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Old 27th Mar 2020, 7:01 pm   #321
knobtwiddler
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Hi Phil,

My old buddy smoked every day from the age of 16. He made it to 84, and passed from something unrelated (he was ex-army and didn't want to bother the doctor over what he thought was a 'bit of gout'). Does that mean I'll make 84 if I start puffing the Gauloises daily? We are fortunate to have Ted Kendall as a member here. Hopefully he will chip in. I suspect he will say that you have been lucky in your experience. If he says otherwise I will eat humble pie.
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 12:22 am   #322
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

In my experience domestic tapes from the 1960's are usually playable with no problems provided you have a machine with the right speed and track configuration. Acetate tapes are a different matter but these are usually older.

I wouldn't go playing any valuable tape on an old 60's domestic tape recorder these days but there are later machines that are much more gentle on the tape.

Sticky shed only affects later tapes from the mid 70's onwards. Many tapes that suffer from these issues can be made perfectly playable by gently baking the tape which is something I do routinely when presented with certain makes of tape. Ironically, 60's tapes are often in better condition than 70's and 80's tapes.
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 3:08 am   #323
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

I recently bought a job lot of five inch reel to reel tapes. They had belonged to a school or college and had dates on the boxes from the late 50s and early 60s. Most of them contained educational broadcasts from BBC Network 3 (was this an old name for Radio 3)? The tapes were recorded half track at 3.75 ips and all sound superb.
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 10:47 am   #324
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

OT: There was the Third Programme and Network Three. As The Third Programme 'cultural' programming was was limited hours the spare time was taken up by other programming of a different nature under the Network 3 umbrella. There was sport on Saturday afternoons and this also accounts for how cricket came to be on the outlet and then Radio 3. This is how I recall it - others will correct me. The main outlet back then was the 464m allocation - where, by an interesting twist of fate, Radio Caroline lives today.

Slightly less OT: Interesting re old tapes. I have a lot of BASF tape from the mid-1970s. These were often recorded under 'use once' instruction and recorded mainly on Ferrograph or Uher Report, or very occasionally a Nagra. They've been loft and now spare room stored. I do wonder how they have fared.

Back on topic: These programmes are mainly entertainment - often we know the whole story - and like a lot of shows that concern or have vintage items in them it doesn't pay to look too closely. In these times when we have a bit more time at home than we'd perhaps like: sit back and enjoy. I look forward to catching up with them - they're still a lot better than the dross that emanates from most channels and a good distraction from news channels...
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 11:18 am   #325
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Some unexpected bonuses of watching this programme alongside my wife is that she (a) loves the show, particularly the skills displayed so patiently and expertly, and (b) she is beginning to understand some of the fascination of restoration, and why it takes me such a long time!
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 1:21 pm   #326
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

I think it's great a program like this has become so popular and now moved to a prime time slot on TV.
My only criticism (and this applies to so much TV) they like to dwell on people's emotions, OK now and again but they're milking it a bit too much!
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 1:47 pm   #327
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

'Er indoors does watch The Repair Shop with me. It's a little glimmer of positivity that the home-grown soap operas are going to thin out then dry up for a while, i await with interest - but not with too much optimism- to see what will be used as filler material!

Extended eps. of TRS do exist; but they're still heavily polished and edited of course.

Dave
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 1:53 pm   #328
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One area where The Repair Shop deviates from reality is that none of the repairers appear to be constrained by time or cost limits. The cynic in me concludes that a large proportion of the items presented for attention by the team have languished unrepaired because of the cost. Getting them restored for free is a big pull! Now, what’s in my loft...?
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 3:23 pm   #329
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MurphyNut View Post
I think it's great a program like this has become so popular and now moved to a prime time slot on TV.
My only criticism (and this applies to so much TV) they like to dwell on people's emotions, OK now and again but they're milking it a bit too much!
Having watched a couple more episodes, I'm in agreement with most of what's been said. I still stand by my criticism of the playing precious tapes on a consumer machine, which ought to have been accompanied by a warning (IMO), but I've found the rest of the programme quite enjoyable.

However, I have to say that I really didn't like the footage of the blokes' faces when they played them the tape of late father / jukebox bought with late wife. It would've been sufficient to show that the machines worked. As someone who lost his old man at a young age, it's a given that hearing a tape of him (or a jukebox you enjoyed with your late wife) would reduce you to tears. I felt voyeuristic witnessing what ought to have been private moments. I mean, what else were the blokes going to do?
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 3:36 pm   #330
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knobtwiddler View Post

However, I have to say that I really didn't like the footage of the blokes' faces when they played them the tape of late father / jukebox bought with late wife. It would've been sufficient to show that the machines worked. As someone who lost his old man at a young age, it's a given that hearing a tape of him (or a jukebox you enjoyed with your late wife) would reduce you to tears. I felt voyeuristic witnessing what ought to have been private moments. I mean, what else were the blokes going to do?
I can but agree, however I think the reality is that the programmes would not be made without this, the programme makers believe that this aspect is essential for it to be what they consider 'good television'. And I'm sure the individuals being filmed give their full permission.

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Old 28th Mar 2020, 6:10 pm   #331
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

I find the Repair Shop rather frustrating and false.
It is more concerned about the "drama queen" aspect in the reaction of the owners after it has been repaired than the repair itself. The method and details of the repairs are all glossed over.
Many of the items that come in look like they have been dragged from the bottom of a ditch, and never were cherished heirlooms.

Mike
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 6:27 pm   #332
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Quote:
Originally Posted by crackle View Post
I find the Repair Shop rather frustrating and false.
It is more concerned about the "drama queen" aspect in the reaction of the owners after it has been repaired than the repair itself. The method and details of the repairs are all glossed over.
Many of the items that come in look like they have been dragged from the bottom of a ditch, and never were cherished heirlooms.
Agreed Mike - that was what I mentioned way back in Post #254 above: -

"What does amuse me is a common thread I've picked up which usually relates to the restoration of a "much loved and cherished family item" - so "loved and cherished" that it's spent the last ten, twenty, thirty etc. years in a drawer or in a box or bag in the attic! Or maybe I'm just being churlish."

But as Radio Wrangler has said: -

"I think we must not lose sight of the simple fact that WE are definitely not the audience these programmes are being made for.

They are not intended to be technically interesting to people already active in the field."
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 8:28 pm   #333
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Hi Folks, agree with a lot of the above, but when are they going to give the public some good advice on how to keep their cherished objects, loving restored, in that pristine condition ?

Ed
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 10:01 pm   #334
knobtwiddler
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Aside from the uncomfortable feeling that you're intruding into someone's emotional inner sanctum, the tabloid sentimentality of it will make the programme look terribly dated in years to come. I think the Beeb is more important now than ever now, so hate to bash, but copying techniques off channel 5 does it no favours. Cold though they might be in tone, the older stuff you see on the iplayer is able to give more detail as it spares the sentimentality. This way the viewer can draw their own conclusions, and the series ages better.
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Old 28th Mar 2020, 10:25 pm   #335
jamesperrett
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Junk Box Nick View Post
Slightly less OT: Interesting re old tapes. I have a lot of BASF tape from the mid-1970s. These were often recorded under 'use once' instruction and recorded mainly on Ferrograph or Uher Report, or very occasionally a Nagra. They've been loft and now spare room stored. I do wonder how they have fared.
BASF tapes usually survive very well. They possibly shed slightly more oxide than when they were new but not to the extent that it is a major problem.
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Old 4th Apr 2020, 5:29 pm   #336
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Totally agree with what's been said re sentimentality. I am full of admiration of the skills of the repairers and would love to see more of that rather than the back stories which sometimes feel quite contrived. I have the series recorded and FF from the moment the initial pleasantries are exchanged until the owner of the cherished object walks out through those barn doors.
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Old 4th Apr 2020, 8:15 pm   #337
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

I just consider the repair shop to be a drama programme. They've not got enough soap operas, so they're turning everything else into one. And I preferred drama when they had plots - before plotlines were invented!

Maybe James May taking things apart and putting them back together is closer to our interests, and a lot more honest?

David
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Old 5th Apr 2020, 9:04 am   #338
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Ah James May; I watch those with interest. When I was in business I would have been broke spending 8 hours servicing a Garrard record deck. I'll give him this, he is very thorough though and interesting. And yes I should get out more.
Mike.
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Old 5th Apr 2020, 9:20 am   #339
Malcolm G6ANZ
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Mr May did say in one of his Reconstruction programs that he couldn't solder and that you needed at least three hands to do a good job. I think that this a great omission on his part and he ought to learn ASAP
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Old 6th Apr 2020, 11:05 am   #340
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Default Re: BBC TV: The Repair Shop

Its been obvious to many of us, for some time, that these production companies have extremely deep pockets. They need the dosh to pay the handful of extremely skilled folk enough to sacrifice their principals & work alongside plonkers such as the questionable radio (experts ?) & the fool in the pristine leather apron in The Repair Shop.
Another program which follows the Pathos theme is Car SOS, again the presentation by a plonker. Unless they hide corner cutting & re-use of rusty components(like in Wheeler Dealers), the restoration costs must run to 10's of thousands of pounds per car. For some perverse reason, some of the TV watching public seem to accept the silly behaviour of James May, Mike Brewer, etc., as normal.
As for Drew Pritchard - I know an antique collector up here who has met him a couple of times, and - what you see is what you get! He doesn't waffle, he doesn't rip folk off, and(apart from Quartz clock mechanisms) he doesn't phook decent collectables/antiques.

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