- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Here at The Repair Shop, countless treasures have been brought back to life.
00:07Deep breath.
00:08Oh, gosh.
00:10That reveal so much about who we are.
00:12Happy tears.
00:13And where we're from.
00:15It's perfect.
00:16But there's so much more out there.
00:18Let's do it.
00:19That's not yet made it to the barn.
00:22Beautiful, isn't it?
00:23Absolutely beautiful.
00:24So the team are hitting the road.
00:26This is the perfect opportunity to meet some new people, learn some new skills, and maybe fix a few things on the way.
00:32Yeah, I'm up to that.
00:35On a unique adventure.
00:37Whoa!
00:39We're going to get some looks on the way back to the barn.
00:41To join forces with expert craftspeople.
00:44We're putting 130 hours just hanging on the hazels.
00:48On their most ambitious restorations yet.
00:50They all need replacing.
00:51Yes, hundreds of pieces of stone.
00:53Wow.
00:54Keeping heritage crafts alive.
00:56Good job with friends.
00:57I know, isn't it?
00:58And passing precious skills to future generations.
01:01Is he a good student?
01:02He is, yes.
01:03Does he listen to you?
01:04He does, for the most part.
01:06Sparking restorations across the country.
01:08You're part of the history of this now as well.
01:18Today, the team are taking a trip to the Midlands.
01:21It must be such a nice feeling knowing that you're helping so many people.
01:24He's 160,000 hot meals able.
01:27For a pretty big fix.
01:29Anybody want to buy a second-hand satellite dish?
01:31Dom shows he knows his limits.
01:33I don't think I'm going to go anywhere near this.
01:35And Will tries to learn the secrets of encaustic tile.
01:38So what's in this recipe then?
01:40I can't possibly tell you that.
01:45Dom and Mark Stuckey have arrived in the centre of England.
01:48This is the Midlands?
01:51It is.
01:52The Black Country.
01:54Why is it called the Black Country?
01:55It was called Black Country, mainly because of the industrialisation here.
01:59There were so many kilns that everywhere did get black.
02:02I didn't know that.
02:03I genuinely didn't know that.
02:04The Midlands are famed for the Victorian arts and crafts, from the potteries of Stoke to
02:11the iron furnaces of Colebrookdale.
02:14And the repair shop team have been invited to Stafford to tackle a restoration project
02:18on an industrial scale.
02:20An entire bus.
02:22That's why I brought you along, Mark.
02:23Oh, OK.
02:24Because it's got some electrical problems.
02:26Really?
02:27To be fair, it's got more than just electrical problems.
02:30It's got some leaks, which I think have caused the electrical problems.
02:34But you'll find out.
02:37As Mark heads straight for the troublesome bus, Dom is meeting Randir Singh, co-founder of
02:43Midland Lunger Save Us Society, to find out why it's so important that it gets back on
02:49the road.
02:50So we're here in the Midlands.
02:52How can we help?
02:53Yeah, we're actually a homeless charity.
02:56Currently, we provide about 160,000 hot meals a month.
03:02Every month?
03:03Yeah, yeah.
03:04So it's not just a local thing, then?
03:06No, it's not.
03:07We're all over UK.
03:10It may have started in Randir's hometown in 2013, but MLSS now feed the homeless in 16
03:17cities across the UK.
03:19We was born and bred in Walsall, me and the co-founder.
03:23We got together and we had a little idea.
03:25I was new to the Sikh faith.
03:27My friend, he was trying to change his life as he was going through a difficult patch.
03:33Okay.
03:33And here we are today.
03:35So where does the bus come into the charity then?
03:37We use the bus as a shelter.
03:39Okay.
03:40So they're getting the bus.
03:41It's nice and warm.
03:43They can sit there.
03:43So you're actually getting, you're going out to the people?
03:46We're taking the Lungar out to the streets.
03:49What does that mean?
03:50Right.
03:50Lungar is a free community kitchen set by the founder of Sikhism, our first guru, Guru
03:57Dhanak Devji.
03:58Okay.
03:59To promote equality, promote oneness and end the caste system.
04:05So you can go to any Sikh temple worldwide and you're more than welcome to have a hot meal.
04:12I had no idea.
04:13Lungar is for anybody, doesn't matter what colour, creed, religion, whether you're rich,
04:17whether you're poor.
04:18We'll sit at one level and enjoy a meal.
04:22It must be such a nice feeling, knowing that you're helping so many people.
04:27It is, especially in this freezing cold weather, when you see somebody who's...
04:33Just in need.
04:34Yeah.
04:34Yeah.
04:35And it's rewarding, isn't it, giving back something you can't put a price to.
04:39Definitely.
04:41Hoping to help with that mission are the repair shop's resident electronics expert, Mark Stuckey,
04:47and another Mark, one who has got a bit more experience with bigger fixes.
04:51Nice to see you at long last.
04:53Yes.
04:54Mark Owen has spent years building his reputation, restoring buses and other large vehicles for
05:00museums and private clients.
05:02Bus is round the corner?
05:03Yes.
05:04Should we go and have a look?
05:05Yes, sure.
05:05Excellent.
05:07This 60-foot-long former library bus, first rolled out in 2006, and with a mere 190,000
05:15miles on the clock, should have plenty of life in it yet.
05:18For the last three years, though, it's been off the road, rendered unusable by a leaking
05:24roof and flat batteries.
05:27These are the problems you've got.
05:29Oh, I can see you've got a lot of ingress of water.
05:31Water soaking, yeah.
05:33You can see someone's tried to seal it before.
05:35Oh, I see.
05:36Obviously, the problem must be on the outside.
05:38Yeah.
05:39The roof of the bus boasts several skylights, as well as solar panels and even a satellite
05:46dish, all places where water could be getting in.
05:49Obviously, the electrics, there's issues.
05:53The vehicle does not start.
05:54Okay.
05:55When the recovery guys handed me the keys, the buzz is buzzing.
05:59Right, okay.
06:00I thought, maybe water in the electrics.
06:03So, what are we going to do to ensure that there won't be any leaks in the future?
06:07Well, once everything's removed from the roof, we're going to have to prep the roof right
06:12back, refibre glass the whole roof.
06:15That's a lot.
06:16It is a lot.
06:16But before work can start on the roof, the old electronics have to be made safe, and
06:23that means finding the hidden batteries powering them.
06:26So, really, you need to get these up to see what's what.
06:29Yes, start finding out where everything is.
06:31As the search continues...
06:33I'll have a look at this one.
06:34What have we got?
06:36I've got pipes.
06:38Dom is keen to get more insight into Randia's work.
06:42So, you're local to this area.
06:44Over the 11 years you've had the organisation running, have you noticed a change in the
06:48needs from people?
06:49Of course.
06:50No, it's not just the homeless, the less forced.
06:55We're actually getting families that are coming out.
06:57See, it's just the cost of living crisis that we're in.
07:00That's right, mate.
07:01It's not just homeless people that you're helping, it's just anybody in need.
07:04Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:04There's a lot of people relying on this, Matt.
07:06That's right, yeah.
07:07Yeah.
07:07We have nearly 1,000 volunteers.
07:10We're probably one of the largest homeless charities in the UK that takes out food to
07:18the streets where it's needed.
07:20What an incredible achievement.
07:21You know what?
07:22I can't put words to it, to be fair.
07:25It's constantly pinching myself.
07:28While Mark and Mark continue to investigate the bus electrics...
07:33That's going to the batteries.
07:34That's the main feed.
07:35..and that means that there's something under here.
07:39Yeah.
07:41Dom's been sent to Coventry, where Pauline has a mysterious astrological apparatus to show him.
07:49Pauline, it's so nice to see you.
07:51Thank you, first of all, for having me over.
07:53Pleasure.
07:53Who have we got with us?
07:54This is Josh.
07:55This is my youngest grandson.
07:57He's 14.
07:58Josh, nice to meet you.
07:58Hello, yeah.
07:59I'm Dom.
08:00So, I'm really interested to know more about this.
08:03Do you actually know what it is, what it does?
08:05Looking at this, this will look like star names and things like that.
08:09Well, we think it goes round and lights up, because these are back to front, aren't they?
08:15These are like...
08:15Oh, the writing's...
08:16OK, probably go on the walls.
08:18Oh, so there's a lightbulb inside.
08:19Lightbulb, I don't know.
08:22So it's like a map of the stars, essentially.
08:25Yeah.
08:25What have you got in there, isn't there?
08:27Yeah.
08:27A fuse to the flank.
08:28Is that a bell or something?
08:30Oh, it might be just on an off switch.
08:31Oh, it is, yeah.
08:32Is it?
08:34Yeah, this is it.
08:35Ah, that's the end of the wire.
08:36Switch, and that will connect up there in this corner.
08:38Yeah, that's it, yeah.
08:39So you may, like, turn this on and project it into the room that you're in and work out
08:43where the stars, which ones you can see.
08:45So who did this belong to?
08:47It belonged to my husband, Alan.
08:48Alan.
08:50So was Alan into stars and planets?
08:52Yeah.
08:52He did specialise in the moon, but he was interested in anything in the sky, really.
08:59Did you have to share him a little bit with his love of astronomy?
09:02Oh, I suppose, because I was married to him for nearly 60 years, wasn't I?
09:07It gets a bit, you know.
09:09A founder member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Astronomical Society in 1974, Alan was an avid
09:17stargazer from a young age.
09:18When he was still at home, he was with his mum and dad before we were married, he used
09:24to be out there till early hours of the morning, because it gets colder and colder, doesn't
09:29it?
09:29It was outside in the garden.
09:30In the winter, yeah.
09:31And he went to go back in, and his eye was glued to the eyepiece.
09:38Obviously, it must have gotten stuck.
09:40Oh, my goodness me.
09:43He played the bagpipes.
09:44He played the bagpipes?
09:45Did he?
09:46Yeah.
09:46What else did he do?
09:47Well, he was a commercial artist, so a lot of engineering-type things.
09:54His pictures quite often looked like photographs.
09:58That is a talent.
09:59Yeah, he was very good.
10:02But Alan was always drawn back to his greatest passion, space.
10:07It's just part of Alan's life, isn't it?
10:10What he enjoyed doing from when he was seven until only a few weeks before he died.
10:18Do you mind if I ask what happened?
10:21Well, his third cancer killed him, and he died at 80.
10:26But you've got to be grateful.
10:28I mean, there's pictures all round the room, isn't there, of him?
10:31You know, it sounds like you've had such a good time together.
10:34Yes, we did.
10:34We had a happy marriage, very happy marriage.
10:37Yeah.
10:37He's just a really lovely man.
10:39Yeah.
10:39Yeah.
10:40We've ended up with a very curious artefact from his love of astronomy.
10:45Yeah.
10:46And this is part of his life, isn't it?
10:50Yeah.
10:50Yeah.
10:51It's going to be lovely when we can see it.
10:54Some of the names have started to rub off on some bits.
10:56Oh, yeah, they just look like blobs on this side.
10:59But they're actually supposed to be words.
11:01Yeah, OK.
11:01I think you'll be quite pleased to hear that I don't think I'm going to go anywhere near this.
11:06This is far too fragile for me.
11:09But Mark Stuckey, he is as into astronomy as Alan, I think.
11:15Yeah.
11:15He absolutely loves it.
11:16Yeah.
11:17This is so right up his street, and I cannot wait to get it back to the bar.
11:20Yeah, that's nice that you've got somebody there that's...
11:22Oh, he will be so excited to work.
11:24Yeah.
11:24He'll know exactly what it is and what every little...
11:26Oh, he will.
11:26...dial does.
11:27Yeah, definitely.
11:29It's a special artefact.
11:30I'll make sure I get it back to the barn safely.
11:35Back at the charity bus, the circulate dish and solar panels were added at some point,
11:40but no obsolete must be removed to get the roof watertight.
11:44A lot of wiring, a lot of effort's gone into this.
11:46I've just got to work it out.
11:48Well, this doesn't look right.
11:50This is cut in later.
11:51It's rough.
11:52So you wouldn't expect this to normally be in a bus?
11:55Not like this, no.
11:56So something's under this.
11:57Shall we have a look?
11:58I'll grab that.
11:59Yes, there's something there.
12:01Right.
12:02What have we got?
12:03Oh!
12:04Hey!
12:06Look at that.
12:07Wow!
12:08That's a lot.
12:09That...
12:10I didn't expect this amount of batteries.
12:11No.
12:12Yeah, it's good the fact that we can now...
12:14Oh, I can now safely isolate this, because if I don't do that, then part of the circuit could
12:19still potentially be alive.
12:20You cut into it, you'll have a big bang and flash and a potential fire.
12:24Yeah.
12:24So let's just remove it from the source, and it's totally safe.
12:28OK.
12:30Isolate that, then everything can be removed.
12:32Yes.
12:32So what I've got to do now is to disconnect the main feeds which are going into the inverter.
12:41OK.
12:46Take you down, and there's the fuse.
12:48That can come out, of course, anyway.
12:51That's good.
12:52So what I'll do now is go over to the inverter, which will be undoubtedly outside.
12:56Yeah.
12:58Fingers?
12:59There you go.
13:02With the electrical system now isolated...
13:05Right, that's that safe.
13:07The two marks turn their attention to the bus roof, which is so overladen with equipment,
13:12it's actually buoying inwards.
13:14The roof is built concave, not convexed.
13:17Yeah.
13:18So water won't run off.
13:19No, it's gathering like a swimming pool.
13:21Yeah.
13:25Have you ever actually taken an aerial like this off before?
13:28I've taken whole roofs off buses before I made them open top.
13:31I've put roofs back on them.
13:32That's good.
13:35There's a considerable amount of weight with this satellite dish.
13:39If we just cut straight through the fittings,
13:42the probability is it will drop, catch, could damage the top.
13:45So what we need to do is support it while it gets cut through.
13:48OK.
13:49Actually, it's not as heavy as I thought it was going to be.
13:51Keep going, fine, clear, all good.
13:56Anybody want to buy a second-hand satellite dish?
14:00In order to fix the leaking roof,
14:02it really is not as heavy as I thought it was going to be.
14:05Keep going, fine, clear, all good.
14:22Anybody want to buy a second-hand satellite dish?
14:25In order to fix the leaking roof,
14:29every single solar panel needs to be removed.
14:33So while Mark Owen sets about his task,
14:36there's another job waiting for Mark Stuckey back at the barn.
14:42Dom has brought me Pauline Star projector lamp,
14:47which is very impressive.
14:48The detail and accuracy looks absolutely amazing.
14:52You set up the month, January to December.
14:57You rotate this round to the month.
14:59You can even set it up to the hour and the day.
15:02The little bulb will then allow you to project that image onto a surface.
15:07It will then give you a perfect representation
15:10of what you'd expect to see in the night sky
15:13at that particular point in time.
15:15First thing I'm doing at the moment
15:17is cleaning the outer surface of the glass, but very carefully.
15:21Because these transfers are on the outer surface of the glass,
15:25a number of them have actually been worn away.
15:27So we need to obviously find a method
15:30to actually put those, drawing those blank spots back in again.
15:36Intrigued by Mark's unusual projector,
15:39Lucia and Pete can't help but take a closer look.
15:43Mark, this is amazing.
15:45When I was looking at it from a distance,
15:46I thought it was a plastic globe,
15:49but it's actually a glass celestial globe, is it not?
15:53Yeah, I hoped it was plastic because it looks more delicate.
15:56I know, it's amazing what date is it.
15:59This is 1944, I think it is.
16:01It's amazing that it survived, is it not?
16:03It is, really.
16:04Do you think glass was actually made for the job,
16:08or do you think you found something else?
16:10It doesn't look like this was professionally manufactured, does it?
16:13This is D-Day time, wasn't it?
16:15This is all bits of materials which was available at the time.
16:18Oh my goodness, so some really amateur specialist,
16:22Yeah, who knew the astronomy well, decided to do this.
16:28Very ambitious, I would have thought.
16:30Yeah, I think it's amazing.
16:32OK, I feel like I'm taking a space helmet off.
16:43Now the satellite dish and solar panels have been removed,
17:04Mark can focus on getting the roof watertight again.
17:08I've now removed all the wiring.
17:09You can see it's left a rather large hole in the roof.
17:12So what I'm going to do is with sealant,
17:15apply the plate and the screws.
17:18Once each hole is patched,
17:20Mark has to strip back the surface for the next stage of the fix.
17:24Using the grinder, just moving backwards and forwards.
17:28Now I want to clean the paintwork up.
17:29It's going to get a bit noisy.
17:39The surface is now nicely keyed back to fibreglass the roof.
17:43As you can see, holes like this again need to be sealed
17:46to stop water continuing to get into the vehicle.
17:56Back at the barn,
17:58the meticulous restoration of the antique star globe
18:01is reaching a crucial stage.
18:04Is that it?
18:04Yes, that does look like it actually, yeah.
18:10Clock dial restorer Cindy Welland
18:13is repainting the faded constellations
18:15with Mark's expert astronomical guidance
18:18in forming her brushstrokes.
18:22So all the dots are done now
18:24and I'm just working my way around the constellations
18:28and I'm just about to start writing Cassiopeia in reverse.
18:34Easy.
18:35So I've been making it a little bit easier for myself
18:38and I've been writing out the constellation
18:39and then reversing it on my phone
18:42and then just copying it freehand from that.
18:45I'm really enjoying this.
18:48It's really something really unusual for me to do
18:51but it's hurting my brain a little bit
18:54because everything's backwards,
18:56not just the word itself
18:57but the shape of the constellation is backwards.
19:00It takes a little bit of thought.
19:04Painting is usually a meditation for me
19:07and this is, yeah, this is far from meditating.
19:15So that's looking lovely.
19:23I'll continue round the dome
19:24and fingers crossed it's all correct.
19:34The rich industrial heritage of the West Midlands
19:37makes it a mecca for lovers of heritage crafts.
19:41Easy access to coal, limestone and clay
19:44meant Victorian industries flourished in the area
19:47so wood restorer Will is making a pilgrimage
19:50to the Ironbridge Gorge.
19:55He's being welcomed into this 150-year-old factory
19:58by Chris Cox
20:00who has dedicated decades
20:01to reviving the lost craft of encaustic tiles.
20:06Hi there, you must be Chris.
20:07Hi, Will. Nice to meet you.
20:09Nice to see you.
20:10Good to see you.
20:11Look at this, so much colour.
20:12So the encaustic tile has the pattern inlaid into the surface
20:19rather than being printed on or hand-painted on.
20:22Because if it was painted on,
20:23it wouldn't take too long for that.
20:25Sure, the tiles are going on the floor.
20:27So, you know, your feet wearing over that
20:29would very soon wear away any kind of hand-painted pattern.
20:33If you sort of take one of these down,
20:34you'll see the blue dipping down into the tile there.
20:38But because the clays are so hard,
20:40they're fully vitreous clays,
20:41that will last for a very long time, generations.
20:44Really?
20:45Yeah, absolutely.
20:46Vitreous clay has been fired to such a high temperature
20:49that it's no longer porous,
20:51making it hard-wearing and moisture-resistant.
20:55Now, I see that you're working on something over here.
20:57Yes, at the moment I'm carving a mould.
20:59So this is a medium-density plaster.
21:01OK.
21:02And onto that, then, we map out the pattern,
21:05and then we're just cutting out about two mil down.
21:08How can you judge how far down you've gone?
21:10So we've got a really clever little depth tool here.
21:13So this has got a little tooth on the end there,
21:15set at exactly the right depth,
21:18so that when that goes on there,
21:19you can just use that to go back and forwards,
21:22and that gets you a nice, smooth...
21:24That's really clever!
21:26..consistent depth.
21:27Really clever.
21:27Crack on, there we go.
21:29So I'm just...
21:30So you're chiselling away.
21:31Chiselling away, but not too deep.
21:33That's it, because you want to control the depth
21:35with the depth tool.
21:37Have you worked on any really big projects?
21:40Yeah, so in 2008, we signed the contract
21:43to essentially re-tile their floors of the Houses of Parliament.
21:47No.
21:48The Houses of Parliament is a very, very busy working building.
21:51Yeah.
21:52There's a lot of footfall in there,
21:54and the tiles, really, these historic tiles,
21:57were just beyond repair, and they were beyond conservation.
22:01So the decision was made to replace them,
22:05but any replacement had to be absolutely like for like.
22:08Mm, how many tiles are we talking about?
22:10Well, the project itself carried over a 13-year period.
22:16What?
22:16We made over 40,000 individual handmade encaustic tiles,
22:22hundreds of plaster moulds.
22:23There's hundreds of different patterns, so...
22:25When you got that contract,
22:27you must have been straight down the pub to celebrate.
22:29It was a good day.
22:30It was a good day.
22:31It was a good day, but also a very daunting day.
22:34Yeah.
22:34Because that's a huge responsibility.
22:37Chris was following in the footsteps
22:39of architect Augustus Pugin
22:41and legendary ceramicist Herbert Minton,
22:43who were tasked with making decorative tiles
22:46to re-floor the Palace of Westminster
22:48after the Great Fire of 1834.
22:52There was just one problem.
22:53Nobody could be sure exactly
22:55how the original tiles were made.
22:58You've got the finished tiles,
22:59but you haven't got the process.
23:01But surely the Victorians
23:02would have left something for you?
23:03They did, but they're not very helpful.
23:07So, for example,
23:08an inlaid floor tile recipe
23:10that I've got at home,
23:12it's...
23:12I forget the exact details now,
23:14but it's something like
23:15one barrow load of wad,
23:18whatever that is,
23:19three shovelfuls of bulldog,
23:22and I think a quart of something else bizarre.
23:26And you think, well, how...
23:27How am I supposed to know what that is?
23:29Decode that, you know,
23:30how big's a barrow, how...
23:32Yeah, of course.
23:32They are so bizarre,
23:34some of these recipes.
23:36Chris had to experiment for years
23:39to perfect his own version
23:41of the Victorians' encaustic tiles.
23:44So what's in this recipe, then?
23:46So, I can't possibly tell you that.
23:48So, company secret.
23:50But it's just the two of us.
23:51It is, it is.
23:52Just the two of us.
23:53We've written it all down,
23:54and the recipes will make sense,
23:56you know, when we're gone
23:57to someone else who picks up
23:58that old recipe book
23:59and goes, oh, OK.
24:01Which has been kept where?
24:02So, oh, well, I can't tell you that.
24:04You nearly...
24:05In the safe.
24:06They can't catch me out that easily.
24:10Now, considering
24:11this is my first time,
24:14what are we thinking?
24:15I think that's an amazing job you've done there.
24:17Really?
24:17Absolutely brilliant, yeah.
24:19I can tell you...
24:19I would almost say you've done this before.
24:21Oh, well, you know.
24:25Once the plaster mould is carved,
24:27a hydraulic press is used
24:29to produce the patterned tile.
24:31Oh, that's heavy.
24:32It's got some...
24:33It's got some weight to it, hasn't it?
24:35Yes.
24:35We've got the clay.
24:37We keep it in a bag
24:38to keep it airtight.
24:39Is this secret clay?
24:40This is our secret clay recipe.
24:42Absolutely, yeah.
24:44Keep it out of prying eyes.
24:46So what we need to do,
24:47you need to put that on there
24:48and give it a roll round.
24:53That's it, that'll do.
24:54Yeah.
24:55That goes down on top of there.
24:58Like that?
24:58Yeah.
24:58Yeah.
25:00That's it.
25:01Then you lift the whole lot off
25:03and slide it underneath the press.
25:04I don't think I've got the strength, Chris.
25:06OK.
25:06So.
25:07Oh!
25:09Right, you go in there.
25:12Start the press
25:12and then start the cycle.
25:19How much pressure are we talking about?
25:21200 psi.
25:22That's a lot.
25:23That's a lot.
25:27Right, so now that's done.
25:28So we can turn that off.
25:29It goes off.
25:32It doesn't get any lighter.
25:33There it is.
25:38Oh, look at that.
25:44And you should be able to lift that plaster mould away
25:47and that will reveal the tile underneath.
25:50There.
25:50Hey, there we are.
25:52Wow.
25:54Nice, crisp imprint of the mould on the clay there.
25:57There you've got the tile ready for the next process
26:00and your mould is free,
26:02ready for the next tile.
26:03What, so you don't have to wait for that to dry?
26:04No, that's ready for filling.
26:06Right, so I'll take that and you lead on.
26:08Great.
26:08Come this way.
26:09OK, so here we are.
26:21So I'm trying to achieve something like that pretty much, aren't I?
26:23Yes, exactly, exactly.
26:25So we're ready to put the inlay slip in.
26:28What is slip?
26:29So slip is a liquid clay.
26:32Looks like gravy to me.
26:33Yeah, it is.
26:33It's the sort of thickness of double cream.
26:35Yeah.
26:36And you want it quite fluid
26:38because you want it to get into all those nooks and crannies.
26:40Yeah, exactly right.
26:41If you pour a little bit on the outside...
26:43Mm.
26:44Oh, Christ, I'm nervous about this.
26:47Just a little...
26:47There it goes.
26:48Yeah, go on.
26:49Keep going.
26:49I'll tell you when.
26:50Yeah.
26:50Keep going.
26:50That's it.
26:51Like that?
26:51That's it.
26:51All in.
26:52Just watch the bottom of the jug there
26:55because it's very close to the tile.
26:57That's great.
26:58So then you can take your brush.
27:00What you're going to do
27:01is you're just going to work it
27:02into those little nooks and crannies
27:03and into the detail.
27:05Hold on, you're going around the top here.
27:07I was trying my best not to touch anything else.
27:09Yeah, you've got to go over the edge.
27:11Oh, I didn't know that, Chris.
27:12That's why I was holding my breath doing the other stuff.
27:15Once the liquid slip has dried for a week,
27:18the tiles are fired in the kiln,
27:20reaching a temperature of 1,100 degrees centigrade.
27:24And that permanently fuses the clay together.
27:28Yeah.
27:28Almost turns it back to stone.
27:30You know, once it's been fired,
27:32it's kind of past that point of no return.
27:34So this tile here, you can see,
27:36has been cut down to size.
27:38That's the finished piece.
27:39That looks really smart.
27:41It's really nice.
27:41Yeah, it looks so much better
27:42when it's had all the excess cut off.
27:45That there is one that's very similar
27:47to the design that you were filling.
27:49Oh, it is, isn't it?
27:50Yeah, so that's what that pattern will look like
27:53once it's fired and cut to size.
27:55You can see how the colour changes
27:57so dramatically in the kiln.
27:59It does.
28:00Wow.
28:01I would like to take 50 of those if I can.
28:05Indeed, yes.
28:07You may have to wait a little while
28:08for us to produce them.
28:0928 miles up the road,
28:19after days of painstaking preparation,
28:22the next stage in getting the bus roof watertight
28:24can start.
28:25We're ready.
28:26It's a big day.
28:27Guys are here to be with fibreglassed,
28:29and they're here to race against time.
28:32Literally, a chemical reaction.
28:33When they start, they've got to keep going,
28:36non-stop, lift finish.
28:37It's a huge job,
28:40so Mark has called in local fibreglass specialists,
28:43John and Paul, to help.
28:45First, they're coating the roof with a resin and hardener mix.
28:48And how long will it last?
28:50It's flat, Russ.
28:51Yeah.
28:53Longer than me and you, mate.
28:55Longer than me and you.
28:55Then they press sheets of fibreglass matting on top.
29:01Once it's dry, they apply a resin and wax topcoat,
29:05meaning Mark will be able to repaint the hard-wearing surface.
29:12Back at the barn,
29:14the missing constellations and planets
29:16have been painted on the dome.
29:18However, Mark now needs to make sure
29:20the projector lights up
29:21so Pauline and Josh can see them.
29:24Looking at the electrics,
29:26it was in a pretty poor way.
29:28You sort of have here for the main lamp,
29:30which is basically a little light bulb,
29:33some bell wire,
29:35which is starting to deteriorate due to age.
29:38The back of the bulb,
29:40if you like,
29:41the positive terminal,
29:42is just terminated with a nut and bolt,
29:46not soldered.
29:47So I just need to tighten that up.
29:49And then what I need to do
29:50is put this part down here.
29:53And I've got to make sure
29:54that when I put this back,
29:56that doesn't touch the outer casing.
29:58What would actually happen is
29:59the bulb would go out
30:01and therefore there would be no show.
30:03Just soldered the neutral wire,
30:08the return wire.
30:09What I've got to do now,
30:11feed the wire all the way through.
30:14Right, that's the bulb all wired up.
30:17Now what I've got to do
30:18is install it back into
30:20the projector itself.
30:26Always have the wires longer
30:27than what you need.
30:28You can always shorten them,
30:29but it's a bit difficult
30:31in lengthening them.
30:33The switch is in excellent condition.
30:41No sign of, you know,
30:42sort of, well,
30:43rusting or contamination.
30:46It's now ready for me
30:47to wipe back up to the bulb.
30:56Now the moment of truth.
30:58What happens?
30:59Look at that.
31:00Lovely.
31:01We've got a little glow.
31:04Now this bulb
31:05is actually up to 70 years old.
31:08So this is exactly
31:09how Alan would have seen it
31:10when he first turned it on.
31:12So, you know,
31:13the past and the present
31:15fuse together.
31:16It's like a little time machine,
31:18really, isn't it?
31:19Fascinating.
31:19Now the light's working,
31:21what I've got to do next
31:22is physically get the switch
31:24back in its original location.
31:25So, a bit more to do.
31:47Mark, how are you doing?
31:48Here we go.
31:50Get it on the bench quickly.
31:51Come on.
31:51How about that?
31:54Brilliant.
31:55It looks like such a contraption,
31:56doesn't it?
31:57Look at that.
31:57I want to tell you fortune.
31:58I love it.
32:00Cindy's done a brilliant job
32:01with that glow, hasn't she?
32:02She has, hasn't she?
32:02Oh, superb.
32:03I mean, your wires are okay as well.
32:05But they're okay.
32:09Pauline and grandson Josh
32:11are known from Coventry
32:12to check up on her star projector.
32:20Pauline, hi.
32:21Nice to see you.
32:22Nice to see you.
32:23Yes.
32:23So, how have you been?
32:25All right, thank you, yeah.
32:26Yeah?
32:26Been looking forward to it,
32:28but excited,
32:29but nervous at the same time.
32:31Do you remember what it looked like
32:32when I first met you?
32:33Very dirty and dusty,
32:35wasn't it?
32:36Some of the lettering was off,
32:38wasn't it, as well?
32:40But why did you want to get it
32:41prepared, though?
32:42Sort of, like,
32:43see it sort of
32:44how Grandad would have
32:46sort of, like,
32:47lived with it.
32:47When he first seen it, yeah.
32:49And this is Alan, is it?
32:50His Grandad, yeah.
32:51OK, and Alan was an astronomer?
32:53Yeah, from the age of seven,
32:54and he died at 80,
32:56so a long, long time.
32:57Yes.
32:58I said to them on the way,
33:00I said,
33:00Grandad's going to be with us today.
33:03He's going to be in here with us.
33:04What do you mean by that?
33:06I think,
33:08because we'd like to have thought
33:10he'd seen it like this,
33:12it'd be nice to think
33:14that he can see it like this,
33:16you know?
33:17Yeah, he's looking on.
33:18Yeah, he's still
33:19very close to us,
33:22if you know what I mean.
33:23Yeah.
33:24He would be thrilled,
33:25wouldn't he,
33:26to think that
33:27we've done this?
33:28Yeah, to see it repaired.
33:30Yeah.
33:30It sounds like astronomy
33:31was a big part
33:32of both of your lives.
33:33Not so much mine,
33:35but obviously,
33:37when your husband's
33:38passionate about something,
33:40you do take an interest,
33:41don't you?
33:41You join in.
33:42You do.
33:42And I guess that's what makes
33:43this so special, is it?
33:44I really hope
33:46that we can recreate
33:47some of that magic for you today
33:48with this.
33:49I'm sure you will.
33:49I'm sure you will.
33:50You ready to see it?
33:51Yeah?
33:52Josh, you ready?
33:53Yeah.
33:54I think Josh is more nervous
33:55than you.
33:55I don't know.
33:56Are you ready?
33:57I hope you like it.
33:59Oh, gosh.
34:08It's lovely, isn't it?
34:10Lovely, Josh.
34:12Oh, it's amazing, isn't it?
34:13Look how shiny it is as well.
34:16Have you wrote it on Earth?
34:18We have to thank Cindy for that.
34:20She has done a fantastic job
34:21of literally hand-painting
34:23all of that back on.
34:24No, it's amazing, isn't it?
34:26It's beautiful.
34:27How does it feel
34:27seeing this restored now?
34:29Are you happy?
34:29Yeah, of course we are.
34:31It's amazing.
34:31Of course we are.
34:32It's amazing.
34:32It's lovely.
34:33It's really lovely.
34:34Polished up well.
34:35I don't know how you've got
34:35the glass so clean.
34:38Josh, how are you feeling
34:39knowing that this may end up
34:40in your hands eventually?
34:42Very proud, I suppose,
34:43to sort of say
34:44that my grandad
34:44owned with sort of
34:46this passion
34:46and for, like,
34:48this space
34:50and stars and...
34:51Special thing to have.
34:52Yeah, and his memory
34:53sort of thing.
34:55Cindy has done
34:56an amazing job
34:57repainting and retouching
34:58the glass.
34:59Mark has worked his magic
35:00on all of the electrics
35:01and it looks beautiful.
35:02But this is a tool,
35:04essentially.
35:04It needs to work.
35:05It's got a job to do.
35:07Do you want to find out
35:07if it works?
35:08Yeah.
35:09We've got a room set up
35:10over in my workshop.
35:11OK.
35:12If you want to come over,
35:12we can have a go.
35:13I'll get the door.
35:14Come on, Mark.
35:14I've got the heavy one again.
35:15It's heavy.
35:16It is quite heavy.
35:17Is it?
35:17Yes.
35:18Come on, then.
35:21Perfect.
35:22Come on, Mark.
35:23You be careful with that.
35:24I'm going to be careful.
35:24I know.
35:25Believe me.
35:28After you.
35:30Oh, it smells of wood.
35:35Let me get the lights.
35:37Oh, oh, oh.
35:38It'll be dark.
35:39Let's turn the switch on.
35:43Oh, look at that.
35:44Oh, that's amazing.
35:46Look at that.
35:48Cancer, Gemini, Doris.
35:51There goes Aries, Odromeda, Pegasus.
35:53Yeah.
35:54Sagittarius.
35:55So, Sirius is the brightest star.
35:58That's right.
35:58It's magic, isn't it?
35:59It is.
36:00You know, to see it projected,
36:02it's lovely.
36:04Special moment, isn't it?
36:05It is special.
36:06We'd love it.
36:07Absolutely love it.
36:08Well, I'll tell you what,
36:09thank you so much for trusting us
36:11with such a special thing.
36:12I knew you would do a lovely job.
36:15You're welcome.
36:18The difference between
36:20when we first found it
36:23to what it looks like now
36:24is just astronomical.
36:30It's important to me
36:31because he loves stars
36:33and to me,
36:34it's like a bit of a connection, really.
36:36I look at that lamp every day
36:38and I'll think of Alan
36:40every time I look at it.
36:50Now, Pauline's projector
36:51has been returned.
36:53Doorman Mark
36:54of Staffordshire burned
36:55to see the progress
36:56on the Guru Nanak Lunga bus.
36:59Are you enjoying the heated seat?
37:01Yeah, it's all right.
37:02It's OK.
37:03Are you too hot?
37:03Are you cold?
37:04Are you OK?
37:04No, I'm absolutely fine.
37:05You sure?
37:06Yep, not a problem.
37:07Absolutely fine.
37:08Doesn't sound very convincing, Mark.
37:10I'm perfectly acceptable.
37:11Fine.
37:11Hello, Mark.
37:21Hi, Mark.
37:22How are you?
37:22How has it been
37:23working on this bus?
37:24It's been a big job.
37:26Big.
37:27I mean,
37:27after removing
37:28the satellite dish,
37:30all the solar panels
37:31had to come off,
37:32wiring,
37:33everything that was attached
37:35to it had to come off,
37:37skylights all out.
37:39Dear me.
37:40Panelled over,
37:41sealed,
37:42and then I had to prep
37:43the entire roof
37:44and down the front.
37:46So literally the whole roof
37:47has all been repaired?
37:48The whole of the vehicle
37:48all the way down.
37:50Wow.
37:50Really pleased how it's turned out.
37:52Yeah, I was going to say,
37:53are you pleased
37:53with what you've done?
37:54You've done a brilliant year
37:55because the charity,
37:57without it,
37:57it had been Scrapyard.
37:59Yeah.
38:00They kind of afford
38:00a new vehicle,
38:01so this has bought them time.
38:03Yes.
38:04To serve the community.
38:05Right, so Mark,
38:06I'd love to see
38:07what you've done inside.
38:08OK, let's have a look.
38:09Let's have a look.
38:10We have the full tour.
38:11Oh, exactly.
38:12Get in there.
38:12Let's have a look.
38:13What have we got?
38:14Actually, I can smell fresh paint.
38:16Yes.
38:17Look at it in here.
38:19It is a complete massive transformation.
38:22You've done a fantastic job.
38:24Well done, Mark.
38:24What have you done inside here?
38:26Right, well,
38:27after taking everything off the roof,
38:29sealed the skylights,
38:30made these panels,
38:32sealed them in,
38:33painted it,
38:34made and fitted the poles
38:35to help stabilise the roof
38:37because of the bit of sag it's got.
38:38This is like a fresh start
38:40for the bus.
38:41Yes.
38:41All those years of modifications
38:43and add-ons,
38:44all the wires that you found,
38:45have all gone.
38:46Keeps it in existence.
38:47It was doing nothing
38:48because they couldn't use it.
38:49A job well done.
38:50Yeah.
38:50Yeah, definitely.
38:51And a lot of people
38:52are going to be very pleased
38:53to see this bus,
38:54so thank you so much
38:55for all the hard work you've done.
38:57Mark, it sounds like
38:58a huge amount of work
38:59has been done on the roof.
39:00Yes.
39:00And you've got a ladder there
39:01inviting me up there.
39:02Can I have a look?
39:03Yes, you can.
39:03Yeah?
39:04Don't get it dirty.
39:05Yeah.
39:05You've already been up there, Mark,
39:06so you don't need to go up there again.
39:07No, no.
39:10Well, it's a long way up.
39:11It is.
39:11OK.
39:12Could have been a double-decker.
39:13Could have been worse.
39:15Yeah, could have been 14 and a half, but...
39:17There you go.
39:18Oh, wow.
39:20That is a huge amount of work.
39:22Mark, honestly, it's the entire roof.
39:24Yeah.
39:24It's all new.
39:25Yeah.
39:25Wow.
39:27Randy is going to be so pleased
39:28with all the work you've done.
39:29Thank you so much.
39:30He is actually on the way,
39:32so can we try and hide it somewhere?
39:34Have a go.
39:34You're going to let me reverse it back?
39:36If you want.
39:37The moment of truth.
39:39Is the one-stormant bus
39:41now ready to hit the road again?
39:44Right, shall we go?
39:48Don't want to dent it now
39:49after Mark's done all this work to it.
39:50Exactly.
39:51Yeah, we're good.
39:52We're looking good.
39:53You've got loads.
39:54You've got about four foot my side.
39:57Yeah, you're clear at the front.
40:01Not a moment too soon,
40:03as here comes Randy,
40:04and it looks like he's brought a crowd.
40:08Randy, hey.
40:09Hello, guys.
40:10Good to see you again.
40:12You've brought some friends with you,
40:13of course.
40:14Brought my family, mate.
40:15MLSS family.
40:16Pleased to see the good turnout,
40:17so thanks everyone for coming down.
40:18Clearly means a lot,
40:19as you say,
40:20to a lot of people.
40:20It does make a positive.
40:21Can you remember
40:22the condition the bus was in
40:23when you left it with us?
40:24Yeah, so it was in a bad condition,
40:28and we all had our fingers crossed.
40:32No, we wasn't sure
40:33if you guys will have to repair it.
40:34Why did you want to get it repaired?
40:36With the cold weather coming now,
40:39it was very important for us
40:41to get it on the road
40:42for our service users,
40:44so they've got somewhere to walk to sit.
40:46It really means a lot to us guys.
40:47Is everybody ready to see the bus?
40:49Yes!
40:50All right, come on then.
40:52Mark, bring it around.
40:56Wow.
40:56Yay!
40:59Ah!
41:04Come on.
41:06So, this is Mark, everybody.
41:09Very talented,
41:10has done all of the work
41:11to repair your bus.
41:12Thank you, Mark.
41:14Pleasure.
41:15Come on, mate.
41:15Well done, Mark.
41:17Well done, Mark.
41:23Right, so I'm sure
41:24you'll want to have a look inside.
41:25Come on then,
41:26come inside in the warm.
41:29The now watertight bus
41:31is ready to get out
41:32and serve community meals once again.
41:35It's amazing.
41:35We're all very, very, very happy.
41:37It's been out of action for so long.
41:39For it to be prepared
41:40and finally unveiled to us,
41:41it means a lot.
41:43It was beautiful
41:44to see it moving along
41:45and you can just imagine it now
41:47in the winter
41:48being out on the street.
41:49absolutely amazing, amazing, amazing, what a fantastic job.
41:57A huge thank you to Mark
41:59for his wonderful work.
42:01You're going to put a smile on
42:02thousands of faces
42:04as well as mine.
42:06But before it goes back into service,
42:13petrol head Dom
42:14can't resist
42:15taking it for one last spin.
42:17Right, Mark,
42:18I hope you've got your fare.
42:19You've got your ticket.
42:20I can find it.
42:21We're on the road.
42:22We're on the road.
42:22Get your seatbelt on.
42:24Yeah, double.
42:24You up for it?
42:25Trust my driving?
42:27I'll let you know.
42:30Do you know how to start it?
42:31Oh, there you go.
42:33Perfect.
42:33That's a good one.
42:35Forward.
42:36Here we go.
42:37Hooray.
42:43Oh, this is comfy.
42:44Here we go.
42:46Mind the car.
42:56Oh, this is comfy.
Recommended
43:39
|
Up next
48:21
43:41
43:34
43:13
43:13
43:14
43:42
43:33
56:47
43:32
43:39
43:11
43:31
40:02
41:05
45:20
41:51
37:50
23:46
23:51