Find It Fix It Flog It (2016-2022): Season 3, Episode 14 - Episode #3.14 - full transcript
There are sheds and there are sheds.
THEY LAUGH
'The garages and barns of Britain
are stacked with old possessions.'
This is what we've been waiting for,
Si! Check it out!
'What looks like valueless junk
could be worth a pretty penny.'
Thank heavens I got here to save it.
'Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien reckon
they can fix this redundant rubbish.
And once restored, sell for a
profit.' That's where the money is!
'For Henry and his mechanic...'
That's it!
'..it's all about restoring retro
relics and vintage classics.' Damn!
'While Simon and his upcycler
repurpose the unwanted
into fantastic furniture.'
Just brilliant. I love it.
Hey, look, have a wander,
fill your boots!
That's absolutely stunning,
what you've done!
Vroooom!
'They may have different approaches,
but together they'll turn a profit
for the owners.'
In total, mate, £1,310 to you. Wow!
That's not a bad day out, is it?
'Today, the boys are overwhelmed...'
It's not very often that
we're kind of speechless. I know.
'..Simon finds
the world's biggest bauble...'
Loving your idea! Thanks!
'..and hard work is appreciated
at the valuation.'
So you've turned something that may
have been 20 quid if you're lucky
into £100. Fantastic! There you go!
Tell you what, I'm slightly peckish.
Funny you should say that,
cos if there's one place you should
stop off for a bite, it's Whitby.
What? Whitby is where Bram Stoker
set Dracula. No! Yeah!
'Yep, Stoker's fictional character
Dracula was shipwrecked
off the coast.
He came ashore
in the guise of a black dog.
The famous vampire subsequently
wreaked havoc on the seaside town.'
And you can count on me today.
You see what I did there?
Yeah, I did.
Because we're going to see
a fella called Phil. Now, Phil...
Does it cross that fine line
between a collector and a hoarder?
That's what we have to decide.
But my word,
all I can promise you, Henry,
is there is more stuff at Phil's
place than you can imagine.
OK, mate, let's get rummaging
round a hoarding!
'Simon's chosen to take Henry
to meet house-clearer Phil Wall
and his girlfriend Julie
at their storage barns.'
It started, like, 20, 30 years ago
and I just got interested in going
round picking up bits and pieces
from various places,
and it's grew from being a bit of
a hobby to being a bit of a habit.
Well, we thought we'd invite
Henry and Simon down.
If they took everything,
that would be fine, but whatever
they take will be brilliant.
Julie, hi. How are you? Hiya, Phil.
Hello, mate. You alright?
Mate, do you own a motorcycle?
Yeah, a few. Yeah, I bet you do.
Look at these tats.
Don't get them started.
If we did make you any money, what
would you spend it on? A nice meal?
Yeah, probably. Yeah, that'd be
good. Fancy fish and chips?
THEY LAUGH
We better get going. Yeah, we
should. See you in a little while.
Cheers, guys.
'So the boys are off
to find two items each
that they can renovate for profit.
Hopefully they'll raise enough
for something more exotic
than a fish supper.'
Hey, what's that?
That's got to be a bath, hasn't it?
Well, it has to be.
It's kind of the old wild west,
where you have to pour the waterin.
I might have that because
I've never seen one that shape.
Can you not just get an item
before we've even got in the shed?
Well, I have, possibly.
'So Simon has his eye on this,
but isn't definitely taking it until
he sees what's inside the shed.
And there's lots to see.'
He said he had some stuff.
That's unbelievable!
Oh, wow! Just look at the place!
It's not very often that we're
kind of speechless, really. I know.
Where do you start?
Oh, I know where you start.
Come here. Come here. I need help.
'Like a junk-yard magpie, Simon's
been drawn to a giant shiny ball.'
Right, grab that. 'This was
probably once a disco ball,
but it's got some battle scars.'
Oh, slight bit of damage there.
It's had a front end stoving.
I don't know what I'm gonna do
with it, but I do know
you don't come across these
every day, so...
You can say that again.
...I have my first item.
Out of all the things he could take,
he's got himself a large chrome ball
with a dent in it.
'Simon's keeping
the giant dented bauble
but what he plans to do with it
not even he knows yet.'
I'll have to think of something.
It'll be good.
I wonder what's under the blank...
Oh, that's quite funky. Hang on.
Oh. Oh, that's kinda cool, isn't it?
That is, er... It's a something.
'Henry has picked up a redundant
piece of copper plumbing,
probably an electric
central-heating boiler.
As scrap metal,
it's worth around a tenner.
Hopefully Henry has a plan
to make more than that.'
Kind of a lamp experience
going on here. OK. OK.
That's quite creative for you.
Thanks, mate. Happy days.
You've got an orb, I've got a pole.
'One-all indeed. So the lads
head outside to search for more.'
Do you know what? Just to prove
that anything get be repurposed
and upcycled... Yeah?
...I've seen one of those
turned into someone's house.
Really? How cool would that be?
That is amazing. But we still need
two items. I digress. Come on.
I could move in there. Would you get
a mortgage on that, do you think?
No. It'd be freehold, though.
Oh, hang on. Wait a minute.
What?
HE LAUGHS
Sort of, you know, kinda school,
kinda locker type kinda sort of
changing room type vibe.
It's just some cage.
Whatever floats your boat.
'Made from galvanised steel wire,
Henry's spotted lockers which
could've been used in workplace
changing rooms or a school.
Industrial items like this can sell
well as domestic storage today.'
OK, you've got your second item.
Mm-hm.
I think I've got mine
but it might take a few moments.
You can love your... cage thing.
Oh, I will, thanks very much.
'So Henry has his two items.
And Simon, well,
he's got his hands full.'
Henry! Bring that box!
Oh... Do you need a hand?
Yes, please.
Yeah. Ooh, good afternoon!
There you go!
'Simon's grabbed
a selection of old storage boxes
from an array of old products.
Each on their own is worth
nothing more than firewood,
but Simon's got plans.'
I'll see your cage and I'll raise
you a funky shelving unit
made out of lovely old boxes.
Two items each.
Let's go and see Julie and Phil.
OK, mate. We'll get some fish
and chips. Might get more than that.
'It's time to seek
Phil and Julie's approval,
starting with
the old copper piping.'
Phil, Julie, tell me,
is that a bit of piping for
some kind of boiler or something?
Yeah, that would be right, yeah.
Now, look,
Simon doubts my second item.
Where did you get that from?
I bought it from a farm sale
a few years back.
Good taste, Julie. You bought that?
Yeah. You're as bad as him.
Yeah. Yeah.
So, my first items, I'm guessing,
things that other stuff came in
that you collected.
If somebody asks you to clean
a garage out, it's all in boxes.
Sometimes the boxes are still full.
But you've got the ones
I've already emptied.
My second item, I've got that
kind of big silver orb thing.
What can you tell me about that?
A friend of mine
has got a garden centre
up in the northeast of England.
Er, the things that he doesn't want,
I'll just bring down, because
I like the whole vibeof it.
I do. I thought
it might come in for something.
Guys, it's been an absolute
pleasure. Thanks ever so much.
We'll see you in a little while,
once we've done our work. OK, mate.
'Coming up,
there's delicate work in Liverpool.'
Uh-oh. What? Slippage.
I never! Yeah, you did! Look!
I never! Down here now!
THEY LAUGH
'Henry makes a surprise discovery
in the loo.'
There's a couple of stools
in the loo. Pardon?
'And restorer Guy buffs up a treat.'
That down at ground level
I think will look lovely.
'Restorer Henry Cole
and upcycler Simon O'Brien
are on the hunt for items
with profit potential.'
I don't know what I'm gonna do
with it, but I do know you don't
come across these every day.
'After picking two items
from Phil's place in Whitby,
Henry's in Oxfordshire
giving the big sell to his restorer,
Guy Willison.
Firstly, the wire lockers
than Henry wanted to make suitable
for home use.'
Admittedly, it doesn't look much,
but I think if we do it up lovely...
Mm. And, hear me out, colour.
I think it should be anthracite.
What's that? Grey.
OK. A dark grey metallicy type vibe.
Being honest, I do actually
quite like it. Do you? I do.
I just think it should be a colour.
Make a statement with it.
Candy apple red metallic?
Yeah, or a dark blue.
'Colour decisions postponed,
onto the copper piping.'
Can I just show you what I think
we should do? Go for it.
It's a really simple thing.
Yes. Got it? Yeah, I have, yeah.
Great. Lamp.
Nice wooden base. Mirror polished.
Could be quite nice. Anyway, either
way, are you happy with that? Yes.
'The boys get started
on the wire lockers,
which need cleaning
ahead of painting.'
Right, so what we gonna do?
You're gonna brush out
the ferret droppings. Yes.
And I'm going to get involved
in this. Removing the plaques.
'But on closer inspection,
the lockers are in a poorer state
than first thought.'
Tell you what, there's quite a lot
of wiring needs repairing, son.
That looks like a ferret's
got out of there. Yeah, it does.
'Broken wiring needs straightening
then rewelding before painting.'
Right, ready? Yep.
Try that. Is that it?
It looks better. Yeah, that'll do.
Good, man!
Look, it's all ready to go!
'Good to go, along with Henry's
instruction to paint it anthracite.
Next, the old copper piping,
thought to be an electrical
central-heating element.'
I've never taken one of these apart
before. Anything could happen.
Right, the moment of truth.
Here we go.
Oh. That was a lot easier
than I thought.
We'll mount that to a bit of wood,
I'll drill a hole here
for the cable to come out
and we'll put a light fitting
on the top here.
But the next stage is to polish it.
You can already see how that's
gonna look. It's gonna look great.
'In Liverpool, Simon's preparing
to give upcycling assistant Gemma
the big sell, too.'
SHE LAUGHS
What on earth is that?
Obviously, it's a big round orb.
So, I'm thinking, OK, cos it's got
these big dents in, particularly
one nasty one down thebottom,
if it was buried
and was a water feature?
Oh, that's a nice idea.
But have you seen those hanging
glass planters you can get
and they're like globes
and they hang?
You've got a circle cut out of them
and you put plants inside them.
Loving your idea! Thanks! Great.
HE LAUGHS
And then...
back to some old-school stuff.
Well, I like these.
Of course. You can't go wrong
with an old box, can you? No. No.
So what I'm thinking with these is
if we make ourselves
a set of shelves... Yeah.
...but that are falling.
OK. So no paint?
No. No, come on, look, they speak
for themselves, don't they? Do they?
You know they do. Alright, yeah, OK.
'So Simon and Gemma start with
the giant steel bauble
by marking out the holes
for the plants.
Which is easier said than done.'
Uh-oh. What? Slippage.
I never! Yeah, you did! Look!
I never! That was you! It wasn't me!
THEY LAUGH
That's more of a square
than a circle. Let's see.
Hm. That's rubbish.
'Oops. Hopefully a professional
will do better.
Simon's local mechanic's
using a plasma cutter to remove
the circles they marked out.
Super-heated ionised air, or plasma,
is used to cut the steel ball.
Back at the workshop, Simon's making
a start on the old packing boxes
that he's turning into shelves.'
Chaotic, but an order of some sort.
And I've kept it
just under six foot,
so all the shelves are reachable.
Now glue and screw.
'Just simple PVA wood glue is
applied where the boxes will join.
He then uses short wood screws
to secure.'
All screwed together.
Need the glue to go off. Job done.
'In Oxfordshire,
the wire lockers have arrived
for their anthracite grey
coat of paint.
Powder-coat painting
relies on the metal lockers
being electrically charged
then pigmented powders
blown onto it.
It's drawn to the lockers
like a magnet.
Next the powder is melted in a hot
oven to create a drip-free finish.
While the lockers cool down,
Guy's busy with the copper pipe
standard lamp.'
I've just got to first of all
mark up the base
so I can centre this on the base.
'He's made an oak base
and the pipe just needs attaching.
He's using the original holes around
the pipe to attach it to its base,
but only after staining the wood
to a pleasing colour.'
This dark Tudor oak will set off
the copper tube bit beautiful,
I have a feeling.
'So after a bit of buffing,
Guy adds the wiring,
attaches the base
and the new standard lamp
is ready for a switch-on.'
That down at ground level
I think will look lovely.
'In Liverpool,
the silver orb is ready
for the next stage of its conversion
into a hanging plant basket.
Simon's creating compartments
for the inside of the orb,
which will allow plant pots
to be secured accurately inside.'
So what I've done is I've created
these kind of cells inside
and filled it with expanding foam,
so filling it up, but at the same
time, keeping the weight down.
And the next part of the process is
use some old plant pots
to do this.
So now I'm gonna continue filling
up to this point,
let it expand, put another one in,
and there's our three plant pots
in this hole.
It just leaves me with the slight
issue of how I do the bottom hole
where the plant
just wants to fall out.
I'll think about this one as I go.
Oh, honestly,
when you handle this expanding foam,
always use the gloves.
'On contact with air, this liquid
foam expands and hardens in minutes,
permanently anchoring
anything it encases.
It costs £5 from a DIY store.'
So now I'm just gonna let
the expanding foam fill the void
at the back
and there are...
our little plant pots
at an angle
so our plants can cascade out.
'Now the glue has dried,
the box shelving is strong enough
to be moved and inspected.'
See? Let it stand.
I quite like this! What do you
reckon? It's cool, isn't it? It is!
Just silly. Yeah.
Now, I did have this idea
of just going round just the front
edges in red or another colour.
Mm. But now I see it together...
It doesn't really need it, does it?
It doesn't.
Yeah, perfect shop display, this.
It's alright, isn't it? Yeah.
Right. I'll clean it.
I'll go before I get roped in.
Yeah, I thought you might.
That is the last straw.
'With work well underway
on the items from Phil's place,
it's now Henry's choice
of rummage spot.
He's taking Simon to retired couple
John and Jane Bowdrey's place
in Shipley, West Yorkshire.'
Well, I worked on the railway
32 years,
and obviously during that time,
I collected quite a lot
of railway items,
er, and bits of junk, et cetera.
We've been here for 25, 26 years,
and in all that time, I don't think
you've thrown anything away.
But it's time for a clear out,
I would say.
Is this it? Well, yeah.
I could powder-coat that.
I mean, there's some wood for you
here somewhere, mate.
Come on, what we doing really?
Come on.
Jane. Henry. Hi there, Henry.
Hi, Jane. Hi, Simon. How are you?
What's going on? Well,
it's gonna be a roof extension.
We're gonna have a bedroom
and an en suite.
But does that mean
you had to empty the loft?
Yes. And if we do make any money,
what will you spend it on?
I think you've guessed it. We might
have identified it straight away.
OK. So, all that way, is it?
Yes, do, yeah.
Great. OK. We'll see you later.
See you in a bit. Come on, then.
'The boys are looking for two items
each to flog for a profit
and help pay for
the loft extension.'
Oh. No, it's too tidy.
There's a motorbike in the back.
I was expecting more. Look at the
little baby. Mm! It's a little one.
Ahh. Oh, God, trains, motorbikes. Ah.
Hold that for a second.
Oh, I'll take a seat.
What are you doing?
I'm getting comfy. Go on.
You're a bit legless, aren't you?
AR125 Kawasaki.
I mean, it looks really shabby
cos it's been there for years.
The best thing to do with that
is just break it, mate.
Sell the parts.
That's the way to maximise profit.
That's something I really don't
wanna do, so I'm walking away.
'The old bike's no classic
so Henry's passed on it.'
I'll just have a look in the bog.
'But he's spotted something
in the toilet.'
Oh, hang on! Yeah? Hey, mate,
there's a couple of stools
in the loo. Pardon? Grab that.
'These shabby old stools
look homemade,
but Simon's spotted a clue
to their origins.'
It's railway colours, isn't it?
Could've been in the guard's van.
The guard's van, yeah. Yeah.
I've found my first item.
Yeah, alright for you.
'They may look valueless now,
but Henry plans
to work his magic on them
and bring the seasoned pine
back to its best.
So it's 1-0 to Henry
and the search continues.'
Ooh, hang... Whoa!
'And Simon's also in
the seating business.'
Oh, yes! What were we missing
off our lovely captain's chair?
You were legless. I was legless.
I'm not now. Not any more, mate.
OK, bit of a problem there.
That one's got a bit of damage
on the end.
But all in all...
That'll be alright.
...I think... You can fix that.
Of course!
Are we officially saying we've got
an item each? We have, yeah.
Oh, top drawer!
'This genuine antique
captain's chair
could raise around £100.
And with all the bits
present and correct,
it should be a simple job
to restore.
The boys head upstairs
to the storeroom.'
Ooh! Now that's clutter.
I know where the loft ended up.
Hey, mate, too right. You're making
a funny noise. What? Look at that!
Nice little railway accessory.
What have we got?
Train on line. Line clear. So this,
I think, and I may be wrong, right,
goes with the bell. OK.
So if you're up one end
of the line... Yeah.
...and the geezer's down here
at the other end of the line,
this is a line unblocker.
'It's a historical piece
of railway signalman's equipment
designed to avoid train collisions.
It displayed whether the line
was clear or occupied.
If occupied, no other trains could
enter that section of the line.'
That is a sweet little item,
isn't it? It's lovely, isn't it?
Do you know what I'd like to do
with that? Take it? Yeah.
'Antique signal equipment appeals
to railway enthusiasts like Henry
and could be profitable
if restored sympathetically.
So Henry's done.'
Now, look, pressure's on.
It is. Oh, hang on.
Do you know what, right? If I'd had
a brother at my posh school,
he'd have been called Cole Major and
I'd have been called... Cole Minor.
You know it!
HE LAUGHS
Anyway, never mind the helmet. Look.
This I'm thinking is the top half...
Yeah?
Of a what? ..of a dresser,
a Welsh dresser style thing.
Why are they Welsh?
Cos they're from Wales.
'Originally, dressers were
utilitarian kitchen furniture
used for preparing or dressing food.
They developed shelves
to display the family's best china.'
Underneath your item over there
I believe is
the bottom half of said dresser.
And if that's the case,
I really like it,
cos it's oak and it's not too fussy.
Possibly Edwardian, maybe up to
100 years old. Don't know.
I'll have to have
a really good look at it.
If this is a Welsh dresser, do you
think this is a Welsh mining hat?
Come on, Cole Minor,
let's go and find John and Jane.
'With all their items selected,
will John and Jane
be parted with their stuff?'
I'll start with the captain's chair.
Tell me about that.
That came from my railway career,
out of an old signal box.
Did it? So it's quite an old chair.
Second choice, I happily found
both parts of that dresser.
What do you know about that? Ah.
Welsh dresser.
Yeah, it could be a Welsh dresser,
but it came from London,
so does that count?
25, 26 years ago.
So now, look, right, two stools.
We think they might have a little
bit of a railway connotation going
on there. I think you'reright.
They were probably made by the
signalmen, not made by the railway.
Now, talking about signal boxes,
these lovely items here,
talk to me about those, John.
Yeah, they're called
signalling instruments
and they were used for signalling
trains in the old-fashioned
signal boxes
where the men pulled levers
and rang bells.
You've been absolutely fantastic.
It's been lovely to have you here.
Cheers. Thanks very much.
'Coming up,
confidence is high in Liverpool.'
Gemma's idea is gonna be a winner.
'Big is best for Henry.'
What have you got for me? That puts
it into the shade. That's better.
'And happy customers
at the valuation.'
It's a huge great orb, Phil!
That's brilliant, that.
It's cool that, like.
'Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien are on
a mission to upcycle for profit.'
You're a bit legless, aren't you?
'They've chosen a further two items
each from the barns of John and Jane
from Shipley.
In Oxfordshire, Henry's haul
is up for Guy's approval,
starting with
the railway signalling.'
Now then, we are gonna visually
make this beautiful.
This, obviously,
we're gonna polish the metal. Yes.
I've very worried about this handle.
I'm incredibly worried about that.
I'm not sure we can do a lot with
that. We can clean it, but... Yeah.
I'll tell you what, though, there's
a lot of intricacy back there,
isn't there? Yes.
I think there's more to this
than meets the eye.
Yeah, I think you're right.
'Next, a closer inspection
of Henry's stools.'
Right, these are a typical example,
aren't they,
of just old loveliness. Yes. Yes.
So, obviously, we're gonna get
these dipped to strip the paint.
Yeah. We need to strip them
and see what's underneath. Yeah.
The tops are lovely. They're gonna
be waxed and polished. Yeah.
Whether it's the whole thing
polished or whether it's just
the tops and we paint the bases,
they're just lovely little items
and they'll sell all day long.
Yeah, I think they're lovely.
I do like those.
Well, as long as you're happy,
that's all that matters.
I'm very happy.
'With the old stools dispatched
to the paint strippers,
Guy gets cracking
on the railway signalling,
sometimes known as a line blocker.'
I'm going to mirror polish the brass
and then when I've separated
the box, I'm gonna sand it down
and sort of wax it and polish it
and hopefully this item
will look a lot better.
'In Liverpool, Simon's revealing
his haul to Gemma.'
Well, I like these! Do you? Yeah!
This is lovely! Brilliant. It is.
I'm gonna paint it.
HE LAUGHS
I think the first thing to do
is to take it back, absolutely...
right back to the wood...
Yep. ..and see what we've got
and then decide what to do.
Good. Alright.
Right, ah, now, captain's chair.
I think this captain probably had
a bit too much seafood. I think so!
Yeah. That's gonna take a little bit
of skill to make sure we get the
strength and the repairright there.
Yeah. So I think I might
call Phil in for this one.
OK. Alright? Yeah.
So we'll get on with this
and you get stuck into that.
Yeah, no problem. Brilliant.
'So handyman Phil is straight
to work reassembling and gluing
the antique captain's chair.'
Upside down.
'The origin of this name
is almost certainly naval,
but they are now
a common domestic design.
They all have a saddle-shaped seat,
a low back and arm rests.
With all the parts glued,
Phil braces the legs
until the glue sets.'
Excellent.
I'm happy with that.
Wipe a bit of the glue off.
I'll leave it for a little while.
'Outside,
Gemma's starting on the dresser.'
The first thing to do
on this dresser is give it
a really good sand.
'Under the dark polish,
Gemma discovers that
the dresser's originally oak,
which should add to its value.
In Oxfordshire, Guy's finishing
the signalling equipment.
The bell and metalwork
polishes up a treat.
And the woodwork
is also being waxed to match.'
I'm hoping that this comes up
to a fairly close match with that.
And I tell you what,
that's not too bad.
'After a buffing, Guy reassembles
the old signalling equipment
and it's starting to look ready
for a rail fan's home.'
With this, I'm going to wax
and polish the outer case,
polish the brass, and then probably
take a view on it with Henry
and see how he thinks
that's turned out.
'But Guy's not finished
with the wax just yet
as the stools are back
from the strippers.'
The only think left to do
to these stools now
is to wax them, then buff them.
This one's had a repair
with a steel plate on it,
but it was done a long time ago
and it's been done quite well.
I quite like it. It adds character.
So I'm just gonna wax that, as well,
which is what you always do,
and that'll protect it.
So this isn't gonna be painted
or anything else,
we're just gonna wax it
and I think they'll look lovely.
'In Liverpool, Gemma's finished
cleaning up the dresser.
It's had primer added to the areas
Simon wanted to paint.
But he's had a change of heart.'
We were gonna put
a darker graphite grey on it.
But now I look at it...
...I love it how it is.
No. No. That's the colour
it's going. Wax.
'Simon's going to beeswax the wood
to highlight the oak grain.
But the cabinet timber
and the shelves above don't match.'
The base
is a slightly different wood,
whether it's just a different tree
or a different age, than the top.
So we're just gonna tie it in,
because this is much paler
than the top part.
So I'm trying it
with an antique pine wax.
And if this isn't dark enough,
then I'll go to an oak wax.
'The choice of waxes
contains different stains.
Simon can start light and go darker.
But to do the reverse
is a lot more difficult.
Hopefully he'll match the shelves
to the cabinet.'
OK. No going back now.
Tried the light stain. We're going
full Jacobean oak. Here we go.
Phew! Yeah, this is great
cos it's really getting the dark,
almost black, into the grain
but we've still got
our lighter areas,
which is exactly what we have there.
'Dressers differ little.
However, designed for cottages,
the Welsh dresser
is sometimes smaller.
And a French dresser can have
glass doors to the shelves.
Next, the antique captain's chair
is now solid.'
Right. That's the legs all fitted
and that's glued up nicely.
Clamp's done its job.
Just starting to give it a sand now.
'With work well underway
on these items...
...the boys can finish off
their first finds from Phil
and Julie's place in Whitby.
Guy's made a standard lamp
from an old copper and brass
central heating pipe.
But will it satisfy the governor?'
What have you got for me?
That puts it into the shade.
That's better! What do you reckon?
For a change, we're not going
less is more. Undo it.
We're going more is more.
Right, whack that on, son.
There you go, look.
Are my arms long enough?
It just kind of gives it just a
little bit sort of bigger presence.
I was gonna say more presence.
You took the words out of my mouth.
Are you gonna turn the...
No, you can, go on. Ready?
Can't say fairer than that, can you?
It's beautiful.
It's beautiful. Well done, mate.
'The lamp's a hit.
Hopefully the wire lockers
will go down just as well.'
That is exactly what I wanted.
Is it? Well, mate, look at it.
I mean, it's just divine, isn't it?
I was worried when I first saw it...
Why?
...that it wasn't different enough
from what it was before,
but actually,
it has just cleaned it up and made
it look sort of more pristine.
It's industrial, mate. Yes.
That's where the money is. OK.
Nice! I'll take your word for it.
I'll make you another cup of tea.
OK, good.
'In Liverpool, Simon's also
finishing his first finds.
He's created
a silver orb hanging basket.
With the plant pot secured inside
with expanding foam,
he's dressing his creation
with trailing plants.'
All the different foliage
and kind of the... the...
the natural shapes of the leaves
goes great against
the really clinical orb.
Gemma's idea is gonna be a winner!
'Now fully planted up,
he just needs to clean up.'
And that...
is just about that.
Love.
'Outside, his storage box shelving
also needs a final flourish.'
So, just to finish off,
I noticed some of the crates
had the dreaded worm,
so I'm just doing them all.
But that is it. I'm not gonna do
any other finish on this.
I love all the different colours
and the rusty brackets.
And that is... that.
Leave that to dry, good to go.
'And go it does,
to Sven, a potential buyer and owner
of an antiques shop in Warrington.'
So, for price, I was thinking,
there's ten of them,
so if we say £10 each, but I'll
give you one for free, so 90 quid?
Yeah, that sounds fair.
Is that alright? Yeah, good.
Brilliant. You've got a deal.
'Let's hope Gemma got
the best price, as it's time
for all the items to be valued.
Phil and Julie
have arrived from Whitby to see
what's happened to their stuff.'
Hiya, man. How are you? Phil, how
are you? Good to see you. Hi, Julie.
Hello. You all right?
Well, there you go.
Wow. Go and have a wander.
I like that, like.
Yeah, the lamp's come out nice.
Don't you like my planter?
Eh? Where's that?
Am I missing something? Look up!
Ah! It's a huge great orb, Phil!
THEY LAUGH
"Am I missing something?"
Yeah, a small moon.
THEY LAUGH
That's brilliant, that.
That's how you get rid of the dents.
You bang holes in it.
That's good, that.
Anyway, come back and join us, guys.
THEY LAUGH
But have we made you any money
is the question, isn't it?
And to help us decide that,
we have Adam joining us,
our independent valuer.
'Adam Partridge has worked
in auctions for 30 years
and now owns several auction houses
of his own.
There's little he hasn't valued
or sold.'
Let's start with just the kind of
bit of fun, the shelving unit.
I can see that in a shop window.
It's quirky, isn't it?
It is. Thanks, mate.
Quirky. Mm. That worries me.
'Ten old boxes ready for the bonfire
were turned into a quirky shelving
solution, all for no money.'
Er, I reckon £75 would be
a fair price for that.
75 quid? That's a bit mean.
And I can say that
with some authority.
Can you? Yeah. I've sold it for £90.
'Gemma sold high,
making a £90 profit.'
Let's go for the orb planter.
The orb's pretty cool, isn't it?
'Dented and discarded,
£20 was spent on plasma cutting
and expanding foam,
which has turned the orb into
a distinctive hanging basket.'
My price, £125.
'That's a shiny profit of £105.'
Shall we talk about the lamp first
and the lampshade? Why are you
looking at it like that?
Just the proportion
doesn't seem quite right to me.
'A hefty £70 was spent creating
this one-of-a-kind standard lamp.'
A price? £125 again.
I flogged that... for £150.
Total cost, 70 quid.
How much of that was the lampshade?
60.
THEY LAUGH
Are you having a laugh? You've been
done. No, please! Well and truly.
'Despite the overpriced lampshade,
Henry has still brought home
£80 profit
from the scrap copper piping.'
Adam, lockers.
They are pretty cool, aren't they?
Industrial, very much
what's in the flavour of the time.
'It cost £60 for a powder coating to
give the wire lockers a new life.'
£200.
'That's an industrial-shaped profit
of £140 for Phil and Julie.'
You guys are going home with
415 quid in your pocket. How's that?
Brilliant. Thank you. Very good.
It's been an absolute pleasure. Thanks.
'So Simon's choice of rummage spot
has made Phil £415.
More than enough to treat Julie
to the slap-up supper he promised.'
Yeah, we're made up with the fact
that we got 400 quid. We're gonna
have fish and chips, aren't we?
SHE LAUGHS
So it seems.
'Coming up,
there's a compromise in Liverpool.'
When it gets valued, I will say you
wanted it to be a different colour.
If it does get valued high,
don't forget, I did do it.
HE LAUGHS
'And there's a first
at the valuation.'
No costs whatsoever,
so all clear profit to you guys.
'Restorers and upcyclers
Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien
are making cash from trash.'
It's industrial, mate. Yes.
That's where the money is.
'Today,
Simon's choice of rummage spot,
the sheds owned by Phil and Julie,
raised £415.'
How's that? Brilliant. Thank you.
Very good.
'But will Henry's
choice of location,
John and Jane Bowdrey's home,
raise more profit?
In Oxfordshire,
Guy's polished a stool.
In fact, he's stripped and waxed
both railwayman's stools
quite beautifully.'
That is shining nicely already.
Those have come up lovely and shiny.
They've got a lovely patina.
Henry and I can sit
and drink tea on them.
'Henry's other pick, the signalling
equipment, is also finished.'
Do you know what you say
when you see a bell like that?
Ding-dong.
Yeah, exactly. That is gorgeous!
This was easier
because, actually, it wasn't bad.
It was just a bit grubby
where it's been lying around.
So this cleaned up, really.
I've polished the brass there
and then just been gentle
and nice to the wooden casing.
This was really weather-beaten.
I think that's been hanging on a
platform wall, out in theelements.
This has taken a long time.
It probably doesn't look it.
But I'm very pleased with it. I've
even done the little brackets, look.
That is really lovely. You've done
a great job, son. It's beautiful.
'In Liverpool, Simon and Gemma
are also finishing their items.
The oak Welsh dresser
now has a waxed finish,
rather than paint,
which Gemma had hoped for.'
It's lovely, isn't it? Yeah.
It'll be great when it's finished.
Don't be like that! I like this
colour. Primer's the new black.
It's not, Simon. Primer's there
for a reason. To prepare for paint.
I had an image and this isn't it.
Alright, look,
when it gets valued... Yeah?
...I'll take it on.
I will say that you wanted this
to be a different colour.
But if it does get valued high,
don't forget, I did do it.
HE LAUGHS
Hang on a minute! No, it's great.
Honestly, don't worry. It's cool. Alright.
'Simon's second pick,
the antique captain's chair,
was lovingly repaired
by handyman Phil.
Leaving Simon to just finish the job
with a little more wax.'
There you go.
What was once a pile of wood
destined for the fire
is back looking beautiful.
I have to say,
Phil has done a top job
getting this back together.
I can honestly say that
just waxing onto bare wood
is one of the most satisfying things
I can imagine.
Look at that beautiful, beautiful
piece of workmanship.
I mean, this isn't
the biggest, crazy, upcycling,
repurposed job we've ever done,
but I absolutely love it,
cos what a waste it would've been
to lose that bit of carpentry.
'And it seems someone agrees,
as Gemma's found a buyer online.'
I'm just having a little look to see
if the captain's chair has sold.
And it looks like it has,
at the asking price of £90.
Brilliant.
'But will the valuation beat that?
John and Jane have arrived to find
out what's happened to their items.'
Oh, hi, Jane! How are you?
Nice to see you again! Hi!
Good to see you Jane.
Listen, don't waste time.
Go and have a look around.
Oh, wow. Look at that!
I like what they've done with
the dresser. That's beautiful.
Hey, come and join us.
What do you think?
Yeah, it's great.
You've made a nice job of it.
I think the star of the show
is the dresser.
I do. I do. I'm so happy with that.
But have we made you any money?
Well, Adam is now joining us.
'Adam's back to value
to latest restorations.'
They all look very pleasant,
actually. Where do you wanna start?
Well, I mean,
you could start with my stools.
Yeah, well, a sensitive cleaning up
and they look nice.
Smooth and finished.
'The old stools were dipped
as a favour to Henry
and waxed with workshop essentials,
so there were no costs
for this transformation.'
They're simple wooden stools but
you've turned them into something
that's worth £60 the pair.
Well, you're nearly there.
I've flogged them.
Have you?
And I flogged them for £75 the pair.
Oh! Oh, fantastic! Well done, you!
'They're off the mark
with a solid £75 profit.'
Right, line blocker.
Yeah, nice bit of railway.
I like the fact it's got the LMS
stamp, the London Midland Scottish
stamp on the top, aswell.
And you've maintained that integrity
by just sensitively cleaning
and polishing.
'Elbow grease and leftover wax
brought the signalling equipment
back to its best for nothing.'
For those,
I think £80 would be suitable.
'That signals another £80
for John and Jane.'
Let's talk about
the captain's chair.
Yeah. Lovely bit
of country furniture.
I think you used to get the seat
from the forest
and then your chair-maker would make
the rest of it around the seat.
Often you see initials
stamped on the back of the seat,
but not on this one. OK.
'The pile of broken bits
were reassembled,
sanded and waxed for no money.'
We get these quite often.
They're not hard to value.
So I'm gonna say £75.
I flogged that for £90. Oh!
'A straight profit of £90.'
Talk to me about the dresser, Adam.
What do you think of it?
I think you've done a great job.
It's a good colour.
It heightens the oak and makes it
much more desirable than if it was
all oak, I think, nowadays.
'The old Welsh dressed was hiding
behind a dated varnish.
Sanding, painting and waxing,
again with leftovers,
only cost Simon and Gemma time.'
So you've turned something that may
have been 20 quid if you're lucky
into £100.
Wow! That's alright, isn't it?
Fantastic! There you go!
Can't go wrong!
'Dressed to impress
with £100 profit.
And with everything valued, there's
a first for Henry and Simon today.'
Shake your hand on that one.
Mate, first time ever.
First time ever.
No costs whatsoever,
so all clear profit to you guys.
You're going home with £345.
How's that?
It's fantastic!
Ohh, wonderful! Thank you!
'So Henry's choice of rummage spot
has raised John and Jane £345
to go towards their building works
at home.'
Oh, we're absolutely delighted. We
couldn't believe what they've done
with the dresser. It's fantastic.
'But raising £415,
it was Simon's choice of location,
Phil Wall's place in Whitby,
that raised the most today.'
Where have you gone? I'm here. Oh,
you're there. What do you reckon?
I think it's lovely.
I reckon that'll clean up lovely,
mate. We're having it! Yep!
And if you've got some lovely
old stuff lying round
and you'd like us to try
and make you some money,
then go to the Channel 4 website
and find the Take Part page.
Subtitles by Red Bee Media
THEY LAUGH
'The garages and barns of Britain
are stacked with old possessions.'
This is what we've been waiting for,
Si! Check it out!
'What looks like valueless junk
could be worth a pretty penny.'
Thank heavens I got here to save it.
'Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien reckon
they can fix this redundant rubbish.
And once restored, sell for a
profit.' That's where the money is!
'For Henry and his mechanic...'
That's it!
'..it's all about restoring retro
relics and vintage classics.' Damn!
'While Simon and his upcycler
repurpose the unwanted
into fantastic furniture.'
Just brilliant. I love it.
Hey, look, have a wander,
fill your boots!
That's absolutely stunning,
what you've done!
Vroooom!
'They may have different approaches,
but together they'll turn a profit
for the owners.'
In total, mate, £1,310 to you. Wow!
That's not a bad day out, is it?
'Today, the boys are overwhelmed...'
It's not very often that
we're kind of speechless. I know.
'..Simon finds
the world's biggest bauble...'
Loving your idea! Thanks!
'..and hard work is appreciated
at the valuation.'
So you've turned something that may
have been 20 quid if you're lucky
into £100. Fantastic! There you go!
Tell you what, I'm slightly peckish.
Funny you should say that,
cos if there's one place you should
stop off for a bite, it's Whitby.
What? Whitby is where Bram Stoker
set Dracula. No! Yeah!
'Yep, Stoker's fictional character
Dracula was shipwrecked
off the coast.
He came ashore
in the guise of a black dog.
The famous vampire subsequently
wreaked havoc on the seaside town.'
And you can count on me today.
You see what I did there?
Yeah, I did.
Because we're going to see
a fella called Phil. Now, Phil...
Does it cross that fine line
between a collector and a hoarder?
That's what we have to decide.
But my word,
all I can promise you, Henry,
is there is more stuff at Phil's
place than you can imagine.
OK, mate, let's get rummaging
round a hoarding!
'Simon's chosen to take Henry
to meet house-clearer Phil Wall
and his girlfriend Julie
at their storage barns.'
It started, like, 20, 30 years ago
and I just got interested in going
round picking up bits and pieces
from various places,
and it's grew from being a bit of
a hobby to being a bit of a habit.
Well, we thought we'd invite
Henry and Simon down.
If they took everything,
that would be fine, but whatever
they take will be brilliant.
Julie, hi. How are you? Hiya, Phil.
Hello, mate. You alright?
Mate, do you own a motorcycle?
Yeah, a few. Yeah, I bet you do.
Look at these tats.
Don't get them started.
If we did make you any money, what
would you spend it on? A nice meal?
Yeah, probably. Yeah, that'd be
good. Fancy fish and chips?
THEY LAUGH
We better get going. Yeah, we
should. See you in a little while.
Cheers, guys.
'So the boys are off
to find two items each
that they can renovate for profit.
Hopefully they'll raise enough
for something more exotic
than a fish supper.'
Hey, what's that?
That's got to be a bath, hasn't it?
Well, it has to be.
It's kind of the old wild west,
where you have to pour the waterin.
I might have that because
I've never seen one that shape.
Can you not just get an item
before we've even got in the shed?
Well, I have, possibly.
'So Simon has his eye on this,
but isn't definitely taking it until
he sees what's inside the shed.
And there's lots to see.'
He said he had some stuff.
That's unbelievable!
Oh, wow! Just look at the place!
It's not very often that we're
kind of speechless, really. I know.
Where do you start?
Oh, I know where you start.
Come here. Come here. I need help.
'Like a junk-yard magpie, Simon's
been drawn to a giant shiny ball.'
Right, grab that. 'This was
probably once a disco ball,
but it's got some battle scars.'
Oh, slight bit of damage there.
It's had a front end stoving.
I don't know what I'm gonna do
with it, but I do know
you don't come across these
every day, so...
You can say that again.
...I have my first item.
Out of all the things he could take,
he's got himself a large chrome ball
with a dent in it.
'Simon's keeping
the giant dented bauble
but what he plans to do with it
not even he knows yet.'
I'll have to think of something.
It'll be good.
I wonder what's under the blank...
Oh, that's quite funky. Hang on.
Oh. Oh, that's kinda cool, isn't it?
That is, er... It's a something.
'Henry has picked up a redundant
piece of copper plumbing,
probably an electric
central-heating boiler.
As scrap metal,
it's worth around a tenner.
Hopefully Henry has a plan
to make more than that.'
Kind of a lamp experience
going on here. OK. OK.
That's quite creative for you.
Thanks, mate. Happy days.
You've got an orb, I've got a pole.
'One-all indeed. So the lads
head outside to search for more.'
Do you know what? Just to prove
that anything get be repurposed
and upcycled... Yeah?
...I've seen one of those
turned into someone's house.
Really? How cool would that be?
That is amazing. But we still need
two items. I digress. Come on.
I could move in there. Would you get
a mortgage on that, do you think?
No. It'd be freehold, though.
Oh, hang on. Wait a minute.
What?
HE LAUGHS
Sort of, you know, kinda school,
kinda locker type kinda sort of
changing room type vibe.
It's just some cage.
Whatever floats your boat.
'Made from galvanised steel wire,
Henry's spotted lockers which
could've been used in workplace
changing rooms or a school.
Industrial items like this can sell
well as domestic storage today.'
OK, you've got your second item.
Mm-hm.
I think I've got mine
but it might take a few moments.
You can love your... cage thing.
Oh, I will, thanks very much.
'So Henry has his two items.
And Simon, well,
he's got his hands full.'
Henry! Bring that box!
Oh... Do you need a hand?
Yes, please.
Yeah. Ooh, good afternoon!
There you go!
'Simon's grabbed
a selection of old storage boxes
from an array of old products.
Each on their own is worth
nothing more than firewood,
but Simon's got plans.'
I'll see your cage and I'll raise
you a funky shelving unit
made out of lovely old boxes.
Two items each.
Let's go and see Julie and Phil.
OK, mate. We'll get some fish
and chips. Might get more than that.
'It's time to seek
Phil and Julie's approval,
starting with
the old copper piping.'
Phil, Julie, tell me,
is that a bit of piping for
some kind of boiler or something?
Yeah, that would be right, yeah.
Now, look,
Simon doubts my second item.
Where did you get that from?
I bought it from a farm sale
a few years back.
Good taste, Julie. You bought that?
Yeah. You're as bad as him.
Yeah. Yeah.
So, my first items, I'm guessing,
things that other stuff came in
that you collected.
If somebody asks you to clean
a garage out, it's all in boxes.
Sometimes the boxes are still full.
But you've got the ones
I've already emptied.
My second item, I've got that
kind of big silver orb thing.
What can you tell me about that?
A friend of mine
has got a garden centre
up in the northeast of England.
Er, the things that he doesn't want,
I'll just bring down, because
I like the whole vibeof it.
I do. I thought
it might come in for something.
Guys, it's been an absolute
pleasure. Thanks ever so much.
We'll see you in a little while,
once we've done our work. OK, mate.
'Coming up,
there's delicate work in Liverpool.'
Uh-oh. What? Slippage.
I never! Yeah, you did! Look!
I never! Down here now!
THEY LAUGH
'Henry makes a surprise discovery
in the loo.'
There's a couple of stools
in the loo. Pardon?
'And restorer Guy buffs up a treat.'
That down at ground level
I think will look lovely.
'Restorer Henry Cole
and upcycler Simon O'Brien
are on the hunt for items
with profit potential.'
I don't know what I'm gonna do
with it, but I do know you don't
come across these every day.
'After picking two items
from Phil's place in Whitby,
Henry's in Oxfordshire
giving the big sell to his restorer,
Guy Willison.
Firstly, the wire lockers
than Henry wanted to make suitable
for home use.'
Admittedly, it doesn't look much,
but I think if we do it up lovely...
Mm. And, hear me out, colour.
I think it should be anthracite.
What's that? Grey.
OK. A dark grey metallicy type vibe.
Being honest, I do actually
quite like it. Do you? I do.
I just think it should be a colour.
Make a statement with it.
Candy apple red metallic?
Yeah, or a dark blue.
'Colour decisions postponed,
onto the copper piping.'
Can I just show you what I think
we should do? Go for it.
It's a really simple thing.
Yes. Got it? Yeah, I have, yeah.
Great. Lamp.
Nice wooden base. Mirror polished.
Could be quite nice. Anyway, either
way, are you happy with that? Yes.
'The boys get started
on the wire lockers,
which need cleaning
ahead of painting.'
Right, so what we gonna do?
You're gonna brush out
the ferret droppings. Yes.
And I'm going to get involved
in this. Removing the plaques.
'But on closer inspection,
the lockers are in a poorer state
than first thought.'
Tell you what, there's quite a lot
of wiring needs repairing, son.
That looks like a ferret's
got out of there. Yeah, it does.
'Broken wiring needs straightening
then rewelding before painting.'
Right, ready? Yep.
Try that. Is that it?
It looks better. Yeah, that'll do.
Good, man!
Look, it's all ready to go!
'Good to go, along with Henry's
instruction to paint it anthracite.
Next, the old copper piping,
thought to be an electrical
central-heating element.'
I've never taken one of these apart
before. Anything could happen.
Right, the moment of truth.
Here we go.
Oh. That was a lot easier
than I thought.
We'll mount that to a bit of wood,
I'll drill a hole here
for the cable to come out
and we'll put a light fitting
on the top here.
But the next stage is to polish it.
You can already see how that's
gonna look. It's gonna look great.
'In Liverpool, Simon's preparing
to give upcycling assistant Gemma
the big sell, too.'
SHE LAUGHS
What on earth is that?
Obviously, it's a big round orb.
So, I'm thinking, OK, cos it's got
these big dents in, particularly
one nasty one down thebottom,
if it was buried
and was a water feature?
Oh, that's a nice idea.
But have you seen those hanging
glass planters you can get
and they're like globes
and they hang?
You've got a circle cut out of them
and you put plants inside them.
Loving your idea! Thanks! Great.
HE LAUGHS
And then...
back to some old-school stuff.
Well, I like these.
Of course. You can't go wrong
with an old box, can you? No. No.
So what I'm thinking with these is
if we make ourselves
a set of shelves... Yeah.
...but that are falling.
OK. So no paint?
No. No, come on, look, they speak
for themselves, don't they? Do they?
You know they do. Alright, yeah, OK.
'So Simon and Gemma start with
the giant steel bauble
by marking out the holes
for the plants.
Which is easier said than done.'
Uh-oh. What? Slippage.
I never! Yeah, you did! Look!
I never! That was you! It wasn't me!
THEY LAUGH
That's more of a square
than a circle. Let's see.
Hm. That's rubbish.
'Oops. Hopefully a professional
will do better.
Simon's local mechanic's
using a plasma cutter to remove
the circles they marked out.
Super-heated ionised air, or plasma,
is used to cut the steel ball.
Back at the workshop, Simon's making
a start on the old packing boxes
that he's turning into shelves.'
Chaotic, but an order of some sort.
And I've kept it
just under six foot,
so all the shelves are reachable.
Now glue and screw.
'Just simple PVA wood glue is
applied where the boxes will join.
He then uses short wood screws
to secure.'
All screwed together.
Need the glue to go off. Job done.
'In Oxfordshire,
the wire lockers have arrived
for their anthracite grey
coat of paint.
Powder-coat painting
relies on the metal lockers
being electrically charged
then pigmented powders
blown onto it.
It's drawn to the lockers
like a magnet.
Next the powder is melted in a hot
oven to create a drip-free finish.
While the lockers cool down,
Guy's busy with the copper pipe
standard lamp.'
I've just got to first of all
mark up the base
so I can centre this on the base.
'He's made an oak base
and the pipe just needs attaching.
He's using the original holes around
the pipe to attach it to its base,
but only after staining the wood
to a pleasing colour.'
This dark Tudor oak will set off
the copper tube bit beautiful,
I have a feeling.
'So after a bit of buffing,
Guy adds the wiring,
attaches the base
and the new standard lamp
is ready for a switch-on.'
That down at ground level
I think will look lovely.
'In Liverpool,
the silver orb is ready
for the next stage of its conversion
into a hanging plant basket.
Simon's creating compartments
for the inside of the orb,
which will allow plant pots
to be secured accurately inside.'
So what I've done is I've created
these kind of cells inside
and filled it with expanding foam,
so filling it up, but at the same
time, keeping the weight down.
And the next part of the process is
use some old plant pots
to do this.
So now I'm gonna continue filling
up to this point,
let it expand, put another one in,
and there's our three plant pots
in this hole.
It just leaves me with the slight
issue of how I do the bottom hole
where the plant
just wants to fall out.
I'll think about this one as I go.
Oh, honestly,
when you handle this expanding foam,
always use the gloves.
'On contact with air, this liquid
foam expands and hardens in minutes,
permanently anchoring
anything it encases.
It costs £5 from a DIY store.'
So now I'm just gonna let
the expanding foam fill the void
at the back
and there are...
our little plant pots
at an angle
so our plants can cascade out.
'Now the glue has dried,
the box shelving is strong enough
to be moved and inspected.'
See? Let it stand.
I quite like this! What do you
reckon? It's cool, isn't it? It is!
Just silly. Yeah.
Now, I did have this idea
of just going round just the front
edges in red or another colour.
Mm. But now I see it together...
It doesn't really need it, does it?
It doesn't.
Yeah, perfect shop display, this.
It's alright, isn't it? Yeah.
Right. I'll clean it.
I'll go before I get roped in.
Yeah, I thought you might.
That is the last straw.
'With work well underway
on the items from Phil's place,
it's now Henry's choice
of rummage spot.
He's taking Simon to retired couple
John and Jane Bowdrey's place
in Shipley, West Yorkshire.'
Well, I worked on the railway
32 years,
and obviously during that time,
I collected quite a lot
of railway items,
er, and bits of junk, et cetera.
We've been here for 25, 26 years,
and in all that time, I don't think
you've thrown anything away.
But it's time for a clear out,
I would say.
Is this it? Well, yeah.
I could powder-coat that.
I mean, there's some wood for you
here somewhere, mate.
Come on, what we doing really?
Come on.
Jane. Henry. Hi there, Henry.
Hi, Jane. Hi, Simon. How are you?
What's going on? Well,
it's gonna be a roof extension.
We're gonna have a bedroom
and an en suite.
But does that mean
you had to empty the loft?
Yes. And if we do make any money,
what will you spend it on?
I think you've guessed it. We might
have identified it straight away.
OK. So, all that way, is it?
Yes, do, yeah.
Great. OK. We'll see you later.
See you in a bit. Come on, then.
'The boys are looking for two items
each to flog for a profit
and help pay for
the loft extension.'
Oh. No, it's too tidy.
There's a motorbike in the back.
I was expecting more. Look at the
little baby. Mm! It's a little one.
Ahh. Oh, God, trains, motorbikes. Ah.
Hold that for a second.
Oh, I'll take a seat.
What are you doing?
I'm getting comfy. Go on.
You're a bit legless, aren't you?
AR125 Kawasaki.
I mean, it looks really shabby
cos it's been there for years.
The best thing to do with that
is just break it, mate.
Sell the parts.
That's the way to maximise profit.
That's something I really don't
wanna do, so I'm walking away.
'The old bike's no classic
so Henry's passed on it.'
I'll just have a look in the bog.
'But he's spotted something
in the toilet.'
Oh, hang on! Yeah? Hey, mate,
there's a couple of stools
in the loo. Pardon? Grab that.
'These shabby old stools
look homemade,
but Simon's spotted a clue
to their origins.'
It's railway colours, isn't it?
Could've been in the guard's van.
The guard's van, yeah. Yeah.
I've found my first item.
Yeah, alright for you.
'They may look valueless now,
but Henry plans
to work his magic on them
and bring the seasoned pine
back to its best.
So it's 1-0 to Henry
and the search continues.'
Ooh, hang... Whoa!
'And Simon's also in
the seating business.'
Oh, yes! What were we missing
off our lovely captain's chair?
You were legless. I was legless.
I'm not now. Not any more, mate.
OK, bit of a problem there.
That one's got a bit of damage
on the end.
But all in all...
That'll be alright.
...I think... You can fix that.
Of course!
Are we officially saying we've got
an item each? We have, yeah.
Oh, top drawer!
'This genuine antique
captain's chair
could raise around £100.
And with all the bits
present and correct,
it should be a simple job
to restore.
The boys head upstairs
to the storeroom.'
Ooh! Now that's clutter.
I know where the loft ended up.
Hey, mate, too right. You're making
a funny noise. What? Look at that!
Nice little railway accessory.
What have we got?
Train on line. Line clear. So this,
I think, and I may be wrong, right,
goes with the bell. OK.
So if you're up one end
of the line... Yeah.
...and the geezer's down here
at the other end of the line,
this is a line unblocker.
'It's a historical piece
of railway signalman's equipment
designed to avoid train collisions.
It displayed whether the line
was clear or occupied.
If occupied, no other trains could
enter that section of the line.'
That is a sweet little item,
isn't it? It's lovely, isn't it?
Do you know what I'd like to do
with that? Take it? Yeah.
'Antique signal equipment appeals
to railway enthusiasts like Henry
and could be profitable
if restored sympathetically.
So Henry's done.'
Now, look, pressure's on.
It is. Oh, hang on.
Do you know what, right? If I'd had
a brother at my posh school,
he'd have been called Cole Major and
I'd have been called... Cole Minor.
You know it!
HE LAUGHS
Anyway, never mind the helmet. Look.
This I'm thinking is the top half...
Yeah?
Of a what? ..of a dresser,
a Welsh dresser style thing.
Why are they Welsh?
Cos they're from Wales.
'Originally, dressers were
utilitarian kitchen furniture
used for preparing or dressing food.
They developed shelves
to display the family's best china.'
Underneath your item over there
I believe is
the bottom half of said dresser.
And if that's the case,
I really like it,
cos it's oak and it's not too fussy.
Possibly Edwardian, maybe up to
100 years old. Don't know.
I'll have to have
a really good look at it.
If this is a Welsh dresser, do you
think this is a Welsh mining hat?
Come on, Cole Minor,
let's go and find John and Jane.
'With all their items selected,
will John and Jane
be parted with their stuff?'
I'll start with the captain's chair.
Tell me about that.
That came from my railway career,
out of an old signal box.
Did it? So it's quite an old chair.
Second choice, I happily found
both parts of that dresser.
What do you know about that? Ah.
Welsh dresser.
Yeah, it could be a Welsh dresser,
but it came from London,
so does that count?
25, 26 years ago.
So now, look, right, two stools.
We think they might have a little
bit of a railway connotation going
on there. I think you'reright.
They were probably made by the
signalmen, not made by the railway.
Now, talking about signal boxes,
these lovely items here,
talk to me about those, John.
Yeah, they're called
signalling instruments
and they were used for signalling
trains in the old-fashioned
signal boxes
where the men pulled levers
and rang bells.
You've been absolutely fantastic.
It's been lovely to have you here.
Cheers. Thanks very much.
'Coming up,
confidence is high in Liverpool.'
Gemma's idea is gonna be a winner.
'Big is best for Henry.'
What have you got for me? That puts
it into the shade. That's better.
'And happy customers
at the valuation.'
It's a huge great orb, Phil!
That's brilliant, that.
It's cool that, like.
'Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien are on
a mission to upcycle for profit.'
You're a bit legless, aren't you?
'They've chosen a further two items
each from the barns of John and Jane
from Shipley.
In Oxfordshire, Henry's haul
is up for Guy's approval,
starting with
the railway signalling.'
Now then, we are gonna visually
make this beautiful.
This, obviously,
we're gonna polish the metal. Yes.
I've very worried about this handle.
I'm incredibly worried about that.
I'm not sure we can do a lot with
that. We can clean it, but... Yeah.
I'll tell you what, though, there's
a lot of intricacy back there,
isn't there? Yes.
I think there's more to this
than meets the eye.
Yeah, I think you're right.
'Next, a closer inspection
of Henry's stools.'
Right, these are a typical example,
aren't they,
of just old loveliness. Yes. Yes.
So, obviously, we're gonna get
these dipped to strip the paint.
Yeah. We need to strip them
and see what's underneath. Yeah.
The tops are lovely. They're gonna
be waxed and polished. Yeah.
Whether it's the whole thing
polished or whether it's just
the tops and we paint the bases,
they're just lovely little items
and they'll sell all day long.
Yeah, I think they're lovely.
I do like those.
Well, as long as you're happy,
that's all that matters.
I'm very happy.
'With the old stools dispatched
to the paint strippers,
Guy gets cracking
on the railway signalling,
sometimes known as a line blocker.'
I'm going to mirror polish the brass
and then when I've separated
the box, I'm gonna sand it down
and sort of wax it and polish it
and hopefully this item
will look a lot better.
'In Liverpool, Simon's revealing
his haul to Gemma.'
Well, I like these! Do you? Yeah!
This is lovely! Brilliant. It is.
I'm gonna paint it.
HE LAUGHS
I think the first thing to do
is to take it back, absolutely...
right back to the wood...
Yep. ..and see what we've got
and then decide what to do.
Good. Alright.
Right, ah, now, captain's chair.
I think this captain probably had
a bit too much seafood. I think so!
Yeah. That's gonna take a little bit
of skill to make sure we get the
strength and the repairright there.
Yeah. So I think I might
call Phil in for this one.
OK. Alright? Yeah.
So we'll get on with this
and you get stuck into that.
Yeah, no problem. Brilliant.
'So handyman Phil is straight
to work reassembling and gluing
the antique captain's chair.'
Upside down.
'The origin of this name
is almost certainly naval,
but they are now
a common domestic design.
They all have a saddle-shaped seat,
a low back and arm rests.
With all the parts glued,
Phil braces the legs
until the glue sets.'
Excellent.
I'm happy with that.
Wipe a bit of the glue off.
I'll leave it for a little while.
'Outside,
Gemma's starting on the dresser.'
The first thing to do
on this dresser is give it
a really good sand.
'Under the dark polish,
Gemma discovers that
the dresser's originally oak,
which should add to its value.
In Oxfordshire, Guy's finishing
the signalling equipment.
The bell and metalwork
polishes up a treat.
And the woodwork
is also being waxed to match.'
I'm hoping that this comes up
to a fairly close match with that.
And I tell you what,
that's not too bad.
'After a buffing, Guy reassembles
the old signalling equipment
and it's starting to look ready
for a rail fan's home.'
With this, I'm going to wax
and polish the outer case,
polish the brass, and then probably
take a view on it with Henry
and see how he thinks
that's turned out.
'But Guy's not finished
with the wax just yet
as the stools are back
from the strippers.'
The only think left to do
to these stools now
is to wax them, then buff them.
This one's had a repair
with a steel plate on it,
but it was done a long time ago
and it's been done quite well.
I quite like it. It adds character.
So I'm just gonna wax that, as well,
which is what you always do,
and that'll protect it.
So this isn't gonna be painted
or anything else,
we're just gonna wax it
and I think they'll look lovely.
'In Liverpool, Gemma's finished
cleaning up the dresser.
It's had primer added to the areas
Simon wanted to paint.
But he's had a change of heart.'
We were gonna put
a darker graphite grey on it.
But now I look at it...
...I love it how it is.
No. No. That's the colour
it's going. Wax.
'Simon's going to beeswax the wood
to highlight the oak grain.
But the cabinet timber
and the shelves above don't match.'
The base
is a slightly different wood,
whether it's just a different tree
or a different age, than the top.
So we're just gonna tie it in,
because this is much paler
than the top part.
So I'm trying it
with an antique pine wax.
And if this isn't dark enough,
then I'll go to an oak wax.
'The choice of waxes
contains different stains.
Simon can start light and go darker.
But to do the reverse
is a lot more difficult.
Hopefully he'll match the shelves
to the cabinet.'
OK. No going back now.
Tried the light stain. We're going
full Jacobean oak. Here we go.
Phew! Yeah, this is great
cos it's really getting the dark,
almost black, into the grain
but we've still got
our lighter areas,
which is exactly what we have there.
'Dressers differ little.
However, designed for cottages,
the Welsh dresser
is sometimes smaller.
And a French dresser can have
glass doors to the shelves.
Next, the antique captain's chair
is now solid.'
Right. That's the legs all fitted
and that's glued up nicely.
Clamp's done its job.
Just starting to give it a sand now.
'With work well underway
on these items...
...the boys can finish off
their first finds from Phil
and Julie's place in Whitby.
Guy's made a standard lamp
from an old copper and brass
central heating pipe.
But will it satisfy the governor?'
What have you got for me?
That puts it into the shade.
That's better! What do you reckon?
For a change, we're not going
less is more. Undo it.
We're going more is more.
Right, whack that on, son.
There you go, look.
Are my arms long enough?
It just kind of gives it just a
little bit sort of bigger presence.
I was gonna say more presence.
You took the words out of my mouth.
Are you gonna turn the...
No, you can, go on. Ready?
Can't say fairer than that, can you?
It's beautiful.
It's beautiful. Well done, mate.
'The lamp's a hit.
Hopefully the wire lockers
will go down just as well.'
That is exactly what I wanted.
Is it? Well, mate, look at it.
I mean, it's just divine, isn't it?
I was worried when I first saw it...
Why?
...that it wasn't different enough
from what it was before,
but actually,
it has just cleaned it up and made
it look sort of more pristine.
It's industrial, mate. Yes.
That's where the money is. OK.
Nice! I'll take your word for it.
I'll make you another cup of tea.
OK, good.
'In Liverpool, Simon's also
finishing his first finds.
He's created
a silver orb hanging basket.
With the plant pot secured inside
with expanding foam,
he's dressing his creation
with trailing plants.'
All the different foliage
and kind of the... the...
the natural shapes of the leaves
goes great against
the really clinical orb.
Gemma's idea is gonna be a winner!
'Now fully planted up,
he just needs to clean up.'
And that...
is just about that.
Love.
'Outside, his storage box shelving
also needs a final flourish.'
So, just to finish off,
I noticed some of the crates
had the dreaded worm,
so I'm just doing them all.
But that is it. I'm not gonna do
any other finish on this.
I love all the different colours
and the rusty brackets.
And that is... that.
Leave that to dry, good to go.
'And go it does,
to Sven, a potential buyer and owner
of an antiques shop in Warrington.'
So, for price, I was thinking,
there's ten of them,
so if we say £10 each, but I'll
give you one for free, so 90 quid?
Yeah, that sounds fair.
Is that alright? Yeah, good.
Brilliant. You've got a deal.
'Let's hope Gemma got
the best price, as it's time
for all the items to be valued.
Phil and Julie
have arrived from Whitby to see
what's happened to their stuff.'
Hiya, man. How are you? Phil, how
are you? Good to see you. Hi, Julie.
Hello. You all right?
Well, there you go.
Wow. Go and have a wander.
I like that, like.
Yeah, the lamp's come out nice.
Don't you like my planter?
Eh? Where's that?
Am I missing something? Look up!
Ah! It's a huge great orb, Phil!
THEY LAUGH
"Am I missing something?"
Yeah, a small moon.
THEY LAUGH
That's brilliant, that.
That's how you get rid of the dents.
You bang holes in it.
That's good, that.
Anyway, come back and join us, guys.
THEY LAUGH
But have we made you any money
is the question, isn't it?
And to help us decide that,
we have Adam joining us,
our independent valuer.
'Adam Partridge has worked
in auctions for 30 years
and now owns several auction houses
of his own.
There's little he hasn't valued
or sold.'
Let's start with just the kind of
bit of fun, the shelving unit.
I can see that in a shop window.
It's quirky, isn't it?
It is. Thanks, mate.
Quirky. Mm. That worries me.
'Ten old boxes ready for the bonfire
were turned into a quirky shelving
solution, all for no money.'
Er, I reckon £75 would be
a fair price for that.
75 quid? That's a bit mean.
And I can say that
with some authority.
Can you? Yeah. I've sold it for £90.
'Gemma sold high,
making a £90 profit.'
Let's go for the orb planter.
The orb's pretty cool, isn't it?
'Dented and discarded,
£20 was spent on plasma cutting
and expanding foam,
which has turned the orb into
a distinctive hanging basket.'
My price, £125.
'That's a shiny profit of £105.'
Shall we talk about the lamp first
and the lampshade? Why are you
looking at it like that?
Just the proportion
doesn't seem quite right to me.
'A hefty £70 was spent creating
this one-of-a-kind standard lamp.'
A price? £125 again.
I flogged that... for £150.
Total cost, 70 quid.
How much of that was the lampshade?
60.
THEY LAUGH
Are you having a laugh? You've been
done. No, please! Well and truly.
'Despite the overpriced lampshade,
Henry has still brought home
£80 profit
from the scrap copper piping.'
Adam, lockers.
They are pretty cool, aren't they?
Industrial, very much
what's in the flavour of the time.
'It cost £60 for a powder coating to
give the wire lockers a new life.'
£200.
'That's an industrial-shaped profit
of £140 for Phil and Julie.'
You guys are going home with
415 quid in your pocket. How's that?
Brilliant. Thank you. Very good.
It's been an absolute pleasure. Thanks.
'So Simon's choice of rummage spot
has made Phil £415.
More than enough to treat Julie
to the slap-up supper he promised.'
Yeah, we're made up with the fact
that we got 400 quid. We're gonna
have fish and chips, aren't we?
SHE LAUGHS
So it seems.
'Coming up,
there's a compromise in Liverpool.'
When it gets valued, I will say you
wanted it to be a different colour.
If it does get valued high,
don't forget, I did do it.
HE LAUGHS
'And there's a first
at the valuation.'
No costs whatsoever,
so all clear profit to you guys.
'Restorers and upcyclers
Henry Cole and Simon O'Brien
are making cash from trash.'
It's industrial, mate. Yes.
That's where the money is.
'Today,
Simon's choice of rummage spot,
the sheds owned by Phil and Julie,
raised £415.'
How's that? Brilliant. Thank you.
Very good.
'But will Henry's
choice of location,
John and Jane Bowdrey's home,
raise more profit?
In Oxfordshire,
Guy's polished a stool.
In fact, he's stripped and waxed
both railwayman's stools
quite beautifully.'
That is shining nicely already.
Those have come up lovely and shiny.
They've got a lovely patina.
Henry and I can sit
and drink tea on them.
'Henry's other pick, the signalling
equipment, is also finished.'
Do you know what you say
when you see a bell like that?
Ding-dong.
Yeah, exactly. That is gorgeous!
This was easier
because, actually, it wasn't bad.
It was just a bit grubby
where it's been lying around.
So this cleaned up, really.
I've polished the brass there
and then just been gentle
and nice to the wooden casing.
This was really weather-beaten.
I think that's been hanging on a
platform wall, out in theelements.
This has taken a long time.
It probably doesn't look it.
But I'm very pleased with it. I've
even done the little brackets, look.
That is really lovely. You've done
a great job, son. It's beautiful.
'In Liverpool, Simon and Gemma
are also finishing their items.
The oak Welsh dresser
now has a waxed finish,
rather than paint,
which Gemma had hoped for.'
It's lovely, isn't it? Yeah.
It'll be great when it's finished.
Don't be like that! I like this
colour. Primer's the new black.
It's not, Simon. Primer's there
for a reason. To prepare for paint.
I had an image and this isn't it.
Alright, look,
when it gets valued... Yeah?
...I'll take it on.
I will say that you wanted this
to be a different colour.
But if it does get valued high,
don't forget, I did do it.
HE LAUGHS
Hang on a minute! No, it's great.
Honestly, don't worry. It's cool. Alright.
'Simon's second pick,
the antique captain's chair,
was lovingly repaired
by handyman Phil.
Leaving Simon to just finish the job
with a little more wax.'
There you go.
What was once a pile of wood
destined for the fire
is back looking beautiful.
I have to say,
Phil has done a top job
getting this back together.
I can honestly say that
just waxing onto bare wood
is one of the most satisfying things
I can imagine.
Look at that beautiful, beautiful
piece of workmanship.
I mean, this isn't
the biggest, crazy, upcycling,
repurposed job we've ever done,
but I absolutely love it,
cos what a waste it would've been
to lose that bit of carpentry.
'And it seems someone agrees,
as Gemma's found a buyer online.'
I'm just having a little look to see
if the captain's chair has sold.
And it looks like it has,
at the asking price of £90.
Brilliant.
'But will the valuation beat that?
John and Jane have arrived to find
out what's happened to their items.'
Oh, hi, Jane! How are you?
Nice to see you again! Hi!
Good to see you Jane.
Listen, don't waste time.
Go and have a look around.
Oh, wow. Look at that!
I like what they've done with
the dresser. That's beautiful.
Hey, come and join us.
What do you think?
Yeah, it's great.
You've made a nice job of it.
I think the star of the show
is the dresser.
I do. I do. I'm so happy with that.
But have we made you any money?
Well, Adam is now joining us.
'Adam's back to value
to latest restorations.'
They all look very pleasant,
actually. Where do you wanna start?
Well, I mean,
you could start with my stools.
Yeah, well, a sensitive cleaning up
and they look nice.
Smooth and finished.
'The old stools were dipped
as a favour to Henry
and waxed with workshop essentials,
so there were no costs
for this transformation.'
They're simple wooden stools but
you've turned them into something
that's worth £60 the pair.
Well, you're nearly there.
I've flogged them.
Have you?
And I flogged them for £75 the pair.
Oh! Oh, fantastic! Well done, you!
'They're off the mark
with a solid £75 profit.'
Right, line blocker.
Yeah, nice bit of railway.
I like the fact it's got the LMS
stamp, the London Midland Scottish
stamp on the top, aswell.
And you've maintained that integrity
by just sensitively cleaning
and polishing.
'Elbow grease and leftover wax
brought the signalling equipment
back to its best for nothing.'
For those,
I think £80 would be suitable.
'That signals another £80
for John and Jane.'
Let's talk about
the captain's chair.
Yeah. Lovely bit
of country furniture.
I think you used to get the seat
from the forest
and then your chair-maker would make
the rest of it around the seat.
Often you see initials
stamped on the back of the seat,
but not on this one. OK.
'The pile of broken bits
were reassembled,
sanded and waxed for no money.'
We get these quite often.
They're not hard to value.
So I'm gonna say £75.
I flogged that for £90. Oh!
'A straight profit of £90.'
Talk to me about the dresser, Adam.
What do you think of it?
I think you've done a great job.
It's a good colour.
It heightens the oak and makes it
much more desirable than if it was
all oak, I think, nowadays.
'The old Welsh dressed was hiding
behind a dated varnish.
Sanding, painting and waxing,
again with leftovers,
only cost Simon and Gemma time.'
So you've turned something that may
have been 20 quid if you're lucky
into £100.
Wow! That's alright, isn't it?
Fantastic! There you go!
Can't go wrong!
'Dressed to impress
with £100 profit.
And with everything valued, there's
a first for Henry and Simon today.'
Shake your hand on that one.
Mate, first time ever.
First time ever.
No costs whatsoever,
so all clear profit to you guys.
You're going home with £345.
How's that?
It's fantastic!
Ohh, wonderful! Thank you!
'So Henry's choice of rummage spot
has raised John and Jane £345
to go towards their building works
at home.'
Oh, we're absolutely delighted. We
couldn't believe what they've done
with the dresser. It's fantastic.
'But raising £415,
it was Simon's choice of location,
Phil Wall's place in Whitby,
that raised the most today.'
Where have you gone? I'm here. Oh,
you're there. What do you reckon?
I think it's lovely.
I reckon that'll clean up lovely,
mate. We're having it! Yep!
And if you've got some lovely
old stuff lying round
and you'd like us to try
and make you some money,
then go to the Channel 4 website
and find the Take Part page.
Subtitles by Red Bee Media