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Old 22nd Jan 2022, 1:12 am   #81
dave walsh
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Default Re: Repair shop

Yes Bake O Bryte. [p75*] That's it David. ! don't think we are all down on the program at all Craig [p77*]. There's just a gap between our level of interest and what we see there sometimes but that may be down to the editing, I would suspect? No one could ever fake the emotional responses we see and that's really the "heart" of the program. I don't watch it all the time but there are some amazing moments. Finding the original colour of the "Test Your Strength" machine really impressed me. They fix the injured on 24 hours in A+E but it's really about people and their stories staff and patients alike! I wondered if the radio could have been fixed without cannibalising another one-I really don't know, it didn't come up! Ferranti sets are quite interesting but not usually sought after. What if it had been two round echos One more point, when he found a station the sound seemed a bit weak and inaudible but it was only a 30 second clip. The same thing a couple of weeks ago when a chap had his dad's DJ deck very well restored and was amazed but the sound had no bass on demonstration. Not that I'm too keen on a lot of that usually but DJ's usually are!

The current Radio Times has an article on the main presenter [Jay Blades]. He had a tough time, went to University and built a business! When it collapsed, so did he! At 51 he is Dyslexic and only just learning to read and write so he can to tell stories to his children. How did he manage at all? By being clever and just asking questions. Now there's a restoration for you!

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Old 22nd Jan 2022, 2:21 am   #82
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Default Re: Repair shop

After reading this somewhat lively thread, I did watch the programme, and part of the Mark Stuckey interview as per Ian's link in Post #41.

Mark came over better in the interview than in the programme. The radio itself certainly looked like a battery model, at the end the replacement chassis clearly had a mains transformer and rectifier... yet on switch-on it came up in a couple of seconds like a battery set!

The quality of Mark's work left a lot to be desired, but probably isn't any worse than what would have been done in a repair shop to get an old radio up and running again. The original chassis - well, anything can be repaired given sufficient time and money, and it was a shame it was discarded (if indeed it was).

The repair and restoration work on the Test your Strength machine did look of a far higher quality.

The programme didn't appeal to me, but it's clearly aimed at the entertainment viewers rather than as an educational programme. As such, if it saves a few items from being thrown out to landfill, then it can't be bad!
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Old 22nd Jan 2022, 8:18 am   #83
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Default Re: Repair shop

I like the show but all the rough edges, problems and above all time are smoothed out to make it all look so easy and effortless. As pointed out it's a light entertainment show and if it got too technical (boring for most) it would lose viewing figures.
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Old 22nd Jan 2022, 1:48 pm   #84
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Default Re: Repair shop

I'm another fan. I'm sure clock repairers and upholsterers cringe sometimes and I'd rather not see radio restorations but there's no doubt there are some very skilled restorers on the show especially ceramics, paintings and leather work.

On the subject of the chassis I'm surprised this reference to BVWS on UKVRR FB hasn't been mentioned.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/ukvr...8144662846555/

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Old 22nd Jan 2022, 3:09 pm   #85
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Default Re: Repair shop

I watched the program and actually felt quite outraged and gave the wife A severe critique of the restoration work. However Mark clearly knows what he is doing and there are reasons why he did what he did. It’s such a shame the contents had to be edited and dumbed down to a level where it becomes meaningless. I am giving Mark a big thumbs up the poor fellow is probably reading this thread.
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Old 22nd Jan 2022, 5:04 pm   #86
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Default Re: Repair shop

He certainly let slip that he's a member of BVWS. There was no mention of this forum during the interview.

I will certainly look at his items in a different light after hearing what he had to say about his work on Repair Shop.
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Old 22nd Jan 2022, 6:34 pm   #87
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Default Re: Repair shop

One nasty post deleted and thread closed.
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Old 28th Jan 2022, 11:43 am   #88
Malcolm G6ANZ
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Default repair shop again

Not strictly Repair shop . Watching 'Jay Learning to Read' they showed lots of interior views of the barn and the quantity of kit used to record the programme.
Jay also spoke of the filming in some detail.
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Old 9th Feb 2022, 12:27 am   #89
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Default Gec 4750

Watching an old episode of "The Repair Shop," on Quest tonight, one of the projects, was the radiogram option of this radio, tackled by Tim Weeks.

The radio has been a subject of discussion on here. I can't find a photo of the radiogram option anywhere, but it had a Garrard 78rpm turntable on the top and storage below for records. So I took this with my little Lumix camera off my TV.

The forty-something woman who brought it in said she got her dad to buy it for her at an auction when she was five as she thought it looked like a Dalek.

Tim always seems as if he's groping in the dark with audio repairs, though this might just be because these more technical projects are pitched at "Blue Peter level." The BBC thought it important to show him plugging it in and tripping out all the electrics.

Anyway, Tim got everything working (well he would, wouldn't he? Otherwise they wouldn't have shown it) and the cabinet was also restored.

It was "a thing of beauty."... Well I liked it. I doubt if there's many left in the world.

I don't think the woman had any 78s, she said she couldn't remember it playing any, so they found her one which sounded poor, (like every vinyl jukebox I've seen them repair) and we didn't hear the radio, but he'd re-strung the cursor and the dial lights lit up.

I like Tim, a project before Christmas was scheduled by the BBC I read, as, "the restoration of a pre-war transistor radio,"

I thought I'd got to see that.

Of course it turned to be, a portable battery valve set.

90v batteries were no longer available we were told, but that didn't deter Tim, he got it working. He painstakingly soldered 10 pp3 batteries in series and made them into a "pack" that fitted in the cabinet.

The owner was well impressed.

I'm not sure if Jay Blades the presenter said to him off camera, "When you've run those batteries down, don't think of bringing it back here."
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Old 9th Feb 2022, 10:59 am   #90
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Default Re: Gec 4750

Not one of the best restorations but maybe they bit off more than they could chew.
The radiogram chassis is just the standard 5 valve octal set up of 1947. I don't think the radio part was repaired but it may have been but not demonstrated due to copyright problems.

I'm sure I'm right but did I see a crystal cartridge glued to the underside of the pick up housing? The record played was an acoustic Enrico Caruso, probably one of the worst they could have chosen. It sounded absolutely terrible.

OK the owner was happy with it but I would like to have heard a better result from the gramophone. It is certainly capable of very good reproduction.

It is after all an entertaining programme. Most of the items submitted for restoration are quite frankly junk but are of great sentimental interest to their owners. At least it shows how with great skill and care, items can be restored to something like their former glory even if they have little monetary value as such.
You can only do so much within the restraints of the programme but I would have loved to get my hands on that pick up! I vote for the Teddy Bears.. Regards, John.
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 9:48 am   #91
Edward Huggins
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Default The repair shop. 31 August 2022.

Did anyone here see the TV programme last night with the Radiogram restoration? There was a Guy working on a BSR UA14 autochanger.
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 10:08 am   #92
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

Yes
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 10:11 am   #93
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

No. What are your views on it Edward?
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 10:31 am   #94
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

This is worth a watch to get some background

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWjkNcPvE14
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 7:36 pm   #95
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

I thought the Fergie buffed up rather well. Can't understand why they did not use that Lathe to skim the existing BSR Idler rather than to re-bore a mis-matched Garrard idler. In spite of it looking good, would the 2 layers of new grille cloth be acoustically ideal? Can't be too critical though, at least they played that Nat King Cole LP on the correct stylus setting.....
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 8:52 pm   #96
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

My wife alerted me to this. I was interested to see that he removed the BSR standard idler and replaced it with what looked like a Garrard one. The guy had to get one of his colleagues to enlarge the centre but there was no mention of where he got it from. The electrical side was glossed over but it did appear to have the original cartridge still fitted. They played a vinyl LP at the end to demonstrate it. They did a nice job of the speaker cloth by using 2 separate pieces. The radiogram was a Ferguson with vhf, possibly late 50's?
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 8:54 pm   #97
David G4EBT
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

The episode can be viewed on i-player at this link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...-10-episode-10

I'm not a fan of The Repair Shop - I can't do with the mawkish sentimentality and ordinarily don't watch it, but having looked at the relevant snippets of the radiogram restoration, Mark (and others) seemed to me to have done a reasonable job on it to the delight of the owners.

The 'back-story' is:

Quote:

'Sisters Fredericka and Louisa Charles have brought in a 1960s radiogram that belonged to their parents. They hope that electronics whizz Mark Stuckey can get it working once again. Their parents were part of the Windrush generation, arriving in the UK from Dominica in the Caribbean. The radiogram was one of their first major purchases after arriving in the UK, and the sisters remember it playing during Sunday afternoon get-togethers with friends and family'.

End quote.

There's also a five-minute segment at the link below which might be of interest, entitled

'Mark hunts down the 'killer' of this 'Sick' Old Radio!'

https://tveveryday.com/the-repair-sh...10-on-bbc-one/

Inevitably, when a replacement .01 uF capacitor was shown, the eye-rolling term '100 puffs' was trotted out to Jay Blades well-rehearsed amusement, but as has been said many times, it's harmless low-budget light entertainment and the viewing figures speak for themselves. Overall I think Mark does very well. Who among us would want to be in the limelight? Count me out, that's for sure!
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 9:24 pm   #98
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

We do watch it, and saw yesterdays. I did wonder about the idler as I thought they were so common back in the day, there must be replacements about. Also commented on the choice of fabric and it's audio qualities. But I was overall much happier with this one than some others I've seen in the past.
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 9:38 pm   #99
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

I thought it was strange that they said the intermediate drive wheel was impossible to replace when they are easily available on line, even new ! The wheel will in most cases reface unless it is badly perished or misshapen. I did notice when it was demonstrated to the owner that the turntable almost stopped when it dropped the record which suggests to me either the drive wheel was slipping or the deck was still running 'tight' because part of the mechanism lacked correct lubrication?
I wonder if they fitted a new stylus?
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Old 1st Sep 2022, 10:46 pm   #100
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Default Re: The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

I didnt hear the radio demonstrated tuned into a station. Did it work?

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