Find It Fix It Flog It (2016-2022): Season 1, Episode 8 - Episode #1.8 - full transcript
Whoa-ho! Look at this!
The homes of Britain are stacked
with old possessions.
It's an old toilet! Ha-ha!
What looks like junk can actually be
worth a pretty penny.
I've never seen a chair like it.
Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien
are here to help turn that clutter
into hard cash.
We can get serious money for that.
£100,000. Yeah.
Upcycling genius Simon...
It works. Don't sound so surprised!
...and his restorer love turning
everyday objects
into fantastic furniture.
Come on. Come on.
Absolute winner.
Whilst for Henry and his mechanic...
That is absolutely stunning, Guy.
...it's all about restoring retro
relics and vintage classics.
She's up! It runs!
Despite their differences,
they always come good,
and they'll turn a tidy profit
for their owners.
You're going to put in your pocket
£10,630.
Absolutely brilliant.
Today, the boys think
they've hit the jackpot.
Ready? Yeah. There you go,
it's working!
No! Yes! Ha-ha!
Their search uncovers a licence
to print money.
Between 14 and 17 grand.
And one particular restoration
earns praise.
What you've done is converted this
into something which I think
is the height of cool, actually.
Henry, Henry, Henry, I'm in the mood
for turning something old into gold.
Would you do that to me?
No, I'm not that good!
Hoping to practise their own brand
of alchemy,
Henry and Simon have arrived
in rural Warwickshire,
an area dedicated to dairy farming.
But in its past,
Warwickshire was also the hub
of the Industrial Revolution,
with Birmingham and Coventry
in its then boundaries.
And we are not far from a town
called Salem. Yeah.
Salem, once upon a time,
made its own money.
They didn't have small enough denominations
for what they wanted to do
around here.
Was that in the medieval times?
Yeah, yeah.
THEY LAUGH
The boys both get to select
somewhere to trawl for treasure.
Henry's up first.
A maniac for all things mechanical,
he's got the ideal spot in mind.
We're going to see a lad called Neil
who collect mainly...
Tractors.
How do you know that?
I'm sure there's going to be stuff
for you, mate.
Neil Adkins is an aficionado
of tractors big and small.
His collection has taken over
the family farm he shares
with long-suffering wife Angie.
It started when I was about 16
with one old tractor.
It just sort of escalated
from there.
I just like tractors.
Love, I think.
Yes, love tractors, yeah.
As well as a titanic taste
in tractors,
Neil's also got barn after barn
bursting with an assortment
of old agricultural, automotive
and even military kit.
I'm really looking forward to what
Henry and Simon pick out today.
They will probably want the things
that I don't want to sell!
Take the lot. No, that's a joke.
They'd better have more than
tractors. There is, I promise, mate!
Ha-ha!
Neil? Henry.
Lovely to meet you.
Angie. Angie, very pleased
to meet you.
This is Simon.
So, if we do kind of make any money
today, what's it for, exactly?
I would like a trailer for moving
the crawlers around.
So, yeah, any money
towards that... Your crawlers?
Little crawler tractors.
Caterpillar tractors.
Tractors with tracks on them.
They are heavy. Ignorant person.
City boy. Need a trailer. Right.
So the task - turn trash into cash
to help Neil's tractors travel.
We'll see you at the end of the day.
We'll see you later on.
All right? Hopefully, we'll make
space and money.
Yes, we will.
As ever, Henry and Simon are looking
to find two items each
before fixing them and flogging them
for as much cash as possible.
Get in there. Go on.
Am I going in? Yeah, you go first.
Like that. Oh, OK.
Check that out. There you are, sir,
ready when you are, sir.
It's all very kind of utility
in here, isn't it?
Yeah. Shall we go and look further?
Shall we move on? Yeah.
On a farm belonging to a man who
loves to tinker with tractors,
Henry thought he'd be at home...
Oh, you're going to like that,
aren't you?
...but it seems it's Simon
who's sampled success first.
What do you reckon, mate?
OK, the hinges go on here.
Hinge? That's OK.
Hang on. Hello. Hang on.
I think this was a particular dog's
favourite.
There is still a possibility,
if you think about it,
if you just shorten off the leaf
on both sides, that might do it.
One of the hinges has gone
on the leaf.
There's been a bit of dog chewing
on the other side,
but the basic frame is solid.
Shall we put it back? No, I like it.
Leave it out.
That is going to be
a gorgeous table again.
A brave choice for Simon to start.
Now, this is looking bigger.
But Henry's holding out
for something more mechanical.
There's nothing in there, mate.
You're lying.
That is one large lorry.
It's actually an old military vehicle,
and that's not the only
army artefact lying around.
What do you reckon on that, Simon?
That is a genuine bazooka.
Which, obviously, I'm sure
is disarmed.
I can see all the way through it.
Right, so there's nothing in there.
The bazooka is an anti-tank rocket launcher
mainly used by American forces
in the Second World War,
who renamed it "the stovepipe."
You wouldn't want me in charge
of a bazooka, would you? Eh?!
Wisely, the boys decide against
trying to flog a restored weapon,
and set their sights
on another target.
I'm getting excited already.
There's nothing in here either.
Oh, really, again?
That's a shame, mate. Get in there!
Oh, my word!
This workshop is full of decrepit
tractors Neil is doing up,
but the boys think the real riches
could be in the rafters.
Oh, mate, what's that?
I don't know. There must be
something that goes in it
that needs turning...
on a regular basis.
Milk? It says on here,
"the butter churn."
Oh, OK. That is what it is for.
So that must be part of the process.
And that must be either finishing
or... whatever.
They're cool, aren't they?
They're really cool.
I've never seen small glass butter
churns before.
Beautiful things.
I wonder if he'd
let me have all three?
These little butter churns
may never make butter again,
but repurposing expert Simon thinks
these little containers
could find a new use and hopefully
bring in some bucks,
so he's taking them
for a second item.
And Henry's managed to unearth
some automotive antiques
which he knows are highly sought
after by collectors.
Hey, look, check this out.
Look at that racing car motif
on that oil can.
Now, that makes that
really valuable.
What do you mean, really valuable?
Well, if it's as rare as I think it
is, a couple of hundred quid.
What about this one?
It's not as rare.
It's still got the original cap.
Good. Thank you so much.
With this pair of petrol cans,
Henry finally has his first pick.
Check out the tyres on that, mate.
But he still doesn't have something
on wheels
with only one barn still to look at.
I may be lacking the odd item
but there is one very large shed
to come.
Look at the size of that!
But it's not an agricultural relic
that's attracted the boys'
attentions.
It's another piece
of military history.
Now, if I'm not mistaken, I reckon
this is actually, it's made by Ford,
but it is, I reckon, World War II.
And if it is? Well, cleaned up,
between 14 and 17 grand.
Holy moley.
I've changed my mind.
I know what my second item is now.
Excuse me, sir.
Permission to fall out.
Neil! Don't listen to him!
Whatever he says, say no!
Sadly, neither Henry nor Simon
will be making off with the Jeep.
It's part of his collection
that motor-mad Neil
is determined to keep,
but other old vehicles are up
for grabs,
including this BSA Bantam.
The Bantam in the '50s was the go-to
thing to get to work on, mate.
Nice and cheap. And that looks
in not bad nick.
Are we good? Yes.
The BSA Bantam is considered
by many enthusiasts
to be the classic lightweight
British motorbike,
with some clean models
worth in excess of £3,000,
so Henry's bagging the Bantam as his
second and final item.
Hey, look, man, I'm loving it.
Their trawl of tractor-loving
Neil's farm is over.
First of all, they are butter
churns, aren't they?
I just love them. They are lovely.
They're gorgeous things!
And my other choice was this
dog-eared drop leaf table.
It's actually a dog-eaten
drop leaf table, isn't it?
but I do like a challenge.
And I think we're going to get that
spick and span
and make you a few bob out of that.
Now it's my turn.
Now, I've chosen the Bantam because
I think it's in need of restoration.
And I really think these two
oil cans are stunning,
especially the yellow one.
Can I have it? No.
Sorry.
Much as I'm gutted, but, I mean,
you're going to lose out, Neil,
because I won't be able to get
you so much money for that one.
I know, but I like this one.
And I can see why. I've never seen
one like that, in such good nick.
No. So, all right, I'll let you off.
Listen, thank you so much
for your hospitality,
and we are going to get that trailer
fund up and running.
We are. For sure.
Coming up, as restorations begin,
cracks appear.
Oh, dear. There's a crack
in the side.
Problems mount.
Come on, son, full revs.
It is full revs!
It's not having it.
And, at the second search,
Simon's hoping for
a nine-letter word.
Can I have a consonant, please?
Yes. And another consonant, please?
A vowel.
Recyclers and restorers, Henry Cole
and Simon O'Brien,
are on a crusade
to turn trash into cash.
What do you reckon, mate? That is
going to be a gorgeous table again.
After grabbing two items each from
tractor loving Neil's farm,
they've returned home to start their restorations.
And in Liverpool, Simon is a happy man.
Simon. Look at that.
They are fab, aren't they?
Yeah.
Fine art graduate, Gemma Longworth,
is Simon's upcycling sidekick.
She runs a successful arts and
crafts boutique.
The big difference between Gemma and
I, she seems to be much more
measured about stuff.
So I think, in that way, we
complement each other very well.
And Simon's latest find?
A damaged drop leaf table and glass
butter churns have certainly got
Gemma's creative juices flowing.
I can see these in a big, bright
bold colour.
Oh, so you want to take it back to
this primary colour at the top, yeah?
Oh, I'm thinking pink.
Gemma is planning to revitalise
these old churns into funky sweet jars.
I love them. I can't stop playing
with this. See!
The side of the drop leaf
table has been damaged by a dog.
How about turn it into... oval drop
leaf table?
Yes! Nice idea.
All it needs, then, is in the Gemma magic.
I can bring the Gemma magic.
OK? Yeah, just a nice paint job on this.
In that case, I'll get the saw, over
to you.
I'll get cracking.
Gemma thinks a table would be more
profitable post a paint job.
Because she's using bare wood,
first she adds a neutral base coat
and primer.
Right, let's get some colour on it.
But all Gemma's aesthetic
improvements will be in vain
if Simon can't save the dog
damaged drop leaves of the table.
Hopefully, what I'm going to do now,
is just cut that arc out there.
You get one go. But if it comes
off nice and clean,
that's our template for the others.
Yeah, because it needs to be
symmetrical, doesn't it?
Yeah, yeah. To remove the chewed up
areas and achieve his oval shaped
ambitions, Simon's using a jigsaw.
There you go. No more dog.
To keep everything symmetrical,
Simon uses the offcut as a stencil
for the other three corners.
In Oxfordshire, Henry's showing off
his first finds to right-hand man,
Guy, and he appears to be a happy man.
Doodle-oh-do-do-do-do-do-do!
Do you know what I'm doing?
No. Blowing my own trumpet.
Really? I think I've done quite well
on this one.
Guy Wilson is Henry's restoration virtuoso.
Guy and I have known each other
since we were 15.
So I know him probably better than I
know anybody on this planet.
And the pair are going to need to be
singing from the same hymn sheet to
get this 1966 Bantam motorbike back
on the road.
What should we do? Just get it
running?
See if it has a spark.
OK. If it has a spark, put some
petrol in it and give it a go.
Now, as often, for the second item...
Yes. ..my love of oil cans
permeates. Yes.
Now, I think, once we clean this up...
Carefully. ..it will reveal itself. Yeah.
Old oil cans with interesting images
on them make the most money from
collectors. This old can may reveal
its artwork with a good clean-up,
but it is badly corroded.
I'm very worried about removing what
little, sort of,
transfers that are on it.
So I'm just going to go really
gingerly, very slowly
and see how we get on.
To remove the rust and grime gently
without damaging the ageing petrol
can, Guy's using a light oil spray
that you can pick up for a couple of
quid from any DIY store.
It's kind of coming up a bit.
You can see a bit of detail on there now.
But it's soon clear the original
decoration may be too far gone.
This can, it's never going to clean up.
I don't think it's going to look as
good as Henry was hoping.
Basically, the artwork on it is so
old and damaged,
that all you can do is clean and the
muck off it and you're left with
what you're left with.
It is a big blow for Henry's hopes
of making big money,
and it's down to Guy to deliver the
damning verdict.
I hope you're not too disappointed,
because it hasn't cleaned up amazingly.
It's not, perhaps, as radiant as
we would like, is it?
No. But I would pay money for that.
And I reckon, yeah, we're not going
to get top dollar for it, but still,
that's a lovely thing to have on
your shelf in a workshop.
In Liverpool, Gemma's hoping to have
better luck turning her three glass
butter churns into a money-spinner
by cleaning them up and
spray-painting the lids.
Maybe it's not going to be as easy
as I thought.
Where's Simon when you need him?
There we go.
Brilliant.
Getting up close and personal with
the churns,
Gemma soon spots a potentially
profit ruining problem.
Oh, dear. There's a crack in the side.
The other two are in good condition,
but this is the big one.
We need them altogether.
The crack's small and the jar is
still sound.
So it's safe to continue restoring it.
Next, spray-painting the lids should
be an easy way to make all the
butter churns desirable and sellable
once more.
So I'm just doing it lightly at a
time, little bit by bit.
You can always put more on, but you
can't take it off.
To give them a contemporary twist,
Gemma has opted for a selection of
bright colours.
With the spray paint, you can get
inside all of these little nooks and
crannies in there that you wouldn't
get to with a paintbrush.
You would, but it would be quite difficult.
Leave them for a while
and then put another coat on.
In Oxfordshire, efforts on the oil
can are over.
Henry and Guy are hoping to get the
Bantam bike back to its best.
Shall we check if we've got a
spark?
Shall I make the tea?
The bike's dead, so Henry and Guy
have to roll up their sleeves
and diagnose the Bantam's
problem.
They start with replacing
the spark plug,
a new fuel line and fresh fuel.
ENGINE RUMBLES
Oh, nearly.
I don't think it's very well.
Go on. Go.
You're not in gear.
Come on, son. Full revs.
That is full revs.
No, it's not having it.
Go on, Guy. No.
Kick it hard. No. No, that's
not sparking.
Do you think we could set fire to
it?
This old, classic Bantam has not run
for decades.
And its road to recovery is clearly
going to be longer than Henry hoped.
With restorations in full swing,
it's now Simon's turn to choose the
next person to help.
He's brought Henry to Berkshire.
OK, Henry. Yeah? Yes, you may well
look nervous.
Yeah? I'm going to take you to visit
a couple of lovely fellas now,
called Alan and Albie who have been
involved their whole lives with an
industry that literally changed the world.
Retired pals, Alan and Albie,
used to be business partners in the
printing trade.
And over the years, the pair have
collected all sorts of
print-based produce.
We started a business together in
'69,
and we've been retired now for the
last 19, best part of 20 years.
The duo have tried to sell their
printing equipment in the past.
But stuck for novel ideas, they hope
the boys can help.
I think Henry and Simon might be
quite surprised at the junk,
the rubbish... the interesting,
interesting stuff that we've
actually got over the years.
Alan, how are you?
Hello, boys. Albie. Hi, Simon.
How are you?
Lovely to see you.
Now, boys, tell me. How can we help
you as regards to financial gain?
Well, I don't know what we're
actually going to do with the money.
If we make any financial gain,
I'd be surprised.
We did try to sell some of our stuff
at one time, putting stuff together,
not very successful.
We'd be jolly interested to see what
you can do.
No pressure then. The gauntlet has
been well and truly thrown down.
As ever, the boys need to find two
items each that they can revitalise
and make sellable.
Are you ready? Yeah, I am.
But with just one small, cramped
garage to search,
they could have their work cut out.
Isn't this fantastic?
Until computers came along... Yeah.
...this is how everything was printed.
From medieval times to very recently.
Look behind us. You kept your
capitals in the upper case.
No. And you get your small letters
in the lower cases.
How cool is that? Incredible.
Hence we know capital letters as
upper case,
and small letters as lower case.
So these are trays for the letters?
Yeah. Are these brass, here?
Oh, they're lovely, aren't they?
Yeah. What about if you got a glass
top on that?
Would I put some legs on?
Is that a good idea? You're coming
with me, aren't you?
So you're actually making your
paperclips or whatever it is,
a decorative item of the table?
Yeah, yeah. Do you fancy that?
It's a little bit off piste for me,
but I think Guy would quite like that.
Happy that his restoration Guru,
Guy, will be able to turn the trays
into a desirable table, Henry's
claiming these two type cases
as his first item.
Are these big letters? Y. B. Y. B.
The tools of Alan and Albie's
trade offer plenty of prospects
to lark about with letters. Can I
have a consonant, please, Carol?
Yes. And another consonant, please.
A vowel. Two vowels.
I've got a three. Cob.
You win.
But making cash, not words, is the
name of this game.
Hey, look, they are amazing,
though, aren't they?
There's buckets of them.
These are going to have a new life.
Can you see how this could be a
three-dimensional object?
Yeah. Do we not have enough here to
do, like, some furniture completely
made out of letters of the alphabet?
Loving it.
For his first find, Simon's taking a
large quantity of letters...
...and delving deeper into the
garage, an old cabinet has caught
his eye.
Isn't that gorgeous?
So tell me, would you completely
redo it, put a little tiny brass
knob, little handles on there? Just
polish up the brass, I think,
not do too much. Oh, has it got
brass stuff, as well? Yeah, it has.
Once used to store printing fonts,
Simon thinks this cabinet could make
a desirable and valuable
desktop filing tray.
So he's claiming it as his second
and final find...
...even if the drawers aren't the
easiest open.
I'm going to take a chance.
It's going to be heavy. Argh!
You know, you know something that's
full, absolutely chock-a-block full
of brass?
Oh, that was such a stupid thing to
do, wasn't it?
Henry's next decision needs to be wiser.
He still needs one more item.
Look, there's a fruit machine
over there. Oh, there is.
Here we are, amongst all this
gorgeous stuff, what does Henry see?
The only thing with machine in
its name.
You're not going to turn that on,
are you?
Well, there's only one way to find
out if it works.
Ready? Go!
Bang!
Hang on. That's really cool.
Ah. Might need a bit of settling.
Henry's taking a gamble that there's
a market for this old fruit machine.
So, he's bagged it.
That's now two items each.
Now, look, just on my two items that
I'd love to take away,
feast your eyes on your fruit
machine, I guess it is.
Did it ever work? Yeah, it worked
originally, when I got it.
Oh, OK. Which was?
About 300 years ago?
OK, mate. Now, my choice, that
beautiful little set of sliding
drawers, there.
People really hanker after
them. They do. They do. Honestly.
If you say so. Well, we'll try
and demonstrate for you.
And then, finally, I would like
to take 300 random mix of blocks.
Sounds fine for me. Yeah, sounds OK.
OK. It's been an absolute
pleasure, Alan.
Cheers. Albie, Thank you so much, mate.
Much obliged. Brilliant.
Coming up, Simon and Gemma are at loggerheads...
You're going to put another coat
over these bits, or...?
No, Simon, that's the style.
It's shabby chic.
...Henry's bike goes
back to basics...
I think we're going to make more
money by creating this
into a rat bike.
...and at the first valuation, the
boys taste sweet success.
What you've done is convert it
into something which, I think,
is the height of cool, actually.
Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien
are turning discarded junk
into desirable objects and returning
a tidy profit for their owners.
I'm going to take a chance.
Now, armed with their
final two items,
they have both returned
to their workshops.
Oh, Simon,
you look like Father Christmas!
And I promise you, Gemma, all your
Christmases have just come at once.
Up in Liverpool,
Simon's showing restorer Gemma
the items that he hopes to turn
to desirable homeware.
Oh, these are great.
Are these printing blocks? Yeah.
There are over 300 here.
So let's use them to cover,
kind of, a kid's seat
with a toy box or something.
Yeah. Cover the whole thing.
Well, I suppose we've got enough
of them. Correct, that was the idea.
Then I also found this cabinet.
Have a look in.
So there's all sorts in these.
Yeah. There you go.
Oh, wow. Look at these.
All I was thinking was this,
if it's repurposed,
could be just a gorgeous little
knick-knack set of drawers. Yeah.
The most pressing problem
with the cabinet is the drawers.
The front of these drawers look like
they're going to come apart from the
door any minute.
So I'm going to try
and pin them together.
I'm going to use some wood glue
and then I'm going to use a pin.
Drawers repaired,
Gemma moves on to bringing out
the old wood's natural beauty.
This is a wood dye.
It protects it,
leaves a nice finish,
but it also stains
the wood slightly.
I just want a bit of
a richer colour in them.
The light stain gives the trays a
clean, but weathered, appearance.
Down in Oxfordshire,
Henry hopes Guy will like his plan
to make a coffee table from the
two print trays.
So, look, what we've got here...
My plan is this,
sat on a base, right?
On a bit of wood.
Another piece of wood.
OK. Thin piece of wood underneath.
That's fair enough.
Then we put a sheet of
glass over the top,
so you could put those
like little... Can you see?
Fuses, yeah. Bullet connectors.
Yeah. We'll have a beautiful
display of knackered spark plugs.
Ye of little faith.
Hopefully the '70s fruit machine
will get a better reception.
Mindful of its age...
You never know, there could be
flying glass or anything, mate.
...the boys take safety precautions
in the only way they know.
Go!
Anything? Yes!
Yes! Look!
How fantastic is that?
She still lights up!
Put your 5p in, come on.
But Henry's gambling on the
fact that this old slot machine
takes the larger,
early decimalised coins.
Straight out. Really?
Is it out? Yeah...
In the old days, son,
this is what you did.
If a £1 coin doesn't go into
your fruit machine or something
like that,
and it keeps dropping out...
Or your council car park. Exactly.
...just give them a lick.
Go on, then.
This is going in, mate.
I'll laugh if this works.
I'm telling you, man.
That works.
Hmm, top tip there that still
works on this old fruit machine.
Ready? Yeah.
There you go, it's working.
No! Yes!
It hasn't coughed up, it's empty.
Mate, what a result is that?
It works.
So we've just got to clean it...
Clean it.
...and we've got a working machine.
And hopefully it will keep working,
especially when the punter
comes round to buy it.
They may have lucked out,
but it's still going to need
a lot of elbow grease
to get the chrome gleaming.
Any old brake cleaner
will do it and just rub.
It is possible to fully
re-chrome this one armed bandit,
but doing so would devalue it,
as collectors don't want
it looking like new.
The only problem area is here.
But we can make it look as best
we can and then we'll take a view.
That's the way to do it, I think.
In Liverpool, Gemma's stained print
tray cabinet has come up well,
and to protect the wood,
she's rubbing in some finishing wax.
Make it nice and shiny.
But Gemma also wants to make the
inside of the drawers equally good,
so she's lining them with
decorative wrapping paper,
using an adhesive spray to secure.
I chose all of these sorts of
patterns and colours because
they're quite modern,
they're quite contemporary
and I think that's what this
chest of drawers needs really.
Simon and Gemma are hoping to bring
a contemporary feel to the toy box.
Simon is constructing
a box from scratch,
to which he plans to
glue the letter blocks.
To make it strong enough to
survive the rowdiest kids,
Simon is securing the splice
joints with both glue and screws.
And there we have...
...a letterbox,
so to speak.
Before he can fix the letters
and numbers to the frame,
he needs to build the sides.
I'm only going to use this
really thin marine ply
because I don't want to put too
much weight on this,
because those letters are going
to be quite heavy.
Marine ply is a durable,
laminated wood.
It's thin multilayered structure
gives it strength
without too much weight.
A single £25 sheet is all
Simon needs for the job.
In Oxfordshire...
Henry and Guy are turning their
attention to finishing
their first finds.
The oil tin has been buffed
up the best they can,
but breathing life back into this
1957 BSA Bantam motorbike
has proved much harder
than they expected.
Oh, yeah, there we go.
After hitting several dead ends,
Guy's replaced the ignition coil
in an attempt to create an effective
ignition spark,
but will the engine now run?
What do you reckon?
It runs better than I
thought it would do. Oh, does it?
And actually on the open road...
It wouldn't be too bad. No.
She's running for the first
time in nearly a generation,
but many of this
Bantam's features are not original,
which seriously devalues
it to collectors.
So Henry has an idea to make
the bike more profitable.
All the rage these days.
On the street,
if you're hip and cool,
you should be riding
a Street Scrambler.
Turning it into a Street Scrambler
involves stripping it
down to basics...
Hurrah!
...and adding a new rear light...
scrambler deep tread tyres
and a wide set of handlebars.
Those knobbly tyres, motocross bars
and that whole urban Scrambler look,
we have something
that's incredibly desirable.
With the work complete,
Henry can't help but take the
new Street Scrambler for a spin.
With valuation day looming,
Simon and Gemma are also working
hard to complete their first fines.
I definitely prefer
the matte finish.
The three butter churns have
received their last coat
of spray paint
and the once dog chewed table has
almost completed its transformation.
After a quick rub down to create
a worn Shabby Chic appearance,
a quick varnish,
the table is ready for the
drop leaves to be reattached.
I love the colour.
It's great, isn't it?
I've just got one question. What?
Are you going to put another
coat over these bits?
No, Simon, that's the style -
it's Shabby Chic. OK.
I got us a nice handle
as well to go on this.
What, you didn't fancy the old one?
I didn't like the chewed one, no.
I was going for Shabby Chic,
but not just shabby.
So I've got us a nice handle to
go on, which matches perfectly.
What do you think of that?
That's so cool. Isn't it?
You just can't resist your little
your little bit of bling, can you?
No, no, so
I'm going to put that on. Yeah.
With the new handle in place,
the table is finished.
I think I just heard that...
Oh, no.
Check it out.
Brill! Brilliant.
Brilliant. Gemma, great job.
High five.
But will it make
a good price?
It's time for the
first crucial valuation.
Henry took Simon to see
tractor enthusiasts Neil Adkins,
who wanted to raise some cash
to buy a new low-loader trailer.
The boys rescued and
restored two items each.
Now Neil and his wife Angie are
here to find out how the boys did
and to learn if they will make
any money from their old clutter.
Wow. Have a look.
Can we go, yeah?
Go and have a close look.
Off you go.
It's a Scrambler.
It is now.
So what do you think?
A bit of a change?
Just a bit. Definitely.
The main thing we've got
to do with the jars is
stop Henry getting to them.
Well, I was going to say, if I can
nip over there and devalue it
by a couple of flying
saucers, that would be great.
Now, obviously the key is how
much money we've made for you.
With over 20 years' experience,
there is nothing that
auction house owner Adam Partridge
can't accurately
value, including sweet jars.
Is that what we're starting with,
the sweeties?
Yeah, why not? Come on, then, mate.
I think that's really good.
I really like it.
Repurposing the rotten
old butter churns
into colourful sweet
jars cost £25
for three aerosol cans
of spray paint.
I've never seen anything like that
with old butter churns and the like
and I think they're really
colourful, a creative conversion.
They must be worth £15 a piece,
45 quid.
So that's a good start - a 20 quid
profit made for Neil and Angie.
Now then... Yes?
Drop leaf table. It was in a very,
very, very sorry state.
I think we'll all agree with that.
Yeah, it was. Very.
Was it bonfire ready?
I was ashamed. Just about, yeah.
Dog-eared.
Achieving a fresh new look
for the table cost just £12
for paint and a new handle.
Normally in our job as an auction
house we'd probably pass that on to
some redundant piece of furniture,
so you breathed new
life into something, which is great.
I think you could probably
find 100 quid from someone
if you tried hard,
it doesn't seem out of the way.
Sweet talking Simon has managed
to push up the profit,
making £88 for Neil.
Come on, then. Motorbike.
Well, I was going to be positive
about that as well, actually.
Well, feel free, Adam.
The BSA Bantam may have
taken a while to get running,
but turning it into an
urban Scrambler was a simple task,
costing £120.
As I understand it was a bit of a hodgepodge,
it wasn't a pure original...
No, it wasn't. ..BSA Bantam.
So what you've done is convert it
into something
which I think is the height
of cool, actually.
I'm thinking...
650.
This is transformed bike has
made Neil a tidy profit of £530.
Adam, oil can.
A sensitive clean is
what's happened there, is it?
Yeah, that's it, mate. Yeah.
Cleaning up the oil can took a
lot of elbow grease,
but didn't cost a single penny.
I think you've maintained
its originality
and it's quite a pleasing object.
Not going to go mad on the price,
I'm going to put 50 quid.
Yeah, I don't know about
you, Neil...
Yeah, that's...
I think that's about right.
That's about right, yeah.
A profit of £50 rounds
off the valuation.
Total-wise, we are going to give
you £688, how about that?
Was that good? Wow. Is that good?
That's great.
That sounds fair enough, doesn't it?
Fantastic.
Thanks to Henry and
Simon's restorations,
Neil and Angie will be taking
home a total of £688
to fund his
tractor-trailer purchase.
Brilliant, yeah.
I mean, the table was just a wreck.
I didn't expect it
to be worth anything.
Definitely exceeded my
expectations. Definitely. Yes? Yes.
Superb, really,
really, really good.
Coming up...
Simon's toy box conundrum.
What sounded like a very simple idea
is far more complex than I thought.
Henry's hoping for big money.
I think that's our banker.
I think that's quite desirable now.
And at the final valuation, printers
Alan and Albie are lost for words.
Wow! Very good.
I'm amazed. Yeah.
Henry Cole and Simon
O'Brien are on a mission
to turn domestic junk
into pots of cash.
Henry chose to help tractor
enthusiasts Neil Atkins
and his wife Angie
and Simon and Henry together
made them £688.
Wow. That's great.
Simon's hoping to make even more
money for retired printers
Alan Finch and Albie Cohen.
At his workshop in Liverpool,
the font tray cabinet
has been finished off by creating
new handles
from some of the brass letters
the drawers once contained.
There we go.
But Simon's bold decision to make
a toy chest
decorated with letter blocks
may have hit a problem.
I've already realised that what
sounded like a very simple idea
is far more complex than I thought,
because once you've put
your first row on,
you end up with all
these odd shapes,
and I've got to somehow
find letters that fit.
All the letters differ in size
making this job nigh on impossible.
If I'm wrong,
I really don't know what... If I'm
wrong, this will end up in there.
Let's hope this doesn't spell disaster.
Meanwhile, Gemma's creating an
upholstered lid
using the letter blocks.
These are just fabric paints.
Fabric paint can be bought
from craft shops.
It is an acrylic -based paint
that adheres to the fabric
even through the hottest washes.
It's looking pretty good,
if you ask me.
What does it say?
It doesn't say anything, Simon.
This is the point.
We've discussed this.
Simon is fab.
No. No? No.
Not going to happen. Just a thought.
In Oxfordshire, Henry's finished
restoring the fruit machine.
See, that's come up lovely.
And he's helping Guy
finish the table made out of
the two print trays.
That looks good. Yeah?
The trays have been cleaned
and waxed
and Guy bought an old sugar box off
an auction site to make the base.
Now then. This is a Henry Tate box
from early 1900s.
Before it was Tate and Lyle. Oh, OK.
I just thought it was rather lovely.
And I've made this with a mount on
it so it slots into there.
Give me a hand, I'll show you.
Right. I think it's a rather
beautiful little table, actually.
Is there a... Oh, look at that.
Yeah, there's a recess
so it doesn't slide off.
To complete the table,
a piece of glass has been cut
at a cost of £40.
Have you polished every single
woozle in here?
Yeah. Every bit of brass
has been polished.
This has been rubbed down, stained,
polished, waxed.
I think that's our banker.
I think that's quite desirable now.
Yeah. I agree, mate.
I think it's lovely.
Well done, son. Perfect.
In Liverpool, Simon's finally worked
out how to tile the toy box
with the print block letters.
Simon's done a brilliant job
on this toy box.
It looks really good.
Surprising.
All Gemma has to do
is finish the lid...
There you go.
Brilliant. Perfect.
...using the printed fabric, foam
and a sheet of ply.
And I start at the middle and
work my way out
as you can get it tighter.
Right, so that should be finished.
She has spent less than a tenner
to create this lid,
but perfectionist Gemma
is not convinced.
I'm not sure it works on that box.
The fabric is really bright, bold
and clean,
and the box is quite the opposite.
A quick rethink on the fabric
and the job's done.
Yeah. I like that.
Very good.
And Gemma's mood is lifted
even higher
as she has a buyer for the toy box.
So, do you think you'd have
a use for this?
Yes, it's jolly good, isn't it?
It is. I have young grandchildren
who I'm sure...
Do you? ..would absolutely
love that.
Do we have a deal? I think it's just
lovely. Oh, we have indeed.
Shake on it.
Buoyed by the sale, Gemma has
another money spinning idea
using the brass letter blocks that
were in the print tray cabinet.
It seems a shame to waste them,
so I thought I'd be a bit creative
and make some jewellery out of them.
By simply polishing
the brass letters
and adding a chain, she's created
personalised jewellery.
If it's an earner,
the profit could be substantial,
as there are thousands more brass
letters to re-purpose.
There you go.
A very simple necklace.
But will they be sellable?
Time to find out as it's the final valuation.
Simon chose to help best friends
and retired printers
Alan Finch and Albie Cohen.
They were eager to find something
positive to do
with their redundant
printing equipment,
but will the boys also make them
any money?
Wow! Take a look over.
Off you go, have a wander.
Go and have a wander.
Hey, that's beautiful.
And these necklaces... They were
just an added bonus, them, mate.
What do you reckon? I'm amazed.
We did play around with this stuff
a bit,
but never turned anything out
quite like that!
I guess the question is,
have we hit the jackpot?
See what I did there, eh!
Shall we find out, because with us
we have an independent valuer, Adam.
Expert auctioneer Adam Partridge
is back to value Henry and Simon's
latest collection of restorations.
Adam. What kind of mood are you in?
Shall we start with my stuff,
because I'm very pleased with how
the toy box turned out.
Re-purposing the assortment
of old letter blocks
has created a useful toy box
at a total cost of £40
for the foam, fabric and frame.
It's a totally unique bespoke thing,
I think it's really nice, well done.
Thanks, mate. That's gorgeous.
Commercial value? Hard to call.
Must be 80 quid's worth in my view.
I've had an offer for 90 quid
for that.
Simon's successful sale has landed
Alan and Albie a £50 profit.
Moving on, let's talk about the
little drawers.
The little drawers, they're a lovely
finish, aren't they?
They're very pleasant.
The tired and broken font tray
cabinet has been given
a new lease of life, costing
just £20 for the wood stain,
wax and lining paper.
Lots of people are going
to like those.
Good for a coin collector.
And I see you've picked out
the details of the letters.
Do they spell anything down there?
Hopefully they spell money!
I can see a coin collector happily
parting with 100 quid for that.
100 quid. I'm glad you said that.
For once we agree, Adam.
Because that's also sold for £100.
Simon and Adam are clearly
on the same page,
another successful sale
and another £80 profit
to add to Alan and Albie's total.
Now then. How about those little
jewellery letters?
Yeah, they're fun, aren't they?
They're a bonus item.
They just happen to be,
as the guys know,
all those little drawers were full
of those brass letters.
A tenner each.
Clever use of the brass letters
minus costs has made
a small bonus profit of £20.
Come on then, Adam.
What do you reckon on the print
trays, nice coffee table...
Beautifully made.
The old print trays have been given
a total makeover
with £80 spent on the vintage box
base and the glass top.
I love the way every little bit
of brass on the top's been polished.
Absolutely. It's a really creative
use of print trays.
We see these through the auctions
a lot.
You think, what are you going to do
with it? But you've come
with a new angle here.
It's a tricky thing to price because
it's all about comparison
with other things, valuation,
and you're not going to find
another one of those.
No, you're not. So I'm going to go
with the £200 price tag.
So that's a £120 profit for the
print tray coffee table.
A one armed bandit, Adam.
Yes.
Gamble your way, mate,
let's get on with it.
Fortunately, the 1970s slot machine
was working,
so restoring it didn't cost a penny.
You've got a bit of chroming issues
but I like the way you haven't
made it look brand-new. I'm going
to go with a price of £100.
Henry has maximises the pay-out
from this one armed bandit.
That's £100 straight into
the pocket of Alan and Albie.
OK. You guys are going home,
once we take our expenses off,
with 370 quid, how does that sound?
It sounds good.
Yeah. Great.
Not complaining with that. Good man!
What will you use the money for?
Go on, tell them, you were going
to waste it, wasn't you?
Yeah. I would.
At my age you've got to waste it.
At my age I'm right up
for a bit of wastage!
You fritter it away, mate.
You enjoy it. It's been
an absolute pleasure.
Thank you so much.
So the boys have raised £370
for Alan and Albie,
but the retired printers could
generate even more cash
from the rest of their
old equipment.
Pleasantly surprised.
I quite like that necklace.
I think that was a revelation.
Those little pendant things.
He's excelled himself.
Both of them have.
Both Simon and Henry.
Very pleased with them.
The four finds at Simon's choice
has raised nearly £400,
but Henry and his choice of location
has come out on top.
Sorry, I was just being victorious
riding my urban scrambler
through Shoreditch. Well, you say
you won, well, you did,
technically by about 300 quid,
but if I continued to make
those brass letters into jewellery,
I would have ended up with £7,000.
So your victory may be short-lived.
HE BLOWS A RASPBERRY
But I won today.
Subtitles by Ericsson
The homes of Britain are stacked
with old possessions.
It's an old toilet! Ha-ha!
What looks like junk can actually be
worth a pretty penny.
I've never seen a chair like it.
Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien
are here to help turn that clutter
into hard cash.
We can get serious money for that.
£100,000. Yeah.
Upcycling genius Simon...
It works. Don't sound so surprised!
...and his restorer love turning
everyday objects
into fantastic furniture.
Come on. Come on.
Absolute winner.
Whilst for Henry and his mechanic...
That is absolutely stunning, Guy.
...it's all about restoring retro
relics and vintage classics.
She's up! It runs!
Despite their differences,
they always come good,
and they'll turn a tidy profit
for their owners.
You're going to put in your pocket
£10,630.
Absolutely brilliant.
Today, the boys think
they've hit the jackpot.
Ready? Yeah. There you go,
it's working!
No! Yes! Ha-ha!
Their search uncovers a licence
to print money.
Between 14 and 17 grand.
And one particular restoration
earns praise.
What you've done is converted this
into something which I think
is the height of cool, actually.
Henry, Henry, Henry, I'm in the mood
for turning something old into gold.
Would you do that to me?
No, I'm not that good!
Hoping to practise their own brand
of alchemy,
Henry and Simon have arrived
in rural Warwickshire,
an area dedicated to dairy farming.
But in its past,
Warwickshire was also the hub
of the Industrial Revolution,
with Birmingham and Coventry
in its then boundaries.
And we are not far from a town
called Salem. Yeah.
Salem, once upon a time,
made its own money.
They didn't have small enough denominations
for what they wanted to do
around here.
Was that in the medieval times?
Yeah, yeah.
THEY LAUGH
The boys both get to select
somewhere to trawl for treasure.
Henry's up first.
A maniac for all things mechanical,
he's got the ideal spot in mind.
We're going to see a lad called Neil
who collect mainly...
Tractors.
How do you know that?
I'm sure there's going to be stuff
for you, mate.
Neil Adkins is an aficionado
of tractors big and small.
His collection has taken over
the family farm he shares
with long-suffering wife Angie.
It started when I was about 16
with one old tractor.
It just sort of escalated
from there.
I just like tractors.
Love, I think.
Yes, love tractors, yeah.
As well as a titanic taste
in tractors,
Neil's also got barn after barn
bursting with an assortment
of old agricultural, automotive
and even military kit.
I'm really looking forward to what
Henry and Simon pick out today.
They will probably want the things
that I don't want to sell!
Take the lot. No, that's a joke.
They'd better have more than
tractors. There is, I promise, mate!
Ha-ha!
Neil? Henry.
Lovely to meet you.
Angie. Angie, very pleased
to meet you.
This is Simon.
So, if we do kind of make any money
today, what's it for, exactly?
I would like a trailer for moving
the crawlers around.
So, yeah, any money
towards that... Your crawlers?
Little crawler tractors.
Caterpillar tractors.
Tractors with tracks on them.
They are heavy. Ignorant person.
City boy. Need a trailer. Right.
So the task - turn trash into cash
to help Neil's tractors travel.
We'll see you at the end of the day.
We'll see you later on.
All right? Hopefully, we'll make
space and money.
Yes, we will.
As ever, Henry and Simon are looking
to find two items each
before fixing them and flogging them
for as much cash as possible.
Get in there. Go on.
Am I going in? Yeah, you go first.
Like that. Oh, OK.
Check that out. There you are, sir,
ready when you are, sir.
It's all very kind of utility
in here, isn't it?
Yeah. Shall we go and look further?
Shall we move on? Yeah.
On a farm belonging to a man who
loves to tinker with tractors,
Henry thought he'd be at home...
Oh, you're going to like that,
aren't you?
...but it seems it's Simon
who's sampled success first.
What do you reckon, mate?
OK, the hinges go on here.
Hinge? That's OK.
Hang on. Hello. Hang on.
I think this was a particular dog's
favourite.
There is still a possibility,
if you think about it,
if you just shorten off the leaf
on both sides, that might do it.
One of the hinges has gone
on the leaf.
There's been a bit of dog chewing
on the other side,
but the basic frame is solid.
Shall we put it back? No, I like it.
Leave it out.
That is going to be
a gorgeous table again.
A brave choice for Simon to start.
Now, this is looking bigger.
But Henry's holding out
for something more mechanical.
There's nothing in there, mate.
You're lying.
That is one large lorry.
It's actually an old military vehicle,
and that's not the only
army artefact lying around.
What do you reckon on that, Simon?
That is a genuine bazooka.
Which, obviously, I'm sure
is disarmed.
I can see all the way through it.
Right, so there's nothing in there.
The bazooka is an anti-tank rocket launcher
mainly used by American forces
in the Second World War,
who renamed it "the stovepipe."
You wouldn't want me in charge
of a bazooka, would you? Eh?!
Wisely, the boys decide against
trying to flog a restored weapon,
and set their sights
on another target.
I'm getting excited already.
There's nothing in here either.
Oh, really, again?
That's a shame, mate. Get in there!
Oh, my word!
This workshop is full of decrepit
tractors Neil is doing up,
but the boys think the real riches
could be in the rafters.
Oh, mate, what's that?
I don't know. There must be
something that goes in it
that needs turning...
on a regular basis.
Milk? It says on here,
"the butter churn."
Oh, OK. That is what it is for.
So that must be part of the process.
And that must be either finishing
or... whatever.
They're cool, aren't they?
They're really cool.
I've never seen small glass butter
churns before.
Beautiful things.
I wonder if he'd
let me have all three?
These little butter churns
may never make butter again,
but repurposing expert Simon thinks
these little containers
could find a new use and hopefully
bring in some bucks,
so he's taking them
for a second item.
And Henry's managed to unearth
some automotive antiques
which he knows are highly sought
after by collectors.
Hey, look, check this out.
Look at that racing car motif
on that oil can.
Now, that makes that
really valuable.
What do you mean, really valuable?
Well, if it's as rare as I think it
is, a couple of hundred quid.
What about this one?
It's not as rare.
It's still got the original cap.
Good. Thank you so much.
With this pair of petrol cans,
Henry finally has his first pick.
Check out the tyres on that, mate.
But he still doesn't have something
on wheels
with only one barn still to look at.
I may be lacking the odd item
but there is one very large shed
to come.
Look at the size of that!
But it's not an agricultural relic
that's attracted the boys'
attentions.
It's another piece
of military history.
Now, if I'm not mistaken, I reckon
this is actually, it's made by Ford,
but it is, I reckon, World War II.
And if it is? Well, cleaned up,
between 14 and 17 grand.
Holy moley.
I've changed my mind.
I know what my second item is now.
Excuse me, sir.
Permission to fall out.
Neil! Don't listen to him!
Whatever he says, say no!
Sadly, neither Henry nor Simon
will be making off with the Jeep.
It's part of his collection
that motor-mad Neil
is determined to keep,
but other old vehicles are up
for grabs,
including this BSA Bantam.
The Bantam in the '50s was the go-to
thing to get to work on, mate.
Nice and cheap. And that looks
in not bad nick.
Are we good? Yes.
The BSA Bantam is considered
by many enthusiasts
to be the classic lightweight
British motorbike,
with some clean models
worth in excess of £3,000,
so Henry's bagging the Bantam as his
second and final item.
Hey, look, man, I'm loving it.
Their trawl of tractor-loving
Neil's farm is over.
First of all, they are butter
churns, aren't they?
I just love them. They are lovely.
They're gorgeous things!
And my other choice was this
dog-eared drop leaf table.
It's actually a dog-eaten
drop leaf table, isn't it?
but I do like a challenge.
And I think we're going to get that
spick and span
and make you a few bob out of that.
Now it's my turn.
Now, I've chosen the Bantam because
I think it's in need of restoration.
And I really think these two
oil cans are stunning,
especially the yellow one.
Can I have it? No.
Sorry.
Much as I'm gutted, but, I mean,
you're going to lose out, Neil,
because I won't be able to get
you so much money for that one.
I know, but I like this one.
And I can see why. I've never seen
one like that, in such good nick.
No. So, all right, I'll let you off.
Listen, thank you so much
for your hospitality,
and we are going to get that trailer
fund up and running.
We are. For sure.
Coming up, as restorations begin,
cracks appear.
Oh, dear. There's a crack
in the side.
Problems mount.
Come on, son, full revs.
It is full revs!
It's not having it.
And, at the second search,
Simon's hoping for
a nine-letter word.
Can I have a consonant, please?
Yes. And another consonant, please?
A vowel.
Recyclers and restorers, Henry Cole
and Simon O'Brien,
are on a crusade
to turn trash into cash.
What do you reckon, mate? That is
going to be a gorgeous table again.
After grabbing two items each from
tractor loving Neil's farm,
they've returned home to start their restorations.
And in Liverpool, Simon is a happy man.
Simon. Look at that.
They are fab, aren't they?
Yeah.
Fine art graduate, Gemma Longworth,
is Simon's upcycling sidekick.
She runs a successful arts and
crafts boutique.
The big difference between Gemma and
I, she seems to be much more
measured about stuff.
So I think, in that way, we
complement each other very well.
And Simon's latest find?
A damaged drop leaf table and glass
butter churns have certainly got
Gemma's creative juices flowing.
I can see these in a big, bright
bold colour.
Oh, so you want to take it back to
this primary colour at the top, yeah?
Oh, I'm thinking pink.
Gemma is planning to revitalise
these old churns into funky sweet jars.
I love them. I can't stop playing
with this. See!
The side of the drop leaf
table has been damaged by a dog.
How about turn it into... oval drop
leaf table?
Yes! Nice idea.
All it needs, then, is in the Gemma magic.
I can bring the Gemma magic.
OK? Yeah, just a nice paint job on this.
In that case, I'll get the saw, over
to you.
I'll get cracking.
Gemma thinks a table would be more
profitable post a paint job.
Because she's using bare wood,
first she adds a neutral base coat
and primer.
Right, let's get some colour on it.
But all Gemma's aesthetic
improvements will be in vain
if Simon can't save the dog
damaged drop leaves of the table.
Hopefully, what I'm going to do now,
is just cut that arc out there.
You get one go. But if it comes
off nice and clean,
that's our template for the others.
Yeah, because it needs to be
symmetrical, doesn't it?
Yeah, yeah. To remove the chewed up
areas and achieve his oval shaped
ambitions, Simon's using a jigsaw.
There you go. No more dog.
To keep everything symmetrical,
Simon uses the offcut as a stencil
for the other three corners.
In Oxfordshire, Henry's showing off
his first finds to right-hand man,
Guy, and he appears to be a happy man.
Doodle-oh-do-do-do-do-do-do!
Do you know what I'm doing?
No. Blowing my own trumpet.
Really? I think I've done quite well
on this one.
Guy Wilson is Henry's restoration virtuoso.
Guy and I have known each other
since we were 15.
So I know him probably better than I
know anybody on this planet.
And the pair are going to need to be
singing from the same hymn sheet to
get this 1966 Bantam motorbike back
on the road.
What should we do? Just get it
running?
See if it has a spark.
OK. If it has a spark, put some
petrol in it and give it a go.
Now, as often, for the second item...
Yes. ..my love of oil cans
permeates. Yes.
Now, I think, once we clean this up...
Carefully. ..it will reveal itself. Yeah.
Old oil cans with interesting images
on them make the most money from
collectors. This old can may reveal
its artwork with a good clean-up,
but it is badly corroded.
I'm very worried about removing what
little, sort of,
transfers that are on it.
So I'm just going to go really
gingerly, very slowly
and see how we get on.
To remove the rust and grime gently
without damaging the ageing petrol
can, Guy's using a light oil spray
that you can pick up for a couple of
quid from any DIY store.
It's kind of coming up a bit.
You can see a bit of detail on there now.
But it's soon clear the original
decoration may be too far gone.
This can, it's never going to clean up.
I don't think it's going to look as
good as Henry was hoping.
Basically, the artwork on it is so
old and damaged,
that all you can do is clean and the
muck off it and you're left with
what you're left with.
It is a big blow for Henry's hopes
of making big money,
and it's down to Guy to deliver the
damning verdict.
I hope you're not too disappointed,
because it hasn't cleaned up amazingly.
It's not, perhaps, as radiant as
we would like, is it?
No. But I would pay money for that.
And I reckon, yeah, we're not going
to get top dollar for it, but still,
that's a lovely thing to have on
your shelf in a workshop.
In Liverpool, Gemma's hoping to have
better luck turning her three glass
butter churns into a money-spinner
by cleaning them up and
spray-painting the lids.
Maybe it's not going to be as easy
as I thought.
Where's Simon when you need him?
There we go.
Brilliant.
Getting up close and personal with
the churns,
Gemma soon spots a potentially
profit ruining problem.
Oh, dear. There's a crack in the side.
The other two are in good condition,
but this is the big one.
We need them altogether.
The crack's small and the jar is
still sound.
So it's safe to continue restoring it.
Next, spray-painting the lids should
be an easy way to make all the
butter churns desirable and sellable
once more.
So I'm just doing it lightly at a
time, little bit by bit.
You can always put more on, but you
can't take it off.
To give them a contemporary twist,
Gemma has opted for a selection of
bright colours.
With the spray paint, you can get
inside all of these little nooks and
crannies in there that you wouldn't
get to with a paintbrush.
You would, but it would be quite difficult.
Leave them for a while
and then put another coat on.
In Oxfordshire, efforts on the oil
can are over.
Henry and Guy are hoping to get the
Bantam bike back to its best.
Shall we check if we've got a
spark?
Shall I make the tea?
The bike's dead, so Henry and Guy
have to roll up their sleeves
and diagnose the Bantam's
problem.
They start with replacing
the spark plug,
a new fuel line and fresh fuel.
ENGINE RUMBLES
Oh, nearly.
I don't think it's very well.
Go on. Go.
You're not in gear.
Come on, son. Full revs.
That is full revs.
No, it's not having it.
Go on, Guy. No.
Kick it hard. No. No, that's
not sparking.
Do you think we could set fire to
it?
This old, classic Bantam has not run
for decades.
And its road to recovery is clearly
going to be longer than Henry hoped.
With restorations in full swing,
it's now Simon's turn to choose the
next person to help.
He's brought Henry to Berkshire.
OK, Henry. Yeah? Yes, you may well
look nervous.
Yeah? I'm going to take you to visit
a couple of lovely fellas now,
called Alan and Albie who have been
involved their whole lives with an
industry that literally changed the world.
Retired pals, Alan and Albie,
used to be business partners in the
printing trade.
And over the years, the pair have
collected all sorts of
print-based produce.
We started a business together in
'69,
and we've been retired now for the
last 19, best part of 20 years.
The duo have tried to sell their
printing equipment in the past.
But stuck for novel ideas, they hope
the boys can help.
I think Henry and Simon might be
quite surprised at the junk,
the rubbish... the interesting,
interesting stuff that we've
actually got over the years.
Alan, how are you?
Hello, boys. Albie. Hi, Simon.
How are you?
Lovely to see you.
Now, boys, tell me. How can we help
you as regards to financial gain?
Well, I don't know what we're
actually going to do with the money.
If we make any financial gain,
I'd be surprised.
We did try to sell some of our stuff
at one time, putting stuff together,
not very successful.
We'd be jolly interested to see what
you can do.
No pressure then. The gauntlet has
been well and truly thrown down.
As ever, the boys need to find two
items each that they can revitalise
and make sellable.
Are you ready? Yeah, I am.
But with just one small, cramped
garage to search,
they could have their work cut out.
Isn't this fantastic?
Until computers came along... Yeah.
...this is how everything was printed.
From medieval times to very recently.
Look behind us. You kept your
capitals in the upper case.
No. And you get your small letters
in the lower cases.
How cool is that? Incredible.
Hence we know capital letters as
upper case,
and small letters as lower case.
So these are trays for the letters?
Yeah. Are these brass, here?
Oh, they're lovely, aren't they?
Yeah. What about if you got a glass
top on that?
Would I put some legs on?
Is that a good idea? You're coming
with me, aren't you?
So you're actually making your
paperclips or whatever it is,
a decorative item of the table?
Yeah, yeah. Do you fancy that?
It's a little bit off piste for me,
but I think Guy would quite like that.
Happy that his restoration Guru,
Guy, will be able to turn the trays
into a desirable table, Henry's
claiming these two type cases
as his first item.
Are these big letters? Y. B. Y. B.
The tools of Alan and Albie's
trade offer plenty of prospects
to lark about with letters. Can I
have a consonant, please, Carol?
Yes. And another consonant, please.
A vowel. Two vowels.
I've got a three. Cob.
You win.
But making cash, not words, is the
name of this game.
Hey, look, they are amazing,
though, aren't they?
There's buckets of them.
These are going to have a new life.
Can you see how this could be a
three-dimensional object?
Yeah. Do we not have enough here to
do, like, some furniture completely
made out of letters of the alphabet?
Loving it.
For his first find, Simon's taking a
large quantity of letters...
...and delving deeper into the
garage, an old cabinet has caught
his eye.
Isn't that gorgeous?
So tell me, would you completely
redo it, put a little tiny brass
knob, little handles on there? Just
polish up the brass, I think,
not do too much. Oh, has it got
brass stuff, as well? Yeah, it has.
Once used to store printing fonts,
Simon thinks this cabinet could make
a desirable and valuable
desktop filing tray.
So he's claiming it as his second
and final find...
...even if the drawers aren't the
easiest open.
I'm going to take a chance.
It's going to be heavy. Argh!
You know, you know something that's
full, absolutely chock-a-block full
of brass?
Oh, that was such a stupid thing to
do, wasn't it?
Henry's next decision needs to be wiser.
He still needs one more item.
Look, there's a fruit machine
over there. Oh, there is.
Here we are, amongst all this
gorgeous stuff, what does Henry see?
The only thing with machine in
its name.
You're not going to turn that on,
are you?
Well, there's only one way to find
out if it works.
Ready? Go!
Bang!
Hang on. That's really cool.
Ah. Might need a bit of settling.
Henry's taking a gamble that there's
a market for this old fruit machine.
So, he's bagged it.
That's now two items each.
Now, look, just on my two items that
I'd love to take away,
feast your eyes on your fruit
machine, I guess it is.
Did it ever work? Yeah, it worked
originally, when I got it.
Oh, OK. Which was?
About 300 years ago?
OK, mate. Now, my choice, that
beautiful little set of sliding
drawers, there.
People really hanker after
them. They do. They do. Honestly.
If you say so. Well, we'll try
and demonstrate for you.
And then, finally, I would like
to take 300 random mix of blocks.
Sounds fine for me. Yeah, sounds OK.
OK. It's been an absolute
pleasure, Alan.
Cheers. Albie, Thank you so much, mate.
Much obliged. Brilliant.
Coming up, Simon and Gemma are at loggerheads...
You're going to put another coat
over these bits, or...?
No, Simon, that's the style.
It's shabby chic.
...Henry's bike goes
back to basics...
I think we're going to make more
money by creating this
into a rat bike.
...and at the first valuation, the
boys taste sweet success.
What you've done is convert it
into something which, I think,
is the height of cool, actually.
Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien
are turning discarded junk
into desirable objects and returning
a tidy profit for their owners.
I'm going to take a chance.
Now, armed with their
final two items,
they have both returned
to their workshops.
Oh, Simon,
you look like Father Christmas!
And I promise you, Gemma, all your
Christmases have just come at once.
Up in Liverpool,
Simon's showing restorer Gemma
the items that he hopes to turn
to desirable homeware.
Oh, these are great.
Are these printing blocks? Yeah.
There are over 300 here.
So let's use them to cover,
kind of, a kid's seat
with a toy box or something.
Yeah. Cover the whole thing.
Well, I suppose we've got enough
of them. Correct, that was the idea.
Then I also found this cabinet.
Have a look in.
So there's all sorts in these.
Yeah. There you go.
Oh, wow. Look at these.
All I was thinking was this,
if it's repurposed,
could be just a gorgeous little
knick-knack set of drawers. Yeah.
The most pressing problem
with the cabinet is the drawers.
The front of these drawers look like
they're going to come apart from the
door any minute.
So I'm going to try
and pin them together.
I'm going to use some wood glue
and then I'm going to use a pin.
Drawers repaired,
Gemma moves on to bringing out
the old wood's natural beauty.
This is a wood dye.
It protects it,
leaves a nice finish,
but it also stains
the wood slightly.
I just want a bit of
a richer colour in them.
The light stain gives the trays a
clean, but weathered, appearance.
Down in Oxfordshire,
Henry hopes Guy will like his plan
to make a coffee table from the
two print trays.
So, look, what we've got here...
My plan is this,
sat on a base, right?
On a bit of wood.
Another piece of wood.
OK. Thin piece of wood underneath.
That's fair enough.
Then we put a sheet of
glass over the top,
so you could put those
like little... Can you see?
Fuses, yeah. Bullet connectors.
Yeah. We'll have a beautiful
display of knackered spark plugs.
Ye of little faith.
Hopefully the '70s fruit machine
will get a better reception.
Mindful of its age...
You never know, there could be
flying glass or anything, mate.
...the boys take safety precautions
in the only way they know.
Go!
Anything? Yes!
Yes! Look!
How fantastic is that?
She still lights up!
Put your 5p in, come on.
But Henry's gambling on the
fact that this old slot machine
takes the larger,
early decimalised coins.
Straight out. Really?
Is it out? Yeah...
In the old days, son,
this is what you did.
If a £1 coin doesn't go into
your fruit machine or something
like that,
and it keeps dropping out...
Or your council car park. Exactly.
...just give them a lick.
Go on, then.
This is going in, mate.
I'll laugh if this works.
I'm telling you, man.
That works.
Hmm, top tip there that still
works on this old fruit machine.
Ready? Yeah.
There you go, it's working.
No! Yes!
It hasn't coughed up, it's empty.
Mate, what a result is that?
It works.
So we've just got to clean it...
Clean it.
...and we've got a working machine.
And hopefully it will keep working,
especially when the punter
comes round to buy it.
They may have lucked out,
but it's still going to need
a lot of elbow grease
to get the chrome gleaming.
Any old brake cleaner
will do it and just rub.
It is possible to fully
re-chrome this one armed bandit,
but doing so would devalue it,
as collectors don't want
it looking like new.
The only problem area is here.
But we can make it look as best
we can and then we'll take a view.
That's the way to do it, I think.
In Liverpool, Gemma's stained print
tray cabinet has come up well,
and to protect the wood,
she's rubbing in some finishing wax.
Make it nice and shiny.
But Gemma also wants to make the
inside of the drawers equally good,
so she's lining them with
decorative wrapping paper,
using an adhesive spray to secure.
I chose all of these sorts of
patterns and colours because
they're quite modern,
they're quite contemporary
and I think that's what this
chest of drawers needs really.
Simon and Gemma are hoping to bring
a contemporary feel to the toy box.
Simon is constructing
a box from scratch,
to which he plans to
glue the letter blocks.
To make it strong enough to
survive the rowdiest kids,
Simon is securing the splice
joints with both glue and screws.
And there we have...
...a letterbox,
so to speak.
Before he can fix the letters
and numbers to the frame,
he needs to build the sides.
I'm only going to use this
really thin marine ply
because I don't want to put too
much weight on this,
because those letters are going
to be quite heavy.
Marine ply is a durable,
laminated wood.
It's thin multilayered structure
gives it strength
without too much weight.
A single £25 sheet is all
Simon needs for the job.
In Oxfordshire...
Henry and Guy are turning their
attention to finishing
their first finds.
The oil tin has been buffed
up the best they can,
but breathing life back into this
1957 BSA Bantam motorbike
has proved much harder
than they expected.
Oh, yeah, there we go.
After hitting several dead ends,
Guy's replaced the ignition coil
in an attempt to create an effective
ignition spark,
but will the engine now run?
What do you reckon?
It runs better than I
thought it would do. Oh, does it?
And actually on the open road...
It wouldn't be too bad. No.
She's running for the first
time in nearly a generation,
but many of this
Bantam's features are not original,
which seriously devalues
it to collectors.
So Henry has an idea to make
the bike more profitable.
All the rage these days.
On the street,
if you're hip and cool,
you should be riding
a Street Scrambler.
Turning it into a Street Scrambler
involves stripping it
down to basics...
Hurrah!
...and adding a new rear light...
scrambler deep tread tyres
and a wide set of handlebars.
Those knobbly tyres, motocross bars
and that whole urban Scrambler look,
we have something
that's incredibly desirable.
With the work complete,
Henry can't help but take the
new Street Scrambler for a spin.
With valuation day looming,
Simon and Gemma are also working
hard to complete their first fines.
I definitely prefer
the matte finish.
The three butter churns have
received their last coat
of spray paint
and the once dog chewed table has
almost completed its transformation.
After a quick rub down to create
a worn Shabby Chic appearance,
a quick varnish,
the table is ready for the
drop leaves to be reattached.
I love the colour.
It's great, isn't it?
I've just got one question. What?
Are you going to put another
coat over these bits?
No, Simon, that's the style -
it's Shabby Chic. OK.
I got us a nice handle
as well to go on this.
What, you didn't fancy the old one?
I didn't like the chewed one, no.
I was going for Shabby Chic,
but not just shabby.
So I've got us a nice handle to
go on, which matches perfectly.
What do you think of that?
That's so cool. Isn't it?
You just can't resist your little
your little bit of bling, can you?
No, no, so
I'm going to put that on. Yeah.
With the new handle in place,
the table is finished.
I think I just heard that...
Oh, no.
Check it out.
Brill! Brilliant.
Brilliant. Gemma, great job.
High five.
But will it make
a good price?
It's time for the
first crucial valuation.
Henry took Simon to see
tractor enthusiasts Neil Adkins,
who wanted to raise some cash
to buy a new low-loader trailer.
The boys rescued and
restored two items each.
Now Neil and his wife Angie are
here to find out how the boys did
and to learn if they will make
any money from their old clutter.
Wow. Have a look.
Can we go, yeah?
Go and have a close look.
Off you go.
It's a Scrambler.
It is now.
So what do you think?
A bit of a change?
Just a bit. Definitely.
The main thing we've got
to do with the jars is
stop Henry getting to them.
Well, I was going to say, if I can
nip over there and devalue it
by a couple of flying
saucers, that would be great.
Now, obviously the key is how
much money we've made for you.
With over 20 years' experience,
there is nothing that
auction house owner Adam Partridge
can't accurately
value, including sweet jars.
Is that what we're starting with,
the sweeties?
Yeah, why not? Come on, then, mate.
I think that's really good.
I really like it.
Repurposing the rotten
old butter churns
into colourful sweet
jars cost £25
for three aerosol cans
of spray paint.
I've never seen anything like that
with old butter churns and the like
and I think they're really
colourful, a creative conversion.
They must be worth £15 a piece,
45 quid.
So that's a good start - a 20 quid
profit made for Neil and Angie.
Now then... Yes?
Drop leaf table. It was in a very,
very, very sorry state.
I think we'll all agree with that.
Yeah, it was. Very.
Was it bonfire ready?
I was ashamed. Just about, yeah.
Dog-eared.
Achieving a fresh new look
for the table cost just £12
for paint and a new handle.
Normally in our job as an auction
house we'd probably pass that on to
some redundant piece of furniture,
so you breathed new
life into something, which is great.
I think you could probably
find 100 quid from someone
if you tried hard,
it doesn't seem out of the way.
Sweet talking Simon has managed
to push up the profit,
making £88 for Neil.
Come on, then. Motorbike.
Well, I was going to be positive
about that as well, actually.
Well, feel free, Adam.
The BSA Bantam may have
taken a while to get running,
but turning it into an
urban Scrambler was a simple task,
costing £120.
As I understand it was a bit of a hodgepodge,
it wasn't a pure original...
No, it wasn't. ..BSA Bantam.
So what you've done is convert it
into something
which I think is the height
of cool, actually.
I'm thinking...
650.
This is transformed bike has
made Neil a tidy profit of £530.
Adam, oil can.
A sensitive clean is
what's happened there, is it?
Yeah, that's it, mate. Yeah.
Cleaning up the oil can took a
lot of elbow grease,
but didn't cost a single penny.
I think you've maintained
its originality
and it's quite a pleasing object.
Not going to go mad on the price,
I'm going to put 50 quid.
Yeah, I don't know about
you, Neil...
Yeah, that's...
I think that's about right.
That's about right, yeah.
A profit of £50 rounds
off the valuation.
Total-wise, we are going to give
you £688, how about that?
Was that good? Wow. Is that good?
That's great.
That sounds fair enough, doesn't it?
Fantastic.
Thanks to Henry and
Simon's restorations,
Neil and Angie will be taking
home a total of £688
to fund his
tractor-trailer purchase.
Brilliant, yeah.
I mean, the table was just a wreck.
I didn't expect it
to be worth anything.
Definitely exceeded my
expectations. Definitely. Yes? Yes.
Superb, really,
really, really good.
Coming up...
Simon's toy box conundrum.
What sounded like a very simple idea
is far more complex than I thought.
Henry's hoping for big money.
I think that's our banker.
I think that's quite desirable now.
And at the final valuation, printers
Alan and Albie are lost for words.
Wow! Very good.
I'm amazed. Yeah.
Henry Cole and Simon
O'Brien are on a mission
to turn domestic junk
into pots of cash.
Henry chose to help tractor
enthusiasts Neil Atkins
and his wife Angie
and Simon and Henry together
made them £688.
Wow. That's great.
Simon's hoping to make even more
money for retired printers
Alan Finch and Albie Cohen.
At his workshop in Liverpool,
the font tray cabinet
has been finished off by creating
new handles
from some of the brass letters
the drawers once contained.
There we go.
But Simon's bold decision to make
a toy chest
decorated with letter blocks
may have hit a problem.
I've already realised that what
sounded like a very simple idea
is far more complex than I thought,
because once you've put
your first row on,
you end up with all
these odd shapes,
and I've got to somehow
find letters that fit.
All the letters differ in size
making this job nigh on impossible.
If I'm wrong,
I really don't know what... If I'm
wrong, this will end up in there.
Let's hope this doesn't spell disaster.
Meanwhile, Gemma's creating an
upholstered lid
using the letter blocks.
These are just fabric paints.
Fabric paint can be bought
from craft shops.
It is an acrylic -based paint
that adheres to the fabric
even through the hottest washes.
It's looking pretty good,
if you ask me.
What does it say?
It doesn't say anything, Simon.
This is the point.
We've discussed this.
Simon is fab.
No. No? No.
Not going to happen. Just a thought.
In Oxfordshire, Henry's finished
restoring the fruit machine.
See, that's come up lovely.
And he's helping Guy
finish the table made out of
the two print trays.
That looks good. Yeah?
The trays have been cleaned
and waxed
and Guy bought an old sugar box off
an auction site to make the base.
Now then. This is a Henry Tate box
from early 1900s.
Before it was Tate and Lyle. Oh, OK.
I just thought it was rather lovely.
And I've made this with a mount on
it so it slots into there.
Give me a hand, I'll show you.
Right. I think it's a rather
beautiful little table, actually.
Is there a... Oh, look at that.
Yeah, there's a recess
so it doesn't slide off.
To complete the table,
a piece of glass has been cut
at a cost of £40.
Have you polished every single
woozle in here?
Yeah. Every bit of brass
has been polished.
This has been rubbed down, stained,
polished, waxed.
I think that's our banker.
I think that's quite desirable now.
Yeah. I agree, mate.
I think it's lovely.
Well done, son. Perfect.
In Liverpool, Simon's finally worked
out how to tile the toy box
with the print block letters.
Simon's done a brilliant job
on this toy box.
It looks really good.
Surprising.
All Gemma has to do
is finish the lid...
There you go.
Brilliant. Perfect.
...using the printed fabric, foam
and a sheet of ply.
And I start at the middle and
work my way out
as you can get it tighter.
Right, so that should be finished.
She has spent less than a tenner
to create this lid,
but perfectionist Gemma
is not convinced.
I'm not sure it works on that box.
The fabric is really bright, bold
and clean,
and the box is quite the opposite.
A quick rethink on the fabric
and the job's done.
Yeah. I like that.
Very good.
And Gemma's mood is lifted
even higher
as she has a buyer for the toy box.
So, do you think you'd have
a use for this?
Yes, it's jolly good, isn't it?
It is. I have young grandchildren
who I'm sure...
Do you? ..would absolutely
love that.
Do we have a deal? I think it's just
lovely. Oh, we have indeed.
Shake on it.
Buoyed by the sale, Gemma has
another money spinning idea
using the brass letter blocks that
were in the print tray cabinet.
It seems a shame to waste them,
so I thought I'd be a bit creative
and make some jewellery out of them.
By simply polishing
the brass letters
and adding a chain, she's created
personalised jewellery.
If it's an earner,
the profit could be substantial,
as there are thousands more brass
letters to re-purpose.
There you go.
A very simple necklace.
But will they be sellable?
Time to find out as it's the final valuation.
Simon chose to help best friends
and retired printers
Alan Finch and Albie Cohen.
They were eager to find something
positive to do
with their redundant
printing equipment,
but will the boys also make them
any money?
Wow! Take a look over.
Off you go, have a wander.
Go and have a wander.
Hey, that's beautiful.
And these necklaces... They were
just an added bonus, them, mate.
What do you reckon? I'm amazed.
We did play around with this stuff
a bit,
but never turned anything out
quite like that!
I guess the question is,
have we hit the jackpot?
See what I did there, eh!
Shall we find out, because with us
we have an independent valuer, Adam.
Expert auctioneer Adam Partridge
is back to value Henry and Simon's
latest collection of restorations.
Adam. What kind of mood are you in?
Shall we start with my stuff,
because I'm very pleased with how
the toy box turned out.
Re-purposing the assortment
of old letter blocks
has created a useful toy box
at a total cost of £40
for the foam, fabric and frame.
It's a totally unique bespoke thing,
I think it's really nice, well done.
Thanks, mate. That's gorgeous.
Commercial value? Hard to call.
Must be 80 quid's worth in my view.
I've had an offer for 90 quid
for that.
Simon's successful sale has landed
Alan and Albie a £50 profit.
Moving on, let's talk about the
little drawers.
The little drawers, they're a lovely
finish, aren't they?
They're very pleasant.
The tired and broken font tray
cabinet has been given
a new lease of life, costing
just £20 for the wood stain,
wax and lining paper.
Lots of people are going
to like those.
Good for a coin collector.
And I see you've picked out
the details of the letters.
Do they spell anything down there?
Hopefully they spell money!
I can see a coin collector happily
parting with 100 quid for that.
100 quid. I'm glad you said that.
For once we agree, Adam.
Because that's also sold for £100.
Simon and Adam are clearly
on the same page,
another successful sale
and another £80 profit
to add to Alan and Albie's total.
Now then. How about those little
jewellery letters?
Yeah, they're fun, aren't they?
They're a bonus item.
They just happen to be,
as the guys know,
all those little drawers were full
of those brass letters.
A tenner each.
Clever use of the brass letters
minus costs has made
a small bonus profit of £20.
Come on then, Adam.
What do you reckon on the print
trays, nice coffee table...
Beautifully made.
The old print trays have been given
a total makeover
with £80 spent on the vintage box
base and the glass top.
I love the way every little bit
of brass on the top's been polished.
Absolutely. It's a really creative
use of print trays.
We see these through the auctions
a lot.
You think, what are you going to do
with it? But you've come
with a new angle here.
It's a tricky thing to price because
it's all about comparison
with other things, valuation,
and you're not going to find
another one of those.
No, you're not. So I'm going to go
with the £200 price tag.
So that's a £120 profit for the
print tray coffee table.
A one armed bandit, Adam.
Yes.
Gamble your way, mate,
let's get on with it.
Fortunately, the 1970s slot machine
was working,
so restoring it didn't cost a penny.
You've got a bit of chroming issues
but I like the way you haven't
made it look brand-new. I'm going
to go with a price of £100.
Henry has maximises the pay-out
from this one armed bandit.
That's £100 straight into
the pocket of Alan and Albie.
OK. You guys are going home,
once we take our expenses off,
with 370 quid, how does that sound?
It sounds good.
Yeah. Great.
Not complaining with that. Good man!
What will you use the money for?
Go on, tell them, you were going
to waste it, wasn't you?
Yeah. I would.
At my age you've got to waste it.
At my age I'm right up
for a bit of wastage!
You fritter it away, mate.
You enjoy it. It's been
an absolute pleasure.
Thank you so much.
So the boys have raised £370
for Alan and Albie,
but the retired printers could
generate even more cash
from the rest of their
old equipment.
Pleasantly surprised.
I quite like that necklace.
I think that was a revelation.
Those little pendant things.
He's excelled himself.
Both of them have.
Both Simon and Henry.
Very pleased with them.
The four finds at Simon's choice
has raised nearly £400,
but Henry and his choice of location
has come out on top.
Sorry, I was just being victorious
riding my urban scrambler
through Shoreditch. Well, you say
you won, well, you did,
technically by about 300 quid,
but if I continued to make
those brass letters into jewellery,
I would have ended up with £7,000.
So your victory may be short-lived.
HE BLOWS A RASPBERRY
But I won today.
Subtitles by Ericsson