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 > 0:00:17so we've become part of this throwaway culture.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20It's all about preserving and restoring.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We bring the old back to new.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Working alongside Jay will be some of the country's leading craftspeople.
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 > 0:00:41Each bringing their own unique set of skills...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43You're about to witness some magic.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..they will resurrect...
0:00:45 > 0:00:46revive...
0:00:46 > 0:00:47Oh, yes!
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..and rejuvenate...
0:00:49 > 0:00:51treasured possessions
0:00:51 > 0:00:55and irreplaceable pieces of 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 > 0:01:03Oh, wow!
0:01:03 > 0:01:06..and the memories that they hold back to life.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Oh, thank you!
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Today in The Repair Shop,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20painting conservator Lucia Scalisi unwraps a surprise...
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Ooh...
0:01:22 > 0:01:24..that will test all her skills.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I say "ooh" for a couple of reasons.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29One, because it's beautiful, and, two, because it's badly damaged.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34And furniture restorer Will Kirk has to think outside the box
0:01:34 > 0:01:35to solve a home-made riddle.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40There's so many loose pieces and I'm just trying to work out what goes where.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42It's pretty much like a jigsaw puzzle at the moment.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44- How are we doing, are you all right? - All right, thank you.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47But first through The Repair Shop doors today,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Andrew Simpkins has a family heirloom which needs the prowess of
0:01:51 > 0:01:53ceramicist Kirsten Ramsay.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- Wow.- A teapot, a very big teapot.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- OK.- But you'll notice something about the lid.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05It's followed the female line, so it's gone from great-grandmother,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09grandmother, mother, sister, daughter.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14- Goodness.- Sadly, our daughter died two months...
0:02:14 > 0:02:15two...
0:02:17 > 0:02:19..two months ago.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22So it passes to our granddaughter.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Um...
0:02:25 > 0:02:26I have to stop there.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34We were going to go on a family canal holiday eight months ago,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39but sadly Alice fell ill a week before then.
0:02:41 > 0:02:48After a number of rounds of chemotherapy, it wasn't working,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51so sadly she passed away two months ago.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Alice was 28.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00What's that behind there? Oh, a tomato, look at that.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Lily will never truly know her mother in a personal sense.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12But I thought that the teapot could act as a link.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I think what we've discovered in the last two months
0:03:17 > 0:03:22is that family is increasingly incredibly important.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26And the inanimate object of the teapot,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29in all its treacly colour,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32does take on an added significance.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Perhaps other people might find it quite Victorian and gaudy,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42but I think it's of its time and place.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I quite like that. There's a sort of naivety to it, really,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- which I think is quite charming, actually.- Absolutely.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50On the teapot itself, there are some surface cracks,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53which would be nice if some of those could be repaired.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Some of them I like, because they place them in time and space.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02You know, it's 130-odd years old, but the main thing is,
0:04:02 > 0:04:07on the lid it should have a tiny teapot on top, a finial, here,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- which acts as the handle.- Thank you for bringing it in.- Thank you.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- No, thank you.- Thank you for sharing that.- Thank you, Andrew.- Thank you.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- Wow...- It obviously means so much to him.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Losing his daughter and then passing it down to the granddaughter,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25it's to keep that kind of family history going.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- Yeah.- It's just so important with what we do here,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32but this piece in particular just brings it all home.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Blimey, there is every pressure, because this is such a...
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- Absolutely, I'm feeling it.- Yeah, I'm feeling it as well.- No, I am.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45I think my first priority is to actually sort this
0:04:45 > 0:04:50crack out here, that goes down the side, because at the moment...
0:04:50 > 0:04:52You can hear that there.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54It's extremely vulnerable.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59If this were to be put down sort of rather hard on a table,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01it could just sort of crack into two.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06So the first thing I'm going to do is actually give it a little clean,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08then get some consolidant in there.
0:05:09 > 0:05:15Andrew's teapot is a classic example of 19th-century English bargeware,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18so-called because it was popular with the canal workers
0:05:18 > 0:05:22who passed through Burton-on-Trent, where most bargeware was made.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26The teapots were often given as gifts on important occasions,
0:05:26 > 0:05:31and many had miniature versions of the teapot moulded onto their lids.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36I'm going to have to do some research and see if I can find out
0:05:36 > 0:05:39exactly how the teapot should look.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Whether rare antique or common keepsake,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57the Repair Shop team restores those family heirlooms
0:05:57 > 0:06:00with sentimental value beyond compare.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- How are we doing? - Hi, good to meet you.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- Likewise.- Hi there, I'm Will.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05- Dave.- Nice to meet you.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Next, a job for Will.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Dave Croft has a family treasure he would like to hand down to future
0:06:12 > 0:06:15generations in one piece.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17My grandfather was a cabinet-maker,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and he made this as a wedding present for my grandmother.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23That would have been in about 1918.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27It's made of little bits of offcuts of wood.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I think where my grandfather was working,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33they were building an oak staircase and he kept all the little offcuts of wood
0:06:33 > 0:06:38and it's made, as you can see, of all these tiny blocks of wood,
0:06:38 > 0:06:39triangles and squares.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41- Yeah.- All glued together.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Thrifty and very romantic.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47I usually do that for my girlfriend for Valentine's and birthday,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49carve up a love heart or something.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- Seriously?- Not so expensive, but it goes a long way.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55But I think it's such a romantic story, as well.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57What's in this bag, then? You've got all of the...
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- I've got everything.- You've got all the bits.- All the blocks are there.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04It's always nice when someone turns up with a plastic bag
0:07:04 > 0:07:07full of bits and pieces! It makes the job a lot easier.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Yeah. And how long has it been in the loft, in your house?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Oh, 25-30 years at least. - As long as that?- Yeah.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16This is the one piece of furniture that he made and it's the only piece
0:07:16 > 0:07:18I've got, so that's important.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- Yeah.- I do distinctly remember it
0:07:21 > 0:07:24in the front room of my grandparents' house.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27I can see it in my mind now, where it was in the corner of the room,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and it's a nice piece of furniture. I'd like to have it in the lounge,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34but obviously with the bottom falling out and only three legs...
0:07:34 > 0:07:37It won't stand up very well.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- That wasn't going to work!- Right. Thanks a lot.- Cheers.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43In a way, I'm quite nervous.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45The piece is unique, my grandfather made it.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Equally, it couldn't stay like it is.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51It needs to be repaired.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53There's so many loose pieces
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and I'm just trying to work out what goes where.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Pretty much like a jigsaw puzzle at the moment.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Once I've done that, then I can glue it all together.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06But this is a jigsaw with well over 100 pieces,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and no picture on the front of the box.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12This is actually proving to be pretty tricky.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18I thought that every single block would be exactly the same measurements.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23However, on closer inspection, there are a few slightly smaller pieces.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27It sort of goes to show the fact that this is such a bespoke piece,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31not everything is exactly the same, which is quite nice,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35but quite frustrating when you're trying to piece it back together.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Ceramicist Kirsten has her own puzzle to solve -
0:08:41 > 0:08:45how to replace the missing tiny teapot on the lid
0:08:45 > 0:08:47of the bargeware teapot
0:08:47 > 0:08:50when she has absolutely no idea what it looked like.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55So she turns to a 21st-century solution to a 19th-century conundrum.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00The ones that look like Andrew's all seem to have this decorative finish,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03so I think I'm going to
0:09:03 > 0:09:06have a go at making one.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14It's not actually unusual to have to make up a missing section on a piece
0:09:14 > 0:09:17of ceramic or porcelain.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19I've never made a miniature teapot before.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- Hello.- Hi, Jay.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- Are you all right? - Yeah, I'm fine, thank you.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- What are you doing?- Ah...
0:09:28 > 0:09:31- Making a mushroom. - You're making a mushroom!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Remember, it's got to be a teapot, not a mushroom.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- Oh, yeah.- Can I touch that?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Of course you can, yeah.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Doing this, I can get it absolutely, exactly how I want it,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- then stick it on there and then paint it.- That's it.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Which will be the fun part, with this sort of treacly glaze.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Well, the fun part's this, isn't it? This is quite therapeutic.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- You're going to make a teapot shape into this.- Yeah, yeah.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- All right, I'll do this.- It's not a job for grown-ups, is it?
0:09:56 > 0:09:57It is a job for grown-ups.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00We all need to be children again, that's what we need to do.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- So make a ball...- Yeah.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05And then... My one's gone a bit dirty already.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08What do you do with this, then? Just press it, like that?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10You just use it for kind of shaping.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12If you kind of look down on it, as well.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- My one's proper dodgy.- Yeah. It's quite difficult, actually, to do.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20That's it, Jay. That's it, Jay, you've got a perfect spout there.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- No, I haven't got it yet.- Put that on the front of your mushroom, Jay.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Watch this now, watch.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Don't laugh, mate. I don't see you making one.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32There you go. There's my teapot.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It's lovely. It looks like an oil can actually, doesn't it?
0:10:34 > 0:10:36It does actually, doesn't it?
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Perfect. Perfect teapot.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Come back in a couple of hours and we'll compare.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I've actually already stuck this on.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00This is quite a sort of hard-drying putty,
0:11:00 > 0:11:05to make the base to receive the baby teapot.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09I'm going to smooth that and blend that in using some filler,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11so it just looks like it's part of one piece,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14rather than sort of blobbed on the top there.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25- Hello.- Hi, good day.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- How are you doing, you all right? - I'm fine, yourself?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29I'm very good, actually.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32The next arrivals in need of some Repair Shop TLC
0:11:32 > 0:11:34are James and Lisa Coetzee,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38with a serious challenge for painting conservator Lucia.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Ooh, ooh, ooh.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48This is beautiful, and I say "ooh" for a couple of reasons.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52One, because it's beautiful, and, two, because it's so badly damaged,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and it's got massive tears in it.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57We took it off the wall because we were redecorating
0:11:57 > 0:12:00and it was up against the desk in James' study
0:12:00 > 0:12:03and the children were playing hide and seek behind the desk,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07and you can see they stuck pencils through and, yeah...
0:12:07 > 0:12:09We weren't very happy.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12They did get... Well, they got shouted at a lot.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15This damage is quite considerable. Who is the artist?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18It's my grandmother's uncle.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- Fred Appleyard.- Right.- He was an English artist.- I know that name.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Who was born in Middlesbrough.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27He is a very well-known artist and I know that there is a painting of his
0:12:27 > 0:12:30at the Tate and he did a lot of work at the Royal Academy.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- He did have exhibitions there. - How much is that worth, then?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- Do you know?- No idea.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I mean, certainly in the tens of thousands, I would think.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39- Is it?- It's very collectable,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and people will buy it regardless of the damage,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43because they would expect to get it restored.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48But there's a lot of work to be done and these tears are so extensive,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I'm not sure that they will be successfully repaired,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54they might just sink in on themselves.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- OK.- But we'll have a try at repairing them locally.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Because one of the important things about conservation
0:12:59 > 0:13:03is to keep it in as original condition as possible.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06So, thanks a lot, leave it with us and we'll get back to you.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Thank you.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Wow. I can't...
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Well, two things, I can't believe it's worth the amount
0:13:14 > 0:13:16that she thinks it might be worth,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and also, how the hell is she going to repair it, anyway?
0:13:19 > 0:13:21It looks terrible.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- JAMES:- The damage looks quite extensive
0:13:23 > 0:13:25when you look at it in detail.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31Actually, I'd forgotten how bad it was, until we got it out of the roof and had another look.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I'm scared to touch it. That's a lot of money there.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I know, it's a lot of money, but it is massively collectable.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39So this artist is a good artist, then?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- A very good artist.- Because you smiled, it was unbelievable,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46- like a Cheshire cat.- It's so great to have a professional artist's work
0:13:46 > 0:13:48in front of me, it's just wonderful.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- Let's get you working on it. - Thank you, slave driver.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- You take it to your desk, I'll take that. I'm not touching it.- OK.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55- All right?- Yeah, here we go.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Lucia will need to draw on her many years of experience to fix this
0:14:00 > 0:14:02perforated painting,
0:14:02 > 0:14:07but first a job that requires another of the team's specialist skills.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Will, can you come and have a look at the frame, please, for me?
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Thank you.- How's it going?
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- Well, we've got the problem of the painting's been nailed into the frame.- Right.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And you can see that there's no room between the painting and the
0:14:20 > 0:14:22edge of the frame. Look how tight it is.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25You can't even get this spatula down the edge.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- It's absolutely jammed into the frame.- Yeah.- Jammed in.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30The window of the frame needs to be opened up.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34So it needs...the edge that the painting is sitting on needs to be widened.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35How many mil do you think?
0:14:35 > 0:14:39- Not much, a couple of mils each side.- Three mil all round?
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Three mil all round should do it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Do you mind popping the painting out, so I can have a look?
0:14:43 > 0:14:47OK, so I think we have to be very careful about taking the nails out,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51because I don't want to gouge the original canvas.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54The original canvas, yeah. Let's see if we can...
0:14:54 > 0:14:57One thing we have to resist is any pressure on the canvas.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- Yeah, of course.- It shouldn't be anywhere near that.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02If I slip that under... Oh, that's an easy peasy lemon squeezy.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- Excellent.- Yeah, right.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06That's one.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Perfect.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15- Oh!- I know, it's exhausting, isn't it?
0:15:15 > 0:15:17And it's nerve-racking.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Perfect. OK, so this should, if all the nails are out, come out.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Yes.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Da-dah!
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- Three mil is going to come to about...- Do you know what,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- can you do it bigger? Do it...- Four mil?
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- Yeah.- Thank you very much.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- Cool, I'll leave those pincers there.- OK.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Across the workshop,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Kirsten is about to begin painting her own tour de force,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46the tiny teapot she has hand-sculpted to go on top
0:15:46 > 0:15:48of its larger sibling.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50I'll build up the layers as I go along,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and I'm going to leave these little areas here,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56because they're sort of white anyway.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I'll decorate those probably towards the end.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- Are you all right? - Yeah, I'm good.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07I'm just kind of finishing off here, really.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Oh, there's the little pot. Oh, come on!
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- Is that strong enough to be lifted? - That should be fine.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I know you don't like me touching anything on your desk.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I would always hold underneath, anything like that,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22but, yeah, that can just go on there like that now.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Now complete with its brand-new diminutive companion,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34this very special heirloom is ready to be reunited with Andrew and its
0:16:34 > 0:16:38next custodian, his granddaughter, 16-month-old Lily.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Lily will never truly know her mother,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47but I thought that the teapot could act as some sort of reminder,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49to help her understand her mother,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52but also the lineage back through
0:16:52 > 0:16:56to her great-great- great-grandmother and grandfather.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01What a great way to relate a story to a young child, actually,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04you know, through an object like that.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06If it acts as a vehicle,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10a means to explain that family history and to bring that history alive,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12then it'll have achieved an enormous amount for us.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16- Hello.- Jay, nice to see you again.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18- How are we doing?- Kirsten, nice to see you again.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20- Lovely to see you, Andrew.- Can I introduce you to our family?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- Please do.- Nick, our son-in-law.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Hi, Nick, lovely to meet you.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26- Jane, my wife. - Hello, pleased to meet you.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30- And not forgetting Lily, our granddaughter.- Hello, Lily.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- Are you ready for this one? - Yeah, I am.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Yes, I won't keep you in suspense.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Exciting, yes.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Oh, wow.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Wow.- Oh, fantastic.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- That's incredible.- I love the piece on the top, the little finial.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52You've totally brought it back to life, so thank you very much.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Oh, I'm so pleased.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And I hope that in years to come Lily will be chuffed as well.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01- Yeah.- That's going to be yours one day, Lily.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- Wow.- You've transformed it, thank you very much.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06- JANE:- That's clever, isn't it?
0:18:06 > 0:18:10To have it restored to its former glory is something very special.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Oh, I'm delighted that I could do it for you.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19I hope that Alice is looking down on us and appreciating what we've done,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22- so thank you.- Oh, I do hope so.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24We're so grateful that you've kept this in our family,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26in such wonderful condition.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Well, it's been a pleasure for me to work on it, so, yeah.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Thank you.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38It's an immaculate transformation. I'm so impressed with it,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42and it's great that Lily's going to have an heirloom that's in pristine
0:18:42 > 0:18:46condition and hopefully she can pass on to her daughter one day.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51It's now complete, and that's very special.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Lucia is working on another valuable heirloom,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04a painting perforated with pencils by the owners' children.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10I am fixing the paint along the edges of the canvas that is torn,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13because the paint is all very broken in those areas,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16and if I don't fix it, or help keep it in place
0:19:16 > 0:19:21while I'm repairing the tears, we'll lose more of the original paint.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25So it's my job as a conservator to maintain as much of the original
0:19:25 > 0:19:28material as is physically possible.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Having made sure no new damage can occur,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Lucia can start work on knitting back together
0:19:33 > 0:19:35the painting's gaping wounds.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38So what I'm going to do now is turn it over...
0:19:40 > 0:19:44..and start working on the canvas at the back, the edges of the tears,
0:19:44 > 0:19:49and using moisture, or introducing moisture, with blotting paper.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57A lot of the canvas fibres have been stretched and distorted
0:19:57 > 0:20:01by the damage, so they're longer and thinner than they were.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05This moisture treatment can shrink them back, to a certain extent.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07If they're too long, I'll just have to trim the edges,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11but for the most part, they should all meet up again.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- Hello, my Mona Lisa. How are we doing?- Hello, my darling.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- Hold on a minute. - OK, these are the tears.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Yeah, or was the tears.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Or were the tears, yeah.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I've done the tear repair, more or less.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24These are the little holes that were the pencil holes.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- Yeah.- And I've put nylon gossamer patches on them.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I'm really impressed with what you've done here.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35- It's fixed.- This area isn't finished yet, because it's still drying.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38You can see that it's a bit more damaged, it's a bigger tear,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and I've got to do a bit more work to bring the fibres together,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43the actual strands of the weave.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46- Yeah.- But you can see it's not quite meeting.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49So say, like, that one doesn't form, because the fibres are not...
0:20:49 > 0:20:51What can you do? Would you then put the tissue on there or something?
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Yes, well, I'll make a piece that will go on top like that.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- Right.- And it will seal it.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59And then I'll work from the front and fill it.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04So how long have you been restoring paintings and stuff like that?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- A long time.- A long time?
0:21:06 > 0:21:0820-odd years. A long time, yeah, yeah.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10It's a passion, it's a vocation.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Right.- It takes years of practice, once you've been trained.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17So working on a piece like this, how does it make you feel?
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Because this is, like, quite an expensive piece.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21- Yeah.- You've probably worked on expensive stuff before.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Yeah, I work on quite a few valuable works of art, yeah.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29- Yeah?- I'm not sort of scared of the value of a painting at all.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Everybody gets treated the same.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35You have to absolutely do the best for the object, the artist's integrity.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Keep my intervention to a minimum.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44With the structure of the canvas repaired,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Lucia can now turn her attention to the front
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and preparing it for the final stage - repainting.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I have to fill the losses as a result of the tears.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I'm using an acrylic filler for this.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01So I apply the fill and try and
0:22:01 > 0:22:03keep it very localised.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06The fill material is quite soft, it needs to be,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09but it also needs to have a bit of plasticity to it,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14so I can very gently push in the fill into the canvas,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and then that will go off and then I have to rub it down.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21And when I say rub it down, it's a very gentle process,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24because we're dealing with a very thin paint there.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27And I'm actually using a dental tool.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30This piece of equipment I've actually had for a few decades
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and I've kept it because it's the best tool I've found
0:22:33 > 0:22:35to do the filling.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37It's a bit of a delicate process,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and takes quite a bit of time and patience to do.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Time and patience are also being tested at Will's bench.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51He's been piecing together the cabinet made of hundreds
0:22:51 > 0:22:53of wood offcuts.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55With every section secured,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Will finds another making a bid for freedom.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00So, as you can see...
0:23:02 > 0:23:04This side, especially, is
0:23:04 > 0:23:07all over the place.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11I mean, I think the fact that it's been possibly near a radiator
0:23:11 > 0:23:15or something, or facing a window, so you've got the heat from the sun,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19has meant that the wood has shrunk, the glue has dried,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21and the pieces are pretty loose.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26There is that temptation to take every single piece out
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and glue every single piece back in, but I think there's probably
0:23:30 > 0:23:33a high risk of something going wrong,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35me misplacing the pieces or not putting them back
0:23:35 > 0:23:37in the right order.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41So I think the safest thing to do would be to feed
0:23:41 > 0:23:43some wood glue back in there,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45so when it dries, it dries flat and solid.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51With so much work to do,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Will calls in reinforcements for the final touches,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57before owner Dave returns to pick it up.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01When it's time to clean the windows, you know it's the final furlong.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04It looks special.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Cool. Happy?
0:24:07 > 0:24:08- Like a hippo.- Good.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Wrap him up.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- Hello, Dave, how are we doing?- Hi, how you doing?- You all right?
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- Who've we got here, then? - This is Abigail.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20- Pleased to meet you.- All right?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- So obviously you've come along for your cabinet.- Yeah.- Is that right?
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Do you like the colour blue?
0:24:25 > 0:24:27I'm only joking!
0:24:27 > 0:24:31- Ready for this one?- Be really careful, won't you, pulling it off,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33because that could be disastrous!
0:24:33 > 0:24:36OK, nice and slow.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Wow, that looks good.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Wow, that looks great.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- Wow.- Superb.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- So, what do you think?- Yeah, it's amazing, so much better than it was when it came.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53I have had a bit of an interesting time with this cabinet!
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- Oh, dear.- Thankfully, it's all together now.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01I do think it might have been near to a radiator or a window or something,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03where it's had heat, hot and cold,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06because the wood has definitely shrunk and warped.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09So getting the pieces back in the bottom was slightly tricky.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- Yeah.- Apart from all that...
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Apart from all that, yeah, on a lighter note...
0:25:13 > 0:25:15It makes it sound really bad!
0:25:15 > 0:25:17It really was a pleasure to work on this,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21knowing that the last person to work on it was your grandfather.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Where's it going to go now, then?
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- Where are you going to put it? - In the lounge, and nowhere near a radiator!
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- Yeah, of course.- Absolutely brilliant, I'm really pleased.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Thank you very much indeed.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I'm feeling very happy about the restored cabinet, it looks really good.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36It's a family heirloom now.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It reminds me of my grandfather and my grandmother, actually.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42So it's a piece of them back with us.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Come on then, let's go and do some more.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Back in the workshop,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Lucia has reached a crucial stage in the restoration of the painting by
0:25:53 > 0:25:56English artist Fred Appleyard,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59painting over the repairs to match the original artwork.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03So I have to do a little bit of colour matching
0:26:03 > 0:26:05directly on top of the filling,
0:26:05 > 0:26:06and when I'm finished,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09it should all be virtually invisible.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10Will, do you have the frame?
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Pretty as a picture, as ever!
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- Shall we...- Try it.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19It should fit in there very well.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Perfect. Perfect.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23- Thumbs up?- Thank you.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- Two thumbs, yeah!- You're a good man.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28- All right?- Hi, Jay, yeah. Do you want to have a look?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31It's fitted into the frame.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35I'm not bothered about the frame, look what you've done.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36I know, it's not bad.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Not bad... You've done a brilliant job!
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Thank you, Jay.- I think it's flawless, what you've done.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42- You are kind.- No, you have.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46- Thanks very much.- Here we go, I'll take my hat off to you.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48See that head of yours, it's lovely.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Brought a smile to your face.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I think when Lisa and James see the painting they'll be very happy
0:26:53 > 0:26:55to have it hanging back on the wall,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and that certainly is the best place to put that painting,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00back on the wall, enjoy it.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I think they'll be very pleased to see it all back in one piece.
0:27:05 > 0:27:0770 miles away,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10James and Lisa are about to be reunited with their work of art,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13ready to take pride of place on their wall.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18I'm hoping that it's actually going to look better than we've ever seen.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21She did say it would be a big challenge to repair the rips, though.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Yeah, I can't believe it can be repaired.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Wow.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32That is amazing.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- Look at that.- You can't see any of the holes.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Or the rips. There were several rips there and the holes were mostly
0:27:38 > 0:27:40- there, weren't they?- And there was a rip along there.- Yeah, look at that.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- You can hardly make them out. - You would never, ever know.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- I won't be putting it back in the loft.- No, that's true.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Totally exceeded my expectations.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52I didn't think it would ever look as good as it does.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56To have an ancestor of mine produce that painting is a great privilege
0:27:56 > 0:28:01to me, really, and it's just great to have an heirloom back in pristine condition.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The children are going to have to keep a safe distance away.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06They can just look at it, no touching.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Lovely to have the painting back in the family, back on the wall.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12Yeah, it's where it should be.
0:28:15 > 0:28:20Join us next time for more masterpieces rescued for posterity,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23and more heirlooms restored for future generations
0:28:23 > 0:28:25in The Repair Shop.