15x02 - Leather Briefcases/Crop-Dusters/Corn Whiskey/Drag-Racing Clutches

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Narrator: Briefcases
come in many styles today.

The classic type
is a rigid rectangular box

Made up of two hinged sections
that close together.

It's often referred to
as an attaché case

Because it was traditionally
the type of briefcase

Used in diplomatic circles by
cultural or military attachés.

These luxury attachés
are entirely handcrafted,

Made from English
bridal leather,

A fine leather traditionally
used for horse saddles.

The cutter lays out patterns
for the various parts,

Then trims around them.

Leather, being an animal hide,

Naturally has scars
and blemishes here and there,

So he's careful
to select blemish-free areas

For use as the main surfaces.

Next he uses a punch press

To cut out what are called
foundation boards,

Which will reinforce
the leather.

At this point, an expert
leather craftsman takes over.

He positions each foundation
board on the leather.

Using a tool
called a bone folder,

He marks where the leather
will fold over each board.

Then he coats the boards
with leather-bonding glue...

...And positions them
along the fold lines he marked.

With a tool called a sleeker,

He pushes out air pockets
and excess glue.

This ensures a thorough,
wrinkle-free bond.

Next, with a tool
called a stitch marker,

He perforates the edges
of the leather.

This ensures the stitching will
be straight and evenly spaced.

It also sets the angle
of the stitches,

Essential for both aesthetics
and durability.

Now he bevels the leather.

This leaves
what's known as a raw edge,

Which he then colors and seals
with a reddish stain

That highlights
the tan-colored leather.

The attaché case frame
is made of steel.

The craftsman
uses contact adhesive

To mate the frame to the
foundation board and leather.

Now he can sew the leather.

He inserts an awl
in each stitch hole

To clear a path
through the leather and boards.

Then he passes two strong
saddle-stitching needles

In opposite directions,

Pulling the pure-linen threads
waxed with tallow.

Next he rivets in place
two traditional-style locks

Made of hand-polished brass.

Then he constructs the handle by
sewing several layers of leather

Around a piece of steel.

The handle has a raised rib
on the top and bottom.

These risers, as they're called,

Make the handle
comfortable to hold.

He uses the bone folder to fit
a piece of finishing leather

Snugly against the risers.

He glues finishing leather
around the handle ends...

...Feeds each end
through a brass ring...

...Then folds over the ends
to lock in the rings.

Then he wraps
the rest of the leather under

And hand-stitches all around.

The rings attach
to brass handle plates,

Which he secures from the inside
with washers and bolts.

Next he glues in
the lid-pocket assembly...

...An all-leather organizer
that contains pen loops

And pockets for files
and business cards.

Finally, he lines the bottom
section with sheepskin leather

That's been coated
with a semigloss glaze

So it can be wiped clean
with a damp cloth.

The outer leather is strong
and weather-resistant

Because it's been tanned with
natural plant and tree extracts,

Then conditioned by hand
with fish oils and lanolin,

Centuries-old techniques
they still use

To make luxury leather goods
today.

Narrator: Crop dusters
are airplanes

Specially outfitted
for aerial spraying.

Farmers use them to seed fields

And apply pesticides
and fertilizer.

The aquaculture industry
uses them to feed fish,

And emergency crews fly them to
spread retardant on forest fires

And dispersants on oil spills.

Depending on its size,

A crop duster can carry
up to 2,700 liters

Of liquid or dry material.

The plane is designed
to be able to swoop down low

To accurately cover
the target spray area.

At the factory,
they manually weld

Lightweight aircraft-grade
steel tubes

To construct the frame
of the fuselage.

Next they use
spring-loaded fasteners

To affix aluminum panels
to the sides.

An anti-rust coating turns
the aluminum golden color.

All the plane's aluminum parts
require this coating,

Because many of the chemicals
crop dusters carry

Are corrosive.

The tank that holds those
chemicals is called a hopper.

The factory molds it out
of many layers of fiberglass,

Which is deliberately
transparent.

This enables the pilot
to see at a glance

Roughly how much chemical
remains.

Inside each of the plane's wings

Is a row of vertical supports
called webs.

To make each web, they lay
a soft aluminum sheet on a mold,

Place a rubber mat on top, then
load the assembly into a press.

A built-in water bag distributes
the pressure evenly.

This helps form
the aluminum sheet perfectly.

Next they soak the web
for a half-hour

In molten sodium chloride

At more than


Then they immediately submerge
the web in lukewarm water.

This triggers
a molecular reaction

That hardens the aluminum.

Each wing contains 32 webs.

Technicians line them up
in an assembly fixture

In between the wing's
horizontal beams called spars.

Once they've riveted the webs
to the spars,

They cover the structure
with aluminum panels

Using spring clamps for now.

The panels have holes in them

To allow regular inspections
of the structure inside.

After riveting the panels,

Technicians screw covers
onto the inspection holes.

They also seal the seams between
panels with liquid rubber

So chemicals can't penetrate.

Next they install
the engine and the propeller,

Which ranges from 750
to 1,400 horsepower.

The prop has from three
to five aluminum blades.

Now the equipment that releases
the chemicals from the air.

For spraying liquids,
they hook up horizontal pipes

Lined with spray nozzles
called booms.

To apply dry chemicals
or disperse seed,

The flight crew
detaches the booms

And installs a large
stainless-steel funnel

Called a spreader
under the plane's belly.

At release time,

The pilot opens a door
at the bottom of the hopper,

Enabling the wind
to draw out the contents

Through the spreader.

To spray liquids,
a wind-driven pump

Moves the hopper contents
to the booms.

Technicians now assemble
and install

The instrumentation panel.

To fill the hopper
with liquid chemicals,

They connect a pump to a valve
on the side of the crop duster.

For dry chemicals,
they just lift the hopper's lid

And fill her up.

Narrator:
More than three centuries ago,

American bootleggers
made corn whiskey by moonlight

To avoid being detected
by the tax authorities,

And so this whiskey
became known as moonshine.

Today, that whiskey has emerged
from the shadows of history

And is produced legally, but
people still call it moonshine.

It was the nectar of outlaws --

Clear, fresh corn whiskey
that's 50% alcohol,

And centuries later,
it still has a potent appeal.

In Virginia,

They still make this whiskey
the traditional way,

Allowing corn to germinate
in a process called malting.

They mix a small amount
of the malted kernels

With regular corn in a big tank,

Then funnel the mix into a mill.

Inside this mill,
automated hammers grind the mix

To a cornmeal consistency.

This frees some of the starch

And exposes it to enzymes
from the malted kernels.

Those enzymes
convert the starch to sugar.

They'll use
some of this ground corn

To make a big batch of yeast.

They add it to water in a tank

And boil it
until it becomes a thick soup.

Once it reaches
the desired consistency,

They allow it to cool
to room temperature.

They add yeast and blow air into
the mix to help the yeast grow,

Making this one big batch
of liquid yeast.

In another tank, a ton of corn

Is being blended
with water and boiled.

This breaks down more of the
starch, converting it to sugar.

Once cooled, they pump the mix
and the liquefied yeast

Into the fermentation tank.

Over a period of four days,

The yeast turns the sugar
to alcohol.

The process also generates
carbon dioxide,

Which is vented
into the atmosphere.

Every so often, the brewmaster
scoops up some liquid

And scrutinizes it.

If it looks too thick,

The conversion of sugar
to alcohol is not yet complete.

But when the viscosity
is just right,

They pump the batch
into a big copper still.

It's just like the type used

To make moonshine
in the backwoods centuries ago.

They heat it
to 82 degrees celsius.

At that temperature, alcohol
will boil, but water will not.

As the alcohol
boils off the mix,

It's recovered
through a condenser.

The recovered liquid
is 80% alcohol.

Talk about a stiff drink.

So they add water
to cut it down to about 50%,

And then it's ready to bottle.

To make a darker whiskey,
they steep it

With what looks like
a big tea bag.

It's actually wood chips
wrapped in cheesecloth.

The whiskey absorbs flavor
and color from the wood

Over a period
of about two months.

When the whiskey
takes on a golden hue,

They transfer it
into oak barrels.

They allow the whiskey to age
for two years in a hot room.

The heat causes the whiskey
to expand,

Causing it to absorb the flavor
of the wood,

But the pressure can also cause
cracks in the barrels,

So the brewmaster
routinely checks for leaks.

After the whiskey has aged,

They adjust the alcohol content
by adding a little water.

The water is always softened
and filtered to remove minerals

That could affect
the whiskey's taste.

At the bottling station,

Machinery pumps the whiskey
into the containers.

There's no spillage,
and not a drop goes to waste.

Machinery then twists on
the caps

For an airtight seal that
preserves the aroma and flavor

Of this old-fashioned
corn whiskey.

At the next station,
robotic arms grab labels,

Apply glue to them, then
press them onto the bottles.

It has taken a combination

Of down-home methodology
and modern technology

To prepare this old-fashioned
American whiskey for market.

And whether it's aged or fresh,

This historic whiskey is sure
to set the taste buds ablaze.

Narrator: This clutch
is not for the family sedan.

It's a racing clutch
designed for a car

With an 1,800-horsepower engine.

Without this kind
of heavy-duty clutch,

There would be no way
to transfer

That much power to the wheels,

And the racecar
would be going nowhere fast.

Racecars
use a manual transmission

To transfer power to the wheels,

So a good clutch
is behind every win.

Production starts
with a flywheel,

Which connects the clutch
to the engine.

Computerized cutting tools
shape this aluminum part,

Then move on to carve
the cover plate for the clutch.

They trim its perimeter
to give it the correct profile

And reduce its weight.

Next they use a bolt
with an industrial diamond tip

To level the surface
of an iron friction disk.

This will allow
for better contact

With other parts of the clutch.

There are typically two to three
of these friction disks

In a racing clutch.

The clutch disks will ride
against this steel insert

Which they position
on the flywheel.

The technician applies
locking compound to bolts,

Then uses them to attach
the insert to the flywheel.

Here, the technician sets
the bolts to a precise torque.

Next he uses this grinder

To flatten the surface
of the steel insert,

Again for better contact
with the clutch disk.

These bolts will anchor the
clutch assembly to the flywheel.

They're called stand bolts,
and there are six.

Here, they sculpt
titanium cylinders

To act as stands for the bolts

That were just installed
in the flywheel.

Titanium is strong
and lightweight,

Which is important because
of the huge amount of energy

The clutch must transfer.

The technician places
a stand over each bolt,

Then arranges the clutch disks

And a floater plate
on the flywheel.

He presets the height
of the stands.

Then he prepares
the pressure-plate assembly.

He presses aluminum cups
into holes in the cover.

These cups will hold Springs

That will be used to change
the pressure of the clutch pack,

But he holds off on inserting
the Springs in the cups.

First he installs a series
of levers on the cover plate.

He slides pivot pins
into each lever.

These pins
will enable the levers

To compress and decompress
the clutch pack.

He applies lubricant to adjuster
screws for the clutch Springs,

Then threads each one
into an aluminum casing.

He inserts an assembly
in each cup,

Followed by a heavy-duty spring.

He now installs
the pressure ring

On the underside of the cover.

When the driver
releases the clutch pedal,

The levers
cause the pressure ring

To compress the clutch pack.

That action transfers power from
the engine to the transmission.

He now slips the pressure-ring
assembly over the stand bolts

And secures it with nuts.

He adjusts each stand
with a socket wrench,

Then checks the height.

He measures the tips of the
levers to confirm they're even

And makes
any necessary adjustments.

He pushes the levers
to test this clutch,

And the pressure ring
responds as it should,

Creating the necessary pressure
on the clutch pack.

Finally, a certification sticker

And some strapping to secure it
for shipping.

At the track, this clutch will
be serviced between every run,

And if it's operating
at peak performance,

A win could be
just down the road.