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Episode 15

Jay Blades and the team restore a clockwork car that won鈥檛 tick over, a wooden toolbox, a plate camera and a marionette theatre.

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

The first visitor racing towards the workshop is Julian Ma, with an item in desperate need of an MOT from mechanical guru Steve Fletcher. The wind-up racing car was a childhood gift from Julian鈥檚 rocket-scientist father, brought back from one of his work trips to Europe. The car gave Julian hours of fascination and joy until it was accidentally trodden on by a relative; this marvel of German engineering has since been kaput for years. Steve calls on all his miniature mechanical know-how to get it back on the starting grid.

The skills of both furniture restorer Will Kirk and metal work specialist Dominic Chinea are tested when Carol Reynolds from Belfast arrives with an item that personifies someone very dear to her. The oak box belonged to her late father, a toolmaker at an engineering firm. He kept the tools of his trade, along with his sketchbooks and calculations, in the various drawers and compartments. However, after years stored in the shed, damp has got the better of the box and its contents. What鈥檚 more, a missing key meant Carol had to use a crowbar to force it open, leaving some nasty wooden wounds. Will gets to work on the box, while Dom is in his element as he turns his attention to the treasure trove of tools inside.

Silversmith and vintage camera expert Brenton West is in for a treat when Jacquie Lazelle from Ipswich brings her grandad's 100-year-old plate camera in for repair. Jacquie鈥檚 passion for photography began as a child, when she spent many happy hours with her grandad learning how to use this beautiful relic. She would love to see it brought back to life so she can begin using it again. But it鈥檚 no quick fix, and while Brenton works on the intricate mechanism, leather expert Suzie Fletcher鈥檚 skills are called upon to recreate a new set of camera bellows completely from scratch.

Finally, Margaret Webb from Montrose brings in her very first childhood Christmas present. Given to her by her coalman father, the 1940s clockwork marionette theatre became a treasured family toy, only to be played with on special occasions. But now it has seen better days - the two marionette characters are split in places, have detached limbs and have lost their showbiz sparkle. Vintage toy expert David Burville must work out a way to mend the brittle early-plastic figures and get them back on the dance floor to entertain future generations.

57 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jay Blades
Series Producer Tanveer Bari
Executive Producer Rob Butterfield
Executive Producer Hannah Lamb
Executive Producer Emma Walsh
Production Company Ricochet Limited

Broadcast

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