The Repair Shop

S06:E52 - Egg Chair, Lightning Machine and Alf's Cap

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.There is an exciting challenge for furniture restorer Sonnaz Nooranvary, when she is given the opportunity to work on an iconic piece of Danish design, known as an 'egg chair.' Christine Langton, and her daughter Kate, deliver an armchair designed by Arne Jacobsen, bought in the 60's, when Christine and her husband Maurice were furnishing their first home together. Maurice loved this chair and sat proudly in it throughout his life. Even though it is now looking very worse for wear and has been shrouded under a blanket for years, it still reminds the family of a much missed father and husband and they'd love to see it in as it was in the swinging sixties. Sonnaz must strip this back design classic to its bare bones and start from scratch but feels privileged to do so.Next to arrive is Nick Wimshurst, with his great, great grandfather's remarkable invention. Mechanical expert Steve Fletcher is fascinated by this piece of Victorian scientific history. The machine generates electrostatic energy, using spinning glass discs, brushes to capture the static charge and bars that transfer, what looks like, lightning bolts. The instrument has been in Nick's family for over 135 years but he has never seen it work. He is hugely proud of his forefather's invention and feels compelled to find someone to help get it up and running again. Steve draws on all his know how, plus what he remembers from his school physics lessons, to enable lightning to strike once again.And it's a first for master hatter Jayesh Vaghela when Ross Brown visits with his grandfather's sailor's hat. Alf was a stoker, working in the vessel engine rooms, with the Royal Navy and served throughout WW2. He had quite the tale to tell his family when he returned safely after an attack from a German U-boat and was a true hero to a young Ross. When Alf died Ross inherited the white hat, that witnessed so many adventures but its custodian was only ten years old and unfortunately the hat came a cropper with green ink from a discarded pen. Ross has carried the guilt all his life and is putting all his faith in Jayesh to perform a minor miracle to erase the ink, while retaining its characteristic wear and tear.