's epic.
OK, great.

The first item destined
for the workshop has been brought

by owner Lucy Sanders
from Bournemouth.

I'm Will. Hi, Will, nice to meet
you. Nice to meet you.

So, what's in the boot?

A Victorian nursing chair. Wow.
Lovely.

Lucy is hoping that furniture
upholsterers Sonnaz Nooranvary

will be able to rise
to the challenge

where others have failed.

Right. Right! Nice chair. Thanks.

Looks like it needs a bit of TLC.
Yeah, definitely.

Is that why it's here?
It got stripped

to be reupholstered for me
as a gift,

but unfortunately it hasn't been
able to be done.

It's just a bit of a contrast with
this and this! Yeah, so...

When the upholsterer took the chair
away from us,

I think because it's all been
hand-stitched onto the frame,

it became too difficult and she said
she wouldn't be able to do it.

So this is as far as she got,
and I haven't been able to find

anyone else that's able to...

..to do it for me.

What's the story behind the chair?

Originally, the chair was
my grandfather's auntie, Winnie,

and it got passed down
to my grandparents,

and it's been with them ever since,

until I had it
in the last few years.

Oh, amazing.

For me in particular,
it is important.

Because I was really close to
my grandpa for my whole life and

got a lot of extra time with him
as the youngest grandchild.

Unfortunately, he passed away
two or three months before

he was supposed to walk me
down the aisle.

That's why everyone thought it
would be extra special

if I got something nice from
the house that I could remember.

Yeah, really special.

So this is a nursing chair,
am I right? Yeah,

that'd be called a nursing chair.

It's an iron back
and a wooden base rail here,

which is where all the springs
are webbed and tied to.

Iron back frames are really,
really traditional.

I wouldn't use modern techniques
on this, I would stay as traditional

as possible so that you can have it
in your family for more generations

to come, really. Hope so, yeah.

Well, we should probably get this
over to your bench.

Wonderful. Lovely.
Thank you, thank you.

Cheers. Thanks.

Bye. Bye-bye. Bye.

There's so many layers to this.
It's a lot of work. A lot of work.

I'm excited to start, but it's
going to be a big challenge.

Really big challenge.
Big challenge. Yeah.

I always sat on the lift chair,

and it just reminds me
of being with my grandpa.

And we really want to keep it in
the family and keep using it.

Because it's a dusty job, the best
place for Sonnaz to peel back

decades of old upholstery
is outside.

I've stripped the chair out,

which has exposed
the stunning shape of the frame.

I'm just loving
the shape of the back.

It will look pretty and elegant
once the cover is on.

But it is almost a shame to cover up
the craftsmanship as well

in actually making this back,

because this would all be
hand-bent and handmade.

But what I found is this rail
is actually quite brittle.

You can see there's like
a cluster of tacks there.

A cluster of tacks there.

You could easily determine
that this chair's been,

at a guess,

reupholstered two or three times,
at least.

So it would need to be
looked at by Will.

But the rest of the frame -

fabulous, love it.

Will.

Can you come have a look
at this one, please?

I need your advice.

That's not the same chair.
It is the same chair.

No way! Yeah, I know.

I have got a problem
with the front rail, though.

Right, go on. It's pretty beaten up
underneath here.

It's all falling apart.
It's quite soft. Holy Moley!

Holy Moley. If you soak that with
some wood hardener,

that would definitely give it
that strength that it needs.

You don't want to, like,
swamp the wood,

but it's just enough
that it kind of...

..soaks into those holes especially,
yeah.

You can actually see it absorbing
into the wood, can't you?

Yeah, I can actually.

So once that's dried,

this is some sawdust and some
wood glue. OK.

Perfect for that. Yes.

Mix that up and then just
paste it on with that. Nice.

I've got loads more sawdust
and loads of glue. Thank you.

No worries.

While Sonnaz presses on
with the chair,

more visitors arrive.

Diane Bilsby and her
95-year-old mum, Patricia,

need the expertise of clock expert
Steve Fletcher.

Hello. Hello. I'm Steve. I'm Diane,
and this is Patricia.

Hello. Come and sit over
by the table.

Kirsten, I think this is one
for you as well.

So...

Kirsten Ramsay is

The Repair Shop's
ceramics conservator.

Wow, my goodness.

It's lovely, isn't it?

So tell me a bit about it.

It just came from
my husband's family. Yes.

And now it's mine.

They had it in '43.

So Granny had it, then,
until she died in '73.

And we've had it ever since.

Gosh. OK, so it's been
in the family a long time.

I always remember it in Granny's
sitting room. When I went there,

I always went and looked
at the clock. Always loved it,

you know.

This is a French clock, probably
dating back to sort of Edwardian,

maybe late Victorian times. Yes,
that's what I thought, actually.

It's got a bell strike.

Yes, it's got a nice little chime.
It's lovely.

Really nice. It's dainty, isn't it?
It is.

Has it been running all
of this time? No, no.

I did have it repaired once,

but it didn't last very long.

So when was the last time
you heard it ticking?

Well, some time ago.
It's been standing there...

There's a little piece
that's broken off.

KIRSTEN:
There's quite a lot, actually.

Now I look a bit closer at it,

there's quite a lot of
sort of chips. Obviously,

I won't be able to do absolutely
everything, but I shall do

the sort of major pieces and give it
a really good clean-up for you.

- Lovely.
- Yes, yeah.

I'm sure we can bring this back
to life again.

If you'd like to leave it with us...

Yes. ..we'll both set to
and work on it.

Absolutely lovely, yeah. Thank you.
Thank you very much.

PATRICIA: Bye-bye.

I should be very happy if it starts
to chime again,

hear it like it used to be.

It'll mean a lot to me because
I can't see very much now,

and I'd be able to hear it.

I'd know the time was again!
Which would be lovely.

I'm just going to pop
the mechanism out now.

Just taking out these two screws,
which is all that holds

the mechanism in.

It should just slide out the front.

And there we have it,
that's the mechanism inside.

Really good quality French clock
mechanism inside the case there.

That's it. There we go.

That's the pendulum for it.

Which is the original pendulum,
which is good.

So I'm just going to take this
back over to Kirsten,

and she can do her magic.

I've brought you some roses.
Aw, thank you, Steve.

OK, great.

Over to you. I think you've got
the difficult job.

Do you? I do.

Thanks very much.

I think that most people, if they've
got something like this, they just

don't clean it. They're too scared
of damaging it.

So this is
a really great opportunity

to give it a really good clean.

Some warm,
very slightly soapy water.

And just go over and see
if that reveals anything.

Once the ceramic is clean,

Kirsten can clearly see the myriad
of chips and nicks

she has to address.

I'm now going to consolidate
all these areas

that have been chipped,
just sealing the edges.

With this one, I'm going to have
to work quite methodically,

cos if not, I'm definitely
going to miss a few, I think.

Meanwhile, Sonnaz is beginning work
on the layered upholstering

of the nursery chair,

building from the frame outwards.

I'm mapping the metal frame
with strips of calico.

I want to protect the layers
of hessian and the upholstery

stuffing from any rust.

And this is really the
very, very, very first stage of

upholstery,
so I'm quite excited about

getting going finally,
after prepping the frame.

It's all part of the process,

and it's just one of those things
that you get used to, that this...

..none of this has ever seen.

I love this bit because it's
starting to look like a real chair.

I'm not going to know
how this is going to look

until I've actually stuffed it.

I've pleated the hessian here,

hoping that it's going to create
the shape that I want.

And I'm using some horsehair.

Which is the most traditional,

and it's the original stuffing
that you can use.

But there's a black fibre
and a ginger fibre,

and both of those are made
from coconut hair.

There's no sort of right or wrong.

It's just down to preference,
really, and how much of a purist

you want to be.

Meanwhile, Kirsten has stabilised
the damage on the ceramic clock case

and is about to start recreating
the missing pieces.

So I'm just going
to make up this stamen,

first of all, and I've got this one
right next to it to copy.

I'm going to model out

of a two-part epoxy modelling paste.

This is great because it just
takes a few hours to cure.

So you've got plenty of time
to shape and smooth your work.

So this is quite long, this stamen,

so I'm just going to mimic that.

These are quite sort of crude
and rough.

And then I just want to get

that crinkly edge a bit more.

It gets quite nice,
gentle undulations.

It has its own sort of charm,
and I'm just trying to mimic that

when I attach these petals.

I've got quite a few pieces
to do on this,

so it's going to keep me busy.

While Kirsten rebuilds the flowers,

Steve has broken down the clock
and is now

overhauling the components.

And in his quest to keep
The Repair Shop running smoothly,

Jay pops over.

So you've decided to put
the tools on.

Yeah. It's just having a bit
of a breather, actually,

and just cleaning up the bezel.

Originally, it was gold plated
but someone has cleaned off the gold

and what was left was
the copper plating underneath.

Yeah. Which is quite thick,
so I've taken the copper off

and just polished it down to the
brass, which looks absolutely great.

That is nice. Yeah.
That is proper shiny.

Yes. I tell you what, I could

probably use that on my tooth,
actually.

Right?

I found out what's wrong
with the clock,

why it wasn't striking.

Can you see those marks on there?

Yeah. They're called witness marks.

And basically,

that's where the barrel was rubbing
on teeth like that,

and they would have all been
catching. Right.

So why is it called a witness mark?

Because it witnesses what the...
What's going on. What's going on.

Yeah, absolutely.
That's quite smart. Yeah.

Witness mark.
So this barrel's all loose.

There's too much play in that.

So that's been rubbing on there,
and that's been causing

the striker problem.

So I've just mixed in some
blue and ochre for that as well.

Cos it's not actually black-black,
it's kind of...

..greeny-black.

Stevie... You haven't finished it
already?! I have!

There we go.

Oh, dear. What do you mean
"oh, dear"?!

I haven't finished
the...the mechanism.

You're dragging your heels.
No, I'm not dragging my heels.

What's going on here, then?

Oh, we're just discussing this.
Oh, now, where's the clock?

It's over here. I'll be getting on
with that in a minute.

Our Kirs has finished that,

and you're still dragging your
heels?

I've been doing other things.
OK. I'm very, very busy.

I know you are, Steve,
but it's not like you to

not have something finished.

I'm just about to start
on the mechanism.

Once that's done, this is going
to look absolutely great.

That shouldn't take too long? No.

Is that going to be all right,
though?

I think it should be out of the way,
because if Jay comes over,

he's bound to knock it over.
At the speed that you're working,

this will still be here
gathering dust.

It's going to need another clean.

So I'm out of here!
Don't blame me, I'm gone.

Next into The Repair Shop...

Former British judo champion
Peter Blewett,

now chief instructor
at the Budokwai,

Europe's oldest and most prestigious
martial arts club.

Hello. Hello.

You must be Peter. Lovely to
meet you. Oh, nice to meet you.

So, this is the painting
from the Budokwai. I'm so excited.

I hope you like it.
Shall we open it up and...?

Please do, yeah. Let's see what
we're going to be talking about.

Peter's hoping Lucia Scalisi,
The Repair Shop's art conservator,

can save a much-loved painting
of one of his sport's pioneers.

Wow, it's a lovely...

..three-quarter length portrait of?

Who is this? Yukio Tani.

He came to England, I believe,
in about 1906 from Japan,

and he was invited by a chap
who wanted to develop jujitsu

in the UK at that time.

So we're talking... He's
a martial arts master. Yeah. OK.

What was interesting about this man
is that he was going around

the music halls, challenging
allcomers to have a go,

and you get a pound a minute you
could stay standing on your feet.

Allegedly, he only lost one fight,
and that was to a fellow Japanese

who obviously took him on
because he was the man to beat.

In 1918, Yukio Tani became
one of the first instructors

at the Budokwai martial arts club.

And you're the chairman
of the Budokwai.

Do you actually practise...?
Yes, I do.

Oh, you do! Tuesdays, Thursdays

and Saturday afternoons,
I'm still there.

Is it ever too late to learn?

No, ma'am, no.
That's what I like to hear.

The painting has been associated
with Budokwai a long time,

and to be honest,
we took it for granted,

and sadly it fell off the wall,
and I thought,

"I must get him cleaned and sorted."

There's obviously quite a lot

of repair to be done, particularly
in this area. It's very dirty.

Would these garments
that he's wearing be white...

Yes. ..in reality?

So then we're talking lead white,
and they'll be very white.

This often happens - it's not
until a painting's damaged

that people decide something needs
to be done to it other than just

repairing the damage.

This is fantastic.

It's a very competent piece,
I think, and quite unusual.

I mean, it's quite early.
I would say, what, 1930s?

I'm guessing it would be
around that period.

I think I know who this artist is.

George Lambourn. Right, OK.
And I think he's actually

a trained, formally trained artist,
but he was a judo black belt.

Yeah, he was one of the first
Englishmen to get a black belt.

So he probably knew Tani. He would
have been taught by Tani,

hence Tani inviting him
to do his portrait.

It's great that you've brought
in a painting where, not only do

you know who the sitter is,
it actually means something

to you and the Budokwai and,
you know,

and we can tie in the artist
as well.

It's unique to us. It is.

It's a unique story as well,
I think.

There's something about this chap,

that even when you win well
or you lose badly,

you still need to reflect
on what you've done.

And for me, that portrait... It does
it, really. Deep reflection, yeah.

I really look forward to seeing him
back in the dojo,

looking down and guiding us
and those that have yet to come.

Master of all he surveys.

I'm quite excited, actually,
to have

a refreshed Yukio Tani
looking imperiously down on us.

For me and others, he's been

quite an inspirational character,
really.

I want to get the back off.

I'm really excited about seeing
what's going on behind here.

That's the back of the painting.

First view.

And I can already see it's had
some treatment,

which is very worrying.

This painting's endured
multiple restorations

over its lifetime, and Lucia's
spotted a big issue with one

of those historical repairs.

It's very odd because...

..it's been wax-lined,
so they've lined a canvas painting.

I thought it was a board,
it's that hard.

They've turned into a piece
of hard board.

And I suspect that a lot
of this damage here now

is all because whoever's done this
lining has used too hot an iron.

So the damage has been done
by some tradesperson doing this

because they don't understand

the sensitivity of the nature
of paint and they don't understand

the sensitivity of the nature
of canvas and what happens to it.

Things like this make me
very, very sad indeed.

It's a crime that people
still practice this.

You know, we have conservators that
would never in a million years do

this. It probably didn't
even need lining.

It's just quackery, really.
It's...it's just rubbish.

Rubbish. It's very sad.

And I hate to see it.

But, you know, we are where we are
today with this painting,

so I'll just have to clean it
and do my best.

Things are going rather better
on the other side of the workshop,

where Sonnaz has stitched
and stuffed the back

of the Victorian nursing chair,
and it's starting to take shape.

I've been able to retain
the curvature of this back.

Because it had been recovered
and recovered so many times,

this curve had been completely lost.

So I'm really looking forward
to seeing Lucy's reaction

and whether they notice it or not.

SEWING MACHINE RATTLES

Now is the moment of truth
for my top cover

and this velvet.

Just lay the chair down.

Velvet gives you sort of
an immediate answer back

as to whether you've cut everything
in the right place or not.

And that there, for me...

..gives me great joy.

It means my stitched and stuffed

upholstered pad on this back

is spot on, and also it means
that I've cut my curves and lines

in my velvet in the right place.

I can see already that it's
giving me a really nice finish

on this curve,
and that's what I want.

I don't want any puckering
along here.

Stitching in place IS traditional.

And for this particular chair,

it's staying true
to the craftsmanship of

traditional upholstery.

These are my last final stitches...

..for stitching this inside back
on, which is a huge, huge relief.

I am very happy that it's done.

I'm also quite happy
with the results as well.

It's nice and firm. When I take
these last few skewers out,

this fabric shouldn't move,

which would tell me that
I've knotted it all nice

and tightly,
and then I'm ready to web the base.

There have been loads of holes
in this base.

Although we've hardened it
and I've filled it,

I don't want to take the risk
of anything working its way loose,

so I'll get a really lovely fix
using staples.

It might only be
at the halfway stage,

but Sonnaz's work has caught
the eye of foreman

and fellow upholstery expert Jay.

Hello. Hi. This is looking fabulous.
Do you like it?

No, a lot. I really like it a lot.
Thank you.

You've done a brilliant job.

It's a hard thing to do.
An iron back, it's really hard.

I've kind of put my heart and soul
into it, really. Yeah.

Everything that you do from now

is kind of like the most
important bit for the chair.

Absolutely. The webbing,
the springs, the whole shebang.

Yeah. This will make sure
that this chair lasts... How long?

Another lifetime, hopefully.

At least. That's what
I like to hear. Yes, mate.

Well, I bet Lucy's going to love it.
Yeah.

And you haven't roped me in,
so I'm happy. No, I'll let you go!

I'll leave you to it, then. Thank
you. Yeah, thank you. No worries.

Just finished lashing in my springs
so that all of the springs...

..work together. This way,

it means that I'm creating
a really lovely, firm base

and foundation for all
of the stuffing to sit on top.

SCISSORS SNIP

Clock repairer Steve
has completed his renovation

of the porcelain clock mechanism.

Just hanging the pendulum on,
just to see if the clock

is all working now.

I've finished giving it an overhaul
and doing the repair work.

CLOCK TICKS

So that's ticking nicely.

Put the bell on.

Always a good bit, this.

CLOCK CHIMES
There we go.

CLOCK CHIMES

I'm sure Patricia is going to be
really pleased with that.

She's going to hear it
striking away like that.

Because she's losing her sight
as well,

she'll be able to hear this.

It'll be music to her ears.

When I'm working on a clock
like this

that means so much to somebody,

it's a real pleasure.

And I thoroughly enjoyed getting it
to this point,

that it's all done, working,

and I know it's going to be working
for a good number of years ahead.

When Diane and mum Patricia brought
the floral clock into the workshop,

it was grubby, rundown
and hadn't ticked for decades.

But with a ceramic spring clean
and the mechanical overhaul,

the treasured family heirloom
has been transformed.

It'll be wonderful just have it
back there and working

and all in its full glory.
It'll be lovely.

I'm quite excited!

But I'm just hoping...

You know, I'm going to hear
the chime again now.

Hello.

Nice to see you.

Yeah, come on in to the dry.
Glad to get in. There we are.

Hello, hi! Hello. Nice to see you.
Nice to see you.

Would you like to sit down? Yeah.

Here we are.

Exciting moment for you, then.

Yeah, really. Yes.

For the unveiling.

How long is it since you heard
the clock ticking and striking?

Oh, my goodness, several years.

Must be about 20 years,
I should think.

Oh, my word. Quite a long time.

I won't keep you in suspense
any longer.

THEY LAUGH

Oh, is that lovely!

It looks absolutely sparkling now.

Must have been terribly dirty,
wasn't it?

Not dirt, just tarnished.

I've never seen it shine like that.
No, I haven't.

Let me strike it for you.

Then you can hear it...striking.

CLOCK CHIMES

Oh, that's lovely.

Isn't that lovely, to hear it?
Yeah, isn't it?

Oh, that's super. Oh, that's lovely.

Is that a sound you remember?

Yes. I didn't think
I'd hear it again! Aw!

THEY LAUGH

It brings back memories of mine
when I was in the cottage,

where it used to be.

That's wonderful.

When I heard it chime for
the first time after about 20 years,

that was absolutely marvellous.

Delighted.

So I'm very much looking forward
to getting it home,

because I live alone

and it can be very, very quiet
at times.

So it'll be lovely to have
the little chime going.

And the tick again.

CLOCK CHIMES

It's been in the family so long,

and it'll be just so lovely
to have it sitting there,

looking as lovely as it does
and working again.

It's just... You know,
it's just lovely.

Art conservator Lucia was dealt
a blow when she discovered

previous work on the Yukio Tani
painting was partly responsible

for its condition.

Now she's having to use her skill
and expertise to see if she can

reverse any of the damage.

I'm doing some consolidation
of this broken paint layer.

And I'm using an acrylic adhesive.

And then I use my heated spatula...

..just to soften things a little bit
more and see if I can get this

paint to reattach.

So I'm going to take this off
quite quickly.

Now,

I can see that that surface...

..is much better than it was.

I think I can anticipate
good results with this treatment.

I just have to get on with it now,

cos there's quite a bit of yardage
to cover.

With the flaking paint stabilised,

Lucia turns her attention to
removing years of dust and grime

from the surface of the canvas.

She tries a sliding scale
of cleaning techniques,

starting with the least abrasive.

I'm going to do a little spit
clean test, just because this

is the way to start

and it's really easy.

I don't anticipate
much to come off here,

dirt-wise, surface dirt-wise.

But let's have a look.

So there's nothing coming off there,

so I'm now going to do a little

bit of water with a few drops
of ammonia in it.

So it's not too strong.

Now.

Nothing's coming off there either.

So I think what I'll do is
I'm going to go in

with a bit of solvent...

..and see if that can shift
anything.

Solvents are a last resort,
and Lucia needs to tread carefully.

So I'm going to just roll this on
and see if it will just soften.

I'm just working in a tiny little
area to see what effect I get.

To slow down the evaporation...

..I've got some little squares.

This is Melinex.

I'm going to put that on the top

and just see what happens.
Wait for maybe ten or 15 seconds,

that will allow a bit more softening
of the layer of dirt

and old varnish
that I'm trying to take off.

See what happens? Wow, it's working.

It's working! It's working.

I've actually had a breakthrough
with the cleaning.

So what we've got here, Jay,
all this white stuff that you see

is the residue of the cleaning.
All that will actually come off.

You can see straightaway, that part
of his face compared to that.

Absolutely. Funnily enough, the face
isn't as damaged

as the rest of the painting,

which is very, very fortunate.

So the signature...
That's very interesting! Lambourn.

George Lambourn is the artist.

Very interesting guy. A piece
of his work is in the Tate,

so he's quite an established artist.
Oh, is it? Yeah.

But Lambourn himself was
a fantastic sportsman, and as well

as being a black belt at judo,

which he could well have
learned from Tani,

but he obviously had great respect
for Tani, which is why

he painted him... He painted him.

..he... I think he went into the
Olympics as a champion kayaker.

A kayaker?!

Hold on, he's a judo belt
and he's gone...

You should've seen your face!
A kayaker!

He was one of these guys
that could do everything.

It's an amazing story and link,
really, to have the artist related

to the sitter. Yeah, the subject.
And it's such a fantastic painting.

You can make this look fabulous.
Yeah. Happy days. Yeah, I know.

I think Yukio Tani is very happy.

THEY LAUGH

Now cleaned, the artwork
can be varnished

to consolidate the paint,

even the surface
and saturate the colours.

This is the way that I was taught
to varnish, and it works,

and it makes sure that
every quarter is evenly covered.

Any missing paint areas
are filled to level the surface.

So Lucia can colour match
to the original artwork.

I'm just going to start doing some

retouching with a body colour,
which is acrylic paint.

One of the big questions
that people ask

when I am retouching is - why don't
I retouch in oils if I'm dealing

with an oil painting?

And that's a very simple answer
to give.

Because oil paint, when it dries,
it takes about a year

to dry properly.

And by that time,
it's already changed colour.

You get a very good colour match
when you're colour matching,

but it will change colour within
a year.

Under such close scrutiny,

the newly clean painting is giving
up some secrets.

So the raking light,

I can see it keeps catching.

It shows up the surface topography.

But I can also see work
that the artist has done

in terms of sketching out the head,

and I think the head has been
in a couple of different positions,

there's different angles here.

And this is a pentimenti.

Pentimenti. Pentimenti, it's
a Latin word for change of mind,

change of thought,
where the artist has really changed

his ideas as he's painting,
which you can see with the shading.

But also, I thought at one point...

I think he had spectacles on.

I think he had spectacles on.

He was probably made to take them
off because you wouldn't really do

any activity, judo activity,
with spectacles on.

But I'm fairly sure he wore
little round spectacles,

which is an interesting
little...idea, really.

Upholstery expert Sonnaz is in
the final stages of renovating

the Victorian nursing chair,

with owner Lucy due back soon.

Very, very, very happy.

You start to really feel that feel
that I'm looking for and that noise

that I'm looking for, and it's just
such a relief to be able to get

to this stage and know that
all the hard work's been worth it.

Yeah, it's like a wave of
confirmation, really,

that you've done everything you can
to make it the best that you can.

Sonnaz, how are we getting on?
This is where you don't really

want to start rushing, isn't it?

You haven't got THAT much time.

No, I haven't,
but I'm pretty confident

it'll be absolutely bang on before
she gets here. OK. Cool.

It looks perfect. And with velvet,
I just love touching it.

Yeah, I know, me too. There's just
something about it, isn't there?

It's not the same chair, is it,
that came in?

It's not the same chair at all.

You've done one of the hardest
chairs to be done, an iron back.

Yeah, they are. Traditionally done?

Honestly, it was very challenging.
So, from one upholster to another,

you've done brilliantly.
Thank you very much. Thank you.

A job well done just in time

for Lucy's arrival
with mum Hillary.

I was very close to my Poppa,
and the chair

represents a piece of my childhood

that is linked with,

I suppose, my grandparents
and Poppa.

The chair means a lot to the family,
yeah.

It is an heirloom, and it's just
so lovely that it's going to be

repaired and we can use it again.
So it will be really nice to see it.

Hi. How are you doing?
How are you both?

Very good, very nervous to see the
chair. Are you? Excited.

Excited and nervous,
that's a good mix.

So, how many people have you tried
to get this fixed by?

Two. Yeah, it got taken off
by someone and stripped

and someone else had a look at it,
couldn't do it.

It was quite hard trying to find
somebody who could do it. Right.

THEY LAUGH

You ready? Shall we?

Are you ready? We're ready, yeah.

That is lovely. It's beautiful.

So smart, isn't it?

It's just the right colour as well,
Sonnaz, thank you. It's lovely.

Thank you. My pleasure.

Oh, it's great.

It's kept it to how it used to be.

It's... Yeah. How do you feel,
looking at it now?

A bit emotional.

When it was just stuffing
and all falling apart,

it was just so sad to see.

So now, to see it like this...
It just looks amazing.

I love the shape.
You can see the shape of the top.

Yeah, I was really conscious
about showing off

this fabulous shape.

Absolutely gorgeous.

I know Nana and Poppa would be...
They'd be absolutely delighted.

Yeah. Wouldn't they? They would.
Yeah.

Thank you, Sonnaz. It's great.

Yeah, it's lovely.
Thank you so much.

I've given it my heart, my soul,
and we took it right back

to the iron back frame,

and then everything
has just been built back up

using the old,
traditional techniques,

cos it would be a travesty
to do anything else. Yes.

Hopefully, now it will be
with you and your family for a few

other generations.
It will, hopefully, yes.

A bit emotional because
it's a very special chair,

and to see it back how it should be,
it's lovely. It really is. Yeah.

Going to be back in the family
and used as a family chair. Yeah.

I feel really lucky to
be able to have it back

in the way that Sonnaz
has done it so well.

Somebody always sat on it
at Christmas, didn't they? Yeah.

Take you back, that, Lu?

It's like the perfect size.

I'm never going to outgrow
the chair. Perfect.

To have it actually done now,
and to have it done
so beautifully...

Yeah, I was going to say,
it's worth the wait.

Yeah, and exactly as Lucy wanted it.

It's just... It's lovely. Yeah.

As the restored nursery chair
is transported home, Lucia has just

completed the restoration
of the sporting portrait.

This lovely portrait of Yukio Tani
is ready to go back into the frame.

I'm pleased with the way it's gone.

He's looking a lot better.

So I'm just going to turn him over

and pop him into the frame,

and then I'm hoping that when Peter,

who is the chairman of the Budokwai,
sees him and the rest

of the school see him, they'll be
absolutely thrilled to bits.

Lucia has travelled to Chelsea,
in west London,

to return Yukio Tani to his home,

just in time for
the 100th anniversary celebrations

of the Budokwai.

Well, we're very excited today.

The portrait's come back.

And we'll see what
the transformation looks like.

Good morning, Lucia,
welcome to the Budokwai.

It's part of our heritage,
and with the centenary coming up,

we wait with bated breath.

Some of the high profile athletes
who train with the club have been

invited to the unveiling,

including Olympic silver medallist
Ray Stevens.

Yukio Tani is a huge inspiration
to us here, at the Budokwai,

because he's a real legend.

He's one of the pioneers of judo.

Huge inspiration.

Really looking forward
to it being unveiled today.

There's a space on the wall.

So we're looking forward
to seeing it

in its restored state.

If you stand by,
I'll turn it around,

and you'll get the first view.
Excellent. OK?

Yukio Tani, welcome to your wall.
He's back where he belongs. Yes.

Lucia, I can't thank you enough.

It's amazing.

He's cleaner and brighter.

I'm really very, very pleased
with that.

We will treasure it.

I didn't realise how detailed
his face was.

Now I'm looking at it...

Yes.

It's something, guys,
for you to aspire to,

get your portraits painted.

Good to have him back, isn't it?
Yeah.

His background's
a beautiful colour, isn't it?

I think it's very of the period
as well.

I think the painting looks amazing,
now it's been restored and brought

back. It's back in its place,

and brings that fullness
back to the dojo.

It completes the club, I think.

Really enjoyed that moment,

seeing it being returned
to the Budokwai,

where, of course, he belongs.

Join us next time... That's it.

..as more precious pieces
are rescued...

Whoa! What is that?

..and their cherished memories
restored...

This is way beyond my expectation.
..in The Repair Shop.