08x03 - Lacrosse Sticks/Frozen Fish Products/Flashlights/Paintbrushes

[bunniefuu]

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

Lacrosse sticks...

...frozen fish products...

...flashlights...

...and paintbrushes.

Lacrosse is north america's
oldest sport.

It was back in the 1400s

That native people
got the ball rolling,

Playing with a distinctive
netted stick.

French missionaries
decided the stick resembled

The stafflike crosier, or cross,
carried by bishops.

And so the game became lacrosse.

Lacrosse has never been
more popular than it is today.

To make a lacrosse stick,

They split a hickory log
down the middle.

This tree was cut in the fall
when the sap is out,

So it's easier to work with.

They continue subdividing
the log into eight pieces.

Each piece then goes through
a band saw,

Which trims it to a width
of 2 1/2 inches.

Hickory is the wood of choice

Because it's tough
and can withstand

The high-impact game
of lacrosse.

But to work with it,
they need to soften it up,

So they steam the sticks
for 45 minutes.

Then a craftsman places
the hickory stick in a jig.

In this steamy state,
the wood is completely flexible.

He easily curls one end
around a form by hand.

He loops wire around it so it
will hold its crooklike shape

While the wood dries
for one month.

At the end of that month,

He puts the other end
of the stick in a steamy jig

And bends it back
just below the crook.

This is called the back bend.

He sets it on a rack
to dry and harden.

This is the basic form,

And as you can see, it resembles
the bishop's crosier,

The one that inspired
the name of the game.

After two weeks of drying,
the stick is ready to be carved.

Using a drawknife, he shaves
the bark from the stick.

Then he sculpts it thinner,

Following the bends
of the stick.

The carver is an artisan

Who has the experience and skill
to do this job well,

Which is important

Because the stick must be
approved by the toughest judge,

The player.

Next they drill holes
in the curve of the stick --



Then they give it
a heavy sanding.

The surface has to be
absolutely smooth

So the player
won't get any splinters.

Then, using a rag, they rub
linseed oil into the stick

To keep the wood
from getting too dry.

The brand name goes on.

And now it's time for the weaver

To build the sidewall
of the net.

In the old days,
they used rawhide for this,

But today they weave
with nylon string.

He interlaces it
with leather runners

That have been threaded through
the holes at the back bend.

He brushes polyurethane
on the completed side web

To stiffen it.

Next he attaches the other end
of the leather runners

To the top of the crook.

The player will be able

To change the depth
of the netted pocket

To his or her preference.

He interlaces the leather runner
weave with the nylon sidewall...

...and then pulls
the woven pocket over a post

To give it some shape.

He loops the ends of the leather
runners in a half hitch

And snips off the excess.

Every detail of this lacrosse
stick has been handcrafted.

It's a process
that's taken three months.

And now let the games begin.

Narrator:
since prehistoric times,

The innuit have used
quick-freezing to preserve fish.

They threw their catch
onto the arctic ice

To instantly freeze it.

It wasn't until
the early 20th century

That the rest of the world

Discovered that this was better
than slow freezing.

It's a case of progress
moving at a glacial pace.

Fish that's rapidly frozen
right on the ship

Is more flavorful
and retains its texture.

This is minced cod frozen solid.

It underwent quick-freezing
in china

And was shipped
in this frozen state

All the way
to this nova scotia facility

Where it will be turned into
fish sticks.

A worker loads the fish blocks
into a machine.

A powerful ram forces the blocks
through knives,

Which slice them into logs

That are about 19 inches
in length.

Workers load the logs
vertically into slots.

Below, more knives
slice the logs into sticks.

They get 85 fish sticks
from one log.

They check for breaks as the
sticks move to the next station.

At another production line,

They dump quick-frozen
haddock fillets

Into a big, steel hopper.

It funnels them
to a flighted conveyor.

The conveyor meters the fillets

And drops each bunch
onto a vibrating table.

The vibrations
separate the fillets

As they move into lanes...

And shuffle down
to an inspection station

Where flaws
can be easily spotted.

Now it's time for a hot shower.

It lasts just a second.

The hot water melts the fillets'
protective glaze

But doesn't thaw
the fish itself.

Deglazing allows the coating
mixture to stick to the fish.

The fish sticks
are now traveling

Through a curtain of batter

Made of flour, water,
and spices.

The excess collects
in a pan below

And coats the bottoms
of the fish sticks.

Back on the haddock
production line,

They're loading
a toasted wheat blend

Into a machine called a breader.

It creates a thick shower
of crumbs below

That evenly coats the fillets
as they journey through.

Then the breaded, frozen fillets
head for the fryer.

The fish sticks go through
a fryer, too, for 28 seconds,

Just long enough
to cook the outside coating,

But the fish remains frozen
on the inside.

With the coating baked on,

The fish sticks and fillets are
now en route to the freezers.

Meanwhile, over on a third
production line,

They dump oil and red peppers
into a high-speed mixer.

They add some parsley
for seasoning,

Then hand-stir it
while it steam-cooks.

The red-pepper sauce
cascades from an applicator,

Saturating these frozen
tilapia fillets.

This coating sticks
without being fried,

So the tilapia fillets

Head straight
for the spiraling freezer.

The fish sticks
and breaded haddock fillets

Are in similar freezers.

After 45 minutes,

The haddock slides down a chute

Which weighs it
to portion it out.

Heated jaws seal the bagged
haddock fillets.

An oscillating feeder deposits
the fish sticks into boxes.

One last inspection
and they're ready for retail.

They vacuum-pack
the tilapia fillets,

And this meal is sealed.

And now there's
plenty of fish to fry,

Depending on
where your tastes lie.

Narrator: the flashlight
can illuminate any situation,

But the first version, invented
in the late 19th century,

Wasn't all that efficient.

It produced
only flashes of light,

So it was named "flashlight."

The flashlight shows us the way
when things look dim.

To make a military flashlight,

They place an aluminum bar
in a computerized lathe.

Blades go to work and shape it
into a flashlight body.

As a drill hollows out the bar,

Coolant flushes over it to
prevent the metal from expanding

As the tooling heats things up.

This blade cuts threads
on the outside

So they can screw on
a flashlight lens cap later.

A gripper now pulls out the tube

So tools can work
on the back half.

A blade slims that section down

And then carves
the cross weave onto it.

This heavy texture will make
the flashlight easier to grip.

Next they drill a hole
in the flashlight's tail stud.

It's an attachment
for the wrist strap.

After the flashlight body
has taken shape,

They give it
a black, protective coating.

Next, using tons of force,

A machine injects hot plastic
into a mold,

Which forms the lens
for the flashlight.

They place the lens in a jig
and unscrew the mold core.

The core has formed threads
in the lens

So it can be screwed onto
the flashlight body later.

They use another injection mold

To make plastic
flashlight bodies.

The plastic flashlights

Are for more general use
than the aluminum ones.

For custom orders, they stamp
a logo onto the flashlight

Using a hot-foil press.

Next they insert light-emitting
diodes into a circuit board.

The diodes are electronic lamps
that are very bright

And can be used instead of
traditional incandescent bulbs.

They solder the diodes'
lead wires to a circuit board

And then trim them
with snippers.

The diodes are now secured and
connected to the circuit board.

For bigger flashlights,
they use a lot of diodes --

Up to 60 of them
for this flashlight

That's being made
for search-and-rescue work.

Next a stamping press shapes
the bronze battery contacts.

An ultrasonic welder
bonds them to a plastic plate.

Then they solder a wire
from the diodes to the contacts.

The lamp part of the flashlight
is now built.

Now they insert springs into
the aluminum flashlight bodies.

They load the batteries,

And the springs
hold them in place.

They slide the lamp assembly
into the flashlight cavity

And screw the lens on.

This aluminum flashlight

Has just been put together
in a flash.

They move on
to the plastic flashlight.

The battery contact
and spring assembly goes in,

Followed by the batteries.

The light-emitting diode lamp
is next.

They screw the lens
onto the lamp.

The plastic glare shield
is the final touch.

And now these flashlights
are ready to shine.

Narrator:
if you've got a paint job to do,

The right type of brush
can make all the difference.

When you opt for latex paint,

It's best to use a paintbrush
with synthetic bristles.

They're typically
made of nylon or polyester.

If you're painting
with oil-based paint,

You can use
either a synthetic brush

Or one with bristles
made of natural animal hair.

For natural bristles,

This factory uses pig hair
imported from china

That arrives in bundles
sorted by length.

Each paintbrush contains
up to five different lengths.

This bristle structure makes
the brush sufficiently stiff.

All five lengths

Go into a specially designed
mixing machine.

First it combs the bristles,

Straightening them out
and removing any curved hairs.

Then it spreads
the bristles flat

And mixes the lengths together.

Now a worker takes a handful
of bristles from the mixer

And pats them
on a vibrating table.

Like human hairs, animal hairs
have a root and a tip.

The vibrations make
all the butt ends line up flat.

Each handful
goes into a storage box

Until it's time to install
the bristles in the ferrule,

The steel band
that goes around the paintbrush.

This machine makes the ferrules.

It shapes a thin steel strip
that's 1.1 to 1.6 inches wide.

Rollers imprint beads
to make the strip more rigid

And a herringbone pattern
that is purely cosmetic.

Then a blade cuts the strip
into pieces

That are long enough
to wrap around the brush.

The machine bends each piece
around a forming horn,

Then joins the ends
in a strong lock seam.

Hammers flatten the seam,
and the ferrule is finished.

Back to the bristles now.

A brush-making machine
will join them to the ferrules.

Workers load
the mixed batches of bristles

Into one of the machine's
feeders

And the ferrules into the other.

The machine picks up
the required amount of bristles.

Transfer jaws grab the tips
and insert them in a ferrule.

A vibrating device
called a patter

Pushes the bristles in straight.

A continuous strip of cardboard

Feeds the next part
of the equipment.

The machine parts the bristles,
cuts off,

And slots in
a piece of cardboard.

This centerpiece,
as it's called,

Creates a well
inside the brush head

To help hold the paint.

The machine
then pulls the bristles out

To the proper length,

Leaving about a quarter inch
inside the ferrule.

Once the brush heads
come off the machine,

Workers pick out
the loose bristles.

The lightweight
paintbrush handles

Are made of plastic pellets.

A vacuum loader

Sucks the material
up to a molding machine

Which melts the pellets
at about 400 degrees fahrenheit.

The machine then injects
the molten plastic

Into handle-shaped molds.

Five minutes later,

The machine ejects the handles
from the molds.

Workers attach


And hang them across paint vats,

Then lower the handles
into the paint slowly

To avoid creating air bubbles.

The first coat is a primer.

After a half-hour, the handles
are ready for the next coat.

This time, the vat contains
colored paint.

It dries to a matte finish
in 30 minutes.

The third vat
contains clear lacquer.

This coat protects the paint
and makes the surface glossy.

Now it's time to glue
the bristles to the ferrules

With strong epoxy glue.

It seeps down
into the bristle base.

Workers now load the finished
brush heads and handles

Into an assembly machine.

The machine inserts a handle
into each brush head,

sh**ting two or three nails
into each side to secure it.

Finally, a printing machine
stamps the company name

Onto one side of each handle.

Paintbrushes come in a wide
range of widths and thicknesses,

Providing different strokes
for different folks.

If you have any comments
about the show,

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topics for future shows,

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