10x09 - Dress Forms/Boat Propellers/Duvet/Faucets

[bunniefuu]

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

Dress forms...

...boat propellers...

...duvets...

...and faucets.

When it comes to dressmaking,
a dummy can be a lot of help.

These dummies
are known as dress forms,

And they're full-scale
reproductions of the human body.

They give seamstresses a form on
which to solve fitting problems.

They're also used to showcase
outfits in storefronts

Where they can look pretty smart
all dressed up.

For centuries, the fashion
industry has relied on dummies

To act as stand-ins

So clients don't have to endure
lengthy fittings.

Sometimes,
a form is even custom-made

As the client's
exact body double.

To make one of these forms,

A worker starts
by soaking cardboard in water.

It's strong and porous,

So it can absorb a lot of water
without falling apart.

He positions the back half
of a plaster body mold,

Then rips a soaked
cardboard sheet in two.

He dips his gloved hand in paste

And slathers it
on the cardboard.

This paste is a combination
of plaster and tacky glue.

Then, in a process
called feathering,

He makes a series of tears
along the edge of the cardboard.

Next, the glue-coated cardboard

Is pressed into the shape
of the body mold,

Building up several layers.

Some pieces are arranged
lengthwise

And others horizontally
for a tight interweave.

Overlapping the feathered edges
helps to interlock them,

And a few taps with a hammer
makes them level.

The worker lifts a few
of the feathered edges...

...then joins the front
of the body to the back.

The cardboard forms fit loosely
on top of one another.

It takes even more paste
to seal them together.

The worker manipulates the end
of a paste-covered tool

Inside the cavity, overlapping
loose layers with adhesive.

Finally, he opens the mold
to reveal the shape.

This dummy is a size 12.

After 24 hours of drying
in the open air,

The form goes into an oven

Where it bakes at 350 degrees
for 8 hours.

This causes the moisture
to evaporate from the form,

Hardening it.

A worker scrapes off all
the rough bits with a rasp...

...then sands it smooth.

Another worker draws lines
on the form with a pencil.

He'll use these marks as guides
as he cuts into the dress form

To make the shoulders
collapsible.

He carves out slots
on each side of the form,

Then peels back layers
on either side of the slots.

This allows him to install
hinges level to the form

So they won't protrude
and ruin a fitting job.

The dress form then undergoes
some major surgery.

A worker
slices open both shoulders,

But leaves them attached to the
rest of the form by the hinges.

He makes sure
they function smoothly...

...then trims the dress form
along the incisions.

This will allow the shoulders
to be collapsed into the form,

A feature that makes it easier
to pull a garment on and off.

This piece of pliable steel
is a spring for a mechanism

That locks the collapsed
shoulders in position.

Along with the rest
of the locking mechanism,

It's attached to wooden supports
in each shoulder.

The dress form is now covered
in layers of jersey and linen.

These pins will serve
as reference points

For the seamstress.

Another worker then washes
the dummy with a sponge,

Shrinking the fabric
to the form.

The dress form
gets the stamp of approval.

A worker then gives the headless
body a metal collar...

...and caps it off
with a gold-colored finial.

And now you have a body shape
that's made to measure.

When we return,

We'll take you up to speed
at a boat propeller factory.

Narrator:
boat propellers were invented

In the early 19th century,

And they've been making waves
ever since.

These propellers rotate
in a screwlike fashion,

Drawing water in
and pushing it out

To move the boat
across the water.

With a steel propeller,

You can zip across the lake
in a flash

And make a real splash.

Production begins
with wax pellets,

Which are melted until they're
the consistency of toothpaste.

Nearby, a mold
of a boat propeller closes,

And the thick wax
is injected into it.

It takes about a minute

For the wax to cool
into the propeller shape,

Which will serve as a pattern
for the metal prop.

A shot of compressed air

Helps extract a wax funnel
from its mold.

It's called the pour cup.

We'll find out
what's poured into it later on.

After a cast shape
is wiped down,

Its flat end is softened
on a burner

And joined to the glue-coated
end of the pour cup.

Workers dip the attached pieces
into hot wax

To fill any gaps in the joint.

A quick wash and rinse

Gets rid of any oily residues
left behind.

Here, a robot submerges
a rack of propellers

In a special solution that gives
them a nonstick coating.

Then it's over to a tank

Containing a mix
of silica sand and water.

The robot dips the wax
propellers several times,

Then plunges them into various
ceramic-based concoctions.

After each dipping,

The propellers go into a machine
that showers them with sand.

Then they dry under fans.

The process of dipping
and sand bathing

Builds up a hard ceramic shell
around the wax.

Workers load the propellers

Into a pressurized oven
called an autoclave,

Where the wax melts away,
leaving only the ceramic shells.

Those shells are then fired
in big ovens,

The way potters bake ceramics
to strengthen them.

Nearby,
molten steel is bubbling,

Heated to the melting point
by electrical induction coils.

A worker takes a ceramic
propeller shell out of the oven,

Then the searing steel is poured
into it through the pour cup.

The steel
immediately begins to cool,

Causing cracks
in the ceramic shell.

Any remaining bits of ceramic

Are knocked off
with a metal rod.

Now it's time
to get rid of the pour cup,

Which has already
served its purpose.

They grind the edges
to smooth them.

Then a more intensive grinding

Removes any corrosion
on the surface.

Talk about putting your shoulder
to the grindstone --

This process
takes skill and strength.

The propellers are lowered into
a series of vibrating polishers.

The friction
from these pulsating cones

Smooths out the grind lines on
the propellers and adds shine.

Finally, each propeller
gets the once-over from a laser

That measures the blades
from all angles.

It sends the information
to a computer

Which compares it
to the specifications.

If it checks out,

The propeller will be on its way
to a waterway,

Ready to launch.

Up next...

Getting down
on the duvet production line.

Narrator: "down" is the term
for belly feathers of waterfowl,

Primarily ducks and geese.

Made from interlocking fibers

That create
micro-size air pockets,

Down works something
like a scuba diver's wet suit.

The bird's body heat
warms the trapped air,

And the warm air then insulates
the bird against the cold water.

Regular feathers
have a central stem

From which the fibers emanate.

Down is more lightweight,
and its fibers are in clusters.

Bags of plumage
from waterfowl farms

Arrive at the feather-and-down
processing factory.

The first step is to separate
the down from the feathers.

A vacuum hose sucks everything
up into a sorting machine

That has four air chambers
side by side.

In the first one,
the air blows everything upward.

The heaviest feathers
rise just partway,

While the lighter plumage

Floats through an opening
into the next chamber.

Same air-sorting process
there --

Heaviest stays,
lighter moves on.

This continues
until there's only pure down

In the fourth and final chamber.

A vacuum hose then transfers the
down to the cleaning machines.

First, agitation and suction

Remove any dirt
trapped inside the fibers.

Then a 13-cycle, hot-water wash
with soap kills bacteria.

A degreaser strips the natural
oils that coat the down fibers,

And the last rinse cycle

Applies an antibacterial,
antifungal treatment.

The next machine spins the down
to remove the water.

When the down comes out,
it's still a bit damp.

A robotic machine
called the picker

Gathers small batches at a time

And loads them
into a steam dryer.

After processing,

The factory's lab tests a sample
from each batch for cleanliness.

Technicians
also evaluate "loft,"

The technical term
for filling power.

The higher the loft,

The better the down
will insulate.

They measure how much space
the sample fills.

If the down
meets specifications,

The factory bags the batch for
shipping to the duvet factory.

First stop there --
a holding tank.

A programmable filling machine

Extracts a specific amount
of down

And transfers it to a canister.

Next, a worker
shoots the canister's contents

In a duvet's fabric shell.

To keep the down
evenly distributed

Throughout the duvet,

The shell is sewn
into sections called boxes.

Emptying one tube at a time,
they fill one box at a time.

Air pressure piles all the down
at one end of the box,

But it'll get spread out later
in the process.

The open ends of each row

Are temporarily closed
with a plastic clip.

Then, when all the boxes
are filled,

It's off
to the sewing department.

There, seamstresses
stitch the open ends closed

And sew on labels
and washing instructions.

A light table allows them to see
the down within each box.

Then they spread it out evenly

Using, of all things,
badminton rackets.

The 100%-cotton shell

Has gone through
a high-pressure treatment

To fuse its fibers so that
no down can poke through.

The factory also stuffs
bedding items with feathers.

Back at the processing factory,

Feathers go through the same
post-washing tests as the down.

To measure cleanliness,

Lab technicians soak a sample
from each batch

In distilled water.

Then they strain the water...

Mix it with sulfuric acid...

And add a potassium compound.

They analyze the color
of the liquid

To gauge its oxygen content.

If the oxygen level's under 10,

The feathers are clean enough
to ship to the duvet factory.

There,
the feather-filling process

Is just like
the down-filling process,

Only with bigger canisters
and blowing nozzles

To accommodate
the larger feathers

And larger fabric shells.

Feathers are heavier than down
and have less insulating power,

But they're more affordable.

Down is only found
on the bird's belly,

And that scarcity
makes it expensive.

That explains why high-end
bedding contains 100% down,

While the rest contains
either a down-and-feather mix

Or feathers alone.

But when it comes to getting
a cozy night's sleep,

There's no "downside"
to any of those options.

Coming up...

A production line where they
know how to go with the flow.

Narrator: faucets were actually
invented by the ancient romans.

But when their empire collapsed,

So did their water and sewer
systems.

It took many centuries

For running water
to make a comeback

And for water
to become available on tap.

Today, faucets are
an indispensable part

Of our daily lives.

Modern faucets
come in many different designs,

But inside, they all have
the same basic components.

Workers start
by setting a brass spout tube

On a revolving support.

An automated dispenser
applies silver solder

To the inside rim of the spout.

They press a threaded tip
into the spout,

Then dip the other end
of the tube in flux paste,

Which cleans the brass
and prevents tarnishing.

The tubes are set
against brass hubs.

Then torches liquefy the solder,

Which flows into the joint,
sealing the tube to the hub.

The threaded tip
is soldered in turn.

A carriage
now moves the faucet spouts

Against buffing wheels
coated with polishing compound

For a mirror finish.

A wheel with an abrasive surface

Gives that finish
a brush texture.

The faucet spouts
are dipped in an acid bath

Laced with dissolved nickel.

The application
of an electric current

Draws the dissolved nickel
onto the brass spouts,

Plating them
with a thin, even layer.

Next, the faucet spouts
and other parts

Are loaded
into a special chamber.

Inside, an electron beam
flashes like lightning

As it spirals
around the zirconium rod.

This causes the zirconium
to vaporize.

The vapors mix with gases
being pumped into the chamber

And bond to the faucet

For a final finish
that's virtually indestructible.

The other parts of the faucets
get the same treatment.

Meanwhile,
a blade slices a solid-brass rod

Into smaller pieces.

A variety of cutting tools

Machine the brass lump
to make a faucet body.

It will house a ball valve

That controls the volume
and temperature of the water.

A jaw grabs the other end
of the brass body

To position it
for more drilling.

Several tools carve out holes
that will act as waterways.

The waste brass gets recycled.

That piece of solid brass

Has now been transformed into
a pivotal piece for the faucet,

The valve body.

With copper tubes
and brass fittings now attached,

The faucet slides
into the baseplate.

That's the plate
that sits on the sink deck.

Working from underneath,
it's fastened with screws.

Next, a robot puts one-half
of a stainless-steel ball

In a spinning vice,
which orients it

So an automated welder
can join it to the other half.

The ball's openings align
with hot and cold inlets

In the faucet body

To regulate the flow of water
into the spout.

Rubber seals are inserted

Into those inlet holes
in the faucet body.

Rubber o-rings on the body

Will both form a seal
and allow the spout to swivel.

In goes the ball valve.

Then a rubber seal caps it off.

The aerator
is screwed onto the spout,

And pneumatic driver
tightens it down.

The spout assembly is secured
to the rest of the faucet

With a metal bonnet.

Now it's time to see
how this faucet functions.

An inspector connects it
to a pressurized water source

For a test run.

Finally, the handle is attached
to the rest of the faucet,

And it's ready to ship out.

Included in the box are the
spray hose and support system,

Which will be installed on-site.

It takes a day or two
to build one of these faucets.

But it will be on clean-up duty
for many years to come.

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