The Repair Shop is getting to me…

[Roger BestParticipant @rogerbest89007]

Some nice acerbic comments here.

I always wonder, how, if its so important, did it get in such a state anyhow? Sometimes there is an accident, or the materials decay naturally, in other situations it just sat in a damp loft without any oil.

[Tony Wright 1Participant @tonywright1]

If you don’t like don’t watch ! Simple.

[Pete WhiteParticipant @petewhite15172]

And I thought it was just me who was grumpy about this load off rubbish. I have had to resort to the switch, could stand no more of it, should have been a nicer experiance.

There would be even more blubbing if there were bills presented on collection, say x hours at say £40 -50 an hour = 850 notes sir, lol. ……."no way, wish I had left it neglected now"

So the "experts" are paid by the program makers, I would like to see the paperwork ?

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Here is this TV, the last link with my old Dad – It has a hole in the screen.

Why?

I threw a brick at it while watching the Repair Shop. Can you fix it?

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Posted by Tony Wright 1 on 10/01/2021 12:28:16:

If you don’t like don’t watch ! Simple.

The experts did the same with Guy Martin when he started on TV

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

And apparently Edd China in Wheeler Dealers felt the show was becoming less technical too

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Nick Clarke 3 on 10/01/2021 16:07:09:

And apparently Edd China in Wheeler Dealers felt the show was becoming less technical too

It's only real enthusiasts who can see enough of a difference between the same job on different cars to keep watching

As I have government approved credentials for being an expert on Wheeler Dealers(), I contend that they had actually run out of worthwhile subjects

[Bryan Cedar 1Participant @bryancedar1]

Programs that turn me off .. Salvage Hunters comes to mind as an example of buying rubbish and selling rubbish at ridiculously inflated prices !

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

My painting foreman's claim to fame was that he was painting a house when Barry Bucknell ( remember him?) turned up with a team, to do some filming. During the shoot he saw my painter applying mastic round a frame & asked what it was & its purpose. He then asked to have a go. Needless to say he could not do a good job. So my painter did a section, then they filmed Barry with the mastic gun, making it look as though he had done it. He also explained all about it & how to do it, from the info my painter had given him

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

As for programs that turn me off are some, but not all, Australian fishing shows.

Most are just thinly veiled advertorials for the sponsor's products ranging from boats, sounders, rods, reels and lures they are often hosted by muppets who just want to show off their sunglasses and underwater cameras.

I wince evey time that I see a right handed bloke cast a rod with his right hand and the switch it to to their left (less dominant) hand to wind the handl. with their right hand.

Even worse are the ones who cast a fly rod, fight the fish with the fly rod in their right hand whilst stripping line with their left hand and the wind the fly line in with their right hand.

At one alpine lake that I like to fish, even the use of a mobile phone would get one the cold shoulder'
We go there to get away from all that crapola!

Totally inefficient and a poor way to promote the finesse of the noble art of angling.

Izaak Walton must be rolling in his grave.

Rant over, now back to the OP's topic.

* danny *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 11/01/2021 09:16:19

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, well I don't think the BBC is forcing anyone to watch this programme, and as far as I'm concerned, it's better than watching 22 blokes kicking a ball of wind about, especially as the same one seems to get repeated a few times on a weekend, and much better than the Guy Martin programmes in my opinion. There's always the off switch or pulling the plug.

Regards Nick.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by Tony Wright 1 on 10/01/2021 12:28:16:

If you don’t like don’t watch ! Simple.

Indeed. That's what's begun to happen. I used to watch it quite often, but now I only do if I know something that might interest me is coming up, and only then in the faint hope that I might get a clue as to how to do something I can't do at present. I'm not sure if that's happened yet, but one lives in hope…

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

When watching various auction,antique,vintage and restoration,various experts give their opinions,sounds ok until an item /subject comes comes up which i have some some knowledge then I know this expert is clueless so I wonder is he/she any good on the subjects which I know little or nothing about.Then you get the age estimations, just count up the numer of times that objects are supposedly late victorian 1890,I once went to one programme expert who also runs an auction house,went to one of his auctions,very rude when asked a sensible question and the auction rooms were a sh-t hole.Drew Pritchard is watchable as he goes to some interesting places,and makes a living seling a lot of rubbish to idiots,who are about,my local barbers has the rough bench in front of the chairs held up by three short rusty Acro props ,bet the barber got conned for a lot of money for the industrial effect.Though you cannot make money with two people driving a transit hundreds of mile to buy 3 items with a low profit margin, though i have learnt one useful thing,the chap who repairs the lamps uses a tool like an end on pair of grips to remove bulb hold holder locking rings up inside lamp shades,I thought I have one of those in one of my drawers,given to me years ago by a friend who did not know what it was,tried it on a bulb holder and makes removing those rings which always jam up very easy.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by bricky on 10/01/2021 11:14:42:

…..

I got a block of steel 6'*6'*6" from the tip but had to pay the operator 10 pounds to sneak it into my boot without the foreman noticing.

Bricky,

Are you sure?

3.7 tonnes into your boot? Let alone in one piece! Sell it for scrap and make a HUGE profit!

Even if you got your feet and inches swapped around, that is still over 300kg!

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Posted by not done it yet on 11/01/2021 10:33:15:

Posted by bricky on 10/01/2021 11:14:42:

…..

I got a block of steel 6'*6'*6" from the tip but had to pay the operator 10 pounds to sneak it into my boot without the foreman noticing.

Bricky,

Are you sure?

3.7 tonnes into your boot? Let alone in one piece! Sell it for scrap and make a HUGE profit!

Even if you got your feet and inches swapped around, that is still over 300kg!

6" square block mild steel. Approx 58lb /26Kg not 300Kg. regards

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

The "repairers" are really "conservators", it is possible to go to West Dean College (not far from the Repair Shop Barn on the same estate) to learn the skills displayed in the programme.

The programme is a popular interest TV item, not an instructional course for experts, many of whom apparently exist on this Forum.

As said above, you do not have to watch it.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by KWIL on 11/01/2021 14:10:37:

…

As said above, you do not have to watch it.

No, but we're entitled to comment on it if we don't like its overplay of emotion and underplay of technical detail.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by KWIL on 11/01/2021 14:10:37:

…

As said above, you do not have to watch it.

double post – to be deleted if poss.

Edited By Mick B1 on 11/01/2021 14:51:19

[Ramon WilsonParticipant @ramonwilson3]

Posted by KWIL on 11/01/2021 14:10:37:

The "repairers" are really "conservators", it is possible to go to West Dean College (not far from the Repair Shop Barn on the same estate) to learn the skills displayed in the programme.

The programme is a popular interest TV item, not an instructional course for experts, many of whom apparently exist on this Forum.

As said above, you do not have to watch it.

 

Well said Sir!

I'm afraid I can't quite believe the cynicism from some quarters that this has provoked from people that by their very being on here profess an interest in 'craft' of whatever form.

The fact that this program is clearly introduced by the narrator and the individuals concerned as a means to help those with personal memories achieve something they find impossible (or too expensive) to do themselves seems to have slipped them by.

For many, many, people, its a 'feel good' program – something pleasant in the not too pleasant world that surrounds us on a daily basis.

We are all entitled to our opinions of course but a little 'live and let live' would be far more charitable than the spleen venting so far observed on something so intrinsically harmless – it's not exactly undermining us as a fraternity is it or am I really missing something ?  Hmm? – somehow though, I don't think so

Tug

 

Edited By Ramon Wilson on 11/01/2021 15:24:22

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

Well said Tug,

I do believe it 'de-nerdifies' all crafts people as it opens a window for the general public to see that the skills shown on the programme do have a place in society and that things do not have to be 'chuck and forget' when they come to the end of their life.

I think the respect for people like Steve Fletcher, 'the clocky' and the young carpenter, Will Kirk, amongst the general public has been for the better of all of us 'sheddies'.

My gripe is with Jay who makes out to be the Foreman – wanders around in a nice unblemished leather apron episode after episode and can't hit a nail square on the head, pretty important to do if you are a so called furniture restorer. Having seen his furniture restorations on Money for Nothing they appear to be no more than slapping a coat of paint onto a 1950's bit of Ikea! Also, I see there is a nice Myford in the background but have only seen it used once. The metal worker Dominic Chinea, and bike bloke looks to know his onions as well. Meanwhile the ladies are all excellent craftspeople in their own fields.

It has raised the profile of craftspeople and for that we should all be grateful.

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

I'm an occasional viewer of the program, I quite enjoy it remembering that the priorities for the production team are a good back story rather than the detail of the repair/restoration. I would love to see just how good the experts work really is, close-up.

The only thing I have seen and held is a saddle belonging to a friend made by the leather lady while she was working in the USA. There something about it that just exudes quality, difficult to say what, but compared with other saddles my friend owns, this one is in a different league. Its recently gone back to the maker for some maintenance, nothing much needed doing, a lot less than was expected for a saddle that has had 30+ years of regular use.

I'm also an occasional viewer of "Homes under the Hammer", anyone else? The one where someone buys 4 walls and a dodgy roof for too much, tells the interviewer they are going to re-plaster, re-wire, new roof, new kitchen and bathroom etc. Whats the budget the interviewer asks, £4000, is the reply………………

John

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

I don't dislike The Repair Shop, but it leaves too much unsaid. Like cost! The main problem though is level, and I guess most forum members are in the same position. We know too much!

Pretty obvious to anyone with a workshop that the programme has no depth; I've picked up a few tips, but mostly I'm annoyed at the way they skim over details. Strong suspicion a few minutes of easy watching TV was really just a photo opportunity after several hours skilled work.

I wonder what the general public would make of technical TV programming that satisfied us? Can't imagine it getting a mass audience. And even we don't care for the same things. How many reading this fancy watching an 8 part series on Finite Element Analysis? You'll like the bit where I burst into tears on being told there's a test at the end.

I'd love to see a good in-depth documentary on IKB. How did Brunel persuade investors to keep giving him money despite his serious failures? Why was he so bad at designing steam locomotives? How did he decide how fast the SS Great Britain's propeller should be driven? (Not much known about propeller efficiency at the time, but he got the RPM about right. Lucky guess?) Instead I have to watch rose-tinted romances: I'm even starting to believe IKB built the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Dave

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

The trouble with any TV documentary style programme is that it will never been enough for those with in-depth knowledge of the subject. But then why are experts watching something they already know about? It is interesting to see which skills are focused on and which are glossed over though. Suzie Fletcher's saddlery skills seem to get a lot of attention. Perhaps the producers joust don't think machining is photogenic enough. Likewise we see more of cleaning of clock components than reassembly. If it inspires any to take up a craft that is good for me.

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