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Old 20th Jan 2022, 10:20 am   #21
Valvepower
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Default Re: Repair shop

Hi,

I like the show and I accept all the limitations in order to make an ‘entertainment’ show.

I was taken with the two model village houses last night and how the lady portrayed her childhood.

Three years ago, I lost both my Dad and then my Mum three months apart of each other, so I can understand the emotions at play with some of the folk on the show.

The 'Bear Ladies' are welcome to pop into my workshop anytime

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Old 20th Jan 2022, 10:23 am   #22
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Hi.
I've not watched the show for sometime but I often think we criticise it far too much. As has been said how many of us could work under the pressure of the spotlight? In fact how many could work under the pressure of the Radio and TV trade back in the day of 14 or more calls in one day, we criticise the Bodger, or the twiddler, perhaps we should think the reasons why, no suitable spares a busy day and a customer giving you a headache and the boss moaning cos you've lifted three sets!
We are great at complaining and of course we do everything perfectly don't we?
I certainly make mistakes it's human nature and am always prepared to admit it, likewise on last night's show mistakes were made and good on them for admitting them, I wish the show its best.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 10:28 am   #23
Ed_Dinning
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Default Re: Repair shop

Hi Folks, most of the repairers in the Repair Shop are highly skilled craftsmen for whom I have the greatest respect. This one guy lets the team down, or perhaps he takes too much notice of the producers, who normally know very little about the subject but want to make "good" TV

Paper block was not a battery, probably a replacement electrolytic, but could have been an OEM fitting

Ed
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 10:33 am   #24
PaulR
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I think that Steve is right, it is very entertaining and most of the repairs are of outstanding quality. I wonder whether there is an art or teddy bear restoration forum somewhere finding faults with the way those restorations are done!

Of course we pounce on restorations about which we have some knowledge. I mentioned to my wife last night that I wouldn't replace components by simply putting the wires together and soldering them. My explanation about making a solid mechanical joint first didn't elicit much of a response and I think that most viewers would feel the same. When he mentioned a donor set I assumed it would donate the damaged parts, not the whole chassis, though. I wonder how he got the i.f.t. to explode!

I think that the thing dangling off the first chassis was the smoothing capacitor block. I did a Ferranti Lancastria several years ago and I seem to remember that it had a similar block fastened to the speaker baffle.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 10:43 am   #25
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I too watch and enjoy the show and together with others was surprised how Mark managed to get a donor chassis. Thinking that the show was recorded, I turned to this site to see if one had been requested on the BVWS Forum but no.

Of course not having the set to repair, it is impossible to second guess what was needed to get the original working but what did catch my eye was that the original knobs had gone AWOL and replaced by another design when collected.

Should a customer come back for their set where I worked and even found the plug had been changed, there would be trouble. The knobs replaced? I would be out on my ear.

As for the 3 second warm up, this is nothing as compared to scenes where the actor switches on a radio by turning the tuning knob! No prizes for the shows in question but from memory, Call the Midwife would be the first on my list.

Chris
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 10:47 am   #26
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I've only watched this show on and off but one I did catch was a horrifying "restoration" of an Edison Opera phonograph. I belong to other forums where this particular episode was discussed at length. Not only did they strip a perfectly fine original wooden music master horn (when all it needed was a light clean at most) they also knew nothing about how to adjust the mechanism with the result that the poor machine sounded terrible as well as looking awful. If that had been my phonograph I would of bitterly complained about the stripping of the original finish on that horn particularly as it ended up a highly unoriginal colour. Since then I have only dipped into the show on an occasional basis but haven't been overly impressed. The destruction of the phonograph really put me off.

No doubt they are all well meaning (if sometimes mis-guided) but I often wonder if they ever get other restorations so wrong but I don't pick up on it a its not an item I am interested in or have any knowledge about how it should be properly restored. Although I didn't see it it does sound like the radio "restoration" was a bit of a car crash.

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Old 20th Jan 2022, 11:00 am   #27
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Definitely a battery set, it says so on the label. It's not the 637B though as it has too many valves.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 11:00 am   #28
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I have only seen the odd episode but it appears to be more an emotional outlet for the person having the item “restored”, which is fine. The skill of the restorers is from what I saw excellent but there are only so many teddy bears, clocks etc that I want watch being restored.
It’s day time TV to fill air time, if you like it it, that’s great but not for me.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 11:56 am   #29
M0FYA Andy
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I watch the programme and generally enjoy it, but am nearly always disappointed when anything electronic is dealt with.

But I don't think it is because it's 'our subject' and we understand it better, for some reason I can't fathom the producers seem to employ competant restorers for other subjects, but then are struggling when it comes to things electrical/electronic.

Andy
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 12:03 pm   #30
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Default Re: Repair shop

I agree totally with M0FYA, I generally enjoy the program because it highlights the skills of some very talented people with a few exceptions as already stated.

My one gripe is that the later series seem to put to much emphasis on the "weepiness", do the producers insist on the guests doing this? Another game of mine is to count the number of "nice to meet you".
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 12:24 pm   #31
PaulR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PJL View Post
Definitely a battery set, it says so on the label. It's not the 637B though as it has too many valves.
Surprisingly he didn't mention that - it would have been a perfectly good reason in the circumstances to fit a replacement chassis if one was available. Why concoct a daft story about it initially working then exploding. I wondered at the time whether he had powered it up with the 1930s smoothing caps in place!
Usually they tell the owner that the original whatever was beyond repair and let them have it back.

I am surprised they took it on. When it boils down the "restoration" seems to consist of polishing the cabinet with some Brasso.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 12:36 pm   #32
M0FYA Andy
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I don't see why being a battery set is a 'perfectly good reason in the circumstances to fit a replacement chassis if one was available', unless all the pros and cons of a restoration versus major modification are all explained and discussed with the owner and he is in full agreement with the approach taken.
Maybe this happened?

Andy
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 12:36 pm   #33
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Yes I saw it last night. The "warm up" time for the Ferranti 145 seemed incredibly short.
It is odd how the original chassis was totally B.E.R (beyond economical repair), and how quickly a donor chassis was obtained.
It was still a very interesting programme. A great shame that there aren't more shows like this. Why throw things away when you can get them restored?
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 12:42 pm   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by telstar View Post
Yes I saw it last night. The "warm up" time for the Ferranti 145 seemed incredibly short.
145 ?

Lawrence.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 12:55 pm   #35
PJL
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Having looked on iplayer, the original is probably a Nova battery set (1137B) and the replacement is a Nova mains set. The battery version is PP with a driver transformer. Probably makes sense to install a mains chassis.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 12:57 pm   #36
Ian - G4JQT
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Default Re: Repair shop

The BBC's Repair Shop radio guy is Mark Stuckey G0SQK who runs The Classic Radio Shop in Cromer. He gave an interesting talk about the programme and his role in it to the Norfolk Amateur Radio Club, see here starting about 20 minutes in.

https://youtu.be/dWjkNcPvE14

He explains how he got involved and how objects are selected. There is no charge for any repairs. Massive amounts of recording is done but only about 15 minutes from each object gets aired. They have to bring everything they need on site and there is almost no possibility of taking stuff off site, although I think he said once there was no option but to do that.

When you hear his talk, you realise that there is so much more he'd like to show, do and describe on each job, but time and it being aimed at a general audience doesn't allow that.

He's well aware of the criticism aimed at him by other 'experts', but it is not intended to be an engineering show, it's entertainment and we should consider it as such.

Ian
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 1:16 pm   #37
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Ian is right. It's feelgood daytime TV for a general audience, with a fair bit of kidology going on. It's not really documenting what happens in a workshop - it's recorded in what is basically a set in a period building. Some of the restorations will be better than others, and some will be more genuine than others. The point isn't to document the details of the restoration process, but to show Ethel crying tears of joy when she's shown granny's old clock 'as good as new'.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 1:38 pm   #38
murphyv310
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Perhaps one of us should apply for the job.
The money might be good
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 1:49 pm   #39
PaulR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by murphyv310 View Post
Perhaps one of us should apply for the job.
The money might be good
And have everyone on here pouncing as soon as the episode goes out? Maybe not!!

The story line on this just seems odd. Probably dictated by the producers. Why start to replace capacitors in a battery set when it would clearly be unviable in view of the level of knowledge of the owner? Why talk about devastating faults showing when it was powered up? Why not just explain about battery sets and lack of suitable batteries (to say the least)? I bet the whole explanation was written by the BBC and was given to the expert as a script.
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Old 20th Jan 2022, 1:53 pm   #40
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Default Re: Repair shop

On the whole I enjoy the Repair Shop. The "Bear Ladies" have grown on me, they have some very niche skills & knowledge as does Steve (Clockmaker), Will (Carpenter/Cabinetry wizard), the ladies that deal with paintings & ceramics, awesome. They are all accomplished in their crafts. When it comes to the electrical/electronic side of things I can be very critical but I think that only comes from the fact its a subject I know about. When you think about what we do to restore a set it encompasses a whole raft of other skills, not just electronic, some mechanical, cabinet finishing, choice of textiles to replace that ropey old speaker cloth, glass cutting, bakelite repairs, the list just goes on & on! I'm certain we don't see half of what goes on in the background but that wouldn't make good TV. The program has to appeal to as many viewers as possible. As for the Ferranti last night, I was very disappointed. But the owner got a working set back in good condition & all the memories that went with that set. Overall, a good outcome.
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