0:00:02 > 0:00:03Welcome to The Repair Shop,
0:00:03 > 0:00:06where cherished family heirlooms are brought back to life.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Anything can happen - this is the workshop of dreams.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Home to furniture restorer Jay Blades.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Nowadays, things are not built to last,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16so we've become part of this throwaway culture.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20It's all about preserving and restoring.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We bring the old back to new.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Working alongside Jay will be some of the country's leading
0:00:25 > 0:00:27crafts people...
0:00:27 > 0:00:29I like making things with my hands.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I love to see how things work and I want to know how things work.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Whether it's a Rembrandt or somebody's family piece,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38every painting deserves the same.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..each bringing their own unique set of skills.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43You're about to witness some magic.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44They will resurrect...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- ..revive...- Oh, yes.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50..and rejuvenate...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53treasured possessions and irreplaceable pieces
0:00:53 > 0:00:55of family history...
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Oh, my goodness me, it looks like it's new!
0:00:58 > 0:01:00..bringing both the objects...
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Oh!
0:01:01 > 0:01:05- Oh, wow!- ..and the memories that they hold...
0:01:05 > 0:01:06back to life.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Oh, thank you!
0:01:17 > 0:01:19In The Repair Shop today,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23accordion expert Roger Thomas wrestles with an instrument
0:01:23 > 0:01:27that survived the Blitz, but now sounds like a strangled cat.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29DISCORDANT SQUEAKING
0:01:29 > 0:01:31I have to be very careful not to cause any damage because
0:01:31 > 0:01:34if I snap that off, then I'm going to be in trouble.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36While furniture restorer Will Kirk
0:01:36 > 0:01:40performs some emergency surgery on a 50-year-old fish.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44This was probably carved by one of Fletcher Christian's descendants.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51But first, something to test the skills of furniture restorer
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Jay Blades and clockmaker Steve Fletcher -
0:01:54 > 0:01:57a treasured family piece belonging to Jane Fanner.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00- What have we got here, then? - Something that, to me, is very,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03very special because it was made by my dad.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07- It feels like Christmas time. - Unwrapping a present.- Wow.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10- And there we are. - So, your father made this clock?
0:02:10 > 0:02:11All of the clock, yes.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15- Wow.- One of the things that you need to know is my father was totally
0:02:15 > 0:02:19blind, I mean, he couldn't even tell the difference between day and night.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Seriously?
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Dad and I were very close.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28He was born with something called retina pigmentosis and gradually
0:02:28 > 0:02:32the eyesight got narrower and narrower and narrower.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34By the time he met my mother,
0:02:34 > 0:02:39he was able to see only a minuscule amount and he'd lost his sight
0:02:39 > 0:02:42completely after that.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I absolutely love this clock.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48It always chimed all the time he was alive, and then, just after he died,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53it stopped chiming, it stopped working, and it needs mending.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Well, I've never seen anything like it in my life.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59I can see and hear that it's got nine gong rods,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03which means that it plays Whittington chimes.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05I can't remember the exact tune,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07but I can tell you it sort of trills,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10it's an incredibly pretty little... ble-blible-blibble...
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- sort of tune.- Wow, really?- Yeah.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16I'm just looking at the door that goes on there.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21I was just trying to figure it out, how he made that by feeling there.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23That in itself is just, like, amazing.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- It's incredible.- Sound mattered so much to him...
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- Yeah.- ..that I really want to hear the chime working more than anything.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31I don't even mind if it doesn't keep good time...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- It's just the chime.- ..but I'd love to hear those chimes again.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- We'll do him proud, we'll do your dad proud.- Oh, I'm so thrilled.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- All right, you take care now. - Bye-bye, now.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Now, that's blown me away, now. That just made me, like, wow.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49I'm actually thrilled and excited, but also missing Dad more than ever.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Now it's down to Jay,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Steve and The Repair Shop team to get this treasured timepiece
0:03:55 > 0:03:57ticking and chiming again.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00What I think I'll be able to do is revitalise the actual case.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02So not taking away any of the integrity,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04but making sure it just shines.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It's looking a bit tired at the moment, isn't it?
0:04:06 > 0:04:07- It does look a little bit tired. - Yeah.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11I think the main challenge is going to be just making sure
0:04:11 > 0:04:13we get the movement working OK.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16So, I'll strip down the whole clock, right down to every single screw.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- Seriously?- Yeah, yep, yep.- So, you're not going to lose any screws,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23you'll take them all apart and then be able to put it back
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- together again?- Yeah, yeah, every single part.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Right, I've taken the mechanism out.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35So, it's like a piece of furniture now.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Cool, so I can have my wicked way with it?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- You can have your wicked way with it.- Thank you, sir.- Yeah.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43- Kirsten.- Steve.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45I wonder whether you can do a little job for me...?
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Steve is also calling on the skills of Repair Shop ceramics expert
0:04:49 > 0:04:54Kirsten Ramsay to help give the face a well-needed makeover.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59I've got this dial here that I think we could improve by painting
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- the numerals black. - OK.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04That leaves Steve with the main
0:05:04 > 0:05:07challenge of getting the chimes sounding.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11The hammers that hit the gong rods are powered by the clock mechanism,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14which hasn't worked since Jane's father's death.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16So, to fix the chimes,
0:05:16 > 0:05:21Steve's going to have to first mend the whole clock mechanism.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24The main problem is in the bearings, these holes here.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29Even more tough than that is that some of the teeth are slightly worn.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33So the main challenge is going to be to get the chimes sounding
0:05:33 > 0:05:35as Jane would have remembered them, and...
0:05:37 > 0:05:39..that's going to be quite interesting.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52From tired treasures that just want some TLC to mouldering Old Masters
0:05:52 > 0:05:54in need of a full MOT,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57The Repair Shop team takes on labours of love
0:05:57 > 0:06:00that have lain unfixed and forlorn for years.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Will, here you go, there's one for you.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Faye, what's in the box?
0:06:04 > 0:06:05It's...
0:06:05 > 0:06:07a flying fish.
0:06:07 > 0:06:08Wow!
0:06:08 > 0:06:12This family pet was plucked from a remote corner of the Pacific
0:06:12 > 0:06:15by Faye Lambert's parents nearly 60 years ago.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18He needs a little help from furniture restorer Will
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- to bring him out of retirement. - You can see what's happened.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- Oh, no!- Its tail, it's snapped off, unfortunately.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Aw! Um, you don't happen to have...?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I'm sure that you would have brought it with you if you did have...
0:06:31 > 0:06:32- I'm afraid that's long gone.- Right.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36It was bought on our way back from Australia and I remember my mother
0:06:36 > 0:06:40coming down, waking my sister and me up, and saying, "Come up on deck,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43"cos something quite exciting's happening,"
0:06:43 > 0:06:48and the islanders were rowing out in their canoes from Pitcairn Island,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50and they were selling their wares.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- Wow.- I don't know if you've heard of Mutiny on the Bounty?
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- Yes.- But this was probably carved
0:06:55 > 0:06:59by one of Fletcher Christian's descendants.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04The crew who mutinied on HMS Bounty in 1789 in the South Pacific
0:07:04 > 0:07:07settled on Pitcairn Island.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Their descendants live there to this day.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12And carved flying fish like Faye's
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- can fetch up to £200 in good condition.- Steve?
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- Yeah.- You haven't got a pair of callipers?
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Will's toughest test will be to make a seamless repair without the
0:07:23 > 0:07:26original piece of tail that's broken off,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30as it was carved from a tree that grows on the other side of the world,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33thousands of miles from The Repair Shop.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35So, I've managed to find some wood
0:07:35 > 0:07:39that has a very similar colour and grain to the fish and, hopefully,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I might have enough width on that
0:07:41 > 0:07:44to make up the missing part of the tail.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50So, what I'm looking for here...
0:07:50 > 0:07:53I mean, I have an overall decent colour match,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56but it'd be quite nice to get a similar grain pattern.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Excuse the licking.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01If you look here, we've also got a bit of figure and a bit of grain going
0:08:01 > 0:08:05on in the wood there, so I think, if I can get the angle right,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07I could probably have, like,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11a decent colour match and also a match for the pattern as well.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16It's weird to think that the last person working on this fish
0:08:16 > 0:08:18would have been one of the islanders.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's actually quite an honour, really.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Meanwhile, third-generation clockmaker Steve has reached a critical point
0:08:31 > 0:08:34in getting Jane's clock working again.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36It's bath time.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38So, I'm just cleaning up these barrels now.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42We use old-fashioned clock cleaning fluid
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and then I scrub them up in normal washing-up liquid.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49This is the way that we've been cleaning clocks forever
0:08:49 > 0:08:53and my grandfather used to clean them in exactly the same way.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59I'm just using a water-based paint with pigments and just flooding that
0:08:59 > 0:09:03into these areas, but it's quite painstaking and quite fiddly,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06hence the magnifying glass.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I just find when I'm doing really sort of fiddly painting,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12really close up, you sort of tend not to breathe, you hold your breath
0:09:12 > 0:09:15so that you get a completely sort of straight line.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17So, yeah, not much chatting while I get on with this.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- Jay?- Yeah?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25You look better with your mask on.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27That's what the missus tells me!
0:09:31 > 0:09:34With the hundreds of individual parts washed and clean,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Steve must now put the clock back together again before he can fix the
0:09:38 > 0:09:42chimes and find out exactly what they sound like.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46- How we doing, Steve?- I'm just putting some new springs into two of the barrels.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48What, that's going in one of them?
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Yep, and then the barrels go into the clock.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53So, Steve, do we know anything more about the Whittington chimes, then?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Any history about that?
0:09:55 > 0:10:00Yeah, they're based on the chimes of St Mary's church at Bow.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- So, the Bow bells.- Bow bells, yeah.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- East London. All right.- And they're called Whittington because they're
0:10:04 > 0:10:08based on a story about Richard Whittington, the Mayor of London...
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- Yeah.- ..when he was a lad and he was Dick Whittington.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- Oh!- And they've just been called Whittington chimes.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18So, Steve, when will we hear the chimes the same way that Jane remembers them?
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I'm almost there on the movement. I know it doesn't look it,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24but I'm on the home straight at the moment.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- Really?- This is the easier part, actually.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Did you just say this is the easy part?
0:10:29 > 0:10:30- Yeah.- It doesn't look easy at all.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34How many pieces have you got here that goes into this clock?
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Just in this unit alone, I suppose there's, um, 100 pieces.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- Wow.- And the rest of the clock...
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I suppose another 150 pieces.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45But hold on, I do see a washer there. What's going on there?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47No, no, no, no, that was an extra washer.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- You sure?- Don't point that out.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52You know what? Funnily enough...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54You had lost a washer?
0:10:54 > 0:10:58I had lost a washer, so I took a washer out of my washer drawer,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- put it in and then I found the other washer.- The washer.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04See, it does happen.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06So now you've got to just put it all together.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Yep, I'm just putting it all together now.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10So I'd best go and crack on with the case, shouldn't I?
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- Have you not done it yet?- Well, I'll see you in a minute, um...
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- I'm gone!- Good.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- Right.- How are you doing?
0:11:20 > 0:11:22The young lady you need to see is Kirsten just over there.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26The Repair Shop experts have countless years of experience at rescuing
0:11:26 > 0:11:31cherished possessions from languishing broken in the country's attics and cellars.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35What have you got there? That looks nice. Hello.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- So, what's this? - This was my mother's accordion.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- Oh, wow.- But she has given it to my daughter now.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Next to arrive in need of some Repair Shop TLC,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48the Brierley family have something to test the musical talents
0:11:48 > 0:11:51of accordion expert Roger Thomas.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Cos Sarah's the musician of the family.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54Oh, so you can play this, Sarah?
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Well, I would like to.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- It was my mum's...- Right. - ..who is now 94.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- And do you know when she got this one?- When she was 17,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05she came home with her first week's wages and her mum went
0:12:05 > 0:12:07and put it down as a deposit for them to buy this,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10so it was actually brand-new when they bought it.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- So I'm just trying to do the maths. So, how old...?- So, she's 94,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- so it's just under 80 years old, isn't it?- OK.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20Roger is one of just a handful of specialist accordion restorers in the UK.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24But can he get this antique instrument playing sweet music once more?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27HE PLAYS A NOTE I can hear that really high note.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- Yeah.- Cos it shouldn't make that really high-pitched noise, should it?
0:12:30 > 0:12:33No, no, it's very annoying, actually.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34Because you can't actually play it, either.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36SQUEAKING
0:12:36 > 0:12:37- Yeah, it's like a cat, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40That doesn't sound right, either.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- No. OK.- These keys that are popping up,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44they look like they're kind of broken.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- You can deal with that, can't you? - Yeah. It's a beautiful instrument, isn't it?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- Yeah.- But the story about the accordion
0:12:50 > 0:12:53is my mum used to play it during the war,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- during the Blitz...- Oh, wow. - ..in the shelters.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58- Really?- So they used to go, obviously,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00underground and play to keep people's spirits up.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03So where does she think this is? Does she know this is here today?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- She doesn't know.- She doesn't know anything about it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07She doesn't know anything about it.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- Seriously?- Yeah.- And, in fact, last time she saw Sarah, she said,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11"How are you getting on with my accordion?"
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Sarah then says... "Ask Dad."
0:13:15 > 0:13:18- Just pass the buck!- She knows it's broken and she's been nagging
0:13:18 > 0:13:20for a couple of years now for me to get it done.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23So, what would this mean to Mum to actually get this repaired, then?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- Oh, she'd...- She'd be really pleased, wouldn't she?
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Yeah. I think really she'd like me to be able to play it.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- So it's going to mean a lot to her. - It's going to mean a lot.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32So, hopefully, by the time -
0:13:32 > 0:13:34not hopefully - by the time you come back... I know,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38- you looked at me funny then.- Yeah, yeah, yes, the "hopefully", yeah!
0:13:38 > 0:13:39Definitely, by the time you come back,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41it will not sound like a strangled cat.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- It will if I play it.- Yeah, if you play it, or me, as well,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46but it's definitely going to sound good.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Thank you very much, nice to meet you.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- You take care now. All right? - Bye-bye.- Bye-bye.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- Well, that's a nice story. - Yeah, it is.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Hm. I've got to adjust the levers inside here...
0:13:59 > 0:14:01There's always a little bit of risk there,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05so I've got to be very careful I don't break anything, that's the kind of first challenge.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07OK. So, what should a working accordion sound like anyway?
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Well, I can't actually play this one right now, but I've got...
0:14:11 > 0:14:12Why don't we go over to the bench...
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- OK.- I've got a little... A little melodeon over there that I can just give
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- you a rough idea of what it ought to sound like.- All right.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- HE PLAYS A TUNE - That sounds all right. Yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33That's really nice, yeah.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38So, that kind of gives you...
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- Well done.- Yay!
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- Come on, eh?- ..a rough idea.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45- So, have you fixed it already, then? - He has fixed it.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47I'd quite like to save that as a ringtone on my phone.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Actually, if you could do that again...
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Before he can get Iris' 80-year-old machine sounding as good as that,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Roger needs to investigate.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01So, it's always a bit kind of entering into the unknown
0:15:01 > 0:15:04when you open up one of these... to take a look inside.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06And we'll take the grill off...
0:15:06 > 0:15:11An accordion works by blowing air from the bellows across the reeds
0:15:11 > 0:15:15inside. The notes are determined by which keys and buttons are pressed.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Roger's detective work reveals a problem straight away.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23What I can deduce from this is that one of the pallets has fallen off
0:15:23 > 0:15:26and... Look, there's the pallet.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30This is a pallet. It's a leather and felt sandwich,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33and when you operate the bellows it forms an air seal,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and this is why we're getting the sound when you...
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- SQUEAKING - The dead cat sound.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43But the thing I need to do is just give this leather a bit of a brush.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47I can glue that back on there.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49I then can give it a full test,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51so I can test all the notes to see
0:15:51 > 0:15:55whether there are any other sounds that we don't want.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08While Roger's specialist skills are focused on finessing the accordion,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10the rest of The Repair Shop team
0:16:10 > 0:16:14have been turning their talents to getting Jane's clock ticking
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and chiming again in time for her return.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- You got a minute, Steve?- Yeah.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22- Oh.- I've got your clock face.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- Would you call that a clock face or...?- It's a chapter ring.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- Chapter ring, OK. - That is looking really good.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- Is that OK?- Brilliant, oh, fantastic, thank you.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32I'll leave it with you.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Now with all the pieces back in Steve's hands,
0:16:34 > 0:16:39his final job is to put it back together again before Jane arrives.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Um...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I've got to make an adjustment. it's not going to go straight in.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50I've put a bolt instead of a riveted screw in and I've just got to take
0:16:50 > 0:16:54a very small amount of material off of the case.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58After taking the clock apart down to the very last screw,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01it's the very last screw that's undone Steve.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Precious seconds slipping away,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05it's over to Jay for a last-minute fix.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06I can't get me file in there.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I don't know whether you can just cut something like that here?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Oh, I tell you what we could do, though, we could take the door off,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13cos it's the door that's in the way, isn't it?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15- Yeah, it is. Yeah, yeah. - There we are.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- So just going straight down, you want, yeah?- Yeah, yeah.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25I think that might do, actually.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Yeah?- Right, ready?- Yeah.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29What am I holding my breath for?
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Tense moment.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Perfect. - That's good.- Absolutely perfect.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Well done.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- Hello, Jane.- How are you?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Yeah, good. This is the bit we really love,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43so I'll just go and get it for you.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Oh, wow.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52There we are.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54That looks wonderful.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Oh, look, you've done the dial...
0:17:57 > 0:17:59The case...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01It...
0:18:01 > 0:18:03How we doing, Jane, you all right?
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Dad would have liked that.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- Yeah.- He'd be, um...
0:18:08 > 0:18:11He'd be proud of that and he'd be...
0:18:11 > 0:18:13He would have loved to have met you.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- Aw, fantastic.- And you.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Does it go?
0:18:17 > 0:18:22It-it-it's all going absolutely beautifully.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24So I'm just going to chime it for you.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Ooh!
0:18:26 > 0:18:29CLOCK CHIMES
0:18:35 > 0:18:36How's that?
0:18:40 > 0:18:42- Wonderful.- Fantastic.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44HOUR STRIKES
0:18:46 > 0:18:51It was ticking and chiming the day he died.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Which came as a complete surprise and was...
0:18:54 > 0:18:56If you can have...
0:18:56 > 0:18:58a good death, then he certainly did.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03- He fell asleep in the chair next to this clock.- Aw, bless.- So...
0:19:03 > 0:19:07To hear this again is absolutely wonderful.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- Um...- Bless him.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13You've given it life that it had lost.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14Let's have a look at the back.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- Yes, as I'm turning it around... - Let's have a look at it!
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Its innards!
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Oh, my goodness me!
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I've cleaned everything up.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It looks like it's new!
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Yeah.- It's... That is astounding.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31By getting the clock working again, I've got a bit of our father back,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35which both myself and my sisters will love.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Oh, thank you...
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Thank you so much, that is...
0:19:40 > 0:19:42You're very, very welcome. It's been an absolute pleasure to do.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Ooh! I want to kiss you!
0:19:45 > 0:19:47But I don't know if this is allowed!
0:19:47 > 0:19:50I'm going to grab my sisters and say, "Come up here, girls!
0:19:50 > 0:19:54"Let's have a party... Let's have a clock party!"
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It's part of our family
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and I am absolutely thrilled to be taking it home.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10As another Repair Shop project is restored to pride of place,
0:20:10 > 0:20:15accordion restorer Roger has reached a crucial point on his project.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18He's taken the 80-year-old instrument to pieces
0:20:18 > 0:20:23and is testing all 448 individual reeds.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- So, all of these are like notes, then?- That's correct.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29- NOTE PLAYS STRONGLY - So that's kind of OK.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31QUAVERING NOTE
0:20:31 > 0:20:33- That's not.- OK, that's quite cool, man.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34So that's how it works
0:20:34 > 0:20:36and I've just been checking the general condition
0:20:36 > 0:20:39of these valves, these little strips of leather.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41So, Roger, now you've got this apart,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43can you tell me anything more about the history?
0:20:43 > 0:20:44Well, we know it's made in Italy.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Actually, this one was made in Castelfidardo.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50- Oh, right.- And Castelfidardo these days is regarded
0:20:50 > 0:20:53as the capital of quality accordion manufacturing.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55So this has come from good stock, then?
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- Yeah.- And the most expensive accordion would be, roughly...?
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Well, you'd pay 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 or more...
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Thousand?- Yeah, yeah.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06For professional accordions, yeah.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- Wow.- Or even more, I mean, I've seen them more than that.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11And we're going to get it working and sounding beautiful again?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Yeah. It's a lovely instrument, actually, I have to say.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16It just looks beautiful and when it comes back together,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- it will sound beautiful as well. - Yep.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- I'm just going to put it back again. - SQUEAK
0:21:23 > 0:21:26The accordion's not the only thing in the workshop in need of a tuning.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Do you want me to tell you what note that is?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31I think it was a B. I think it was...
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- Oh, sorry.- There we go, try again.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38HE PLAYS A "B" AND DRAWER SQUEAKS
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- Yeah, there you go.- So that is B, innit? Yeah.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42It's about a B.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- Is that an E-sharp?- Yeah, it's there, it's that one there.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Oh, that's a flat. That's a flat.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52SQUEAK
0:21:52 > 0:21:56- Finished.- So, I have to be very careful not to cause any damage
0:21:56 > 0:22:01to where this lever is fixed to the key. Because if I snap that off,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03then I'm going to be in trouble.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Roger's realigning all the keys on the keyboard and making sure
0:22:06 > 0:22:08none are leaking air.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12But the parts are nearly 80 years old and one false move now
0:22:12 > 0:22:14could spell disaster.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Originally, I thought I'd just need to adjust one or two of these keys,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21but actually, they all need adjusting.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23And the reason why you want the keys nice and flat like this
0:22:23 > 0:22:26is because it gives you a nice action.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It's like the response of the keyboard.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31And also, aesthetically, of course, it looks a lot nicer.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Because now I just use my little gauge to check...
0:22:37 > 0:22:38No, it's still a bit proud.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41The other way. Sometimes you get it right first time and other times you
0:22:41 > 0:22:44don't, but you obviously don't want to be bending it backwards and
0:22:44 > 0:22:47forwards too often too much because then you're going to introduce
0:22:47 > 0:22:50some kind of, you know, metal fatigue in there.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Hang on. If I broke one of these levers it would be a bit of a
0:22:54 > 0:22:56problem. I'm not going to.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Also at the fine-tuning stage,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Will's angling to get a seamless fix for Faye's 60-year-old fish before
0:23:09 > 0:23:12she arrives to pick it up.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16A little bit of polish on that tail and we are just in time, I think.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19We are really up against it today.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26- Hello.- Hello.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- So, are you ready? - Yes, I am.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Da-da-dah-dah!
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- Oh, lovely! My goodness. - It's got a tail!
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- We have his tail! Oh, it looks great!- Yeah.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38And you've actually managed to get the colour spot-on.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41He's looking pretty smart and he will go home and
0:23:41 > 0:23:42be put in pride of place.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- Thanks, Faye, very much. - Thank you for all that hard work.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- Bye-bye.- Bye-bye.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Roger's hoping he'll also hit the high notes with the owners
0:23:55 > 0:23:58of that very special instrument he's been working on.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02This is the final bellows pin, so put that in there...
0:24:02 > 0:24:05And the next stage is for me to give it its final test.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- How we doing, Roger? Are we ready? - We are, yes, it's done.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10It does look gorgeous.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- The only thing left now is to hear what it sounds like.- Yep.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15HE PLAYS A FEW NOTES
0:24:15 > 0:24:17It sounds better.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20HE PLAYS A TUNE
0:24:25 > 0:24:26I told you I'm not a maestro, but...
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- No, it sounds good.- A kind of demo, really.- No, that's a good demo.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- So, you've fixed it, then? - Yeah. But what we've got...
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I noticed it when I came in, it is just the case.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Looks extremely tired and a repair that we would not be proud of.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42You've done such a great job on the actual machine itself, Roger,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44it seems a shame to put it in something like this...
0:24:44 > 0:24:45- Yeah, I agree.- Yeah?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So, I know a man who might be able to...
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Will? He's trying to shy away at the moment.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52So, Will... How we doing, my friend?
0:24:52 > 0:24:54- Ah...- Got this.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- Sounds like trouble.- It is trouble. We need this repaired.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59- Sounds like trouble. What's all this?- I know...
0:24:59 > 0:25:01But I was thinking, what we could do...
0:25:01 > 0:25:05is take this off and then you must have some kind of...
0:25:05 > 0:25:06- Oh, gosh.- That's it.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- Let's not make it any worse, though, yeah?- Not any worse.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Just so it looks uniform, I would say.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Right, uniform. Well, the good thing is...
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- It's solid.- It's made of plywood, I think.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Yeah, so it's just a superficial damage to the surface.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21- Yeah.- I am going to work some magic.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23In the next five minutes, yeah?
0:25:23 > 0:25:25There's no rush, there's no rush.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27OK. But probably five to three minutes.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30If you make me a cup of tea, three minutes.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31- I'm on it, mate, I'm on it.- Yeah?
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Cup of tea. Cup of tea. Two and a half minutes now, yeah?
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- Yeah, right(!) - All right, see you in a minute.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- That looks diamond.- Yeah?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Yeah! That looks good.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55I'm very pleased and it looks...
0:25:55 > 0:25:58It is a stunning looking instrument, I mean, I have to say,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02and I am still amazed at the condition that it's in given its age,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and it's 80 years old. And I hope Sarah enjoys it and it'll keep her going
0:26:05 > 0:26:09for a good few years, maybe another 80 years, who knows?
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Cheers, mate.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Now restored to its former glory,
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Sarah and Howard are ready to reveal the accordion to its original and
0:26:18 > 0:26:20unsuspecting owner...
0:26:20 > 0:26:2194-year-old Iris.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- Hello.- Mum...- Right, we've got a surprise lined up,
0:26:28 > 0:26:29in case you hadn't guessed.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33- Are you all right? Do you need a hand?- All right?
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Hello.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38So, this is your surprise.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42So, you know when you opened it up and it made a terrible noise?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Yeah? Oh, you had it fixed!
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Yeah. Because there was a key sticking up here...
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Yeah, it was this one, I think, wasn't it?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51And then when you opened it, it was...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- The note was...- Yeah, permanent noise, yeah.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Yeah. Must be ten years since I used that.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- Mm.- But it's all in working order now.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01- Do you want to see Sarah play it? - Yes, please!
0:27:03 > 0:27:07SHE PLAYS "SHE'LL BE COMING ROUND THE MOUNTAIN"
0:27:09 > 0:27:10She's good.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26# Singing ay ay yippee yippee ay Yee-ha!
0:27:26 > 0:27:30# Singing ay ay yippee yippee ay
0:27:30 > 0:27:34# Singing ay ay yippee, ay ay yippee
0:27:34 > 0:27:39# Ay ay yippee yippee ay. #
0:27:39 > 0:27:40- That's smashing.- Yay!
0:27:42 > 0:27:43Good, very good.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46She was just so happy that it had been fixed.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51I can't believe what they've done. I knew nothing about it.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53It was a complete shock.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57The best thing was her reaction to seeing Sarah play it, without a doubt.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00She got quite emotional because it brought back memories for her,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04but it was also, you know, passing that legacy on to her granddaughter.
0:28:04 > 0:28:10I hope that my granddaughter will look after it and play it and enjoy it
0:28:10 > 0:28:12as much as I did.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Life goes on.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Join us next time as more precious pieces are rescued
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and their cherished memories restored in...
0:28:25 > 0:28:27The Repair Shop.