'Searching For a Ranalah' | Reviving History (Episode One) 

Absolutely over the moon for you Dom, you need to get the BBC to sit down with that guy and get him to tell his story the world needs to know about these people before they have gone... I would love tp know his story, really enjoyed him saying I could do that, legend...

I couldn’t be more delighted for you Dom, and what a wonderful and heartwarming video. I think you feel the same for that wonderful guy as most of us do for you! So glad it arrived in one piece!

Dom, I honestly think that video should be up for some sort of academy award for the amount of tension and suspense it generated with triumphal celebration and euphoria afterwards when you found it... then even more suspense when you said you had to wait a week 🤦🏼! Couldn’t be more pleased for you! Best video I’ve watched in ages

Well that was the best 20 minutes of my week. Over the moon for you mate.

Real life, edge of the seat drama. And there's a documentary waiting to be made, on that fine gent and his cars.

What a fantastic thing you are doing Dom. The old gentleman you bought the wheel from is an absolute genius! I am in awe of these great craftsmen.

Dom, the hardest working CEO in the UK. And he’s only just started! 👍🏻

As Colonel Hannibal Smith said, "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together". I'm totally made up for you. Best of luck with the rest of the journey

Wow, that guy with the cars = what a talent + so happy for you that you found the Ranalah.

Enjoyed watching that, the guy you got the wheel off, very clever,this is why we need more apprentice schemes for the younger generation

Dom, tears are streaming down my face. These are the qualities that made this country so innovative and ‘rich’ historically. Everything - everything - you have shown in this film is to be admired. Thank you so much.

Utterly hooked on this. To see people actually fixing and fabricating stuff in the 21st century is good but to see old machine manufacturer names being reborn is superb.

Send it into The Repair Shop. There’s a guy on there that would restore this. He’s pretty good…

I’m gobsmacked that you don't have more subscribers. You have everything needed for a channel like this to be 1m+, personality, passion, skills and knowledge. That guy brought a tear to my eye, he and people like him are what put 'Great' in Great Britain. It’s not our imperialist history that I’m most proud of. It's the engineers, inventors, technicians, medical researchers etc that brought something special to the world from this tiny island. Forgot to say I made it that far and I’m looking forward to the paint stripping.

When I think of the pieces that have been sold as scrap metal for cash, it breaks my heart. As a teen ager, we got things from the scrap yard at a Power station for 25 shillings a hundredweight. taps, dies, tools, castings, shafts, bearings, it didn't matter what it was, all the same price.

I have been building things for 60 years as I learned to weld at 12 Years. This is an epic build. I have subscribed even though I have reached the tail end of my building years. I completed an airplane in 2003. enjoy!

I'm in awe off people like that old boy ....I'd love to spend a few months in their company learning and watching. Good luck with the wheel Dom !

I've only recently discovered the channel after years of watching Repair Shop. This is such an uplifting and heart-warming video that I am hooked. really looking forward to going through the back catalogue now. Thank you so much for letting us share this journey with you.

My stepfather (who died in 1985) was an engineer patternmaker - so pre-computers. Everything done with pencil/ruler/graph paper!! He made toy dolls houses and garages for his grandchildren - all utilitarian but very solid!

Just discovered your channel Dom , what a wonderful and heartwarming story !.Back in the mid 70s , a close and now late friend bought a 1926 Rolls Phantom I chassis, and with the assistance of a very skilled local engineer Brian , from a very big enterprise, built a replica aluminium touring body for the chassis , based on a Hooper coachbuilt car, which was particularly handsome .The firm were selling off a number of English wheels ( £100 each ! ) , and with Brian's skills, he taught myself and my friend to manipulate the sheets of aluminium into the most beautiful shapes and with patience and his fine welding skills, the car became a reality.45 years on , that car is currently for sale for in excess of £100,000, it cost in total , including the chassis and paying Brian for his knowledge and efforts £1500 !.

Great to see another small part of our engineering history saved.

We were on the edge of our seat, watching this in Austin Texas. SO SO SO glad that you've located your "baby". Many congrats!

What an adventure not only have you gbfound your Ranalah you have also found an engineering hero.. win win!

This is one of the best things I've seen in an age. Working for the ambulance service allows me to be privy to people's lives - be that going through their war medals, their life stories, etc - when the situation allows getting to see into people's lives has led me into many garages, sheds and man caves over the last 8 years. An original 1920's ice cream van was probably one of the most interesting! Someone's service issue webley revolver was one of the more worrying ones though lol

Probably the best thing I've seen on RU-vid in ages your passion is so contagious well done Dom 👍🏼

Dom the detective.🧐 Your perseverance certainly paid off, what an adventure and what a wonderful gentleman you found, truly inspirational. Step one.. ticked. Very best wishes.

Fair play to the gentleman that sold it to you Dom, I think he recognised that you wanted to put the name back up there in lights so to speak. And the fact that you couldn't move on with your quest to make new RanalahEnglish wheels with out his original 1930's one as a pattern for the new ones brought the engineer in him out to the fore again as he recognised you as a kindred spirit.

Very Happy for you Dom ! Ra Ra Ranalah ! A beautiful synthesis of " form and function ! " Enjoy !

Fantastic dom. men like him are what makes this country great

I met a guy a few years ago who collected "English wheels" I remember him saying he had no idea how to use them he just liked them !

You never know what you will discover next. I knocked on a door once, was invited in for a coffee, and then was shown a 1926 supercharged Bentley, some other spectacular cars, and whilst sat over coffee was handed the lens of a Russian Space laser, over 15 inches of pure Ruby. Keep up the good work.

A project started for all the right reasons,with genuine enthusiasm.And if you come out on the right side financially,so much the better good luck with it Dom

what an incredible story-nerve wracking just to watch so you must have felt bad! But great outcome. Well done!

Aargh... holy chuffing bananas man, “my anxiety levels are through the roof”, now mine are on the way to the moon. that is amazing. and I thought I found some crazy s**t in the woods...

Great video. I remember reading about English Wheels 40 years ago. Nice to see one saved. To think of all the skills that have been lost as everything is automated and computerized. Very sad. I'm starting the restoration of my 1973 Jensen Interceptor, and finding the marks of the builders on the trim panels reminds me that it was a car built by hand.

The guy with the wheel is an entire TV series on his own. Let aone a life times worth of knowledge, totally amazing.

What a find and such an epic story of your journey to find a Ranalah. So many twist and turns and a stroke of luck. Thanks for sharing it with us Dom!

Wow,fantastic news and what a legend that old engineer is. Can’t wait to see more in the series. Well done Dom your enthusiasm is infectious.

This reminds me of a trip I once took to the Belgian Ardennes to find a 1947 Marshall plan willy's on a deserted farm. Came there fully prepared with wd40 and everything, even had found the number of the mayor of the village. But when we finally got there, there were fresh dragging marks in the mud. Probably max 5 days old something, whilst it had been there for at least 30 years with trees growing through it. This was so exciting to watch, and one can only hope to obtain as much knowledge and skill as the gentleman does who sold it to you! Sometimes things are just meant to be.

Happy for you Dom. Watching these videos with great interest. Thank you Dom

Dom that is fantastic to follow through and now to restore your English-Wheel. Amazing how many old chaps and what they create in home workshops.

There are ignorant people who tear statues down but fortunately, also people like you who appreciate our heritage. Good luck (of course I watched until the end).

One of my favorite youtube videos of all time, I keep coming back to watch this again and again.... the hunt for old cast-iron, the adventure, the up's and downs along the way, the unexpected discoveries - all combined with great storytelling - perfect

Wow Dom - watched this with eyes like saucers and when the camera picked out the name on the Ranalah I genuinely smiled. Really pleased for you mate, well done.

Surpassed even yourself, what a trip what a find! Incredible story, I knew the ending but my heart was in my mouth on this vlog Dom. Greatest yet, just ✨brilliant✨

Your interview of that gentleman was PRICELESS!!! I am so glad I found your videos!!!

What a great video and great outcome! I can remember watching my Grandad using one of those Wheels in the 1970's in a Workshop at Elstree Aerodrome. Fond memories. Thanks Dom.

Good things come to those that wait and may I add deserve it!

One of the best videos I’ve ever seen on RU-vid. So pleased for you mate!

Thank you for watching NO THANK YOU for saving and remanufacturing such brilliant engineering I take my hat off to you. I feel privileged to be able to share in your journey.

So glad you were able to get the English Wheel so quick. Now the real work begins, lol. Onward and upward.

So happy for you Dom that you managed to get a Ranalah Wheel - Sheer determination - What a super find - looking forward to your next week's update 👌😊

Fantastic! Well done chap. Your tenacity has paid off and you are well deserving of your reward. 👏

Well done Dom. You deserve it. The old previous owner being a fan of the Repair shop is probably secretly glad you have aquired his wheel machine. Next time you are on a mission of discovery load up the old school Google Earth. It's a great tool for 'hovering' above an area and panning in close. Always thought you come across as a genuine up beat guy. So glad you eventually found it. 👍

You will forever count your blessings in securing that English wheel. Well done.

I like the way that this is "Episode One". congratulations, and really looking forward to seeing you revive your Ranalah machine and then the Ranalah company. Well worth that wet walk in the woods eh !

Yes we made it this far!! Fantastic week you’ve had!! What an amazing bloke, he reminds me of my dad, and grandad (both engineers, like I am).

Fantastic Dom, When i was a a boy i had a job in a small garage that restored old MG's. On at the weekend two old chaps (probably in there 70s) would cumin to work in the back room with there wheeling machines. One day i was putting a MG Y Type back together but still needed a front off side wing. These two wonderful old Guys dutifully dragged a sheet steel past me into the workshop at about 0830 in the morning and at about 1430pm presented me with perfect fitting, hand rolled wing for a 1949 MG Y type Roadster. And that day as a 18 year old boy i realised some old people are cool and that i had a lot to learn. I'm in my 70s now but i still can't roll a bloody wing!

Can somebody please turn this into a TV programme?! Great vid Dom. Keep us posted and please include the older chap and his beautiful motors.

Chuffed for you sir. Looking forward to following the rest of this journey.

That is fantastic! Well done Dom you deserved that win, you are so dedicated and determined. Looking forward to watching the next one and seeing how you get on.

Brilliant !!! Well done Dom for show casing proper engineering craftmanship.

That guy that made a Thirties something Massaratti, (where's the spell checker when you need it ), was surely from another planet .

What an amazing story, I love it, and what a wonderful guy too. Really looking forward to the next instalment.

Congratulations Dom,so pleased for you. If you ever get a minute to see another genius look up Allen Millyard on Utube .👍👍

What a great video! I too, am in awe of people like the old gentleman you bought the Ranalah from; a true craftsman. I love old tools and truly believe that “old doesn’t mean bad.” Darlington, South Carolina USA

Dom I was nearly in tears over the joy and excitement, congrats

Yes, another Dom video! A hunt for a wheel in the woods, blimey. Well done for tracking it down!

Well done Dom, You must be buzzing right now, Did you get the extra wheels with it or can you use the ones from your existing machine?

So glad it worked out ! Your doggedness paid off - looking forward to the restoration now.

My gosh, I stopped the video at 3:12 to scratch out this good luck scribble. Sure hope it pans out. What a needle in a ocean of hay this is.... OK, I've seen the rest, fantastic and your spot on in that Old Guy is simply amazing. "If they can make it, so can I", is a fabulous attitude that in his case is spot on. Footnote: I saw it to the end. This project is the cats meow. I wish I was not thousands of miles away in the States because this old retired guy would love to help and will definitely be watching with anticipation. Good continued luck....

Really pleased for you. Are you thinking of crowd funding or similar for the next stage?

I "made it this far" WHO didn't, what an awesome journey.

Dom, I’m a retired engineer and only subscribed to your channel about a month ago but that was probably one of the best videos I’ve ever seen on RU-vid.... and a happy ending too !! Good luck.

The dream begins my man. So much knowledge has been lost. And crafts died. We need more like you and the repair shop, to keep our heritage alive. All the very best sir. I’ll be watching every part of your journey. All the very best. Paul . Wimbledon.

The harder you work, the luckier you get - it so much more gratifying when you put in the effort and it all works out in the end. Keep it up big man!

When I saw your post I didn't know what you were talking about with this English wheel, however your excitement and enthusiasm made me stay; I suppose it was like some adventure where you just had to know the final part. Well done and I'm so pleased for you, let's hear more.

I am soooo glad that I randomly found your site!! I saw the casting process first and then the search and finding it. I was on pins and needles as you went step by step on your search. Now onto the stripping and more! I had a year long project to get a set of bronze ice box hinges castings made. I made the wax patterns. That was in 1977 and to date have never seen an identical ornate design like the ones I made! I am now 71 and will have to pass it on someday. I admire your work and the previous owner of the machine!!!

That's fantastic. And what an amazing guy the previous owner is. That's a lucky wheel to have two special owners. I can't wait to see YOUR Maserati...!

This should be a BBC commissioned series.. amazing story, so well told.. what a privilege that you are allowing us to come on this journey, Dom. What a true gent, nice to have some real entertainment for a change, no politics, no covid, no BS.. keep up the amazing work !

What a fantastic result. The legacy of the older gentleman will live on whilst the English wheels continue to turn. Feel good factor = 10/10..

That old boy, ya best bottle his blood, he's a Gem.

Awesome find, great owner, what an engineer. Go Dom, enjoy the journey. We are.

Just brilliant. Great adventure. I know what you mean about the wait to pick it up, worrying someone else will get in there first.

I think this is so great..been wanting a proper English wheel for a long while. And wantching your enthusiasm and passion for this is really inspiring..

Impressive story. I had no idea what a Ranala was at all. Now I do and it is interesting . I had always wanted to learn how to use an English Wheel. I met a man when I ran a metal cutting laser. He was made fenders for Packards. His name was Sid MacDonald. And he was in his 80’s. He died before we could ever get together in his shop. I totally missed my chance to even see his wheel. I am quite envious of you. Thank you for your journey to find your wheel.

Beautiful and iconic. Anyone from an engineering background, will undoubtedly see a work of art. As I am, and do. Bravo for not giving up the search, and ultimately bagging a peice of history.

Just watched a really interesting program on the “Yesterday” tv channel called “War Factories”. In it we see two guys using an English wheel to shape a large section of aeroplane. Then in a panoramic view, there are 5 or 6 English wheels clearly visible. I’m sure some of them were Ranalahs.

These old Engineers and their skills are amazing. Sad thing is that when they are gone they are gone for good, so anything we can learn from them is just priceless. Congrats on the wheel Dom

What a pleasure to watch. Great work Dom. Maybe ask the old Gent if you can make a video of him? That would be something.

That proper salvage hunting So pleased for you 👍👍

Brilliant news Dom, i just love to see old tools put to use.. built for a purpose and made to last.. not like todays throwaway rubbish ... chuffed for you .. i'd love the space to sit and restore old tools, something gratifying about giving something a 2nd life.. well done mate

That is so wonderful! The search journey was great to follow. Here in Canada the machines that are sought after are called General which were manufactured in Quebec in the 1960’s. They are the machines to find here to restore. They became General International for many years but went under about 4 years ago. I sell tools and tell my customers that if they find a General buy it no matter what. Amazing machines. I’m a woodworker so I look for tablesaws and bandsaws etc. Enjoy the journey of bringing your English Wheel back to life!

What a fantastic bit of equipment. I totally understand why you'd undertake this project. Full speed ahead

What an adventure, modern treasure hunt! Thanks for the great video!

What a treasure hunt you had a smile on your face like a little boy good for you God bless you and your family

Never got this excited over a lump old iron before !!! :)

I wish someone would spend a few weeks with that guy and interview and video him. People like him are extremely rare. Would be amazing to watch him work

Yes, my grandfather learnt to Panel beat on similar machines to repair or make mudguards and body panels. Very skilled work and manual. A great doco!

So pleased for you Dom, admire your perseverance, you were a bit like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a Mountie always gets the man. Looking forward to seeing you bring it back to life.