22x04 - Blast Doors/Lipstick/Artificial Palm/Brass Plaques

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
with a black market for firearms

And terrorism
a worldwide threat,

Armed forces need to protect
their munitions

From getting
into the wrong hands.

Weapons are often stored in
earth-covered concrete bunkers

That have special doors.

These mammoth steel doors
are designed to prevent anyone

From blasting their way
into a military bunker

To access the munitions
stored inside.

The key to the doors'
exceptional strength --

A grid structure core
made from steel slats



A computer-guided torch
notches half the slats

So the other half
can slot into them

To form the grid structure.

Workers assemble
the grid structure

On top of a nearly


The exterior face of the door.

Because the grids have
empty space in the middle,

They provide
three-dimensional strength

Without the excessive weight
of a solid core.

Even so, these doors
weigh almost 10 tons each.

Once the slats
are all assembled,

Workers weld the bottom
of the grids to the plate.

Then with a manual gas torch,
they trim the ends of the slats

So they'll fit inside
the channel of the steel framing

That will run
around the perimeter.

Once they've installed framing
on all four sides,

They clamp everything
in position,

Then weld all around.

They run a string line
to properly position

And weld l-shaped steel tabs

To the top
of the grid structure.

These tabs, two per grid,

Will support the interior face
of the door.

Then they fill each grid
with mineral fiber insulation.

This prevents moisture

From condensing
on the inside of the door.

They take the steel plate
for the interior door face,

Drill several 1/2-inch-wide
holes through it...

...and lay it
onto the structure,

Aligning the holes
with the grid tabs.

Then they weld the plate's
perimeter to the framing

And each hole
to the grid tab beneath it.

Once workers have finished
constructing the doors,

They weld on hinge pins
and locking mechanisms.

The frame
on which the doors hang

Is made of two heavy,
vertical steel beams

With hinge pin receivers
and two horizontal steel tubes.

In the middle
is a temporary cross bracing

To keep the frame square

And to prevent it from buckling
under the weight of the doors

Before installation is complete.

Onsite, the installers
first mount the door frame.

Then, using a forklift
with an extended boom,

A type of heavy lifting arm,

They carefully descend
the door's hinge pins

Into the receivers on the frame.

Crews then build
the bunker's concrete structure

Around the installed door.

Once the concrete
has properly cured,

They remove the frame
cross bracing.

A handle on the door
releases a foot bolt,

Which slots into the base
of the frame.

This prevents the locked door
from bowing.

The lock itself
is a massive dead bolt

With a tungsten-carbide rod
inside,

Making it impossible
to saw through.

As an added layer of security,

The military installs
a monitoring system

That sends out a signal

The second anyone tries
to open the door,

Even with the key.

If the entry is unauthorized,

Soldiers descend on the bunker
to apprehend the intruder.

Narrator: throughout history,

Women have enhanced their lips
with color.

Cleopatra led the way
over 2,000 years ago.

She used crushed ants
and beetles to redden her lips.

Today a tube of lipstick
does the job nicely.

No need to mess around
with crushed bugs.

Lipstick comes in a case

That also serves
as an applicator,

And that's the beauty of it.

Just just twist the stick
and apply color

To make lackluster lips
look luscious.

Lipstick ingredients
include waxes,

Pigments, and moisturizers.

A worker pre-weighs everything
following a formula.

The exact blends
are usually a company secret.

She pours the measured
ingredients into a kettle,

That melts
and mixes them together.

She adds a plant-based gel
known as plantolatum.

It will act as a skin softener

And also enable the lipstick
to be smoothly applied.

Different waxes -- carnauba,
candelilla, and beeswax --

Add body to the mixture.

The waxes will also
give the lipstick

A certain sheen
upon application.

With the base mixture prepared,

She now whips up
a batch of pigment

Using different
iron oxide colorants.

She scoops it onto rollers
that grind the pigment particles

While rolling it
into sheet form.

It takes three passes
through the rollers

To fully grind the pigment.

It's ready to be added
to the base mixture.

She lowers the heat
in the kettle

To avoid
scalding the ingredients.

She adds pigment
until the mixture thickens

And becomes creamy.

It's now the right consistency
to be shaped into lipstick.

It's over to the next station

Where another worker
pours the lipstick liquid

Into a filling machine.

This filling system
also has a mixer

That keeps the consistency
creamy.

She places a mold
under the filling machine

And activates a lift.

It serves up the mold to nozzles

That pump lipstick liquid
into the slots of the mold.

She continues to fill
lipstick molds

Until the supply in the machine
has been depleted.

She places the molds
on a conveyer,

Which takes them

Through a nearly five-foot-long
cooling tunnel.

The chilly trip causes
the lipstick liquid to solidify.

The lipsticks are now ready

For their swiveling,
tubular containers.

She places a rack
on top of the mold

And inserts the cases
into slots on the rack.

The slots are aligned
with the lipsticks in the mold.

Then it's over
to the turnaround machine.

Bursts of air
gently push the lipstick

Out of the mold
and up into the cases.

To assist,
little pushers apply pressure

To the bottoms of the cases.

The lipsticks have made
their transfer without a smudge.

She sets them down
and removes the transfer rack.

On another conveyor,
the lipsticks pass by heat g*ns.

The hot air melts the lipsticks
just a little

To make them shine.

Continuing on, the lipsticks
travel past rollers

That turn the cases to cause
the lipsticks to swivel down.

A testers samples a lipstick
from every batch

To determine the melting point.

This is important

Because lipstick should be
stable enough

Not to melt in a purse
on a hot day.

He smears lipstick shavings
onto a glass disk

And examines their consistency.

He places the sample
on a heating element

And swings a magnifying glass
overhead for a close-up view

As the lipstick shavings
melt into a puddle.

Checking a thermometer,

He confirms
that the melting point

Is within an acceptable range.

Another worker
then compares the color

Of the freshly made lipstick
to the standard,

And it's a match.

So they wrap up production
with a plastic cap.

The cap is clear to showcase
the shade of the lipstick.

It has taken about a day
to manufacture this lipstick.

It's time to freshen up.

Narrator: there's no need
to close your eyes

And imagine you're in
a tropical paradise

When artificial palm trees
are part of the landscaping.

They can provide a touch
of tropical in any climate,

But making a synthetic copy

Of one of nature's
towering achievements

Is no small task.

With artificial palm trees,

There are no watering
or other maintenance worries,

So you really have it made
in the shade.

To manufacture a palm tree,
a worker wraps sticky mesh tape

Around a tubular piece
of polyvinyl chloride.

This tube will establish
the shape of the trunk,

And the tape will allow
the next layers to adhere to it.

While all that taping
is going on,

A welder pieces together
the tree's solid-steel skeleton.

He welds the base plate
to a pole.

He strengthens the joint with
lateral supports called gussets.

The gussets
should enable the palm tree

To withstand heavy winds.

He adds height
to the tree skeleton

With another piece of steel.

Artificial palm trees can be
made to exact specifications,

While in nature,
things are less precise.

After a coat
of rust-inhibiting paint,

They're ready to insert
the steel skeleton

Into the taped pvc pipe.

One worker clamps
the end of the steel structure

To a table,

And the other member of the team
slides the trunk core onto it.

They screw the trunk
to the steel skeleton

In several places.

With a foot pedal,

A member of the team
activates a spindle,

And it turns the palm tree trunk

So he can efficiently wrap
synthetic rubber around it.

The effect simulates
natural growth rings.

He brushes an adhesive
onto the rubber,

Ensuring complete coverage.

The adhesive is high-strength
and waterproof,

Qualities that will allow
this synthetic concrete

To stick to it
in all kinds of weather.

The concrete is made
of many components,

Including silicone
and liquid rubber,

And is the consistency
of peanut butter.

He spreads it
onto the entire palm tree trunk.

After an overnight cure,
the coating solidifies

And he paints it
with exterior latex paint

Using a light touch.

He adds contrast
with darker paint.

It highlights the rubber ridges
on the trunk

To make it look more authentic.

While the paint dries,

He turns his attention
to the slotted steel trunk cap.

He applies some of the synthetic
concrete used on the trunk.

It will serve as an adhesive

As he now presses
a cocoa-fiber fringe to the cap.

The fringe of fiber
camouflages the steel

And makes the cap
look like a tree husk.

He ties it with wire
to maintain the arrangement.

He tightens it with pliers
and snips off the excess.

He disguises the wire with more
of the synthetic concrete.

And after it cures, he paints it
to match the cocoa fibers.

Successfully disguised
by cocoa fiber and paint,

He bolts the steel cap
to the treetop.

The next worker
tapes a flat steel bar

To the stem of palm foliage
which is made of polyethylene.

He reinforces the job
with two metal clamps.

He crimps the clamps tightly
to the stem and bar.

These palm fronds,
as they're called,

Provide the crowning touch.

They insert the steel bars
in the slotted cap

And then bend the fronds back
to a more realistic angle.

It's taken
about an hour and a half

To manufacture
this artificial palm tree,

Easier than waiting a decade
or more for a real one to grow.

And with the job done,
it's time for a piña colada.

Narrator: a brass plaque

Prominently identifies
an important site.

Think historical landmarks,
memorials,

Hospital donor walls,
walks of fame.

Many professional firms
identify their offices

And many homes
display their addresses

With an elegant plaque
made of brass.

A brass plaque makes a bold
and lasting statement.

Making one
begins with a wooden model,

Minus the lettering,

Covered in artificial leather
where they want a bumpy texture.

They use this model
to cast an aluminum pattern.

A typesetter draws guidelines
on the pattern

For the inscription,

Then glues pewter lettering
on the lines.

Getting the pattern perfect
is essential,

As this is what they use
to make the sand mold

For casting the brass plaque.

The typesetter hands off
the pattern to the molders,

Who spray the surface
with a release agent,

The industrial version
of nonstick cooking spray.

This will prevent the pattern
from adhering

To the sand mold
they're about to make with it.

After laying the pattern
in a high-edge steel frame,

They pour in a mixture
of silica sand and resin,

Filling it to the top
and compacting tightly.

After 15 minutes,
the resin cures,

Binding the grains of sand.

The molders then flip the frame
and lift off the top half of it.

A hard block of sand
is in the bottom half

Containing a mirror image
of the plaque pattern.

This is the sand mold

With which they'll cast
the plaque in brass.

The molders
now spray the surface

With a solution
of alcohol and graphite,

Then they burn off the alcohol
with a lighter,

Leaving behind
a film of graphite.

This heat-resistant layer

Will prevent the sand mold
from eroding

When it comes into contact
with the molten metal.

Workers charge the furnace
with brass ingots,

As well as with pieces of excess
brass from previous castings.

The furnace temperature,


Liquifies the solid metal
in about 20 minutes.

Then the molders
pour the molten brass

Through a hole
at the top of the mold.

The hole feeds two channels
leading to the cavity.

The metal
begins solidifying immediately.

However, it's a good hour

Before the casting
is fully hardened,

At which point, they open
the mold to extract the plaque.

Attached to it are runners,

Excess metal that solidifies
in the channels

Leading to the mold cavity.

So, after knocking the sand
out of the frame

To release the plaque...

...they saw off the runners,

Then throw them
back into the furnace

To be remelted
for the next casting.

They grind the edge
of the plaque

With an abrasive wheel,

Smoothing the nubs
where the runners were cut off

And making the plaque perfectly
round and straight-edged.

With a steel scraper,
they clean up the surface,

Removing flakes of metal

And remnants of sand
and graphite.

They dissolve sulfurated potash
in warm water.

This chemical solution
oxidizes metal,

Creating what looks like
a natural patina,

A darkening of the surface
that develops with age.

After preparing the solution,

They transfer it
to a large basin.

A kiddy wading pool
does the trick.

Then they dip the plaque,
keeping it submerged

Until they get enough patina
to make the brass look antique.

They rinse off the chemical
with water

And dry the plaque
with compressed air.

They gently press
a vibrating abrasive belt

Against the plaque.

It polishes the raised surfaces,
removing their patina

And restoring
their brassy shine.

This finishing creates depth

By highlighting the relief
against the dark background.

Just one last step
before the plaque is ready

To take its rightful place.

Workers spray the surface
with a coat of clear urethane.

This prevents the brass
from tarnishing

And protects the plaque
from weathering

When mounted outdoors.

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