- 5 weeks ago
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00:01Here at the Repair Shop,
00:03countless treasures have been brought back to life.
00:09That reveal so much about who we are
00:12and where we're from.
00:15But there's so much more out there
00:18that's not yet made it to the barn.
00:21This is amazing.
00:23So the team are hitting the road.
00:25I just love getting up close and personal with the objects.
00:28And we're going to get a glimpse into some amazing heritage crafts.
00:31Yes. I cannot wait.
00:34On a unique adventure.
00:36Oh, yes.
00:37This is terrifying.
00:40To join forces with expert craftspeople.
00:43Whoa!
00:44If we don't point these joints, moisture's going to penetrate.
00:47On their most ambitious restorations yet.
00:50To think every day you come up, this is your office.
00:52Wow! It's big!
00:54Keeping heritage crafts alive.
00:57Keep going, keep going.
00:58Yeah.
00:59It's getting hot in there.
01:00On precious restorations around the country.
01:03I can't even imagine what it looks like.
01:06Wow!
01:07There's a legacy here that needs to be protected.
01:09This time, on a road trip through Scotland, Dom gets to grips with a giant spider.
01:23These handles have seemed better.
01:24What's wrong with that wobbly bit?
01:26It's really loose.
01:27Better not wobble that any more.
01:28I don't want to break it more than it's already broken.
01:30Will is in the Highlands.
01:32It is beautiful.
01:33It's got quite a dark history, this place.
01:36To hear how an historic artefact survived a horrific battle.
01:41This is the Apin Chalice.
01:43And they celebrated communion on the morning of the battle.
01:47And creating new treasures.
01:49How hot is it in there, then?
01:51At this moment in time, it'll be 1110 degrees.
01:54I can feel it from here, and I'm nowhere near.
01:56Dom has to keep a cool head.
01:59Don't you worry, Scott.
02:00I've got it.
02:01It's all under control.
02:03On today's trip, Will and Dom are heading first for Dunblane.
02:14It's one of the oldest settlements in Scotland,
02:17built on the banks of the Allan Water,
02:20and believed to have been founded in the 7th century by St Blane.
02:26Well, you have lucked out today.
02:28I've taken one for the team here.
02:29Go on.
02:30I'm going to the Dunblane Centre.
02:32Who need some help with a giant spider.
02:35What, an actual spider?
02:36No, a giant wooden one.
02:38Oh, gosh.
02:39It's a slide for kids.
02:40OK, cool.
02:41Do you know what?
02:42If I had a spider slide to use as a child,
02:46that might have helped me with my phobia of spiders.
02:48Or maybe might have just finished you off.
02:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:02To find out more about the oversized Arachnid, Dom is visiting the Dunblane Centre to meet former manager Stacey Constantini.
03:17I'm so intrigued.
03:18Why?
03:19Why are we standing in front of a giant wooden spider?
03:22Yeah, I've asked myself that question a lot.
03:24But the big giant spider, there's a big story behind him.
03:27This guy came to the Dunblane Centre, where we are just now, about four or five years ago.
03:34He was put up for adoption in the local newspaper.
03:39One of my staff came to me and said, we need to get him for here, and I agreed.
03:44The spider had been a star attraction at the nearby Thistle Shopping Centre until it was removed in 2014.
03:52The campaign began to find this well-loved local landmark a new home,
03:57and Stacey gave it a warm welcome at the community centre.
04:02Do you know why it was made in the first place?
04:04Yeah.
04:05So he was designed by a guy called Stephen Hoffman,
04:08and it was a competition, I think, a sculpture competition, and he won.
04:13Do you know when that was?
04:15About 1980, so the year I was born.
04:17The spider was designed as an artwork, celebrating one of Scotland's greatest heroes.
04:24Apparently, he was inspired by a local legend of Robert the Bruce.
04:28So in a cave not too far away from here, he apparently hid out,
04:32and he'd seen a spider trying to weave its web,
04:36and it kept falling down, and it kept falling down, and it kept trying.
04:40Inspired by the tenacious spider, Robert the Bruce rallied his troops
04:46and defeated the English at the Battle of Manukburn, or so the legend goes.
04:52What's your earliest memory of this then?
04:54When I was little, and I used to go shopping with my parents,
04:57I used to play on this.
04:59So I can remember it probably from being around three-ish.
05:03He originally was just the spider without the slide,
05:07and I used to climb on him, had fun on him,
05:11as has so many people who live in Dunblane in the surrounding areas.
05:15So I really wanted him.
05:17All of a sudden, the kids started climbing all over it,
05:19so a slide was added, and now he's here.
05:23He's here. He's here. Aha, he's here.
05:25And I'm so glad he got here.
05:27He's a local legend.
05:28Bit of an icon, yeah.
05:30Why do you want to get the spider restored?
05:32It brings so much joy and positivity to kids and adults alike,
05:36so it would be such a shame to see him go to waste,
05:39and, you know, he's a good guy. We want to keep him.
05:42Well, Stacey, we are here to help.
05:44While I'm here, what can I do?
05:46Right, okey-doke, there's a bit of a list.
05:48Go on then, I'm ready.
05:49He's well-worn.
05:50So, yep, there's, like, wobbly bits.
05:53Oh, no.
05:54These handles have seemed better.
05:55What's wrong with that wobbly bit?
05:56It's really loose.
05:57Better not wobble that anymore.
05:58I don't want to break it more than it's already broken.
06:00Fair enough.
06:01He's a bit rough and ready in places.
06:03He's splintery.
06:04There's holes.
06:06He needs a wee lick of paint here and there.
06:08He's had kids climbing all over him for 40 years.
06:10He has, he has.
06:11There's a lot of wear and tear in that slight part.
06:14Yeah, and I guess we've got quite a large health and safety
06:17consideration here, bearing in mind it's kids.
06:19Yes.
06:20With splinters and wobbly bits and sharp bits.
06:21Exactly.
06:22I mean, it's all character building, but you can't have kids
06:24going on and hurting themselves.
06:26So, yeah, we want to make sure that he's kept as best he can.
06:29Yeah, good sand down, tidy up any wobbly bits,
06:32any splintery bits, anything they need,
06:34any bits of damage to be repaired.
06:35To be repaired, yeah.
06:36And he's huge, as you can see, and it's quite heavy.
06:39So, could we put some wheels on the bottom of him?
06:41That would be amazing,
06:42because you've got to shift him around to make the space work.
06:44Do you know what?
06:45That makes complete sense.
06:46Yeah.
06:47Some cast of wheels underneath, so you can wheel him around.
06:49Yeah.
06:50Just to make him a bit more mobile in his old age.
06:52Well, leave him with me.
06:53We'll do the best we can.
06:54Okay.
06:55Well, he's not going anywhere until you put the wheels on,
06:56so you've got him.
06:57True.
06:58I'll get going, okay.
06:59Okay, thank you.
07:00Getting the spiders safe for children to play on again
07:04is a big job, so Dom's called in hell.
07:07The Aberdeen-based furniture maker and restorer, Jen Humphries.
07:12You okay?
07:13Yeah.
07:14Wow.
07:15It's big.
07:16It's unique.
07:17Wow.
07:18I've not seen anything like it before.
07:19Yeah.
07:20It's quite old, originally a sculpture,
07:22and then now turned into a piece of play equipment with a slide.
07:26Brilliant.
07:27But it needs a little bit of love.
07:29This has had kids clambering all over it, sliding down it,
07:32jumping on it, and that has taken its toll.
07:35There are a few sharp, sort of splintery edges which we need to deal with.
07:39But my biggest concern is Stacey really wants this to be on wheels,
07:44but it's really heavy.
07:46It is really, really heavy.
07:48What do you think?
07:49I think it's a big job, but hopefully we'll get it looking good
07:54and getting safe so it can be used safely and be a real asset to the centre.
07:59So where do you want to start?
08:00Let's get it the slide off, because that unscrews round here, I believe.
08:06So we'll get the slide off and then we'll get it on its side.
08:13Ready?
08:14Ready as I'll ever be.
08:15All right.
08:16Oh, yeah.
08:17There we go.
08:18Well done.
08:19Perfect.
08:20Oh, that's mucky in there.
08:23See if nothing else is getting a good sprinkly move.
08:26OK, this is perfect here.
08:30And now you're starting to see...
08:31Look, this is the spider's face.
08:33These little fangs.
08:34Oh, that's so true!
08:35Isn't it?
08:36Yeah, you can see it.
08:37It's that way.
08:38Look at that.
08:39Oh!
08:40You're afraid of the eye.
08:41That is delicious.
08:44Before starting to restore the spider,
08:48the first job is to make it mobile.
08:51It's looking good that we're bolting wheels on.
08:54Yeah, it's reassuring.
08:55I'll feel a lot better when we get these on.
08:57Yes, absolutely.
09:04It's done!
09:05That's it, let's...
09:06It's on its wheels!
09:07And let's...
09:08Take a moment to just celebrate this.
09:10Happy days!
09:11I guess we need to get it outside now so the real work can begin.
09:14Let's go for it.
09:15Come on then.
09:16Now we can wheel it so easily.
09:17You can put it wherever you want.
09:20Oh, it doesn't have a good steering wheel.
09:21It's got a mind of its own.
09:22No!
09:25As the spider moves on to the next stage of its restoration,
09:31Will is heading further north through the Highlands.
09:35He's visiting one of Scotland's most historic and bloody battlefields
09:40to meet the Reverend Amanda Fairclough,
09:43priest in charge of the West Highland region
09:45of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
09:47This is lovely, isn't it?
09:49Isn't it a beautiful day?
09:50What a setting here.
09:52It is beautiful.
09:53It's got quite a dark history, this place.
09:56This is Culloden Field,
09:58the site of the last battle on UK land.
10:03It was between the Jacobites,
10:04who were supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie,
10:07and the forces of the King.
10:10And it is a place where 1,600 men
10:14lost their lives in the course of an hour.
10:16Really?
10:171,500 of them belonging to the Jacobites' side.
10:22The Jacobites supported Charles Edward Stuart,
10:25known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.
10:28On the 16th of April, 1746,
10:30they confronted the army of King George II,
10:33commanded by the Duke of Cumberland.
10:36For the rebels, it was a military disaster.
10:40But two remarkable relics survived the battle.
10:43This is the Appen Chalice.
10:47So, if you think about when you take communion,
10:50the wine goes on the chalice,
10:52and the bread goes on a plate.
10:54And the plate has a special name,
10:55it's called a pattern.
10:57These will have been brought here by the chaplain,
11:00Reverend John McLoughlin,
11:01and they celebrated communion on the morning of the battle.
11:06The chalice and pattern were made in 1723
11:10for the West Highland parish of Appen,
11:13an area that sent many Jacobite soldiers to Culloden.
11:17What's extraordinary about this object
11:19is where it's been and what it's seen.
11:22Yeah, of course.
11:23And, you know, it was here on this moor nearly 300 years ago,
11:28and it was the last time that a couple of hundred men
11:33ever shared communion.
11:35How did these survive?
11:37Legend has it that they were returned spirited away,
11:41wrapped in the Appen banner,
11:43which was a flag a bit like the Soul Tire.
11:46And we used these at St John's Church in Balahulish.
11:49That is amazing that this has been around for so long
11:51and it is still in use.
11:53We very often get visitors coming specifically
11:56to come and see these
11:58and actually have some time with the objects themselves.
12:01So people come far and wide to see these?
12:04Yeah, and if I can, then I'll let them see it.
12:07From this angle, I can see that there's a dent on the side here.
12:10Yes. Is that from the battle?
12:12I'm afraid not.
12:14That dent appeared after I took up my postage.
12:17No!
12:18Exactly how, I don't know.
12:20That's the problem with Silva.
12:21You drop it, you get a dent in it.
12:23So there's a wee dent round the edge.
12:24I think somebody's had a fettle at it to take some of it out.
12:27Yeah.
12:28It looks like the rim to be fettled back to something that approximates to a circle.
12:34It would probably benefit from being looked at around the edge of the pattern as well.
12:39You can see where the tarnish is down there.
12:43You see the legend on the back of here.
12:45Yeah.
12:46The pin, spelt with an E, 1723, the year it was forged.
12:50It also says that round the edges, the rim of the cup.
12:53Mm.
12:54And that's a bit more worn probably because it has more lips on it than that has.
12:57Yeah.
12:58I would hate for it to disappear entirely.
13:01Why would you like to have this fixed?
13:02This is an important piece of history and it's not mine.
13:06I am a custodian of this object for the time being that is so important to so many people who've gone before and has a part in the story of their lives and it has a part in the story of the lives of the community I'm part of now that should be available for the future.
13:24Brenton is going to find this absolutely fascinating.
13:28I have a terrifying task now.
13:30You do.
13:31Of having to transport these back to the barn.
13:33Lovely to meet you. You too.
13:34I'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
13:35God bless. Travel safely.
13:43140 miles south in Dunblane, James dismantling the spider.
13:50Discovering its hidden secrets.
13:52We've just given it a good old clean and it's been like a treasure trove in there.
13:58Found lots of little model cars.
14:01There's been lots of snacks, lots of crisps, some birthday cake from the looks of it.
14:06You can kind of tell it obviously wasn't originally designed to be a children's toy.
14:11There are so many nooks and crannies that drums and snacks and whatnot have just fallen down.
14:17The spider is now being taken back to bare wood.
14:23First stripped, then sanded.
14:27So you can already see a difference as to where it was started to sand.
14:31It's coming out really nice so hopefully the rest of it looks the same.
14:34As I'm sanding, I'm finding lots of rough edges. It's really important we sort these out because if a kid sliding in a slide catches their finger, they're going to get a big old splinter and that's going to be very, very sore.
14:50Giving children the opportunity to play safely has been at the heart of the Dunblane Centre's mission since it opened in 2004.
15:02It was built in the aftermath of a tragic event when a gunman killed 16 school children and their teacher at Dunblane Primary School in 1996.
15:15What happened at the primary school to our children and their teachers brought waves of sympathy and support from around the world.
15:22Centre manager Dionne Ward grew up in the town.
15:28When the events happened in 1996, I was 13 years old.
15:32Wow.
15:33It was a really, really hard time for everybody. The community just all felt it, all came together.
15:40A media frenzy descended on Dunblane and local families wanted a place their children could escape to.
15:47The young people in the town didn't really have anywhere to go to kind of express how they were feeling or get support.
15:56So my dad was one of the people who decided, let's start a youth club.
16:00OK. What's dad's name?
16:01Stan. Stan. Stan.
16:04He was previously known as Stan Stan the Polis Man.
16:07But, yeah.
16:09So that was on this site here, which was an old mouldy hut.
16:12So we used to come to the youth club in the mouldy hut. Sometimes it was seven nights a week.
16:17And there was lots of money came into Dunblane after the event that happened.
16:22And they were able to buy the land that the centre is now built on.
16:25And build this amazing building.
16:26Absolutely.
16:27All from donations.
16:28Absolutely, yep.
16:30There's lots of people who were young people at the time.
16:32And they come in now with their kids to use the preschool service and, yeah.
16:36So knowing that your dad was quite a pivotal part in this place.
16:39Yeah.
16:40Absolutely.
16:41And now you're one of the managers.
16:42Yeah.
16:43It's meant to be.
16:44It actually blows my mind. I'm not going to lie. It's, yeah.
16:47Why is it important to you to get the spider repaired?
16:49So everybody has a lot of happy memories of the spider from when they were young.
16:54So having the spider here is a bit of a draw for us and it brings people in.
16:59I get it. I completely get it. It's a symbol of positivity.
17:02Absolutely. So to be able to have that for the next generation coming through
17:05and hopefully another 40 years worth of children playing on it would just be amazing.
17:13Outside, Jen's working to make Dion's dream come true.
17:18Jen! Hello!
17:19Look at this!
17:20It's certainly making progress.
17:21Yes.
17:22So I'm chuffed, yeah.
17:23Wow.
17:24This looks like a really fiddly thing to have to stand down.
17:28It's not all big flat surfaces. It's all little, little nebby bits inside.
17:32Yeah. I mean, there's just so many angles to it that a lot of it's needing done by hand.
17:36And so it's just time consuming, but we're making it. We're getting there.
17:39Well, whilst I'm here, do you need a hand? I'm happy to get stuck in.
17:41I'd be delighted.
17:42Grab that sandpaper, find an area.
17:44Perfect.
17:48All right, I'll do it under this leg, shall I?
17:50Go for it.
17:51Yeah?
17:54God, this is a huge amount of work to sand this all down.
17:59When you first approach a job like this, do you kind of...
18:03I'm just wondering in your head how you kind of... Do you sort of map it out?
18:06Yeah, I mean, the benefit is it's symmetrical and it's got eight legs,
18:10so mentally I'm like, right leg one, do the opposite.
18:14Like two, do the opposite.
18:15Break it into chunks.
18:17Otherwise it's too much to worry about.
18:19It was slightly overwhelming, yeah.
18:32It's getting there.
18:33Starting to get a bit of a hint of what it's going to look like
18:35and it's going to look beautiful, isn't it?
18:37Fingers crossed, and hopefully it's nice and safe for the kids as well.
18:40Right, let's keep sanding.
18:51At the barn,
18:54Will is back from the battlefield at Culloden,
18:56bringing the treasured Appen chalice and pattern to silversmith Brenton West.
19:04Hey, Brenton.
19:05Oh, wow.
19:06Nice bit of silver for you, what do you think?
19:09A bold over, beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
19:12Lovely, aren't they?
19:13Really.
19:14Unfortunately, the chalice has taken a bit of a tumble,
19:17there's a dent in the top there,
19:18and it doesn't have that sort of lovely round shape that it should do.
19:22Also, I'm not too sure what's happened here.
19:24Have you got any idea?
19:25Yeah, someone's pressed down on it, I think,
19:27or it's been put in a box in some way
19:29because the stem is pushed up a little bit onto the plate.
19:34Might be able to do something with that.
19:35Might be able to.
19:36I can definitely do something about that.
19:37Lovely.
19:38Well, if you wouldn't mind taking a look at both of those,
19:40because this is not just important for Amanda and the church,
19:42but the entire community.
19:44See you in a bit.
19:49This is absolutely beautiful.
19:51I get very, very excited about old silver items.
19:57You couldn't get something more perfect than this.
19:59It's handmade, it's got hundreds of years of pattern on it.
20:03I live for jobs like this.
20:05The patina is discoloration, tarnish or other change
20:10resulting from natural ageing.
20:12It gives character,
20:14and Brenton will need to decide how much of it he removes.
20:18It would be very easy for me to knock this dent out,
20:22polish it up, and that's it done.
20:25But I want to keep as much of this patina as possible.
20:28I do have to be very careful
20:30because below the dent I've got the engraving of 1723.
20:34And I certainly don't want to put any hammer marks
20:38or any dents anywhere near that.
20:43And using this planishing hammer,
20:45which I've had for over 45 years,
20:48one of the very first hammers I bought,
20:50I'm going to try and knock this dent out.
20:52Planishing is a technique for smoothing and shaping metal
20:55by resting the object against a stake,
20:58then using soft, glancing hammer blows.
21:02My biggest fear is that I'm not going to be able to get the dent out
21:06without hitting it really hard.
21:08Because it's such a precious piece,
21:10I have to just consider every hammer blow
21:13and whether it's being effective or not.
21:16And the other thing I've got to be very careful
21:20is not to make this top edge thinner
21:23because you'll have a thick bit and a thin bit
21:25and it'll look a bit funny.
21:27I can see by looking at this that someone's had a go at repairing it.
21:30Where the dent is, there are some sort of grazes
21:34where someone's had a little go with something.
21:37Not necessarily a metal hammer, maybe a wooden hammer or something,
21:42but it has marked the silver.
21:44It just shows how soft this silver is
21:46and how easy it is to mark.
21:48The dent is coming out though nicely.
21:50Thank goodness.
21:52Just very, very slowly working away at it,
21:55trying to ease the dent out.
22:00What I'm doing now is exactly what the silversmith would have done
22:03when he made this.
22:05He'd have his planishing hammer with quite a curved face on it
22:08to get into here.
22:10And he probably would have planished from the outside
22:13and then this little bit on the edge where it turns over
22:17would have planished that from the inside.
22:19And if you've done a really good job,
22:20all you've got to do is give it a really light polish inside
22:23and that's it.
22:24I think I'm going to leave it at that
22:26because it's looking pretty good
22:28and we've got some nice hammer marks on the inside
22:30which I think will polish up quite well by hand.
22:32But I'm pretty pleased that that has now got its dent gone
22:36and I'll try and get rid of the oval shape
22:39just by squeezing it in my hands
22:41and see if I can make it round again.
22:43Back in Scotland, Doms left and Blaine to seek out fellow craftspeople,
22:56artisans keeping heritage skills alive.
23:00In the town of Kreef, a company of artistic glassmakers,
23:05use a process that's essentially unchanged for centuries.
23:11Manager of Kate Ness Glass is Scott Sinclair.
23:15What an amazing workshop this is.
23:17Yes, it keeps us busy.
23:18It keeps us busy.
23:19Scott and his team produce paperweights
23:23from a collection of more than 2,500 designs.
23:27How long have you been here doing this?
23:30I've actually been doing this for 34 years now.
23:32Done it since I left school.
23:34So you've been making paperweights your whole working life?
23:36My whole working life.
23:37That is incredible.
23:38At least I've got the right man for the job to teach me.
23:40Yes.
23:41I'd love to learn how.
23:42Of course.
23:43Is it complicated?
23:44Yes.
23:45I'll keep an eye on you and I'll talk to you through it.
23:47We'll be fine.
23:48Where do we start?
23:49Start right here.
23:50I've got some equipment for you.
23:51So if you put that on your left arm.
23:53OK.
23:54I've got a feeling things are going to get hot.
23:56Yes.
23:57That'll save you getting burned when we're at the furnace.
23:58Yeah.
23:59And I've got some glasses here for you as well.
24:02Perfect.
24:03I've got the colours set out and ready to go.
24:06What is this then?
24:07That's actually crushed glass.
24:09That's glass.
24:10It's just crushed down to what texture we use it.
24:14It's literally like flour.
24:16Yes.
24:17Yes.
24:18So that's the powdered version of the glass.
24:20Amazing.
24:21Yeah.
24:25OK.
24:26So I guess this is where it all starts.
24:28This is where we'll get our first gather of glass.
24:31This is how the whole process starts.
24:33How hot is it in there then?
24:34It'll be 1110 degrees.
24:36I can feel it from here and I'm nowhere near.
24:38OK.
24:39So I'm going in.
24:40You'll see a little shadow appearing in the glass.
24:42Got it.
24:43Now you start turning like that.
24:45Giving it a wee scoop up.
24:47That's a good start.
24:48Is it?
24:49So that's the start.
24:50So we'll start walking back over there just now.
24:52I've got to walk as well now?
24:53You've got to walk now.
24:54OK.
24:55You've got to walk in turn.
24:56We'll set you down here, Donch.
24:57That's it.
24:58Just what we need to do now.
24:59Pick that block up.
25:00Now this is a trickier bit for you.
25:01This is starting to get the shape before we pick up the colour.
25:02Just put your...
25:03That's it.
25:04And then keep that spinning at the same time.
25:05It's pulling it off the end and making it a nice and round, a nice consistent shape.
25:19Yeah.
25:20Yeah.
25:21So that's looking a good shape there now then.
25:22So what we would have to do is heat this up and then we'll then show you how to pick
25:26up the glass.
25:27So far, Dom's been forming the basic shape of the paperweight.
25:32Time now to get creative.
25:34Come out now.
25:35Keep that turning.
25:36And then now you just go right flat on the colour.
25:37That's it.
25:38Vero, back.
25:39Then we can do the same again.
25:40Now once you go there.
25:41Exact same again.
25:42Wow.
25:43It's like putting hundreds of thousands of glass cream.
25:44So you're picking up all that whole colour now.
25:45One more time.
25:46It's actually sticking to the whole glass.
25:47Yes.
25:48So you see now there, you've got all that.
25:49Is that too much?
25:50No, that's fine.
25:51That's good.
25:52Perfect.
25:53Dom will now keep repeating.
25:54To get creative.
25:55Come out now.
25:56Come out now.
25:57Keep that turning.
25:58Keep that turning.
25:59And then now you just go right flat on the colour.
26:00That's it.
26:01That's it.
26:02Dom will now keep repeating the process.
26:05Wow.
26:06The slightest.
26:07And the longer you're in there, it's just getting hotter and hotter and hotter.
26:12Adding bulk to the glass.
26:14And layering colours to give depth.
26:17Now we're going to take that bulk again from earlier.
26:20And just do the exact same as what we did.
26:23Okay.
26:24Coming in.
26:25Yep.
26:26Now you see that colour there?
26:28Yeah.
26:29That's the swirls.
26:30Twist there.
26:31Yeah.
26:32There's all your twists.
26:33Now, would you like to put a bubble in there?
26:35Oh, can we?
26:36Would you like to blow one?
26:37Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
26:38But in the middle?
26:39Yes.
26:40It's like we'll finish with the block.
26:41Now you want to take that there.
26:43I'll keep this spinning for you, make it a bit easier.
26:47Now push it right down.
26:48Perfect.
26:49That's perfect.
26:50Now take that airline there and give that a blow.
26:53It's going.
26:54Oh, yeah, yeah.
26:55The airline fires compressed air into the heart of the molten glass.
27:00Right, now that'll do us there.
27:01I'll leave you in complete control of that.
27:02Okay, I've got it.
27:03You've just got to put that back into the shape similar to what we had earlier.
27:04Don't you worry, Scott.
27:05I've got it.
27:06It's all under control.
27:07You're doing well.
27:08You're doing well.
27:09You're doing well.
27:10After another bulking up in the furnace and a final smooth and shape.
27:25Right, I think I will leave that in that.
27:28It's looking good.
27:29Yes, we're almost finished.
27:30One more step to go now.
27:32Dom's paperweight is ready to be cut free.
27:36Just like that.
27:38And there you go.
27:39That's your finished paperweight.
27:41It's done.
27:42Look at that.
27:43Perfect.
27:44Are you happy with it?
27:45I'm over the moon.
27:46It's brilliant.
27:47Well, maybe it's to me.
27:48Maybe not you, but...
27:49I better get this in here before it breaks first away.
27:52Why will it break?
27:53If you leave that sitting there, the whole glass will just explode.
27:56To avoid disaster, the superheated glass must cool slowly, overnight, in a temperature-controlled oven.
28:04That's that safe now until tomorrow morning, Dom.
28:07So that means I can't take it away now?
28:08Unfortunately, no.
28:09I'm going to have to send it to you.
28:11But I do have a couple of pieces, similar colours to what we've done, that I could take you to the finishing shop to see.
28:17I'd love to see them.
28:18Perfect.
28:19Come this way.
28:21So what happens through here, then?
28:24Well, this is where we're doing the finishing.
28:26We've got to polish off that wee bit of the base.
28:28It gets roughed, and then it gets smoothed.
28:30And then at this moment, Fraser's doing the polishing.
28:33And this is the colours that we were using.
28:37Ah, yes, I can see all the bubbles.
28:39You see the same colours.
28:40It's so nice to be able to actually hold it now.
28:43This isn't mine, but it's what mine might look like.
28:45Every single piece is unique.
28:47You'll get no two pieces the same.
28:49Unique.
28:50That's a very polite way of putting it.
28:52Wow.
28:55And Scott did keep his word.
28:58Dom's paperweight now sits proudly on his bench.
29:09Renton's also working on some unique pieces.
29:13I've hammered the rim back to shape,
29:15and I'm quite happy with the way it looks now.
29:17However, there are some hammer marks on the outside,
29:20and I need to remove those.
29:22They're very, very light.
29:23I just need to knock the peaks off them before I polish.
29:26To do that, I'm going to use a water of air stone,
29:29a traditional silversmith's tool.
29:31Unfortunately, you can't get these anymore,
29:33so these are like gold dust.
29:35I've got a few left, and I absolutely love these,
29:37and they work really, really well.
29:39So I wet the stone so that there's no friction.
29:45This is really, really fine.
29:47It's perfect for this sort of job
29:48because it doesn't put deep scratches in the metal.
29:51It's taking off the high spots,
29:53but you can see the low spots where they're still slightly shiny,
29:56and that's the bottom of the hammer mark.
29:59So I need to get the high parts level with the low part.
30:04This takes a tiny amount of silver off,
30:06but it's so fine it won't affect the thickness of the chalice.
30:11There is one or two quite deep scratches in there,
30:15and normally I would try and stone those out,
30:18but they're scratches that were in there before,
30:21so I'm actually going to leave those there
30:23because they're part of the patiner.
30:25So that now is pretty much it.
30:28I don't think there's any more of my hammer marks showing.
30:31So that's now ready to polish,
30:33and I'm now going to turn my attention to the pattern.
30:37The pattern is the communion plate
30:39that has also suffered some wear over the last 300 years.
30:44This has been damaged by a weight or some sort of weight
30:51being put down on the edges of the plate,
30:55and that's pushed against the stem,
30:58and the metal has stretched slightly and bent down.
31:01This is more significant than it looks.
31:04If I put a straight ruler on it,
31:07I could see that the base of this plate is quite badly bent.
31:12I'm going to put a stake in the vice
31:14and try and manipulate it like I did with the chalice just by hand.
31:22I am being very gentle with this.
31:24There is a tiny risk that we could snap the centre out of this plate,
31:28but I'm being so gentle with it.
31:33I have actually managed to make that go down a bit.
31:36It hasn't got that big lump in the middle anymore.
31:39I've got to make it now look better.
31:41So I'm going to go to my burnisher
31:44and just give that a burnish,
31:46and I think we're nearly there.
31:48And I've got a burnisher which I've made from an old file
31:51that I polished the end of,
31:52and I'm going to push that down,
31:54see if I can get the metal to move back to a flat plane.
31:57Using a burnisher is a pretty controlled way of moving metal.
32:02not quite as effective as hammering,
32:05but still it can work.
32:07Whenever I'm polishing, I never actually polish the hallmarks themselves,
32:23because over time they wear away and they become what is called rubbed,
32:28and you can't actually read them.
32:32That's looking really good now.
32:34Onto the final polish for the chalice.
32:39This is always my favourite part of either making something or repairing something in silver.
32:45The final polish.
32:46And that's looking really nice now.
32:51When we'll give this back to Amanda,
32:53I hope that it does the church justice
32:57and she'll be able to carry on giving communion with it for years to come.
33:01In Dunblain, the spider is also starting to take on a sheen, thanks to Jen.
33:16So we've sealed the wood, we've put a couple of coats of oil on it,
33:19and it's looking really good.
33:21So we're just putting on a final coat of wax.
33:25We're just using our furniture wax that you would use on dining chairs and things.
33:30It just means we know it's safe for kids, clambering all over it.
33:36It needs to be really hard-wearing and very, very smooth.
33:42After three coats of wax, the spider's looking buff,
33:46but its black highlights have faded
33:49and Jen's keen to keep it as original as possible.
33:53Black is definitely adding a lot of contrast.
33:55The wax has already enhanced the darker coloured timbers.
34:01So it's a real privilege to get to clean up and expose all this beautiful craftsmanship.
34:08Right, time to put the handles back on and get these things attached back in.
34:13There we go, we're solid.
34:23So I reckon another top coat, get that polished out and we'll get the slide on.
34:28Job done.
34:29Further north, Will is carrying a precious cargo,
34:38bringing the Appen chalice and Patton back home.
34:41The last time I saw Amanda was at the Clodden battlefield.
34:45That is where the chalice would have been used.
34:48So it's great today to reunite Amanda and the community with her chalice.
34:52The chalice is a priceless relic not just to the church,
35:01but to clan steward, whose members made up the Appen regiment that took it to battle.
35:08In the village of Balachulish at the church of St. John's,
35:14the Reverend Amanda Fairclough has had an anxious wait.
35:18The Appen chalice represents something really fundamental to this place.
35:25It's part of the history of the West Highlands.
35:29And to me, it represents the continuous community of believers who've worshipped using it.
35:36And I just think the chance we have to celebrate around it as a community is so good.
35:42Looking forward to it.
35:44Come in, come in.
35:48One of the great things about being on the road is that I actually get to meet the people face to face.
35:56And that's what the chalice is all about really.
35:58It's about the community and about the church.
36:01And it's a pleasure for me to be able to bring this back home to you.
36:04What are you hoping to see?
36:05I'm hoping to see everybody else is really captured by the beauty of it.
36:10What does the chalice mean to you?
36:12The very fact that it went to Culloden with the Appen regiment and other Jacobites means that it's even now dear to our hearts.
36:23And many of the same families whose forebears were at Culloden still live in the area today.
36:33And I am a descendant from one of the Stuarts of Appen families from that time.
36:37Amazing.
36:38One of your ancestors actually taken communion from this?
36:41Yes.
36:42Because they were at Culloden with the Appen regiment.
36:45Well, it's a great honour to be able to have this restored for you.
36:48I mean, I know what it means to you and the rest of the community.
36:52Would you like to take a look?
36:53Yes.
36:55OK, here we go.
36:56Oh, wonderful.
37:01Oh, that is fantastic.
37:07Beautiful.
37:10And here, let's double check this.
37:13Oh, yeah. The parish of Appen, 1723.
37:17I remember when I showed it to you first at Culloden, you said,
37:21Gosh, that's shiny, but that outshines a colour.
37:24Yeah.
37:25Definitely.
37:26Definitely.
37:27Thank you so, so much.
37:28Are you pleased?
37:29Yes.
37:30There you go.
37:31Great stuff.
37:33How important to you is it to have this back in the church?
37:36It's hugely important that we get to use it in the present on a regular basis.
37:41So when is this going to be used next?
37:42Sunday after next.
37:44Would you all like to take a look?
37:45Yes.
37:46Come forward.
37:51There are five or six churches around this loch,
37:56and this chalice has been used as part of worship for these six churches all of my life.
38:02And so it's bound to benefit both this congregation and future congregations,
38:06as well as many, many visitors that we have to these parishes every year.
38:11The community gets to partake of it quite literally.
38:13It's not something that we get to admire from sort of far away in the pews.
38:16It's something that we get to actually partake in as part of the communion,
38:20as part of the service.
38:21So we are very much one with history.
38:26I'm so pleased that so many of the community were able to be here today,
38:30and seeing how delighted they were.
38:33First service when we get the restored up in chalice out again.
38:37We'll be celebrating the fact that it's back home.
38:40It's where it belongs.
38:41It's looking the best it has for 302 years.
38:45And here's some next 302 and however many more after that.
38:50That went incredibly well.
38:54Everyone is delighted with Brenton's work.
38:56And what a fitting tribute to those men who left home and never returned.
39:01Amanda is so passionate about the local community,
39:04and I really think that having the chalice and pattern restored
39:07was a personal mission of hers.
39:09And I feel now she's giving it back to the people.
39:17Further south, in Dunblane, Dom's about to meet another excited audience.
39:27It's very exciting that the spider is going to be revealed.
39:31I feel really nervous.
39:32But yeah, it's really, really good.
39:34Such lovely people here.
39:35So it's great for the Dunblane Centre.
39:37It's great for the spider to be hopefully getting a new lease of life.
39:42I'm quite excited to see how it looks now,
39:44and if it's kind of like how I remember it being when I was a little girl,
39:47sort of the age of some of these little kids here today,
39:50because that's what age I was when I first was on there.
39:53So I'm hoping it's going to look like it did in the 80s.
39:57Hello, everyone.
40:03Wow.
40:09What a welcome.
40:10Thank you so much.
40:11I knew that this spider meant a lot to you all,
40:14but I was not expecting a turnout like this.
40:16I can feel the excitement in the room.
40:18Everyone smiles all round.
40:20Yeah.
40:21Stacey, how are you feeling?
40:22Oh, I can't wait to see it,
40:24because it feels like such a long time
40:26that we've been waiting on it happening, and now it's here.
40:28So I'm looking forward to seeing it,
40:29and seeing all these wee guys have a go on it.
40:31It'll be good.
40:32Yeah.
40:33Yeah, absolutely.
40:34That's what it's all about.
40:35Do lots of you remember the spider?
40:37Yeah.
40:38From your childhood?
40:39Yeah?
40:41Well, Stacey, can I borrow a hand if you don't mind?
40:44Of course.
40:45Is that OK?
40:46I'd love to.
40:47I'll come round.
40:48Before we get completely mobbed.
40:50Are you all ready?
40:52Yeah!
40:53Stacey, are you ready?
40:54I'm ready.
40:55Let's do it.
40:56Let's do it.
41:07Stripped down and sanded.
41:09Free from scalfs and splinters.
41:12Made safe, secure, and now ready for sliding,
41:17the spider is pristine, though maybe not for long.
41:21Right, who's first?
41:26It was fab.
41:27It was really good.
41:28It was lovely to see everybody's faces.
41:29Everyone was excited.
41:31And it's going to last for years and years and years,
41:34so maybe my grandkids will get to go in a long time.
41:36So, yeah, I'm really pleased with that.
41:38It was great.
41:39It was the most exhilarating thing I've done in years,
41:44as you move in.
41:45It's so happy to be a part of this.
41:47Really lovely.
41:48And look at the smiles, you know.
41:50This is the most important thing,
41:52is for people to smile and be kind.
41:55Very important.
42:00Well, the spider's hopefully going to have
42:01at least another 40 years in it now.
42:03And the Dunblane Centre, yeah,
42:05we'll just keep kicking along and doing what we do
42:07and welcoming new faces, welcoming old faces.
42:11Yeah, we'll just keep at it.
42:13That's what we do best.
42:20And after another day doing what they do best,
42:23restoring the nation's heritage,
42:26Dom and Will are heading back to the barn.
42:29How did you get on with the spider?
42:31It was so good.
42:32It was so much fun.
42:33It was out of control.
42:35I can imagine.
42:36I can imagine.
42:37We even had an 85-year-old lady up here.
42:39Really?
42:40Sliding down the slide.
42:41Yeah.
42:42Another big tick, another good day.
42:43Yeah.
42:44Very good.
42:45Another good road trip.
42:46Now I'm driving, you just sit back and relax.
42:49OK.
42:50Time for a nap.
42:51If you'd like to see more fantastic fixes and restorations,
43:00search BBC iPlayer for The Repair Shop on the road.
43:04возь базis,
43:07I won't go ahead.
43:12If you are away.
43:13We'll eat it soon.
43:219502,
43:26you might have wanna save it a time.
43:29We'll keep Райreh farta game,
43:30trzy your themes here.
43:31And come to you with us,
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