The Repair Shop

S08:E09 - Grandad's Leather Football, Spice Box, Fish Bowl

Jay Blades and the Repair Shop team work wonders on three nostalgic keepsakes, reviving the many memories they hold.Hatty has brought her mum Jane, with a piece of handmade pottery for Kirsten Ramsay's expert eyes. Jane was an accomplished potter and this beautifully inscribed porcelain bowl is a precious early example of her signature work. It was displayed on a kitchen shelf for years until a dramatic collision with a jar while Hatty was cooking, which she feels dreadful about it. The bowl is now in multiple pieces. Jane feels the fix is beyond her, and they are really hoping that Kirsten can somehow salvage it. This is the first time Kirsten has repaired the work of a fellow ceramicist, and she is very impressed by the bowl's intricate fish design and delicate blue-green glaze. The task of making it whole again requires patience and nerves of steel.Silversmith Brenton West is intrigued by Liz's ornate little spice train. The decorative spice holder would originally have been part of a set, along with a candle and a tiny silver wine cup, which are used during the Jewish weekly tradition of Shabbat. The train would be filled with fragrant spices and placed on the dining table, with the intention of 'sweetening the conversation' during dinner. It belonged to Liz's great-grandfather, who was a chief rabbi in Bulgaria in the late 1800s. The train was then inherited by Liz's grandmother, who fled Austria at the beginning of the Second World War. She and her husband set up a new life in the UK with very few possessions, this intricate little train being one of them. Liz treasures this reminder of her family's history. Brenton's silversmithing skills are tested as he uses a technique called filigree.Finally, a handmade leather football gets the full Suzie Fletcher treatment when brothers Pete and Mick come to call. Their late grandfather was a leather worker and made countless footballs for a living in the 1940s and 50s. Pete and Mick were very fond of their talented grandad and were delighted when they unearthed the only remaining piece of his handiwork in their mother's attic. They soon realised it was in dire straits, hardened solid, dented and misshaped, and they needed professional help to save it. Suzie, with Jay's assistance, goes to work to revive the ball.