Kayaks
Safety Boots
Electronic Signs
Cereals

Today on "how it's made"...

Kayaks-- we'll tip you off to how they're made.

Safety boots-- we'll walk you through the manufacturing process.

Electronic signs--  a sign of the times.

And cereal--  we're milking this one big time.

In days gone by, kayaks were made of wood and animal skin and used by people who hunted to survive.

Fast-forward to today, and you'll see that kayaks have updated their image.

Now they're marvels of molded plastic coveted by sports enthusiasts far and wide.

A kayak is formed by the melting of plastic on a mold of nickel.

This mold is made in two parts-- an upper and a lower section.

The surface of the mold is perfectly smooth and has a mirror finish that guarantees an excellent luster.

The graphics are laid on the mold before molding begins.

This way, they're well-impregnated in the plastic.

It's an operation that requires quite a bit of dexterity because, contrary to self-adhering stickers, these graphics can't be lifted off if they haven't been well-positioned.

This is the yellow powder they're going to melt-- linear polyethylene.

It comes in several colors.

The amount of powder to be melted is determined by the kayak model to be made.

At the same time, in other molds, they're going to fabricate other parts of the kayak, such as the baggage compartment cover, the central support, and the seats.

The polyethylene is poured into the mold, which is then closed.

All the other molds are closed, as well.

Before entering the oven, the molds are securely closed with clamps to avoid any loss of polyethylene.

The kayak mold is put onto a transporter and placed facing the oven.

Because of the large dimensions of the craft, the oven had to be custom-made.

The whole kayak goes in.

The oven is 23 feet long and has a diameter of about 6 feet.

The polyethylene melts at 550 degrees.

To completely distribute the powder throughout the mold, it pivots on several axes.

It turns on itself while the oven oscillates 30 degrees towards the front and rear.

This procedure is termed "rock 'n' roll" and lasts 19 minutes.

Cooking is now over, and the mold exits the oven.

But the plastic has to cool in order to solidify.

To do this, they place the mold in this cooling chamber.

It must not be cooled too quickly or it deforms.

A 16-foot kayak can lose up to 6 inches of its length.

Now the cover of the mold is lifted off.

Then they unmold the cover and the other small parts.

The kayak is finally unmolded.

Now they can proceed to machining it.

While inspecting the kayak, they remove any plastic ridges left by the joint between the two halves of the mold.

They now move to finishing.

This begins with the screwing on of carrying handles.

Here, they cut the opening for the baggage compartment.

And then they install the trimming.

The central support is positioned.

It plays an important role because it links the bottom and top portions of the craft.

All that remains now is to finish the baggage compartment.

They attach fasteners, then put the cover in place and hold it down with a retaining strap.

Finally, the kayak is packaged, ready for delivery.

This company makes 12 kayak models of various dimensions.

Here's a lesson we hope you won't have to learn the hard way.

Drop a hammer on the job, and you might have a few broken toes to show for it.

Enter the sturdy work boot.

Lace on a pair, and chances are, your feet will survive even your klutziest moments.

Work boots are made from cowhide that has undergone both mineral and finishing tanning.

A waterproofing treatment completes the preparation.

Let's follow the process.

This machine is a shaver.

It evens up the hide and opens its pores before it receives other appropriate treatments.

They treat the hides in this retanning drum.

Water, coloring products, and retanning products are at temperatures varying from 90 to 180 degrees.

Hides are removed from the retanning drum.

The leather will then be vacuum-dried for 2 minutes at a temperature of 160 degrees.

Then, the hide will be hung for 24 to 48 hours.

Here, the hide is stretched on a vacuum-drying plate.

It's evened out to get rid of any creases.

A hide measures almost 22 square feet.

They'll need about 4 square feet of leather to make a boot.

They begin cutting the boot parts.

This punch, with the help of a press, cuts the different pieces of leather.

They also cut brown fabric pieces-- the interior lining of the boot, made from a foam base and woven polyester fibers.

This paring machine thins the edges before they're sewn.

During the cutting, each piece of leather is identified by its size.

They now begin assembly of the boot.

The two sides of the boot are sewn together on this machine.

Now the front part of the boot is assembled.

Excess leather is progressively cut away.

The eyelets-- made of steel, brass, or aluminum-- are then positioned.

Here, they attach a foot mount on a form with tiny nails called tacks.

The last is placed in the boot to facilitate the assembly of the front part.

This carding machine removes any unevenness at the level of the lining before proceeding to the next step.

They now install the tempered-steel toe cap.

The lining is pulled.

They insert the cap and fix it well in place.

The leather is folded beneath the boot, the bottom secured with a tack, and the sides fastened with hot glue on this seat and side lasting machine.

The boot front is now finished.

We get a good view of the application of the hot glue.

At this stage, they remove the last installed at the beginning.

It's no longer needed.

Now the sole will be installed.

The heel core is of pine.

It's put onto the sole, which will soon be secured into place.

Here, they proceed with machining and welding of the rubber sole to the boot tip.

It's called vulcanization, done at a temperature of 330 degrees.

And the sole is solidly installed.

This machine sands the edges of the sole to eliminate any vulcanization residue.

They also apply a sealant.

They now place an insole inside the boot.

Here, they install the laces and stitch on the labels.

The boots now leave for the packaging area.

Building a pair of boots required no less than 123 different fabrication steps, including packaging.

Each pair needs 330 feet of nylon, cotton, and polyester threads and over 10 square feet of thick and rugged leather.

Take a stroll down tokyo's downtown drag, and you'll get the distinct impression that neon is passé.

Today, electronic signs are all the buzz-- futuristic miracles of light, color, and animation that make the world their matinee screen.

Digital electronic signboards are sometimes used as giant television screens or to post written messages.

They come in different sizes--  from a few feet all the way up to many thousands of square feet.

The creation of a sign starts with plans drawn by engineers and architects.

Hundreds of plans are created by computer, among other methods, and require between two days or even a month of work.

Millions of tiny lights, or light-emitting diodes called elements, make up the screen's surface.

These elements are made of germanium, gallium nitrate, and silicon semiconductors covered with plastic.

These elements have to be placed so as to form a matrix.

Each of the 20 machines at this plant can install and solder 1,500 elements an hour.

Lighting up an element requires only 10 to 20 milliamps, and they last for about 150,000 hours.

All the wires are placed behind the matrix in the different electrical connections.

This conceals everything behind the sign and shelters it from the weather.

Depending upon the distance from which the sign will be seen, spaces between the elements vary from 1/10 of an inch to several inches.

A workman now makes the electrical connections.

The wires have to be solidly connected to resist shaking caused by movement of the signboard.

The matrices must operate together and require controllers, which send information from one to the other.

Thus, each group controls its own image.

Each matrix has to be electrically powered and integrated to its own 5-volt element-illuminating connector.

Sometimes the matrices are made up in two pieces-- one supporting the elements and the other having the components.

In this case, it simply requires two cards to establish the contact.

Now they connect the information cable that lights up and extinguishes the elements.

Each matrix has two connectors-- one that supplies the electric current and the other that carries the sign's information.

Here, they verify the functioning of each matrix.

Then, they can begin to join matrices together to construct the signboard.

We see here all the colors assembled as they will be on the screen.

The boards are sometimes installed outside and are thus vulnerable to the weather.

That's why they put on this rubber strip, which waterproofs it.

The matrices are now assembled together.

Then, 10 matrices are joined to make up a module.

At this stage, they insert the signboard conductor.

Then the wires are connected.

These wires transmit electric current and all the information relating to the sign.

The elements require a very low-voltage current-- about 5 volts.

Each module is then provided with its own converter to maintain a steady voltage.

Then all the modules are assembled in the signboard support.

And the many electrical connections linking the different modules are made.

This gigantic signboard is a composition of 35 modules and 12 matrices.

The signboard is almost finished.

They now check the color, the luminosity, and the resolution of the screen.

The signboard is made of 120,000 electrical light diodes and took nearly 3 months of work.

Each year, this company constructs hundreds of digital signboards requiring about 100 million lighting elements.

If you aren't the type to rise at the crack of dawn and wolf down a hearty breakfast, chances are you eat a bowl of cereal or a granola bar on the fly.

One of the best ways to beat the early-morning blahs, the goodness of cereal now comes in as many forms as our fast-paced lifestyles demand.

Our breakfast cereals were born out of the religious beliefs of the seventh-day adventists.

The seventh-day adventists are vegetarians who, in 1860, founded a sanatorium where patients were fed only cereals-- wheat flakes invented by dr.

John harvey kellogg.

His brother, william keith, saw a promising future and built the first flakes factory to market the product.

His success would later be imitated by the famous charles william post of post cereals.

The making of frosted corn flakes starts in this cooker.

The corn kernels are cooked here for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Then the corn kernels are ground up.

They're ground up by this endless worm screw.

It also determines the number of pounds of kernels needed to make up a cereal recipe.

The ground corn is next dried in a dryer unit, an important step before they're cooked.

To give them their nice, flat shape, the corn kernels are crushed in the flake roller.

Two rollers turn opposite to each other, and the kernels fall into the constricted space between them.

The flakes fall onto this conveyor, and the next step will be cooking.

The flakes arrive at the cooking oven.

They're shaken to make sure they will be uniformly browned.

The flakes exit the oven well-browned.

They then fall into this chute and head in the direction of the next step.

This vibrating conveyor sorts the flakes and retains only the right-sized ones.

This drum mixes the flakes and sprays them with a sweet solution boiling at 445 degrees.

The sweet solution is dried, and a rake uniformly spreads out the frosted flakes on the canvas.

Now they add in vitamins.

The cereals are placed into this rotating drum.

The vitamins are sprayed onto the flakes by a series of jets.

The cereals are now finished, and they head toward the packaging site.

This packager fills the bags with cereal.

It handles between 40 and 45 bags a minute before they head off for final packaging.

This plant doesn't only make cereals.

It also makes soft cereal bars.

This kneader mixes the ingredients-- oat flakes, rice, and syrup.

The preparation is mixed twice a minute.

When well-mixed, the preparation is poured into a large container.

They will now proceed with the molding of the bars.

The contents of the bin are emptied onto a conveyor.

And the mixture is spread out.

Here, they add chocolate chips to the mixture.

The mix is compressed to the desired bar thickness by this roller.

The bar separator then divides the mix into 35 equal strips.

And then a guillotine cuts the bars to their proper length.

The bars continue circulating.

This equipment is used to line up the bars and make the packaging process easier.

Side by side, the bars are turned here so that they run one behind the other.

This roller applies a delicious caramel fondant to the bars.

This caramel fondant then cools and sets.

They're now at the final stage of production-- coating with chocolate.

About 400 pounds of chocolate are needed for the bar recipe.

Now finished, the bars are ready for packaging.

This machine individually bags the bars.

Finally, they proceed with the packaging.

These tasty bars will be enjoyed by children, as well as adults.


Steel
Apple Juice
Aircraft Landing Gear
Cosmetics

Today on "how it's made"...

Steel--  the original heavy metal...

Apple juice--  from the tree to the glass...

Aircraft landing gear-- what you really need to score a touchdown, and cosmetics-- we'll tour a factory where they make it up as they go along.

They call superman "the man of steel" because, flying and x-ray vision aside, he could bend solid steel with his bare hands.

Thanks to its legendary strength, steel is used for everything from bridges and skyscrapers to household appliances.

Steelmaking usually begins with a pile of scrap metal.

Using this 11-ton electromagnet, scrap iron--  composed of crushed car bodies, electric appliances, cans, and other steel scraps-- is gathered up.

This powerful magnet is able to lift 5 1/2 tons of metal.

About 83% of this scrap will be transformed into bars of steel.

This metal is then dumped into a basket which, by itself, weighs 35 tons.

The basket can hold up to 65 tons of metal.

And now they're going to melt the metal.

This furnace reaches a temperature of 3,000 degrees, hot enough to liquefy the metal.

It is heated by three electrodes and by four natural-gas burners.

The contents of the basket are dumped into the furnace.

Here, the pieces of metal come into contact with liquefied steel, which always remains at the bottom of the furnace.

There's a reaction, and an aeration system draws out the smoke that's produced.

At this high heat, the 66 tons of metal will melt in about 60 minutes.

Then the cover is placed on the furnace.

This liquid is composed of impurities that rise to the surface when the metal becomes molten.

At this stage, a workman draws a sample of steel to determine its chemical makeup.

And now they make use of a supersonic oxygen lance.

This lance blows oxygen into the molten steel.

This reduces its carbon content, homogenizes the mix, and speeds up the melting process.

A ladle is positioned beneath the furnace.

The molten steel will be transferred from the furnace into this ladle.

The molten steel easily pours into the ladle.

The ladle weighs 60 tons and holds 127 tons of molten steel.

An overhead crane capable of lifting 200 tons carries the ladle filled with steel.

Additives are introduced in order to obtain the correct steel tone.

Here, the electrodes are taken out of the furnace ladle.

A workman now opens the pouring nozzles of the distributor.

It is equipped with four pouring holes.

The molten steel runs into molds.

It cools very quickly and begins to harden.

Steel billets are produced in lengths varying from 15 to 35 feet.

The billets are then cut to the desired length with a natural-gas torch.

A pouring identification number is marked on them with a wax crayon.

The difference between a steel billet and the nearly finished flattened product is clear.

Flattening of the billets remains to be done.

Before flattening begins, billets are placed in the furnace to be reheated for 2 hours at 2,000 degrees.

Water jets cool the billet ejector.

The billets are placed on the flattener, where powerful rollers compress them.

This operation gives the billets the required shape and size.

Water-cooled rollers crush the billets.

Some billets go from a thickness of 5 inches down to 1/2 an inch, while other reduce from 6 inches down to 3/4 of an inch.

At the end of production, bars move along at a speed reaching 22 miles per hour.

Once they reach their required dimensions, the bars must be cooled.

This cooling bed allows the steel bars to cool uniformly.

A total of 440,000 tons of steel bars are made at this plant each year.

Dump thousands of apples into a giant press, apply several tons of pressure, and what do you get?

Apple juice, of course.

And good thing it's made on such an enormous scale, when you consider how many people drink gallons of this popular juice every year.

Here at rougemeau, they make apple juice mainly from mcintosh apples.

Some 90% of juice production is done at harvesttime in october.

A conveyor transports apples to an inspection location.

Apples tumble in the reverse direction of the conveyor belt so that wet leaves and undesirable materials adhere to the belt.

The apples are stored in silos for several hours.

So the apples don't get too bruised in their descent, they're slowed down in this stepped chute.

Juice making can now begin.

Now they wash the apples.

Since they use some apples that have already fallen to the ground, this first water bath must eliminate pebbles.

A shower of cool water completes the washing process.

The apples are cut into little pieces in this grinder and produce gratings.

Enzymes are added, which break down the cellular structure of the fruit, allowing for maximum juice extraction.

Next, the gratings are transferred into maceration reservoirs, where they'll stay for 60 to 90 minutes.

Then they extract the juice.

The gratings are pumped into a powerful hydraulic press.

Inside the press, filter sleeves hold back the skins, seeds, and stems of the apples.

Quality control is strict.

At each stage of the process, they draw off samples of juice to evaluate its quality and to make sure that fabrication parameters are well adhered to.

The juice is filtered a first time.

The very smallest undesirable particles are held back by this sieve.

The fabrication process continues.

Juice flows from one stage to another via these immense reservoirs.

The next step will be pasteurization.

Juice enters this exchanger at 72 degrees and is heated up to 190 degrees, then cooled back down to 122 degrees.

Enzymes are then added to hydrate the pectin and facilitate the second filtration.

This is the ultra-filtration process, where filter membranes with microscopic pores retain the smallest of particles.

The apple juice is now perfectly filtered.

Its clarity is verified, as well as its flavor, color, and natural fruit-sugar content.

Since juice is produced in october, it has to be conserved throughout the year.

A portion of the production is stored in this sterile warehouse area to await being bottled during the year.

Each reservoir can hold 29,000 gallons of filtered juice.

No preserving agent is added.

Now we move to the next stage, the filling of containers.

These little drinking containers are filled at the rate of 100 a minute.

The containers are then hermetically sealed.

Two little sprays of hot glue are applied to the containers.

This secures the straws to their sides.

Another automated production line fills bottles with juice.

They circulate in a row on this conveyor.

Bottles are washed and disinfected with hydrogen peroxide in this white, sterile room.

Then they're rinsed with sterile water before being carried to the filling location.

Each minute, 120 bottles are filled with pasteurized apple juice and sealed with a cap in a sterile environment.

Bottles are then labeled and sent to shipping.

Between 20,000 and 40,000 tons of apples are transformed into juice yearly.

Thanks to its perfect preservation, consumers can enjoy this juice at any time of the year.

What goes up, they say, must come down, and when what's up is an airplane, you need dependable landing gear to get you back down safely.

This critical piece of aircraft equipment is the product of expert mechanics combined with sophisticated technology.

This heavy piece of steel is the undercarriage of a kc-135r airplane.

A landing gear comprises a central shaft to which an axle and wheels are attached.

They begin machining the shaft.

This digital lathe machines the exterior surface of the part.

Sprays of water and oil cool the part, which heats up due to friction.

They're now going to pierce the shaft.

This drill head will ream out the inside of the shaft.

Alignment of the head must be perfect, so they're cautious with their work.

The perforating gets under way.

Turnings from the cutting are saved, and these will be sold to foundries, where they'll be recycled.

We see here the cutting tool used to pierce the holes in the landing gear.

To perforate the part, very sharp cutting tools are used.

Here, they complete an attachment hole.

The hole is enlarged on its sides, as required by this machine tool.

The part is cooled with a mix of water and oil.

Cutting is completed, and the hole is now cleaned out with compressed air so that they can proceed with a visual inspection.

Here, three pieces are rough-cut at the same time by this machine.

Because they'll be used in aviation, these pieces have to be machined to perfection.

The machining of the shaft is now almost completed.

This deburring unit polishes the machine's surfaces with a compressed-air tool and sandpaper discs.

And now they have to verify the dimensions of the parts.

This digitally controlled machine has three axes and does the verification with extreme precision.

Here, another unit allows for the machining of parts with greater dimensions.

This facility also reconditions used landing gears, such as this one from a boeing 707.

They strip off the paint with a sandblaster to verify the condition of the parts with great precision.

And here are those parts stripped clean.

But a visual inspection is not enough.

They can detect cracks by magnetic-particle concentration.

They magnetize the part, and any cracks will become visible under ultraviolet light.

Now it's time for the shot-metal procedure, where they spray steel balls onto the metal's surface to increase its resistance to fatigue.

Before repainting the part, they first plate it.

The part is immersed for 10 minutes in cadmium, which forms a protective coating on it that will resist corrosion.

Then the part is quickly soaked in a weak concentration of chromic acid.

Water, agitated by air jets, cleans away the chromic acid, and the part is rinsed with water another time.

The part is now baked at 375 degrees over 23 hours to remove hydrogen induced during the plating process.

Then the part is immersed in liquid nitrogen at -200 degrees before it's inserted in order to reduce its size.

This collar is easily pushed on with a hydraulic jack.

Reheating the collar makes it return to its normal size.

Now the different components and the leakproof joints are inserted into the piston.

The shock-absorber tube goes into the piston.

This part absorbs the shock stresses when an aircraft lands.

The piston is now slid into the cylinder, and they verify that the shock absorber is leakproof.

Fabrication finishes with paint baked in an oven.

Some six to eight months are required to make a new landing gear and between six to eight weeks to recondition a used one.

Perfume, eye shadow, foundation, lipstick-- they're all products of a huge industry driven by our desire for beauty.

Well, "how it's made" is about to show you how they manufacture cosmetics, and we assure you, we're not making this up.

During archaeological excavations, mummies were discovered wearing makeup, the egyptian technique of enhancing eye contours with antimony, lead, and metal oxides-- all toxic, lethal substances.

Greek women also adorned their cheeks with a dye made from lead oxide.

In 1910, florence nightingale, under the name elizabeth arden, would change the whole makeup picture, launching the vogue for cosmetics without toxic agents.

Cosmetics have been in existence since the dawn of time.

There are many ingredients that make up a cosmetic formula.

The industry heavily uses iron oxides to color its products in a multitude of attractive tones.

Before moving into fabrication, each ingredient must be carefully and accurately weighed.

These raw materials are often dry, such as powder, but can also be liquid and even oil or wax.

Every ingredient will have first been approved by the quality-control laboratory.

A single formula may contain over 50 ingredients.

The other essential ingredient is water.

The water used in making cosmetics is first purified by an inverse-osmosis system.

When it meets strict company standards, it is put into a stainless-steel tank.

Depending on the complexity of the recipe, between 4 and 10 hours of work are needed to make up a product.

Let's begin with a bubble-bath recipe.

A part of the recipe is prepared in an adjoining container to make certain ingredients more soluble.

A stainless-steel screw propeller mixes all the ingredients thoroughly.

All along its fabrication processing, the product will be subjected to many tests.

Here, an acid-based neutralization-reaction test is performed with a color indicator.

The bubble bath has to be colored.

A fragrance and a color are added, for in this recipe, the final product will be mauve.

Before the filling process, the quality-control and microbiology laboratories make sure that the product meets strict quality standards.

Now it's on to the next step.

This filler can simultaneously fill up to 12 700-milliliter bottles at a steady pace of 50 per minute.

The fill level is adjusted electronically.

Capping remains to be done.

This capper positions and tightens the caps automatically.

Urethane rollers apply the precise tightening force.

The bottles now pass beneath a sealer via induction, which generates a magnetic field, heating the metal piece placed in the cap.

When hot enough, it welds itself onto the neck of the bottle.

Another product made here is the peeling mask.

The mask is poured into this funnel, whose end is attached to the tube-filler pipe.

The product descends via gravity.

The filler pours the peeling mask into 50 tubes each minute.

Then, with heat and crimping, the tube end is sealed, and the tube heads for packaging.

Other products made here--  cologne and perfume.

The liquid is drawn into the bottle by suction.

This rotating filler operates with intermittent vacuum to fill 50 bottles a minute.

Bottles are positioned beneath the 16 filling spouts that seal their opening to allow for the creation of a vacuum, which draws in the product.

Now atomizer pumps are inserted.

Handling two bottles simultaneously, this machine seals the pump, securing it around the neck of the bottle.

We see the white sleeve aligning the pump, while the gray one tightens the pump.

Then there are the sprayers.

This machine applies the spray stoppers and, with a hammer, presses them onto the pumps of the bottles, which are now finished.

And one final product--  roll-on deodorants.

This machine fills 115 bottles a minute, handling 8 bottles at a time.

A filling stem pours the product into the bottle, and here they place the roller ball at 115 per minute.

Then the ball is lightly pressed into the cavity in which it turns freely.

This plant makes over 1,200 different products and yearly sells 32 million items per year.


Statue Restoration
Tripods
Polish Sausages
Welding Guns

People have been crafting religious statues for years.

But time can take a toll on these sacred works of art.

That's where restoration experts come in.

These professionals work small miracles to return statues to their former glory.

This is a wooden sculpture of the christian messiah.

It was originally crafted in the 15th century.

But today, it's riddled with termites and broken.

A major restoration has been its salvation.

Now, this historic work of art is once again on display in an italian church.

Like the messiah statue, this 18th century madonna is damaged.

The plaster on her face is chipped.

Her fingers are broken, and her robes are crumbling.

First, the restorer dusts off some of the surface dirt.

He uses a soft brush and gentle movements to avoid further destruction.

Then, he prepares a cleaning solution.

He mixes a low-acid, perfume-free soap with water.

He uses mild soap because it's gentle on old plaster.

He heats up the mixture to melt the soap.

Then, he starts cleaning the statue.

He applies the cleanser to the madonna's face and body.

He lets it soak into the plaster for 7 to 15 minutes.

He makes sure the statue doesn't absorb too much water because that would cause more deterioration.

Next, the restorer wipes the statue down with a damp sea sponge.

Centuries of dirt and grime come off.

For serious stains, he combines alcohol and ammonia.

He applies the cleansing mixture using a cotton swab.

He lightly scrubs off the deep stains.

The alcohol evaporates quickly so it's not on the surface of the statue long enough to do any more damage.

This madonna statue is starting to look like her old self.

The restorer uses rabbit glue for the next step.

It's a strong and flexible adhesive that won't chip or crack.

He dissolves some glue in distilled water.

He applies it to the cloth exposed underneath the broken plaster.

Then, he mixes a special plaster called gesso with the rabbit glue.

The mixture is 80% plaster and 20% glue.

He dabs the plaster mixture onto the glued sections to fill in the gaps in the madonna's robes.

He repairs her chipped nose using a thicker version of the plaster solution.

He applies it with a small spatula.

After the first coat of plaster on the robes dries, the restorer adds another thicker coat.

He adds more layers until he has enough material to work with.

Then, he sculpts the robe's contours using a surgical scalpel.

He blends the repair into the original plaster and sands it until it looks seamless.

He mixes water-based paint to match the original colors.

Then, he carefully covers the repaired sections, blending the old with the new.

He mends the brocade by pressing gold leaf onto the border of the robes.

The gold leaf sticks to the glue applied earlier, matching the original pattern.

He seals the paint with carnuba wax-- it gives the surface of the statue a hard and resilient finish.

It can take up to 4 months to restore a damaged statue.

A sculpture that's hundreds of years old can look as good as new in just a few months.

Then, churchgoers can enjoy it for centuries to come.

Humans have been making three-legged objects for thousands of years.

The third leg gives these structures extra stability.

Some of the earliest photographs were taken with cameras mounted on tripods.

In fact, the tripod has been called the most important photographic accessory ever invented.

Early tripods were made out of wood.

They were heavy and cumbersome.

Their design and materials have improved over time to meet the needs of both hobbyists and professionals alike.

Today's state-of-the-art tripod is lightweight, collapsible and equipped with precision adjustments.

Contemporary tripods are made from aluminum tubes that have four different diameters.

The tubes are electrowelded and anodized for precision, hardness and durability.

A machine cuts the tubes to the required lengths.

A press expands one end of the d-shaped tubes to keep the smaller diameters in place.

Here are two of the different-sized diameter tubes.

A worker inserts a tube into this machine.

It uses a high-precision laser to etch the company's name into the aluminum.

The laser process turns the etched aluminum white.

They coat aluminum castings with powdered paint.

The casting is part of a component called a spider.

It connects the tripod's legs.

Once painted, the components are taken to a cnc machine.

The machine shapes the parts to the designer's exact specifications.

A worker puts foam sleeves called leg warmers on two of the tripod's three legs.

The sleeves allow photographers to easily handle the legs in extreme temperatures.

The worker uses a pressurized air device to open the sleeve, then she inserts the leg.

She uses a specialized machine to add the top hinge collar to the upper leg section.

The parts were designed to work together and click neatly into place.

Next, she applies the locking collars.

When a photographer adjusts the legs, the locking collars will hold them in place.

She threads a bolt through the collar ends and adds a quick-release lever to the assembly.

Then, she fastens all the components in place.

The levers are ergonomically designed and can be opened with one hand.

She presses bushings into place on the upper collar to complete the leg assembly.

Now, the tripod is ready for the next phase.

But first, the worker performs a quick quality control check.

She makes sure the legs slide in and out correctly.

Then, she checks the locking collars.

Next, she brings the legs together to form the tripod.

She positions the bottom of the spider component on a specially-designed support mechanism.

She installs the legs and caps them with the top of the spider, then she bolts everything in place.

Next, a worker assembles the tripod head.

This state-of-the-art component can be adjusted in three directions.

She places plastic rings between the three main parts to ensure smooth and accurate adjustments.

She installs leveling bubbles to help photographers accurately position their cameras.

She adds the upper plate and the adjustment knobs.

The plate screws into the camera, which conveniently mounts onto the tripod.

The knobs also adjust for easy storage and transport.

She labels a knob to indicate the scale of friction intensity.

Once the entire head assembly is complete, a worker carefully threads it onto the tripod column.

The final step in the assembly process is to slide the column and head down through the spreader.

A worker checks to ensure the mechanism is working correctly, then tightens the locking knob.

The finished tripod is lightweight, compact and durable.

This tripod is ideal for both professionals and hobbyists.

It'll keep the camera steady for anyone who wants to take portraits, profile architectural features, or capture panoramic landscapes.

Polish sausage isn't necessarily made in poland.

Also called kielbasa, the term refers to the style of sausage rather than its location.

It's usually made entirely of pork, or a mix of pork and veal.

The meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic.

These sausages might be made in canada, but there as polish as warsaw.

This kielbasa is 100% pork, traditionally seasoned and cooked by natural wood smoking.

This company uses the hind leg meat leftover from the hams they sell.

Each sausage recipe calls for specific portions of lean, medium, and fat meat.

Workers fill three separate meat carts with the required quantity of each.

They grind the contents of each cart separately.

The three types of meat are ground to different sizes.

The lean meat will be the largest, and the fat meat will be the smallest.

The small chunks of fat meat will fill the gaps between the large, lean chunks.

They also add whole garlic cloves to the grinder with the fat meat.

Then, they prepare a spice mix that includes garlic powder, white pepper, coarsely-ground white, red, and black peppercorns, and a proprietary blend of dried herbs and spices.

They also add pickling salt as a preservative.

They blend the spices, pork, and cold water in a mixer.

The mixer also vacuums air out of the meat.

This helps the seasoning thoroughly saturate the pork.

It also makes the sausage denser and concentrates the flavor.

They mix the ingredients for 15 minutes, then let it rest and marinate for several hours.

After marinating, the meat is ready to be put into sausage casings.

The casing is made out of hog intestine.

The filling specialist controls the fill speed with a knee-operated lever.

He applies the right amount of pressure with his fingers to stuff the fragile casing without tearing it.

No two hog intestines are identical, so this process can't be automated.

The filling specialist constantly adjusts the speed and pressure as he works.

The filling specialist takes the finished casing and gently loops it over his arm.

Then, he puts the loops on the rack of a smokehouse trolley.

A fully-loaded trolley holds about 550 pounds of raw sausages.

They roll the trolley into the smokehouse chamber, shut the door...

And light the fire.

They feed maple and hickory logs into a 10-foot fire pit located directly below the chamber.

They monitor each sausage while it's smoking and adjust the heat exposure as needed.

The smoking period lasts for 6 to 8 hours.

The meat cooks at about 160 degrees to kill off all the bacteria.

The smoke infuses it with additional flavor, naturally curing the sausages.

After the sausages leave the smokehouse, they're cleaned with hot water.

Then, the sausages are rinsed in cold water and sent to a blast fridge.

This minimizes the amount of time the sausages are warm enough for bacteria to grow.

The rapid cooling procedure eliminates the need for additional chemical preservatives.

A worker cuts the sausage into 4 1/2-pound portions.

He places each portion in the bottom tray of the plastic package.

Before sealing the tray, a machine sucks out the air and replaces it with a mix of 80% nitrogen and 20% carbon dioxide.

This extends shelf life because mold and yeast can't live without oxygen.

The carbon dioxide also inhibits bacterial growth.

The nitrogen fills the package to protect the sausage during transport.

Every sealed package passes through a metal detector.

Then, a scale weighs each package and prints out a label indicating the weight and the sell-by date.

A sealed and refrigerated package of sausage can stay fresh for up to 35 days.

Once opened, these sausages taste best if eaten within 7 days-- and even better with a little sauerkraut.

Welding guns are regulars on "how it's made".

They're used in many factories all over the world.

They have copper claws that hold parts together with high force, then weld items together.

The guns are designed to do precision work at a steady pace.

A welding gun is designed to make the same weld over and over again.

They're programmed to accomplish a repetitive task with pinpoint accuracy.

Production starts with the gun's electrode caps, which are made out of copper rod.

The rod uncoils and travels to a forming machine with a series of punches and dies.

Mechanical fingers move the rod from one die to the next.

The punches drive the rod into the die cavities to shape it into electrode caps.

The electrodes come in thousands of different shapes and are made it many different ways.

The make this electrode, automated tools taper a thick copper rod at one end.

Then, a drill bores a hole in the other end for cooling water.

Smaller electrodes are made of partially-hollowed blanks.

They shave down the blank so that it will be able to weld in small areas.

They also shape it so that the electrode cap will fit on top.

They use another drill to make an entrance for cooling water.

The entrance intersects with the hollowed part of the cylinder.

Then, another machine bends the electrode into its final shape.

Next, they make the shunt adapter.

A worker uses a hydraulic machine to bend a copper bar around a die.

He measures it to confirm that the dimensions are correct.

A high-pressure water jet carves through a thick copper plate to create the welding arms.

The water jet can precisely cut out the part without scorching the copper.

At the next station, computerized tools shape a solid block of steel into a mount for the welding machine's motor.

It's a substantial transformation.

An employee bolts steel plates to the end of the copper arm.

He places a washer over the plates and then tightens the bolts.

He inserts the electrode in the other end of the arm.

Then, he places the cap on and hammers it in place.

The worker uses a crane to move the second weld arm into place.

He aligns the holes and joins the arms with the temporary metal pin.

The transformer delivers electricity to the electrodes.

A worker attaches the robot welding arms to it.

He replaces the temporary pin with a permanent one.

Then, he bolts the arms to the transformer.

Now, the welding gun is ready for the motor.

He joins the motor to the arms and tightens the bolts on each side.

The mechanics of this robot welding gun are complete.

Now they need to add the plumbing.

An employee cuts plastic tubing and connects it to the welding gun.

The tubes will supply a constant flow of water to the gun.

Without it, the gun would overheat and the electrode tips could melt.

He bundles some of the hoses and ties them together for neater installation.

They test every robot welding gun to confirm that it's fully operational.

This gun is a slightly different version that the one that was just assembled.

The technician also confirms that the tips have sufficient force for a good weld.

Too much force could damage the tips.

Too little force would result in a poor weld.

It takes about an hour to assemble a robot welding gun.

This gun is ready to leave the factory and be part of the action at another one.


Javelins
Cuckoo Clocks
Hearts of Palm
Windshield Wipers

The sport of javelin throw dates back to the olympics in ancient greece.

The athlete sprints down a runway and just before reaching a line on the ground, hurls the javelin forward.

For the throw to count, the athlete can't step over the line and the javelin has to land point-first in the ground.

This modern javelin consists of a long, hollow tube and a point.

The tube portion is called the shaft.

This company uses strong, lightweight aluminum, but javelin shafts can also be made of steel or carbon fiber.

The tube is 1.2 inches in diameter.

It first goes into a taper machine, where forming dies narrow the back end to very specific dimensions.

The taper profile varies by model but has to conform to international rules.

After making the exact end of the taper, they slice off the excess tubing.

The shaft is now its final length-- 7.2 feet for a woman's model and 8.5 feet for a men's.

A straightening machine sandwiches the shaft between two hydraulic cylinders.

They apply extreme pressure, straightening any large bends.

This is just a preliminary straightening.

The final one comes later.

Next, working strictly by eye, a specially trained technician sands the shaft, fine-tuning it to a very precise diameter and weight.

The javelin's point section is made of steel tubing that's a hair wider than the shaft.

After tapering the front, they saw off the excess, making the point around 12 inches long.

Now for the point's steel tip that jabs into the ground.

They position it in a holder, place the point body behind it, then weld the two parts together.

To make the point more aerodynamic, they sand down the weld line until it's flush with the surrounding steel.

Using progressively finer grits of sandpaper, they polish away any imperfections until the point is perfectly smooth.

Now for the final assembly.

The shaft is sporting two coats of paint, and the point is nickel-plated to rustproof the steel.

They mark how far up the shaft the point will go and slip it on temporarily.

As the javelin pivots precisely where international rules dictate, they add pieces of lead until the javelin balances.

Then all the components go on a scale to ensure their combined weight abides by international rules-- 1.3 pounds for a women's javelin, 1.8 pounds for a men's.

Next they squirt a little glue inside the point and drop the chunk of lead inside.

They drop in some knotted cord and ram it in with a metal rod.

This packs in the lead so it won't rattle around.

They use glue to adhere the point to the shaft.

They drive home the point, so to speak, by throwing the javelin against a lead slab.

The force of impact pushes the point into its final position.

Now they recheck the javelin's overall weight.

If it's underweight, they simply tape some sheet lead to the center of gravity, where the handgrip will hide it.

Using a gauge to measure the grip's permissible length, they mark the grip position at the center of gravity, then mount the javelin on a lathe and coat the marked area in glue.

They wind cotton cord around the shaft over the glue.

Before cutting the end, they verify the length of the grip with the gauge.

They apply two decals-- one bearing the company name, the other a safety warning.

But no seal of approval just yet.

The javelin still has to undergo a final straightening.

This takes an expert eye and a small hand-operated press to straighten out any bends.

It's all a question of aerodynamics.

The straighter the javelin, the more likely it is to go the distance.

The black forest region of southwest germany is world-famous for its cuckoo clocks, which have either one-day or eight-day movements, meaning that's how long they run on one winding.

The standard feature is a little bird that emerges and cuckoos when the clock strikes.

Some clocks also play music and have moving figures.

the intricate carvings that decorate many cuckoo clocks start out as a block of linden, a soft wood that's easy to carve.

An artisan first outlines the basic shape using a stencil and paint, then cuts it out with a jigsaw.

Here he's cutting three blocks at once.

To steady the piece, he mallets it to nails protruding from a block of wood.

Then he begins carving, using up to 50 different knives to sculpt exceptionally fine detail.

The clock cases these carvings decorate are made of pine or plywood, depending on the model.

Often a case has no carving at all.

Instead, an artist paints an elaborate design.

Some cases feature a combination of painting and carving.

The technical artistry is on the inside.

The clock's brain, called the movement, is a system of brass and steel gears.

It keeps time and triggers the cuckoo function.

The components and configuration vary according to whether it's a one-day or eight-day movement.

Workers sandwich the movement between two brass plates, connecting them at the corners with long screws.

Then on the outside, the install the mechanism that times the chime.

Next the steel wire on which the cuckoo bird will perch.

Then last but not least, the reels that will move the clock hands.

The factory runs every finished movement for two days straight to ensure it functions perfectly.

The first part that goes on the clock case is the dial.

They tack it with tiny nails.

Next, the wooden cuckoo bird.

They insert the movement's perch wire through a hole in its foot, then secure it with a screw so he doesn't fly off.

After trimming his tail so he'll fit, they screw the movement, bird and all, inside the case.

Next, the steel wires that operate the components that produce the cuckoo sound.

We'll see them shortly.

And, finally, the dial's wooden hands.

Every cuckoo clock has two chains that regulate the speed at which the movement gears turn.

As we see here in slow motion, an automated machine makes these chains one link at a time by first cutting, then bending pieces of brass wire.

Each chain goes into the case through a hole in the bottom, then onto a wheel in the movement, then back out through another hole in the bottom of the case.

"s" hooks go onto the ends.

These will hold cast-iron weights that pull the chain.

Workers rig up a small wire connecting the bird and the door.

This opens the door when he comes out to cuckoo.

as this demonstration shows, the bird's cuckoo is actually the sound of air pumping in and out of two miniature bellows.

Before each cuckoo, the hammer on the end of this steel wire hits a tiny gong.

The number of gong cuckoos indicates the hour.

After connecting the bellows to the movement, there's just one step left-- running a wire from the movement through the bottom for the pendulum.

The technical choreography can now begin.

Winding up the clock raises the chain, pulling up the weight on the end.

As the weight falls back down gradually, it pulls the chain, which turns the movement, which drives the hands of the clock.

The pendulum regulates the pace.

At this factory, a clock gets the seal of approval only after a two-day test run during which it must perform impeccably.

It's this attention to detail, both artistic and technical, that makes these traditional german cuckoo clocks such timeless treasures.

heart of palm is a vegetable that comes from certain species of palms.

It doesn't grow on the plant the way fruits and vegetables usually do.

Rather, it's the soft, edible inner core of the stems.

Harvesting palm stems and then processing them to extract the heart is very labor-intensive, which is why this delicious vegetable is a delicacy.

Life for this tropical vegetable begins in the farm's nursery, where they plant a palm seed in a pot of soil.

After a couple of weeks, they transplant the seedling into a bag, and the seedling grows.

Life in the nursery is one of routine-- scheduled feedings of fertilizer, regular weeding, and a daily shower.

After about three months, that little seedling has matured into a plant that's strong enough to go into the field.

Workers remove it from the bag gently, careful not to harm the roots.

Then they plant it in loose soil.

After about a year and a half of field growth, it's time for the first harvest.

Using a machete, the harvester grabs and chops off the main stem.

One of the remaining smaller stems will become the new main stem and be ready for harvesting in about six months' time.

This cycle continues for about a decade.

After cutting off the stem, the harvester strips the bark.

This exposes a shell underneath that protects the palm heart at the core of the stem from damage and dehydration.

Later the factory will slice off this shell like so to extract the heart.

Once the stems arrive at the factory, they go into a basin of water immediately.

This prevents dehydration.

Next workers load them on a conveyor belt, lining the bases right up against the edge.

Someone else, meanwhile, clicks a counter to tally the number of stems passing by.

The conveyor belt transports the stems to a circular saw that slices off a portion of the base.

Next workers slide each stem across a razor-sharp blade, slicing open the shell that encases the heart.

With a quick twist, the shell comes off, and they place the heart on a conveyor above.

Further down the line, the hearts run against another circular saw, which slices off what's left of the base.

Next a row of saws spaced six inches apart cuts each stem into pieces.

Now the hearts of palm are just the right size for packaging.

In the field, the stems' bark and outer shell acted as a dirt barrier.

Still, the hearts get a rinse in cold water before going into the jar.

Each jar has to contain a specific weight and number of pieces, so it goes on a scale, and, if necessary, a worker adjusts the weight by swapping a piece for one of a different size.

The jars now move onto a machine that fills them with brine, a special recipe of water, salt, and citric acid that acts as a preservative.

The brine-filled jars then go into a hot-steam machine.

It heats the liquid for about 10 minutes, almost to the boiling point.

This forces all the air out of the hearts, preparing them for pasteurization.

On the way to the pasteurization chamber, the jars pass through a capping machine, then under an ink-jet printer head, which applies the lot number and product expiration date.

Now it's into the pasteurization chamber for an hour and a half.

This intense heat, 207 degrees fahrenheit, kills off any microorganisms lurking inside the jars.

After a one-week quarantine period to ensure the hearts of palm don't deteriorate in any way, the jars are ready for labeling.

The brine and pasteurization combined give the sealed container a four-year shelf life, so whether served alone, in a salad, with pasta or rice, these hearts of palm are guaranteed to be as fresh as they are tasty.

The first windshield wipers were invented in the early 1900s by a woman who got the idea from watching a trolley driver wipe the sleet off the windshield with his hands.

After 1920, wipers became standard equipment on all cars.

Today, even the space shuttle has them.

These windshield wipers all have a rubber wiping blade.

To make it, workers load natural rubber into a mixer that breaks it down into fine grains.

Then they add powdered carbon to the rubber and leave it to mix.

After several hours, a worker cuts the rubber away from the mixer and feeds it into a heat-treating machine.

Next the natural-rubber strips enter an extrusion machine, which will combine them with the strips of synthetic rubber.

The rubber extrudes through this steel die to form a continuous profiled band.

The rubber band cools in a salt bath before it's cut into lengths, then split in half to form two wiping blades with a clean, sharp edge.

The blades go through a spray of graphite to reduce friction, then drop onto a grate to dry out.

The rubber is so smooth, it's hard to grasp, so workers must insert each blade by hand into an assembling machine.

In the center of the wiper blade is an opening into which a machine will insert a metal tension strip.

It serves to press the blade on the windshield and hold its shape.

The machine applies pneumatic pressure to literally blow the strips through the length of the blades.

This steel coil feeds into a stamping machine that repeatedly cuts and bends it to form brackets.

These brackets connect the windshield-wiper blades to the wiper arm and give them the shape they need to wipe on curved windshields.

The brackets come out of the machine in rows, still attached to the edges of the coil.

Next, the rows of brackets dip into a vat of paint to receive a base coat, followed by two more coats of black paint that will protect them from corrosion for several years.

Assemble all these pieces together, and you'll have this complete windshield wiper.

Thanks to this machine, it's a fully automated process.

First it sets a plastic joint on the smallest brackets, then clips them two at a time onto a larger middle bracket.

Next the machine sets an adaptor onto the top-center bracket so the wiper can attach to a variety of car wiper arms.

Finally, all the trays on which lie the assembled wiper parts come together as the machine proceeds with the final assembly.

Four brackets held by joints branch out from the main center bracket.

They hold the wiper blade in eight different places.

This design allows a full range of movement to the wiper while applying an even pressure all along the blade-- the key to a clean wipe with no streaking.

The completed wipers come off the assembler two at a time.

Workers visually inspect the wipers and then test the performance of the blade against a rotating sheet of wet glass.

They monitor the amount of friction the blade applies to the glass and gauge its durability.

Finally, they test the wipers on an opaque black windshield that reveals just how well they work.

With a life-span of more than a million wipes, they're surely the most reliable device on any car.


Fish Rubbings
Clay Shooting Machines
Almonds
High

today on "how it's made"...

Fish rubbings.

Clay shooting machines.

Almonds.

And high-end motorcycles.

fishermen like to exaggerate about the size of their catches.

In 19th century japan, fish rubbings were used for actual documentation.

Fishermen coated the fish with non-toxic ink and rubbed it on paper to transfer the image.

They called this form of record-keeping gyotaku.

Over time, the practice of fish rubbings has evolved into an art form.

Why paint a picture when you can print one using the real thing?

The artist traces the outline of the fish onto a foam block.

Following that outline, he cuts out a fish-shaped cavity.

He sets the fish in the cavity.

The foam will keep the fish level and stable during printing.

He tucks paper wadding into the mouth to keep it open for a more interesting print.

He also inserts wadding under the gill flaps to impede the flow of fluids from the fish.

He props up the fins with pins and leaves them to dry overnight in this elevated position.

This will give the rubbed image the illusion of action.

He wraps cosmetic sponges around wine corks and tapes them at the base.

These improvised ink applicators will eventually provide a smooth finish with no brush strokes.

He makes one for each color, plus a few extra for blending.

Next, he selects different ink colors to create a bluish green shade that's close to the one on the bluegill.

He adds poppyseed oil to thin the inks a bit and blends it all with a palette knife.

With the fins now dry and stiff, he removes the pins.

With a metal probe, he pulls up a fin that hadn't been raised earlier.

He places a paper towel between the foam support block and the fish.

He pats a greenish black color onto the gills and tail using a foam brush.

This process leaves some smears on the paper towel, but that's what it's there for.

Switching to one of the improvised applicators, he applies the bluish green ink to the upper part of the fish's body.

He dabs a yellow color onto the belly of the fish.

He adds a bit of red to the chest because during spawning, it usually turns this color.

He places a piece of paper under a fin as he coats it with green ink.

Then he removes the paper towel that has protected the foam support block from smudges and places the fish back in the cavity.

He lightly sprays a sheet of rice paper with water.

This makes it easier to manipulate, as he drapes the damp paper onto the inked fish.

He rubs the paper onto the inked fish to transfer the image.

This takes skill and the right touch.

Once he's finished, the artist peels the paper away from the fish and examines the rubbing.

After the ink has dried, he lightly sprays the rubbing with water and then a water-based dye.

The dye provides background color but doesn't affect the oil-based ink guard.

He brushes wheat paste onto a second piece of rice paper.

This paper will serve as an extra layer of reinforcement for the fish rubbing.

He wets the rubbing thoroughly.

An assistant slowly lowers the wet print onto the paper as the artist smoothes the rubbing, ensuring there are no wrinkles as it adheres.

The image of the fish's eye doesn't transfer during rubbing, so he paints one.

He defines the pupil with black watercolor and paints the iris yellow.

The painted eye adds a soulful expression to the print.

The fish rubbing is now ready to be mounted to a more rigid paper backing for extra support.

He trims the borders, ensuring that they're symmetrical and the correct measurements.

He then tapes the fish rubbing to the mounting board and signs it.

With numerous and extensive dryings between steps, it has taken several weeks to produce this fish rubbing.

Clay shooting machines launch the flying targets used in the sport of clay pigeon shooting.

The saucer-shaped targets are called clay pigeons because they replace the original targets, live pigeons.

Shooting machines can launch the targets at various intervals, angles and velocities.

This company has been building clay shooting machines since 1927.

Older models like this one were heavy steel clunkers that ran on high voltage, were difficult to move around and weren't terribly precise.

Today's machines weigh from just 88 to 220 pounds.

Not only are they easily portable, they run on just 12 volts and perform with great precision.

The machine's sturdy base is constructed from thick steel.

Its parts were cut by a computer-guided laser then welded together.

The base design enables the machine to move both laterally and vertically.

The first component the worker attaches to the base is the frame.

Made of durable epoxy-coated cast aluminum, it supports all the machine's key components.

One of them, the main shaft assembly for the throwing arm, is already installed.

A technician connects the frame to the base with heavy-duty bolts.

This slot in the frame allows the machine to tilt vertically, up to 65 degrees.

He attaches a steel extension for the throwing plate across which the throwing arm moves the clay pigeon.

This extension enables an optimal positioning of the throwing plate.

Before installing the throwing plate, he installs the indexing shaft assembly.

The indexing shaft is the finger that moves the carousel forward one column at a time.

He mounts the steel throwing plate.

It has three steel springs on its underside.

One goes over the bolt, attaching it to the far end of the extension.

The other two go over the bolt, attaching it to the frame.

These springs keep the arm parallel to the throwing plate.

Next, he screws the throwing arm to the main shaft assembly.

He checks the gap between the arm and plate to make sure the arm makes contact with the clay pigeon at just the right level.

If the alignment's off, he adjusts the height of the plate.

Then he manually turns the main shaft to make sure the throwing arm rotates smoothly.

The machine runs on a powerful electric motor that has an integrated gear train.

The technician installs the motor on the frame beneath the main shaft assembly.

Next, he attaches the steel arming spring which can withstand up to 440 pounds of pull force.

Its sudden release generates the propulsion to launch the clay pigeon of a flying speed of more than 62 miles per hour.

He mounts the support base for the carousel that holds the clay pigeons, then he screws the arming spring to the main shaft assembly.

As the shaft swings back and forth, it stretches and releases the spring.

He links the indexing shaft assembly to the motor's gear shaft.

He installs the carousel, made of cast aluminum, on the support base.

This model has a different type of motor design that enables the base to pivot automatically, launching random trajectories.

This patented system increases the carousel's capacity.

By clicking retractable extensions onto the rods that separate the columns, the operator can stack 50 percent more clay pigeons in the carousel.

When the operator presses a button on the remote control, the throwing arm rotation begins.

When the arm passes a specific point, the stretched arming spring releases, launching the pigeon.

As the arm continues its rotation, the linked indexing shaft moves the carousel forward, dropping a new clay pigeon onto the throwing plate.

When the arm comes full circle, re-stretching the arming spring, a sensor cuts power to the motor until the next press of the button.

This entire cycle takes just 2 seconds.

Almond consumption dates back to biblical times.

They're even mentioned in the old testament.

Around 100 a.d., the ancient romans showered newlyweds with almonds.

This ritual came from the belief that they increased fertility.

But today, it's the nutritional value of almonds that keeps us coming back for more.

Almonds are a guilt-free snack.

They're full of vitamins, minerals and protein.

More than 80 percent of the world's almonds come from california where growing conditions are ideal.

Upon arrival at a processing facility, the almonds are still encased in leathery hulls.

They flow through equipment that combs out debris.

The next machine, called a destoner, targets any rocks.

Air blows through it to separate the lighter almonds from the stones.

The almonds travel between a rubber roller and belt.

This spins off the hulls and releases the almonds.

The operator periodically examines the de-hulled almonds.

Vibrating decks with slots sort the almonds by size.

The system also shakes off hull material and vacuums it up.

The almonds head to a gravity table for finer separation.

The spent hulls and other material float to one side while heavier contaminants float to the other.

The in-shell almonds tumble down channels.

Cameras examine the shells for imperfections and look for contaminants, then a blast of compressed air knocks them out of the flow.

These are some of the contaminants that have been removed.

At another facility, machinery will now grade the almonds according to the condition of their shells.

Once again, the almonds fall through the open air, and a computerized camera scans them for broken shells and other flaws.

A compressed air gun then knocks the flawed almonds out of the mix.

The almonds bounce along a vibrating grid and any kernels or missed shell fragments fall through.

Finally, people sort through the almonds and reject any that don't have perfect shells.

They also toss out any contaminants the mechanized sorting system missed.

Some buyers will pay a premium for the best nuts.

The almonds with broken shells will have the shells removed.

These raw almonds are also sorted by size.

They flow onto a vibrating conveyor.

Further along, the conveyor has holes.

The smaller almonds fall through these holes and into bins.

The larger almonds continue forward.

These larger kernels are worth more and will be sold separately from the smaller ones.

As with the in-shell almonds, good looks are important.

A camera photographs the cascading almond kernels, and a computer scans the images.

The system knocks the less-than-perfect almonds out of the production stream.

Next, the almonds head towards a robot.

Along the way, another camera sends the images to a computer scanner.

This one has been programmed to find chips, scratches and even small broken bits.

The computer sends the coordinates of the damaged almonds to the robot.

The robot then finds them and plucks them out of the mix.

A human inspector now picks out any imperfect almonds that the robotic system missed.

Their flaws are just superficial.

They still taste the same, so these almonds will be processed into chocolate bars, almond butter or milk, baked goods and cereals.

The perfect almond kernels travel forward.

Just ahead, machinery moves cardboard boxes into an open position on a packaging carousel.

Sprayers apply glue to the bottom flaps, and pushers close them, sealing the boxes.

The almonds now arrive at a scale.

It releases them into the boxes in approximately 50-pound batches.

These big boxes of almonds will be shipped to other facilities to be processed into other products.

Smaller amounts will be packaged for consumer use.

A snack anyone can crack or enjoy pre-cracked, almonds are a natural and nutritious choice.

No wonder they're consumed by the handful.

During the great depression, motorcycles were an inexpensive transportation option.

They were a cheaper way to get around town.

But these days, a motorcycle can be an expensive machine.

Not for the penny-wise, high-end motorcycles are engineered and crafted for the rider with discriminating tastes.

This is not a standard mass-produced motorcycle.

This performance cruiser takes things in a different direction.

The high-end design is executed with precision, with most parts machined specifically for this bike.

Production starts with a conceptual layout.

The designer draws the motorcycle on a digital pad, producing a blueprint for the manufacturing process.

The manufacturer uses aircraft-grade aluminum to make most of the parts.

Computerized tools carve the solid aluminum into the desired shape.

This part will be the motorcycle's belt drive cover.

The carved patterns make it more visually appealing, and they reduce the cover's overall weight.

The company builds the exhaust system using stainless steel.

A technician welds the exhaust pipes together.

He then attaches several spring hangers to the steel pipe assembly.

The next part is an ignition coil mount.

A ruby probe scans the part to find the center.

Once it's been located, a software-driven cutter descends, and etches brand information and artwork into the black anodized aluminum.

This steel structure will serve as the motorcycle's skeleton.

The technician installs the 100-horsepower, fuel-injected v-twin engine.

He then mounts the six-speed transmission system to the engine.

It's equipped with a high torque shaft that's shorter than usual to make the system more compact.

He bolts it in place.

The steering stem has a framework at the base with three openings known as the triple clamp.

He slides the stem into the tube on the frame and screws a bearing onto the top.

He fastens it with a nut that will keep the bearing pressurized.

He installs a second triple clamp on the top of the assembly.

The center hole fits onto the nut.

He secures it with a steering head nut.

He inserts the suspension fork into the other two openings in the triple clamps and makes some adjustments.

He places a carbon-fiber wheel between the fork tubes.

He installs the axle that links the suspension to the front wheel hub and tightens the titanium nuts on the axle for a better fit.

Next, he connects a six-piston brake system to the suspension fork and tightens the bolts that hold it in place.

This completes the front wheel assembly.

He now attaches the handlebars, complete with dashboard gauges, controls and side-view mirrors.

He makes the final connections for the electronics.

He encases the gauges and wiring with a part called the front cowling.

The shape diverts air over the rider and away from his or her face.

A two-piece gas tank will provide more capacity.

The tanks have been carved from a solid aluminum bar, a process that's taken over 60 hours.

The tank on the right side becomes part of the frame structure, providing additional strength.

He loops belt drive pulleys around shafts to transfer power from the transmission to the rear wheel.

The motorbike is now ready for the belt drive cover we saw produced earlier.

While protecting the belt drive, this cover also gives the motorbike a distinctive look.

He mounts the left foot peg to the frame through a hole in the pulley cover.

This high-end motorcycle is now ready to hit the open road.

Making it has taken 2 weeks.

Preproduction fittings with the client have dictated the position of the foot pedals, handlebars, and the seat.

It's been tailor-made for a precision ride.

It costs more than many mid-range cars, but this high-end bike isn't for the budget crowd.

It's for those who want a one-of-a-kind ride.


Orthodontic Retainers
Orange Juice
Retractable Saunas
Sawmill Blade Knives

Today, on "how it's made," orthodontic retainers...

Orange juice...

Retractable saunas...

And sawmill blade knives.

After spending a fortune on braces to straighten your teeth, you don't want that new beautiful smile to shift back to its original position.

So, orthodontists recommend wearing a retainer for several months after the braces come off, to avoid any shifting.

Oftentimes, an orthodontist advises their patients to wear a retainer for about a year after their braces are removed.

Retainers are custom-made for each person using a model of the patient's mouth.

The orthodontist scans the patient's teeth and palate, and sends the 3-d images to a lab.

A 3-d printer builds each model by printing approximately 750 layers of material, which takes about 4 1/2 hours.

The printer prints resin and a support material.

The support material prevents the model from shifting during the printing process, and provides structural support for the resin in complex areas.

The support material is water-soluble.

Once a model is printed, they soak it in water for 10 minutes, then remove the material with a pressure washer.

A technician places the model in a vice.

Using preformed clasp made of stainless-steel wire, she fits the wire around the first molar, bending it with pliers to fit snugly around the tooth.

Then, she bends the end in a specific shape.

This step will help to anchor the wire in the retainer's acrylic palate at a later time.

She clips off excess wire, and repeats these steps for the opposite side.

Once both clasps are in position, the technician secures them with sticky wax.

Next, she assembles the front of the retainer, called the "labial bow".

To do so, she bends a piece of wire against a form.

Then, she marks where to bend the wire to create an adjustment loop on each side.

The labial bow is secured to the model with wax.

Using a pulse welder, a technician tacks the labial bow and the clasps together.

He applies flux, a chemical that preps an area for soldering.

He also applies a heat-shielding product to prevent the wires from overheating.

Next, the labial bow is soldered to the clasps with a silver-based solder that's safe to wear.

He steams off the wax, removes the finished retainer wire from the model, and polishes the solder joint.

The retainer's palate is made of acrylic, and comes in multiple colors.

A technician waxes the wire onto the model, then, applies the acrylic to the palate, embedding the ends of the wire.

The acrylic is made up of liquid and powder, which react when mixed.

She applies about three layers of each the the palate, producing an 1/8-inch thick mold.

The excess acrylic is trimmed off with a knife.

Then, she the model is placed into a pressure cooker for 10 minutes.

The pressure removes air bubbles in the acrylic, while the heat speeds up the curing.

When the acrylic is ready, the technician uses a steam gun to melt the wax holding the wire to the model.

She removes the fully formed retainer off the model.

She trims the acrylic with a grinding wheel to smooth out rough areas and refine the shape.

With a hand tool, she smoothes the entire surface, so it won't irritate the patient's mouth.

Another technician runs the acrylic palate against a muslin-rag wheel with pumice, a natural abrasive.

This makes the surface glossy.

He applies a greaseless polishing compound to another muslin-rag wheel, and polishes the acrylic to a high shine.

Finally, he drops the retainer into an ultrasonic cleaning machine containing mild acid.

The combination of acid and sonic waves removes the pumice and polish residues.

Once the retainer has been rinsed with water and dried, it's placed it in a storage case.

Now, it's ready to be shipped to the orthodontist.

No one knows who came up with the idea of squeezing oranges to make juice.

The popularity of orange juice increased dramatically in the middle of the 20th century, as techniques were developed to extend its shelf life.

Today, many people start their day with a tall glass of o.j. in its purest form, orange juice fresh-squeezed and made with no preservatives or other additives.

The appeal is indisputable.

Fresh-squeezed o.j. contains vitamin c, and the flavor is authentic.

Orange juice production starts in groves.

The trees take several months to bear fruit, and are harvested in early november.

Picking oranges a job that's done entirely by hand.

An automated picking system could damage both the trees and the fruit.

The picker uses a bag made of vinyl composite that's lightweight and heavy-duty.

There are multiple types of juicing oranges.

This one is called "the hamlin".

Hamlin oranges are small and juicy, the trees they grow on are productive and resilient to cold.

The picker plucks the fruit from the trees before they turn orange.

They may be green on the outside, but they are still sweet on the inside.

The fruits' size and condition are indications of maturity and flavor.

As the picker empties the bag into a bin, he examines the oranges.

Anything with tears or punctures may also have internal degradation, but superficial flaws won't affect the quality of the juice.

The oranges are taken to a processing facility, and transferred to a sloped chute.

The gradient of the chute prevents damage as the oranges tumble into a wash station.

A sprayer rains soapy water onto the oranges as spiraling nylon brushes scrub and clean, while simultaneously moving them forward.

After the wash, another sprayer rinses them off as the spiraling brushes continue scrubbing.

The oranges transition to a roller conveyor that takes them up and under drying fans.

As the oranges exit the dryer, an inspector checks them for any missed damage.

The oranges then travel across more revolving brushes.

The bristles on these brushes are gentler than on the first group.

They buff the skin of the fruit, and remove any residual dirt.

Finally, the oranges fall off the conveyor line into a bin.

Now cleaned, the oranges can be juiced with no contaminants that could spoil either the product or juicing machinery.

As a final precaution, the juicing operator performs one last inspection.

If she's completely satisfied with their cleanliness and general condition, she loads the oranges into the extractor.

There's no need to slice them beforehand.

She feeds them to the juicing machine whole.

The system feeds the oranges one at a time to the extractor.

The extractor punctures the fruit, and metal teeth peel away the skin.

It squeezes out the juice while simultaneously filtering out the seeds and the membrane between the flesh of the orange and the skin.

The juice flows into a vat.

A screen in the vat filters the pulp to the desired consistency.

There are different filters for different amounts of pulp.

The juice is bottled in jugs.

The plastic jugs will accommodate any expansion of the unpasteurized juice due to fermentation.

Instead of pasteurizing this fresh-squeezed juice, it is chilled immediately.

The unpasteurized orange juice won't have an extended shelf life, but the trade-off is an unaltered flavor and color.

Refrigeration will preserve the juice for a few days-- and after all, fresh-squeezed orange juice is a drink that's best served cold.

There's nothing more relaxing than sitting in a hot sauna.

Our ancestors figured that out at least 1,000 years ago.

Today, saunas are a substantial part of finnish culture, but they also have a long history in other parts of the world, especially in korea.

When you live in a city, it's hard to find the space to fit a sauna.

Luckily, this retractable indoor sauna solves the problem.

The manufacturer uses high-strength laminates from sustainably sourced wood products.

Laminate wood is not only strong, it's torsion-resistant, which is an important factor when you're constructing something that will undergo significant shifts in temperature.

To cut the laminate, a craftsman uses a chop saw, which contains a computerized system that positions the fenced tolerances within a tenth of a millimeter.

At the next station, the craftsman positions the laminate so that a cnc machine can drill end holes before assembling a pair of dowels.

Meanwhile, another craftsman preps several wood components for assembly.

After placing them on an edge, he fills a set of open holes with high-strength glue.

He assembles the laminate by inserting dowels into openings and gently hammering everything into position.

This part will form the framework for one of the highly engineered insulated panels.

The framework is placed into a press that exerts a calibrated amount of pressure to every side.

This steps ensures a solid and durable connection at all points.

This is high-performance insulating material.

Thanks to specialized engineering, it insulates more effectively than many other sauna materials.

This material also allows the manufacturer to maintain the sleek design of the sauna system.

With the insulation in place, a craftsman feeds the panels into a precision planer, to ensure the wood contains a uniform thickness.

A technician begins a process called "frame-stability construction," this method adds a series of layers to each panel, including exterior sheathing, insulation material, a vapor barrier, and interior plywood paneling.

These will add up to a thickness of only 30 millimeters, achieving a high-insulating value while remaining lightweight.

A specialized adhesive is applied to attach each layer.

Then, a customized press applies heat and pressure to bond all the layers securely together.

After a quick inspection check, a technician carries the panels to a cnc milling machine, where they position it for trimming.

The cnc machine gauges the dimensions of the panel, and runs a bit around the perimeter, trimming the edges to a uniform width at high speed.

Once complete, the panels advance on conveyor belts.

An automated machine uses an adhesive to add a veneer to the perimeter then, it applies heat and pressure to secure the bond.

The process is known as "zero joints," because it covers up the panel's visible joinery.

The machine can apply a range of different veneers, depending on customers' specifications.

The control panel allows users to customize the temperature and duration of a sauna session.

Customers can also choose from a variety of pre-installed programs.

Two drive buttons control the extension and retraction of the sauna.

To extend and retract, the manufacturer custom-made this track-wheel system, the system includes durable guides, self-lubricating components, and industrial-strength ball bearings.

A craftsman carefully joins the structured wall, ceiling, and floor panels.

Thanks to precision machining, they fit together perfectly, making it easy to assemble the parts wherever a customer wants their sauna.

Then, the craftsman installs the heart of the sauna.

The manufacturer has engineered this compact powerful heater with a specialized finish that makes the usual safety guard unnecessary.

Retractable saunas-- for the most efficient sweat possible.

After years of carving wood into lumber, sawmill blades eventually lose their cutting edge.

So, craftsmen are salvaging the discarded carbon steel, and making them into knives for hunting and outdoor use.

When it comes to sustainability, this is a new kind of cutting edge.

What was once an old sawmill blade is now a sleek, new brush-cutting knife-- proof that the future doesn't have to be dull for discarded mill blades.

A sawmill blade lasts 5 to 10 years.

But when it jagged edges wear thin, it can't cut logs anymore.

Luckily, the carbon steel can be salvaged.

A computerized high-pressure water tool cuts into a stack of three sawmill blades.

In doing so, it carves out numerous knife blade blanks.

The computerized tool also cuts holes for the handles and a tab for attaching the knife sheath.

Next, the blades are transferred to a vibratory tumbler.

The tumbler is filled with triangular ceramic stones and a soapy solution.

For several hours, the vibrating stones smooth and clean the blades.

Once complete, a technician secures the blades in a fixture with screws.

The screws hold the blades down flat, and lock them in position for the next step.

This tool's spiral bit carves into the steel to shave small amounts from around the edges.

This improves the shape of the knife and ensures that the knife handle will fit perfectly on the tang.

The trimming also removes the lines left by the water-jet cutting.

One of the blades is placed in a fixture that holds the knife with the cutting edge in an upward position.

A technician ignites an automated torch.

The torch follows the blade, exposing it to intense heat.

The torch doesn't touch the blade's spine.

This selective heat treatment hardens only the blade.

An operator places the blade into a bucket of quenching oil.

This rapid cooldown completes the hardening process.

Next, the cutting edge is beveled, and the entire blade is coated with a thermoplastic polymer, which provides a hard finish and prevents rust.

Then, the knives are transferred to a laser-emblazoning chamber.

Another technician closes the chamber doors and activates the laser.

The computerized laser etches the company logo, the knives' model number, and other information into the steel.

At the next station, a technician moves a blade against and abrasive belt held in by a special fixture along a track.

This angles the blade precisely to the abrasive belt to grind the cutting edge and complete the bevel.

This brush-cutting blade is now almost razor-sharp.

He sharpens the tip of the knife by gentling pressing it against another abrasive belt.

Next, he applies an abrasive compound to a buffing wheel.

He presses the cutting edge of the knife against the wheel, and the abrasive compound works its magic, honing the edge to its final sharpness.

He presses threaded fittings into the tang of the knife.

He installs them so that the fittings protrude from both sides of the tang.

The fittings in the tang have been spaced to match holes in a handle.

This handle is made of composite glass and resin.

There are two parts, one for each side of the tang.

Due to the precision prep work, the two parts fit together perfectly as one.

Screws hold the handle parts together.

He dips the tips in a thread-lock solution.

When the thread-lock solution cures, it stabilizes the screws.

With multiple thread-locked screws, the composite handle now has a solid handgrip.

It's taken several hours to transform a blunt sawmill blade into a sharp brush-cutting knife.

Through recycling, steel that lost its edge now has a new one.