Episode 17 Money for Nothing

I like the look of your rubbish! How do you make Money For Nothing?

The answer could be hiding in the 30 million tonnes of household waste we

throw out every year. I think that I might be able to make

something out of that. That's why aren't opinions Sarah

Moore wants to get her hands on things before they hit the skip.

That is wartime. I'm a passionate buyer, use and make

the old stuff. And I turn that passion into a moneymaking business.

I make new stuff out of old stuff, and I sell it for a profit.

And with some of the country's elite designers and makers. , the

potential!. She can transform her finds into

desirable, valuable and hopefully saleable items.

Holy moly! If there is successful, then she can

hand the profits back to the very people who had no idea there was

cash to be made from their trash. Thank you, I'm astonished.

Today, Sarah is in Surrey at the Whitley recycling centre. A final

resting place for all our all odds and ends. But for Sarah this is an

opportunity to take that dash and turn it into cash.

The sun is coming out and it is rolling in here. I'm patrolling this

place to find the treasure is being thrown out and make some money for

nothing. Server has been granted special

permission from the recycling centre to undertake this venture. She does

so with some style and grace. And if its stylesheet after, perhaps

Robert's old sewing machine could add a bit of flair. -- if it is

stylesheets after. Is that going back into the car, or

into the skip? I was hoping somebody would be able to reuse it. Do you

remember it being used? Our mum regularly made close. I'd like to

have a look inside because some are collectable. Some are hundreds of

pounds worth of Singer. But you need a key! Do you want me to have a

quick look in my store? If you have a key rate screwdriver, that would

be great. Harder than it looks!

I really want to see it now. That is stuck. Would you mind if I took it

away as the mystery machine? If it is in usable condition, or valuable,

or I can sell it for you, can I get back in touch and show you what I've

done with it? That would be super. Sarah is taking a gamble on there

being something usable and at that. From what you can remember, do you

think Sarah will be able to make anything from it?

May be a lamp stand. Maybe a beautiful lamp stand, that would be

nice. It really is quite exciting, what

might be under there. I just need to find a key to find out.

Well, I know a couple of boys with BT - and the secret for success. --

a couple of boys with the key. This is Josh and Ollie. Best mates who

just love to create. The pair thrive on taking disused materials and

turning them into unique handmade furnishings with flair and

imagination. I'm Josh, and this is Ollie. The

main thing we love is designing new products and new furniture, where

you have that idea and you come into the workshop and see it come to

life. The sort of thing we would like Sarah to bring us a something

with character, a bit of age. I think we like something with a bit

of a story. Like a rusty bits of metal, or a weathered bit of wood.

Something with history and character to it.

Well, we are not sure exactly what it is, although it's probably just a

sewing machine. We are officially off and running

today. And Sarah's back on the march. She's desperately hunting for

our next assignment. I will take any thing. If I can cut

it up, make something, I'm going to have it.

Haps John and Barbara have just the thing for Sarah to save. -- perhaps

John and Barbara. This looks interesting, what is

this? That was my brother's drawing board. He worked as an engineer.

Would it be possible to pull it out and have a look? We were the other

side looks like? Hopefully, it should be smooth. That's what I'm

thinking. I'm really pleased that I was here when this arrived. Because

I love anything that's all. It would be nice if somebody had a use for

it. Unfortunately everybody is chucking out drawing boards. If it

would be something you would let me have, rather than going in there?

Oh, great. Thank you very much. I hope I do something that does it

justice. It is charming, Sarah. Any thoughts

on John and Barbara about its future?

I could imagine it making maybe a piece of furniture. A very nice

table top. Let's hope she does something good. I'm sure she will.

Good on you, Barbara. I know what you're thinking, all

sorts of jokes about going back to the drawing board, making up new

designs. But, seriously, this is a fantastic find. Anything industrial

with this chunky look and surface has got to have potential to be

transforming something that makes money. It better, Sarah. Or it will

be back to the old drawing... I won't say it. But I know a lady who

may. Designer Rebecca is an artisan

blacksmith who can manipulate metal into magnificent moneymakers.

Blacksmithing as a craft, it hasn't really changed over the hundreds and

hundreds of years that it's been around. We still use fire as a tool.

You've got an angle and a hammer. There is something very medieval

about it. With husband Dave by her side, this

team produces high-end furniture and bespoke metal commissions.

My passion for the craft is trying to use it in very contemporary ways.

To still keep it alive and involve it as much as I can with any job

that we do. Well, I'm not sure how many

blacksmithing techniques you'll be able to on this wooden tables.

At the end of a successful day, Sarah has her two items. Josh and

Ollie will endeavour to open the sewing machine box, and Becks will

take on the architect's table. I'm confident that I've saved items

that are worthy of transformation. It is, after ball, at this stage, a

game of chance. But as far as I'm concerned - game on.

Out in the tranquil West Sussex countryside, home to muster makers

Josh and Ollie. Sarah's bringing along the mystery box. But what will

they find inside? I'm sticking with sewing machine.

I've bought the vintage sewing machine to Josh and Ollie to see if

they can open it up and then transform it into something amazing.

But as I haven't actually seen inside it, I'm hoping I'm not about

to stitch them up! Hello, how are you? OK. I have

something for you. I need a hand with it. This came to the recycling

centre. It doesn't have its key with it. So I have never seen inside it.

Oh, OK. Maybe it's not a sewing machine!

Really, guys, it's going to be a sewing machine. But if it's a

collectable one, some rare models can sell for several hundred pounds

- believe it or not. Or it could be just one of the new electric ones.

Oh, it's electric! I shouldn't have got my hopes up.

There are hundreds of these going into tips everyday.

It would almost be called to take the whole thing into the individual

components, and then we could see what we could do with it. Just lay

them out as a blueprint. What can you put it back into that is

completely different, that moves in a funny way? The only thing I would

say it it is difficult to sell non-functioning things. One other

option is to go down the route of using the box. That might be a way

of making something useful and that would sell. If I left you with a

budget of 250, 300 quid, take it apart, see what happens... , can

surprise me. Thanks ever so much. Cheers.

So, boys, you can do whatever you want. Not that!

They have a few ideas about what they might come up with, but that

sewing machine is a real challenge. So it's going to be a total surprise

to see what they make out of it. They've set a budget of 250-300

pounds. It's a fair chunk of money so Sarah is taking a gamble on the

boys coming up with something that will be saleable.

Near Guildford in the Surrey countryside, blacksmith Rebeka Simon

is in her workshop and held today by husband Dave. They're waiting on

Sarah, who was about to drop off her latest puzzler.

She does like to challenge us with things, doesn't she? She does. She

hasn't defeated us yet. I'm sure whatever it is, it'll speak volumes

to us. It will charm of. Hi! Can you guess what it is? No, it looks

really interesting. It's the drawing board. Oh, wow. You've got the

weight something. And this lovely slide which would have gone up and

down. I thought I could leave you with these components and come back

and find an amazing desk. How about kitchen units? Island in the

kitchen? We have lovely bits to hang pots and pans on. Would that work? I

think that would be a good plan for it.

A freestanding kitchen unit - sounds charming. You already have the table

top, so that means you just have too, with a base of some kind. But

shouldn't cost an arm and a leg, should it.

What are you thinking about cost wise it will be to make one? We will

aim for 550... Six... Did you say 550? Lovely! Aim for 550! Bye-bye.

That kitchen unit sounds fantastic and I think it will be really

saleable. They're going to give it their own special touch, aren't

they? We are looking at ?550 to convert

the architect's table into a kitchen unit. It sounds quite simple, so

Rebecca and Dave will have to use their special touch to make this one

a masterpiece. Over in Sussex, let's see how Josh

and Ollie are getting on with the old sewing machine. Wow!

The hope is that once it is stripped down to its component parts,

inspiration will strike. Somewhere with in this is some gold.

Yeah. Gold paint, maybe. As a back-up

plan, the boys have still got the wooden box the sewing machine came

in. It might be a safer bet than what they're doing... Oh, no, here

we go. It looks like Ollie has come up with something. He's made himself

a little friend. Sweet! That will do.

Get Sarah back now. Yeah, get Sarah back in and let her

see her ?300 robot. Oh, Josh, Olie spent ages on that! It's clear

nothing much is getting achieved around here. We will give you some

more time to think. But you'd better get your thinking caps on and come

up with something, and quickly. Back in Surrey, let's hope Becks and

Dave have a clearer plan drawn up for the architect's table, kitchen

unit. Clear as mud. Versus the structure of how it's

going to be. It's going to be relieved. Two lead, with a centre

bit. So it's going to splits and steel. That is going to be the

swinging beliefs out. So that is the plan. -- swinging leaves out.

Bit confused? Me, too. But it sounds as though Rebecca's plan is to split

the table top in three to have two drop leaf extendable sides.

That is super clever. As for the base, Rebecca has an

intricate design in mind that looks like it will be difficult to bring

to life. She starts by picking out lengths of scrap steel to make into

legs, cutting them into size using a donkey saw. Once that is done, she

plans to use the ancient art of splitting to bend the legs into

shape. With blacksmithing you have about

five or six basic techniques that are always used, and splitting is

one of them. Splitting involves first marking the

steel with a chisel. Then the metal is heated. Beaten. Heated. Beaten.

You get the idea. Until we want solid metal bands like plasticine,

creating a split down the middle. As Becks continues bending, Dave

starts to make a frame which will join the wooden top to the metal

legs. He welds together steel bars using a filler material using a

Boole of molten metal at the join. -- a pool of mole molten metal.

Becks is bending the legs. She's another three to do and time's

getting on. It's going to look nice. Ye of little faith. Back in Sussex,

would you believe it, Josh and Olly have a plan. After a lot of head

scratching. We decided to use the booeden box to make a mobile

barbershop. To go from door to door. Can keep all their products and

scissors in here. A barber's kit, excellent. Wait, but what's this? I

thought it would be a real shame to let these components go to waste.

I'm trying to figure out some kind of little mechanical desk toy. First

thought, a little turtle comes to mind because of this guy. I'm a

little lost at the moment. I don't know if it's possible and how I'm

going to do it. Yep, you heard it right. Josh is going to make a

mechanical reptile desk toy. With so much time used up already, it will

be a race to the finish between the tortoise and the... Hare! I'm going

to make a little shell for the turtle. I want this cog to sit on

top. When you turn this cog, it will power this here. So the turtle's

head will move in and out. Who wouldn't be excited about this?

Sarah? Olly's first job in the barber's kit is to remove all of the

existing varnish with an electric sander ready for a brand new finish.

A simple quick job without interruptions. Can you come over

here and hold these little bits here. Josh has a few issues with his

turtle-thing. It's falling off. Need to tweak it a little bit. I'd get

back to work, Olly. Josh could be here all day. In deepest Surrey, Bex

and her husband Dave have completed work on their arc tech's table and

kitchen unit. They're eager for Sarah's arrival. We've got an extra

little surprise for Sarah that was Dave's idea. Thank you, dear.

Looking forward to see Sarah's reaction, really. I'm coming back to

the drawing board to see what they've managed to do with it. Finer

as crossed it's a fantastic kitchen unit. When Sarah dropped it off, the

best days of the arc #2ek9's table had drawn to a close. Now, Becks and

Dave have transformed it into an attractive free-standing kitchen

unit. The wooden table top has been split in three and hinged to make

fold-away surface. All of Becks's hard work crafting the steel base

has paid off for the geometric structure which is sturdy as well as

beautiful. And, leaving nothing to waste, Dave has used old parts of

the drawing table to make a quirky and useful cookbook holder. But what

will Sarah make of it? Hey! It's lovely. That's the slide? Dave did

extra. His cookbook stand. That's so clever. That is a lovely use of that

old piece of material. Isn't it cool? It looks really nice with it.

I think, as a balanced piece, that is so lovely. You guys don't go down

the easy route, do you? It's goat wheels as well at the back so you

can move it around. I absolutely love it. This transformation took a

lot of work. Have they managed to stick to the budget? Phew, Sarah, it

came in on budget. I'm really pleased. I think it's really

beautiful. Thank you. It's a true you were all round. -- it's a

triumph all round. This looks interesting. When Sarah met John and

Barbara at the dump, she loved the look of John's dad's architect

table. He used it for model boats and model steam engines. It would be

nice if someone had a use for it. Everybody's chucking them out now.

But he was confident it was in safe hands. Let's hope she does something

good. She has. Sarah was on a mission to find the kitchen unit a

new home. She listed it online on various sites. Where there any

takers? Sarah's now meeting up again with Barbara and John to show them

what became of their drawing table. Hello. How are you? Really nice to

see you again. And you. I saw you last coming to and from the tip.

Drawing board. My dad's. Did you wonder what we might do with it?

Yeah, I could see the piece of wood might be useful. Nobody wants

drawing tables anymore so... I took it to a blacksmith called Becks and

her partner Dave. They really wanted to work on it. I have pictures to

show you how it ended up. They have turned it into... A kitchen island.

Into That's beautiful. Dave's made a cookbook stand to go on top of it.

Very clever. Pretty amazing. It is currently up for sale. I haven't

managed to find a buyer. I have high hopes it will sell and I'll make

some profit out of it. When I have, I'll be back in touch to share it

with you. Thank you for taking it. And reusing it. It was lovely to

catch up. Take care. Bye-bye. Becks and Dave came in on budget of ?550.

As it is yet to find a new home, we might be ?550 down. It is a cracking

bit of furniture so I'm sure it won't be long before it's snapped

up. Now, we head back to Sussex. When we left them, Olly was getting

on well with his box of barber's bits and Josh was still tinkering

with his toy turtle. It's time for Sarah to find out what they've been

up to. I see vintage suing machines at the tip all day long, sewing. I

hope Josh and Olly have done something inspirational with it.

Where once there was an sewing machine now... It's a sleek and cool

looking mobile barber's shop. The functional backboard is equipped to

carry all your barbering essentials, included is a cut throat razor made

from a decorative plate from the sewing machine and handmade brush.

To top it all off, the box has a chalkboard paint finish. But that's

not all, folks. Josh made this turtle. Hi, guys. How are you doing?

Good. What have you been up to? We made this with the sewing machine

you gave us. It looks exciting. What's inside it. It didn't have a

key. Made this key so you can unlock it. It's a mobile barber's kit. It's

really beautiful. It's so clever. Got a little dish for your shaving

cream and shaving brush. And we even made a razor. That's from the front

of the sewing machine. Fantastic. Really clever. Lovely. What did you

do with the rest of it? Well, we have an extra little surprise for

you. Have you? While doing this, Josh had his own little project.

This is a little desk turtle. All of the components came from the

machine. The drive belt is off the original motor. Lovely. Used all of

the components that I could. Fantastic. I really like what you've

done there. Thank you for making something commercial out of the

other bit. What are you saying? The turtle's not commercial. ?300, are

we splitting it or have we gone over budget? We tried to keep to budget.

We put more time into it but we'll call it ?300. Really? I think the

world's first fully operational desk turtle and mobile barbershop is a

triumph. Thank you so much. Cool, you're welcome. I have learned to

expect the unexpected every time I come here. Fantastic transformation

of the old sewing machine and I think there's even money to be made

from that desk top turtle. Is that going back into the car or into the

skip? When Sarah inquired boo Robert's sewing machine going to the

dump it brought back painful memories. My mum made clothes for us

on it. Despite not being able to see inside, Sarah want it had. Would you

mind if I took it away as the mystery machine. The only mystery

now is how Josh's mind works. But the barber's box was a hit and was

snapped up by online retailer Nick Smith a regular customer of Sarah's.

She's now travelled to Surrey to meet up with Robert. And she's even

got a little something for him in that bag. Hi, Robert. Hello, Sarah.

Very well, how are you. Hello, who are you? I'm Sky. I'm Mia. When I

met you at the recycling centre we couldn't open your sewing machine.

Yeah, and it's odd I found the key since. I threw it out about a month

ago. That didn't matter. I've taken the sewing machine to someone who

could get into it. . Have you thought what might have been done

with it? I thought maybe make it into a lamp. My wife thought maybe a

stand for a coffee table. We're interested or intrigued to see what

it turned out like. I've pictures to show you what they did. Here is a

mobile barbershop. Wow! I love that colour, don't you? It's pretty

popular and it's sold. Really, how fantastic. I have ?25 here to give

to you for your old sewing machine. Great, this money is going to a

lovely local charity. Thank you. A pleasure. It sounds like a great

place to go. Before I go, I've something here as a memento for you.

Here is the world's first sewing machine desk turtle paper weight.

It's cool. I remember this wheel. My mum sitting at the table turning the

wheel around. That's really sweet, isn't it? A memento from your sewing

machine. Thank you so much. Lovely to have caught up with you. Nice to

have met you girls. Josh and Olly's labour and materials came in at

?300. With the barber's box selling for an impressive ?325, ?25 can be

shared with Robert. Well, that really wasn't about the money, was

it. I think Robert liked what we did with the sewing and I think he'll

cherish that turtle. Lovely. Sarah salvaged two unwanted items from the

Whitley recycling centre. The sewing machine was totally reimagined. And

the arc tecti's table became a free standing kitchen unit. We started

off with stuff destined for the tip and ended up with items which would

take pride of place in any home. You can't ask for a better result than

that. You'll favour me by never setting

foot on Trenwith land.