The Repair Shop

S08:E45 - Scientist's Microscope, Dad's War Boots, Swing Bench

At the Repair Shop today the team repairs a microscope that once belonged to a pioneering scientist and is now in the hands of a keen youngster wishing to use it once again. Elsewhere in the barn there is a restoration job occurring on a pair of well-worn war boots that accompanied a captured soldier during World War Two. On Will's list is the substantial repair of a swinging bench from India which threatens to collapse the next time it's sat on. Arriving first are eight-year-old Felix and his dad Sam from Hertfordshire who've brought a microscope handed down the generations from Felix's great-grandfather John D Bernal. Felix has a keen interest in science, perhaps unsurprising considering his great-grandfather was a pioneering figure in the field of crystallography and helped pave the way for the scientists who discovered the double-helix structure of DNA. But despite Felix's enthusiasm he won't currently be making any discoveries as the microscope, dated 1890, no longer works and the view through the eyepiece is cloudy and unfocussed. Optics expert Richard Biggs has the job of getting the microscope functioning once again and wastes no time in diagnosing the key problem, the microscope is missing a crucial lens. Alongside this key replacement Richard must restore the reflective mirror which illuminates the glass slides that are being magnified and give the body of the microscope a thorough polish. With the microscope working once again Felix is excited to begin his own journey into the microscopic world that so enthralled his great grandfather. Cobbler Dean Westmoreland has an appointment with Malcolm who is entrusting him with a very special pair of boots that saw his late father Jack through some very difficult wartime years and beyond. The boots, standard issue for soldiers in 1940, were given to Jack who was captured in Norway before seeing any combat and spent five years as a prisoner of war. Jack's diaries, which Malcolm still has, detail the horrific conditions that Jack and his fellow soldiers endured including periods of starvation and freezing winters. When Jack eventually returned home, the boots came with him and Malcolm fondly remembers his father wearing them during heavy snow on the way to the office. But even heavy-duty boots can't withstand a lifetime of activity such as Jack's, so the heel has worn down, the stitching is falling apart and the moths have attacked the felt uppers. Dean has a monumental task on his hands to solve the multiple moth-eaten holes before addressing the disintegrated heel using traditional techniques and tools. The result is a restoration that truly honours Jack's experiences and provides a lasting memento for Malcolm to remember his beloved father. Next to arrive is Krishna from Hertfordshire. She's hoping that woodwork maestro Will Kirk can repair the swinging bench that's been in her family for over 120 years. The bench, a traditional item of furniture from Gujarat in West India belonged to Krishna's great-grandfather and she remembers it being in family members' homes as a child in India. When Krishna had cancer, the bench was a sanctuary for her to recover from her chemotherapy. But now the bench, after 120 years of good use, is beginning to show its age with various joints loose and precarious, the whole structure threatens to break if sat upon. Will's plan includes dismantling the entire bench so he can assess which parts need to be replaced and remade, some of the joints needing extensive fortification to ensure the bench lasts for many generations to come. On top of Will's woodwork, he also enlists Sonnaz Nooranvary to re-stuff the existing upholstery, returning to Krishna a bench where she can swing in comfort for years to come.