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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 40

Jay Blades and the team restore a grandfather clock, a Turkish coffee grinder and a hot air balloon automaton.

Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.

First to arrive at the barn is Becky Farr, with a sorry-looking grandfather clock for the attention of horologist Steve Fletcher. Her clock-maker great-grandfather built this impressive piece, and it has been in residence in the hallway of her family’s home for as long as she can remember, making appearances in photographs documenting key events in her life. Becky is soon to be married and would love to have her picture taken in front of the clock looking its best. However, it has been silent for years, and its case is gradually crumbling. The glass panel is smashed, the illustrated moon dial is scratched, and the clock mechanism needs a total overhaul. For this mammoth job, Steve enlists the help of Lucia and Will to get Becky's grand old timepiece looking resplendent again.

David Burville faces one of his toughest challenges yet when Mally Findlater appears with a wooden automata designed and built by her and her husband Arthur. The couple had a toy-making business together and created this marvellous machine, which depicts a hot air balloon operated by animals, to celebrate the early days of air travel. Sadly, illness put an end to the couple's toy-making days, and the automaton began to malfunction and was packed away for years. They would love to share it with the public and hope to find a museum to display it, so now it’s up to David to get it going again - which is no mean feat.

Finally, Hamit Iberhasaj has brought in a curious gadget that is very dear to him – a brass Turkish coffee grinder. It has been passed down the male side of his family, and he remembers his father using it with enormous pride. It is the only keepsake he has from his father’s life in Kosovo, and Hamit dreams of continuing the ritual of coffee making. But with the grinder bashed and broken, he is pinning all his hopes on silversmith Brenton West bringing it back to life.

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43 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jay Blades
Narrator Bill Paterson
Expert David Burville
Expert Steve Fletcher
Expert Will Kirk
Expert Lucia Scalisi
Expert Brenton West
Director Rich Merritt
Series Producer Tanveer Bari
Series Producer Rebecca McLaughlin
Executive Producer Alex Raw
Production Company Ricochet Ltd

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If you have a treasured possession that needs restoring, please get in touch.