Episode 14 Money for Nothing

How do you make Money For Nothing?

What are you dropping off? Anything exciting?

The answer could be hiding in over 20 million tonnes of household

waste thrown out by us every year.

I quite like the look of your chair. I've not seen one like that before.

That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore wants to get her hands

on things before they hit the skip.

I'm a passionate buyer, maker and user of old stuff

and I've turned 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...

-What do you think?

-I think it's beautiful.

-I've brought you my washing machine.

-Oh, wow.

..she can transform her finds into desirable...

What have you done?!

..valuable...

-Oh, amazing!

-..and hopefully saleable items.

That is one clever sandwich.

If Sarah 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.

Gosh, as much as that? Oh, lovely.

Welcome to Earlswood Recycling Centre...

..a nonstop hive of activity.

Sarah's on a mission to turn your trash into hard cash.

Now, I don't care if it's rickety, rusty or just plain old-fashioned.

I'm all set to play the recycling game.

But before you make a beeline for your local tip,

Sarah's been given special permission

to seek out three items...

What do you reckon? What's in the back?

..that she can rejuvenate, repurpose and sell on for a profit.

First to get Sarah's attention is Peter,

who's here with a boot full of metal.

-Hello there.

-Hello.

-Hi. Hi, I'm Sarah.

-Hi. Who are you?

-You all right?

-That's very rude, isn't it?

-What's your name?

-Peter.

-Peter. Hi. How do you do? What are they?

They're railings. They're cast iron railings, old railings.

They look fab. Where have they come from?

-How long have you had them?

-I've had them for about ten years at home.

-OK, and they're from the garden, are they?

-Yes, they are.

-Wow.

-Can I pick some up and have a look at them?

-Of course you can.

-Wow, they're really weighty, aren't they?

-They are heavy, yes.

-They don't make them like that any more, do they?

-No, no.

-They're fantastic.

-No, they're cast.

So, how many have you got there? Is that all of them?

No, I dumped off one this morning, one lot, and one three days ago.

-Right, so I'm lucky to find these here?

-Yes.

I love old stuff like this and I'd really like to have

the opportunity to try and make it into something.

-Is there any chance I could have those ones?

-You can have them.

You can have them all, yes.

And then if I'm successful in transforming them

into something, could I come and show you what you've done?

You can show me what you've done, yeah.

-I'd be well interested.

-Really? Fantastic.

-Well, I'll go off and get a trolley and I'll see you soon.

-OK, OK.

Excellent. Well spotted, Sarah.

-A solid start.

-That's it.

-Thanks so much!

-That's all right.

Thoughts on their future, Peter?

I've no idea what she's going to do with them.

Fair enough. Help us out, Sarah.

I just love it when things like this turn up at the recycling

centre on the day that I'm there. Fantastic Victorian railings.

They're heavy-duty, they're cast iron,

they're Gothic, they're black, they're beautiful.

In the right hands, these have huge potential.

And the artisan with the right hands...

..Norman Wilkinson.

What Norman doesn't know about wood ain't worth knowing.

He uses his 25 years of experience to create handmade,

one-of-a-kind furniture that will last a lifetime.

Oh, the reclaim is great because it's...

You know, if you're making a tabletop out of reclaimed timbers

and everything, no two tops will be the same.

So, it's tactile, it's always got its own mind, it's beautiful.

I hope that people will see when they buy it

that we've put our heart and soul into it

and we've put as much love as we can

so, hopefully, that that comes out into it.

That's good to know, Norman,

because you're going to have to dig deep for this project.

That's one item nicely tucked away.

Oh, they look good.

And now Sarah has her sights firmly set on finding item number two.

-Time flies.

-It certainly does, Sarah.

All the more reason to crack on.

Maybe Tony's the man to help us move things along.

Anything interesting in there, Tony?

He's making himself at home. Are you setting up camp?

No, just getting rid of a load of rubbish -

-broken tents and bits and pieces.

-Right. They're quite cool.

Are you chucking those or are they going back in the car?

No, I'm getting rid of those.

-I don't do car maintenance any more...

-OK.

And they're cluttering up my garage.

-Can I have a look?

-Of course you can.

Can I have a look at one of them? They're quite sweet, aren't they?

-And so how long have you had them?

-They were actually my dad's.

So, probably over 20 years.

I really like the look of them.

I think if you had one, I'd probably be walking past you,

but the fact you've got two of them makes me

think there must be something I can do with them.

Yeah, I don't see know why not. I'm sure there is something.

I'm trying to find stuff that I can recycle or make into something

else and there's something about it, I don't know what it is.

Any chance that I could take them away

and have a go at making something out of them?

I was thinking about leaving them out in case somebody wanted them

for carjacks, but you're more than welcome.

Well, I'm not sure they're going to go back into the car world

but I'm going to have a go at making something and if I succeed,

can I come and find you and show you what I've done?

-Yeah, of course you can.

-Brilliant. OK, well, they look fantastic.

-Nice and chunky, a pair of them.

-Okey dokey.

-Thank you ever so much.

-Good luck with that. You're welcome.

-Thanks. Bye-bye!

-Bye-bye.

Jolly good.

And any ideas what Sarah might do with them?

Absolutely no idea. I mean, I can't think of anything to do with them.

They've been in the garage probably 10 years

and I haven't used them, so good luck to her, that's what I say.

It saves them going to waste.

Well, Tony, your old garage cast-offs

have made Sarah very happy.

What is not to love?

OK, I know they're rusty, a bit industrial...dirty.

But, honestly, they've got something about them and that is there's

two of them, they're red and they could be practically

put to a good use.

And, who knows? They might make a profit.

And the man Sarah wants to transform these tip treasures...

..Mark Haig.

Bright spark Mark uses his decades of engineering experience to

create one-of-a-kind sculptures from second-hand materials.

Although his true passion...robots.

The thing that makes me smile when I come into work is thinking

that I'm going to be building something that somebody likes.

There's always a challenge.

Every sculpture that I build has got a different challenge to it.

And I love thinking through those challenges.

I suppose it used to be a hobby.

Now it's an obsession.

A strong work ethic and open to challenges -

handy traits for this task.

Two items loaded into the Money For Nothing van.

It's time for Sarah to search for her own pound-making project.

I'm here all day. Something is definitely going to turn up.

That's the spirit, Sarah. That might have potential.

And right on cue, Stephen pays a visit

with some interesting furniture.

-Hiya.

-Hiya. I'm Sarah.

-Hi, Sarah.

-Chucking out?

-Yeah, yeah.

Well, you're in the right place, obviously!

-What are you doing with...? What have you got, table and chairs?

-Table and chairs, yeah.

-Have you just had enough of them?

-Well, no, it's a friend -

she was clearing out her house, my daughter said she liked them,

and that was a year ago, and I've been looking after them for a year

-but we decided it's time to go.

-OK.

So, do you know...? What have you got here?

-A barley twist.

-Shall we have it out and have a quick look?

-OK.

-And a pair of chairs. Oh, they look nice. I recognise those.

-Yeah?

SHE WHISPERS

-Didn't quite catch that, Sarah.

-There you go.

-Ah, fantastic.

-Well...

-You're clearly excited about these chairs.

These, I can tell by the legs, are made by a company called Ercol.

-Really?

-A great British furniture manufacturer. Yeah.

I'm not entirely sure what the style's called

but they'll have a name like...

-They're a bit naff, if you ask me.

-..Farmhouse.

Yes, maybe not everybody's cup of tea

but there are a whole load of people who love Ercol and collect it.

-Really? OK.

-And they get very excited if they get hold

of an E102, or whatever it is. But these...

They've got the blue sticker on the back, so they definitely are.

-Right, OK.

-And, yeah, look, made in 1960.

-So a bit of age to them.

-Yeah, OK.

So, you might not be a fan but there are loads of people that are.

It would be really cool to take away Farmhouse,

little barley twist table and some chairs

and see if they can be put back into somebody else's house

-or given a new lease of life to.

-Yeah, OK.

-Do you mind if I have them?

-No, no, by all means.

I was throwing them away anyway.

-Thanks, Steve. I'll be back in touch.

-All right, then.

-Thank you. Bye-bye.

-Bye.

Terrific stuff.

Sarah's hard work at the tip has paid off.

What does Stephen think she'll do with his table and chairs?

I've got no idea. Probably turn it into firewood.

You may not be a fan, Stephen,

but Sarah sees real potential in your old furniture.

Well, what do you reckon? They're brown, they're not very interesting,

but these chairs are Ercol so that sets them apart

as being collectable and desirable, even in that state.

They've come in with a pretty old-fashioned looking table.

But together they've got a real charm that can be exploited.

I've just got to update them, make them fresh and exciting

and send them off to a new home.

-I can't wait to get started.

-Good on you, Sarah.

There we have it, three items found.

Norman will show some mettle with Peter's railings,

Mark's amazing imagination will be required for Tony's axle stands

and Sarah will work her magic on Stephen's

farmhouse table and chairs.

Well, the loot in the boot from the people of Earlswood

has been fantastic. I found some sweet little things.

But I want them to turn a big profit,

so I'm not out of the woods yet.

In the leafy East Sussex village of Hellingly

is furniture aficionado Norman.

I'm always excited to see Sarah.

I'm always excited to see what she's going to bring us, you know?

But she never brings the most important thing,

like a sandwich, pork pie.

Not even a pork pie! Shame on you, Sarah.

Well, I know Norman loves wood but how is he with heavy metal?

I'm thinking he's more Metallica than Dolly Parton. Let's go and see.

-That's so heavy.

-Yeah.

-Do you like it, though?

Yeah, I think they're great, aren't they?

Is it something you can work with?

Yes, we can work with wood, timber, metal.

Never a doubt. Our Norman will take on any material.

So, what's the plan, Sarah?

How about using these to make some sort of refectory-style table?

So I'm thinking about having them sort of...

I don't know, three at the end, something like that

so that they are part of a table like that.

Does that make sense?

And then maybe doing something so that there are some sunk

-in the middle so you can use them as pot stands.

-OK.

-Your turn.

-I was thinking we do a refectory style.

-So, like you said, we come down with a leg.

-OK.

-A refectory style like that.

-So that could be wood?

-Have them down there.

That would be wood. We put a wooden frame around

these so then it helps support it and keep them in.

OK, so I can imagine that.

So we've got a couple of lovely chunks

of metal detailing on each end with all of that,

a good usable pot stand trivet down the middle,

so hot potatoes and meat can go in the middle, or whatever.

-And then price?

-Erm...

Price? What are you thinking?

-950.

-950? I'm supposed to be making a profit!

Is that the best we can do, 950? Knock 100 off, go on. 850.

Go on, then. 850. It's like daylight robbery.

We should call you Dick Turpin really, shouldn't we?

-I'm looking after the good... Have a nice time.

-See you later.

And while Sarah scarpers, Norman's feeling positive.

Yeah, it makes a change, metal. Really quite cool.

I think, you know, we'll have some fun along the way.

No problems at all.

Well, that was music to my ears. A lovely plan for the table,

a great bit of re-use. I think that one's going to be a cracker.

Norman has a substantial budget

of £850 for this project.

Optimism abounds.

But has Norman underestimated the scale of the task

and can he help Sarah produce a profit?

Manchester, a vibrant hub of creativity.

And the living embodiment of that is our very own

engineer-cum-robot maker Mark.

He's waiting patiently for Sarah's arrival.

Sarah is coming to visit me today.

I'm not entirely sure what she's dropping off.

Hopefully something metal, but we shall see.

Well, where do you bring a couple of axle stands like this?

Completely obvious - it's Mark Haig.

He is going to do something really special with these.

I've got a couple of ideas.

But I'm sure his are going to blow mine out of the park.

We certainly hope so, Sarah.

-Hiya.

-Hello, Sarah.

-How are you doing?

-I'm all right.

-How are you?

-Nice to see you.

It's not looking any less eccentric in here, Mark.

-No, still as crazy as ever.

-Look what I've got.

-Erm, all right.

HE EXHALES

-Yeah.

-Potential?

-There's potential in everything, isn't there?

But is it the potential to make a right mess of it?

-Did you have any thoughts?

-I had thought that they were

a little bit circus-y. I don't know why.

They look like something that maybe could have a tightrope between them.

And I was wondering about having one of those things that maybe

-wobbles around or moves on a wire. I don't know why.

-OK. Interesting.

I like the idea but the first thing I thought was a spaceship.

It just depends on how you look at things, doesn't it?

Of course it's a spaceship. Amazing.

-It's a sort of Sputnik-type affair.

-Yeah.

-Maybe we could use that bit there as the base.

-Right.

-So that comes up there like that.

-Yeah.

And then maybe three rocket lumps off the back.

Obviously, yeah, perfect.

And then something on the front with some wings on it in some way.

I think that's really original.

It'll look...not like a car jack at all.

Or even like an axle stand.

Mark's imagination is ready for takeoff.

And the cost for this mission?

-I reckon 150 for the build without the bulbs.

-Each?

-Each. Definitely each.

-Definitely each.

-It's always worth checking.

-It's always worth.

150, I think that's fine.

I think they're going to really pack a punch

and at that price I should be able to turn a profit on them.

-I'm really excited.

-Good stuff.

-Thanks, Mark. Always a pleasure.

Pleasure. I'll see you soon.

I'm happy with the scale. I'm not very happy with the quality...

I mean, they're from a tip, but they are fairly damaged and fairly rusty.

So I'm going to have to do some really hard work

on actually fixing things together and then to make it look nice

is going to be another challenge as well.

So, yeah, I'm nervous but this one.

Don't be nervous.

Well, isn't that an amazing idea?

Other people have normal thoughts about things like that

but Mark's are just out of this world.

I think it's going to be really exciting.

A pair of really cracking desk lights.

I can't wait to see them.

And with a budget of £300,

here's hoping the final result

will have a successful landing.

Under the wide skies of the idyllic Sussex countryside...

..Sarah's at home in her workshop

and she's about to tackle the old farmhouse table.

Well, it's quite a sweet little table but it's just not commercial.

It's made of oak, it's got barley twist legs

and it's got a look about it that just doesn't sell for much money.

So I thought, how about using its best bits to make a lovely,

big family-sized table, and fund some of the materials by selling

those two Ercol chair just the way they are?

I can't wait to get started

but I think this one might be a bit of a mission.

The first job is to take it all apart

because I want to use the components for my new table.

Sarah's going to super-size this old table.

And having never attempted this before,

having a clear plan is key.

So, what I'd like to do is use the wider sides of the table

to make the trestles to support a big top,

and then take away this bit and use that for the other leg.

Trestle tables, a simple style of folding furniture.

It was the most common form of table in the West until the 16th century,

and remains to this day a very popular form of dining table.

Right, so, imagine...

Trim that down a little bit...

..hinge those together with the hinges I've reclaimed from the top

and then you've got a three-legged trestle end.

Do the same with the other bit.

A great base for a table.

With the base ready to go, Sarah turns her attention to the tabletop.

And she's picking up new skills along the way.

So this is a chop saw

and you can rent one, or borrow one from a carpenter friend.

That's what I did.

Quite easy to use.

That one, that one...

When using any power tools, please be safe, folks.

Wear a protective mask and safety glasses.

And these are my secret weapons.

I am going to cut little parquet tiles for my old fence

that has fallen down.

They're really dried out now and I think if I put them

on the top of the table in a lovely pattern,

it's going to look rustic, primitive, on-trend

and it's going to cost me nothing.

With the tiles cut, it's back inside, glue in hand,

to apply them to the tabletop.

There were a few marks in the surface of these,

the burns from the saw.

But I'm going to sand the whole lot

and I'll probably lime it at the end.

So I'm just going to go for it.

Yeah, what could go wrong?

Sarah's spent £50.48 on materials so far.

She's trying something completely new,

so let's hope she doesn't fold under the pressure.

In East Sussex, Norman is about to begin work on Peter's old railings.

-What's the plan, Norman?

-The plan is to make them into a dining table.

These we're going to make as ends,

so we're going to... We are going to have to chop them and even them up.

And then they're going to be like end panels.

And then we'll put some timber round it and make some feet,

put the stretcher in, then have a top and incorporate these

somewhere in the top or bottom.

But I quite haven't decided which way we're going to go yet.

That's OK, Norman.

Building a dining room table around these old railings

is enough to think about for the moment.

What's first on your long to-do list?

The first plan is to...

I thought we'd get some timber in, we'll get it de-mailed,

cut it up and then we can decide on how big

we're going to go with it and everything,

then put these to one side.

-So, yeah, let's rock and roll.

-If you say so, Norman.

You think if I had a penny for every nail I've pulled out

in the years I've pulled nails out, I'd be worth a fortune, wouldn't I?

Yes, but would you really be happy?

All right, let's go for it.

Norman will first build the leg frames that will surround

the railings at each end of the dining table.

I'm just checking I made it the right thickness.

And when I put the holes in, that'll be perfect.

So, yeah, let's rock on.

So we've got to decide now how many of these we're going to use

across here and then we can think about shaping it,

how far we're going to drill down.

And then we can decide on where we're chopping these.

And it's decision time in life, as they say.

Everything depends on how many railings will be used on each

-end of the table.

-I think we're sticking with three.

Righty-ho, three on either side but all six will have to be cut to size.

We're going to cut them because there's no spike here to fix to.

So we're going to have to work it or get the angle grinder

and we'll cut across them across them nice and square.

And then when we've drilled and glued them in, they will stay...

..allegedly.

No doubt about it, Norman.

Fantastic!

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Still lots to do, most importantly the table legs.

Right, we've cut a leg now, and we need to frame it

because we need something to help secure the top on as well.

So if we frame it and everything, it'll give it a nice secure

and stable job and, you know, once the glues go off,

these will help, and it'll just give it a lot more stability.

An essential part to any dining table.

But Norman has a lot of work ahead of him.

Best leave him to it.

In Manchester, Mark is ready for liftoff as he tries to create

lamps that are out this world.

So, Sarah brought me these axle stands.

They're quite rusty, quite damaged.

My plan is to use them as some kind of lighting, some basis of a light.

A rocket ship theme was agreed

and Sarah had hoped the lights would be a matching pair. However...

Now, the second one myself and Sarah discussed having a mirror image

of the lamps, but I know that I've got this really nice

vase that'll form a real nice basis of this lamp.

And I think if we use the stand as the base of the lamp,

then it'll really pull together

and really make a nice, interesting piece.

So, two individual lamps it is.

It looks good on paper.

-Oh-whoa!

-Time to search for the scrap.

This vase is very much, sort of, steampunk, spaceship feel to me.

It looks really pretty.

There's a bit of damage that I'm going to have to work on

but we'll see.

So if this stands up a bit taller...

Something like that.

And then this goes on top like that,

and then we have some sort of a spaceship nose cone

on the front there, maybe.

And then some rocket boosters on the back,

that sort of gives me the idea of what I was looking for.

Steampunk blends the futuristic with the past.

Imagine your smartphone was powered by a steam engine.

So, time for Mark to rustle up some rocket boosters...

..as you do.

I think this is the one.

This is... I've got a kind of steampunk theme going on.

So if that goes on the back there,

it needs a bit of work to make it sit more parallel to the body,

but I think that gives a steampunk lamp theme.

Rocket boosters, check.

Nose cone?

This is a nice, sort of, copper/brassy coloured vase.

It's got the right shape to it

and it might actually pull up the brass on the back

of the sculpture as well.

With the sculpture pieces coming together,

time to focus on the axle stand itself.

So this is pitted and damaged

and I need to do a lot of work on this to remove all this.

I'd normally leave this and celebrate its rustiness

and its retro feel,

but Sarah said that she wanted something nice and crisp and

clean, something that's good enough for an executive desk, if you like.

So, let's get grinding and see how we go.

So, that's coming up really nicely.

It looks like a nice surface for the paint.

So it needs to do a little bit more but it's looking good.

Speaking of looking good, Mark decides to give his choice

of paint a test run on the freshly ground steel.

This is the paint I'm going to be using.

It's a brass coloured plastic-based paint

because it should stick to the metal without much preparation

and without the need for a primer.

Lots to do before mission accomplished.

Let's hope Mark can steer his ships to success.

In Sussex, Sarah is putting the finishing touches to her

all new trestle table.

Let's just hope somebody likes it.

When Sarah found this farmhouse table and chairs,

they were unloved and unwanted.

Sawn up and scaled up,

Sarah has transformed this into a unique dining table.

Reusing an old fencing post to create a parquet patchwork,

the table's geometric top contrasts with the traditional

barley twist legs.

A bit of joinery has transformed those legs,

which now support an extended top -

perfect for even the largest of gatherings.

It's taken a lot of grouting and waxing to perfect the table,

but is Sarah convinced that all the love

lavished on it will be enough to find it a new home?

Well, I have spent hours sanding, grouting and waxing this table.

I think it's worth it.

It's certainly the biggest thing I've ever made.

When Sarah met Stephen, it was clear that the furniture

had lost all value.

I'm not sure what Sarah's going to do with it.

Probably turn it into firewood.

Thankfully, Sarah had other ideas.

Her vision was ambitious, but in the end it turned out a treat.

Sarah took some pretty pics, uploaded them to social media

and before long, the table was snapped up by The Dabbling Duck,

a bed and breakfast in Great Massingham, Norfolk.

Owner Sally is thrilled with the purchase.

It's really quirky. We're a bit quirky here.

Hopefully lots of people will enjoy eating around it

and love it as much as we do.

Now Sarah's off to visit Stephen and hand over the profit.

-Hello, Steve. Hiya. How are you doing?

-Nice to see you.

-And you.

-Cracking day for it.

-This is lovely, yeah.

So, when I first saw you at the recycling centre,

-you'd been looking after furniture for your daughter, is that right?

-That's right, yeah.

We thought she would like the furniture

but after a year we decided to get rid of it because

she wasn't going to use it.

OK, well, I'm so pleased that I was there the day you threw

those things away because those chairs are Ercol

-and they're a named designer.

-Yeah.

-They're desirable.

-So I think you probably remember those.

-Yeah.

I polished them up and put them online

and I managed to sell them and make a little bit of profit on those

to fund the work that I did on the table.

It was a project that I took on and it's probably the hardest thing

I've ever done, but I really wanted to try and make something special

-out of it.

-OK.

-So, your table now looks like this...

Oh, my goodness!

I took the barley twist legs and made trestles out of them

and then used all the lovely oak from the table to make

-the structure of a new top.

-OK.

And then I used bits of fence post that I had on my farm,

cut them up like pieces of toast and made a top to go on it.

-Oh, my goodness.

-What do you think?

-It's amazing that, yeah.

So that was shared on social media, pictures put out there

and we've actually managed to sell it to a fantastic B&B

who are based up in Norfolk.

-And I've got the profit here. I've got £524 there...

-What?!

-You're joking!

-..and 52p. That's for you.

That is amazing.

I can't believe that! Well, thank you very much.

That's amazing.

Well, obviously... Erm...

-You're speechless, aren't you?

-I'm speechless!

OK, mission accomplished.

Mission accomplished, that's all I want to know.

A bit of a surprise after something you've thrown away

-has been recycled.

-That's amazing. Thank you so much, Sarah.

It's a bit of a chunk of cash to decide what to do with on the spot.

-Yeah.

-But have you got ideas about what kind of things you might do with that?

Well, yeah, um,

the chair and table was going to go to our daughter.

She's doing up her kitchen.

This would probably go very well into her,

into a fund for refurbishing her kitchen,

so I'll still have a job there.

Excellent. Oh, that's a...that old furniture,

it did her proud in the end.

It did make a... Yes, it was...

I'm amazed! £500!

See you at the recycling centre. Thanks so much!

Well that's the final twist in that tale -

over £500 going back to Steve's daughter for her kitchen project.

How ironic!

Sarah spent £50.48 on materials.

The two chairs were in good nick

and sold to a private buyer for £50.

The bed and breakfast bought the table for £525,

giving a total sale of £575...

..leaving Stephen with a rather lovely profit of £524.52.

In East Sussex, Norman is giving his dining table a little extra polish.

How would you rate your experience, Norman?

It all just flowed, actually, to be quite honest.

I was very pleased with it.

There wasn't really, on this one, there wasn't really a problem, so, no, it just flowed and

uh, it just... Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't and this one just flowed, so, yeah, fantastic.

Well, this is exciting, because Norman had some

really rusty railings, and now it's going to be a lovely, high-end table.

Fingers crossed.

When Sarah picked up the old railings from Peter,

they were about to join the rest of their friends in the skip.

Bloomin' 'eck! These could not be further from a tip if they tried!

Taking some rusty railings and creating a centrepiece,

Norman has built a fantastic dining table around them,

incorporating reclaimed wood and an old Victorian grid that Norman had lying around.

He's used all his skills with wood and metal to bring it all together beautifully.

-Hello, hello.

-Hello, you.

-Hiya.

There you go, there's your table.

-It's cool, isn't it?

-I think so.

Talk me through the top.

What have you done to get that to look like that?

Well, with the top, we've used reclaimed joisting,

so we've machined it down to the right thickness and then we've just

finished it in a different way than we normally do,

-so it matches the base.

-It's fantastic.

So we've used the same... Yeah. We've made metal rods

-to go through the centre.

-So you've got some stability.

-For stability, so it keeps it all nice and strong.

Yeah, I think it looks really cool.

I really love those legs. They add character.

You're not going to see anything else like this, are you?

No, not at all. I mean, it is a one-off again.

Yeah, I'm really pleased with the way it's come out.

I can imagine there are all sorts of things we can do with the railings,

but I think what you've done is reposition them

in their best light. They look great on there,

they look like a good design detail,

but we're not relying on their integrity for part of the furniture,

so, yeah, good work.

Perfect.

Sarah gets a top-end table, while Norman had a tip-top time.

I was really pleased with the way it all went, so, yeah, happy days, as they say.

Fantastic. Does that mean I get a discount?

Cos I think I left 850 on this one.

A discount? Didn't you get a discount anyway?

Cheeky thing!

You've got to ask! How did you get on?

You know what they say - if you don't ask, you don't get!

OK, I'm asking. How much was it?

-850.

-850?

-Yeah.

-Put it there!

Really pleased with it. I think that she really liked what we done.

I think it looks fantastic, she thinks it looks fantastic,

so hopefully whoever buys it is going to think it looks fantastic.

So all round, fantastic.

Well, I would say, "Fantastic!"

Well, Norman's done a great job there.

That might look like a simple design, but that table is just the right size, just the right scale,

and is the best use of those railings. That's a winner.

The railings belong to Peter,

who was at a complete loss as to what Sarah could do with them.

I've no idea what she's going to do with them.

Thankfully, Norman was on the case.

And after hours of hard graft, he delivered.

Now, Sarah is off to visit Peter to give him the low-down on what became of his railings.

KNOCKING

-Hello, Peter.

-Hello.

-Hello, how are you?

-How are you doing? I'm really well. Nice to see you again.

I really liked the look of you turning up at the recycling centre with all that heavy metal.

Those railings have been knocking around for a while, haven't they?

About eight years or so, yes. Nobody wanted them.

-I think that things like that are quite difficult to rework, because they're heavy, tricky to weld.

-Yes.

So, any ideas where I might have taken them?

I think you took them to your workshop.

Do you know, I took them to my woodworking friend, Norman.

Oh, OK.

Not an immediate fit, but he will turn his hand to anything.

-Yeah.

-Something old, like those railings, that's got

some good detail on them, they are fantastic materials for him to work with.

So he decided that a table was the way forward.

Oh, that's fantastic.

-They really suit...

-Never even thought of that.

He's done a lovely top to them, he's put the railings in at the end and made a great support for them.

He's put a grill into the middle of them to reflect all that lovely metal we had from your railings,

-so he's really gone to town with it and made a whopper.

-That's great.

-What do you think?

That's fantastic. Never thought, ever thought of a table.

Well, they are decorative things, those railings.

-They've got a good look.

-Yeah.

I have not long picked it up from him so I haven't had a chance to sell it yet.

-So I thought I'd come along and update you.

-Yes. Course, yeah.

-There was an £850 investment to make it look like that.

-Was there really?

-Yep.

-God.

I didn't want to hold back, but I know that tables like that

of Norman's regularly sell for over £1,000.

-Yes.

-So I'm confident in saying that I'll be back...

-Oh, definitely.

..with profit for you at some point. As soon as I've found the buyer.

-Yes. That's cool, yeah.

-I'll come and show you the colour of the money.

Oh, fantastic.

-Thank you so much.

-Lovely, Sarah, thank you, thanks very much.

-Thanks, bye-bye!

Well, it's a big table and a big-ticket item,

but I think Peter liked it,

and I'm sure it's not going to be long before there's profit going his way.

Norman's costs came to £850.

Sarah is still looking for the right buyer,

but as soon as it is sold,

the profit will be making its way to Peter.

In Manchester, Mark is ready and waiting for Sarah's arrival.

How are you feeling about the result, Mark?

I'm looking forward to Sarah turning up for these.

She dropped me off two rusty axle stands,

and I created two lamps,

but I'm not sure she'll be expecting what I've come up with.

They're quite original pieces.

Well, I left Mark with a couple of axle stands

that were well past their sell-by date.

If he's managed to make them into fantastic lighting,

I am going to be over the moon.

At first glance, Sarah was unsure about picking up these old garage cast-offs.

Five, four, three, two, one...

Lift-off!

Launching himself full-throttle into this task,

Mark has produced two sleek and shiny rocket-inspired lamps.

The axle stands have pride of place amongst an eclectic collection of bits and bobs

from Mark's Aladdin's cave of a workshop.

Each unique lamp is finished off with Edison light bulbs,

and both lamps have been PAT tested

to make sure they meet all UK electrical safety standards.

Hello, hello!

-Hello, Sarah.

-Hi there!

-Oh, Mark!

-Hello, Sarah.

Those are amazing!

They're huge!

They are indeed.

So, hold on, there's one there and one there.

-Yeah.

-And... They are cracking, aren't they?

So, talk me through it. What's going on?

Well, I decided to do two different lamps.

I think when we initially talked we were going to do two in this sort of Sputnik style.

But as you can see, it actually turned out to be quite large, lengthwise.

So with this one I maybe decided to use it as more of a stand,

so it's more of a sort of zeppelin idea, maybe?

Or there's a kind of a steampunk thing where they've got this, these... They're called the krakens.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, you've seen those?

-Yeah, yeah.

So this lamp's called the Kraken.

I'm loving the Kraken.

I don't know what that one's called, but I love that, too.

They are so unusual, aren't they?

They are very unusual.

Very, very original.

And, yeah, let's not forget, this one's got a switch on here,

which you just do that with and...

Oh, brilliant, literally brilliant! They are...

-Looks beautiful lit up, doesn't it?

-..lovely.

Absolutely cracking!

I think that you did the best thing by the axle stands as well,

because I really couldn't imagine them being stylish.

The fact that you've re-finished them, got rid of that red paint,

very nice bit of redesign on them.

You could say they're out of this world!

But what about the budget?

So, it was £150 a light, but these are way bigger than we talked about,

so you can't be telling me I'm getting those for that money.

Little bit more, I'd say. I'd say 175 for each one.

-OK, so 350 for the pair?

-Mm-hm.

I think that's absolutely fine. They're good looking, they're big,

and I think they're very saleable,

so, thank you. I think they are really special.

-Thank you.

-Bye!

-Bye-bye.

Ecstatic that Sarah loved what I did.

I love these pieces.

I'd have these in my own house.

So, yeah, happy that she's happy,

and hopefully she can sell them.

Thank you, sir!

Well, I'm definitely leaving Manchester on a high.

Those lamps are fantastic

and they are definitely off to new homes.

Just got to find out where!

When Sarah met Tony at the tip,

the axle stands had been waiting to be dumped for a while.

They've been in the garage probably ten years, and I haven't used them.

Luckily, Mark had the right stuff to transform them into beautiful lamps.

One lamp went to a private buyer,

the other to Oddfellows On The Park,

a hotel in Cheadle.

PR director Katie believes the lamp has found the perfect home.

We absolutely love the lamp and we think it fits perfectly here,

because the building is Victorian Gothic, and the lamp just appealed to us

of that whole sort of vintage travel.

It's a little bit quirky as well.

Now Sarah's on her way to see Tony to hand over the profit.

-Hello there.

-Hello there. How you doing?

-Very well. Nice to see you again.

-Nice to see you again.

-I told you I'd be back....

-Absolutely.

..if there was anything that could be done with those car jacks.

Did you wonder what I might do?

Somebody suggested a coffee table

and I thought that might actually be a good idea. I don't know.

I wracked my brains, I had a really good look at them, and I gave up.

So I took them to somebody, he takes one look

at things like your axle stands and says, "I know, let's make..."

-Do you want to see the pictures?

-Oh, yes, please.

"Let's make lighting." Have a look.

He has used your axle stands to make...

-That's remarkable.

-..fantastic steampunk lighting.

-Extraordinary!

Well, Mark's lighting sold instantly,

so there is a little bit of profit here for you.

-I've got £90 for you.

-Blimey!

-For your axle stands.

Thank you very much!

Gosh, I am surprised. Thank you very much.

I love surprising people! Is that in a good way?

That's extraordinary. Oh, yes, big time, definitely!

Any idea what you might spend £90 on?

Oh, well, we need to replace our stair carpets, so I think that'll go in the stair carpet fund.

Fantastic.

-Thank you very much!

-My absolute pleasure, lovely to catch up with you.

-See you in the recycling centre! Bye!

-Bye-bye now.

Well, axle stands into steampunk lighting?

All in a day's work.

Mark charged £350 for labour and materials.

The lamps sold for £440,

leaving a £90 profit for Tony.

Sarah salvaged three items from the tip.

Norman produced a show-stopping dining table.

Mark reached new heights with the rocket lights.

And Sarah super-sized the kitchen table.

So that's three more items that have been saved from the skips,

and useful chunks of money handed over to people

whose items were destined to be dumped.