The Repair Shop expert Dominic Chinea was left begging for his co-star Mark Stuckey to help with a tricky repair, only to be threatened with being hit.
Guest Emily walked into the barn and left Chinea thrilled to see a printing press from the 1920s which belonged to her grandfather.
Explaining the history behind the printer, Emily explained: “This is a Thompson Gem number 2 printing press from about 1926.
“My grandad was a lifelong printer and sign writer and this was one of his printing presses, he passed away about 16 months ago and I have inherited all of his presses and printing equipment.
“His apprenticeship was in sign writing in the 40s, then he worked for a couple of different printing firms, the first one of which is where this press came from.
“When the company folded, my grandad had this gifted to him. All the time in the background he was printing at home for people’s raffle tickets, business cards and wedding invitations, things like that, so he did that as a hobbyist printer on his own and then he was commercial printing in the day.
Dominic Chinea was left thrilled with his new task
BBC
“He was printing and sign writing up until his early 90s. He just physically couldn’t do the sign writing anymore so then he would just hobbyist print with me and my daughters.”
Impressed with the backstory, Chinea was eager to get his hands on the machine and told Emily: “If we can get this machine working again that must be an amazing feeling to know that you are using the machine that your grandfather used for so many years.
“I can’t wait to get started. I really feel like Louis is a man after my own heart, it is just such a shame that he never quite got to fulfil his dream and get it working.
“These are renowned for being very very fiddly, every little bit has to be doing its job perfectly for this machine to be doing its job as it should.”
Mark Stuckey threatened to hit Dominic Chinea as they attempted to fix the machine
BBC
After taking the machine apart, welding it, repainting it and assuring the pieces were all back in the same place, it was time to see if the printer would work – but Chinea needed Stuckey’s assistance to get it back on the floor.
He explained: “All of the pieces of the printing press are ready to bolt back together, it is an absolute joy working on such a beautiful machine, it was built to last.
“Every piece that I bolt on is a step closer to seeing if this press works,” leaving Stuckey to ask: “What can I do to assist?”
As the pair lifted the machine off its side and upright, Chinea slid through another mechanism and asked: “Mind your fingers, go on Mark, slide it through, slide it through Mark, just slide it through.”
Shouting back at his colleague, Stuckey said: “It won’t go!” leaving Chinea to worry that he would drop the machine on his fingers.
“Mark it’s getting heavy,” he yelled before Stuckey teased: “Where’s the mallet I want to thit you with it!”
Emily was thrilled with Dominic Chinea’s work
BBC
As Emily returned to the barn to see the machine, she expressed: “Oh, wow look! You clever sausage! Oh, it looks fantastic! Wow, you have done such a good job! I love it!
“Thank you, it is lovely! He would be absolutely over the moon that it was working again and printing again, it was such a huge part of his life. I feel like I have finished the job.”
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