22x08 - Pressed Glass; Pickup Truck Caps; Alpaca Yarn; Utility Knives

[bunniefuu]

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

Pressed glass originated

In 19th century
america and england,

And it revolutionized glassware.

It offered the look of crystal
on a budget,

Adding elegance
to a humble meal.

It became known
as "poor man's crystal.&Quot;

Today, this affordable glass
still has class.

Pressed glass or cut crystal...

Invented in the 18th century,

Pressed glass
can still impress company

And keep them guessing.

Pressed-glass ingredients
include lime, sodium nitrate,

Soda ash, silica sand,

Mineral or chemical colorants,

And leftover or rejected glass
from the factory.

They melt the ingredients

In a furnace heated at
over 2,900 degrees fahrenheit.

A worker twirls a rod
with a ceramic bowl on the end

Into it, and the hot liquid
glass clings to it.

Then it's ready for transfer
to the iron mold.

When the mold is partly full,

A worker snips the liquid glass
with scissors to cut the flow.

He places a ring with pegs
on the rim to align the mold

With a plunger.

He lowers the plunger

And applies physical pressure
to a lever

To squeeze the glass
into every crevice.

This transforms the glass blob
into a berry bowl

With elaborate impressions
on the outside.

As it cools, the bowl hardens
just enough to be extracted,

But it's still quite soft.

Careful
to not distort the shape,

He transfers the bowl
to two bricks.

A hose below the bricks pumps
air to cool the glass further.

Over a period of four hours,

The team makes 250 berry bowls.

Some of the bowls
will be flattened

To turn them
into dessert plates,

While others will be worked
into the shape of candy baskets.

Once the glass
has firmed up enough,

The bowls take a couple of trips
through the glazer,

First upside down,
and then right side up.

A gas flame melts
the outer layer of the glass

To make it shine
both inside and out.

He clamps the bowl onto the end
of a rod called a snap,

And places into a second
smaller furnace briefly.

This softens the glass

To prepare it
for another transformation.

Still clamped on the rod,

A worker spins the bowl.

With a stick of wood, he applies
pressure to the upper part

To flatten and flare it out.

He then draws the piece
between two pipes

To bend the sides upward.

The pressed-glass berry bowl
has now become a candy basket,

But baskets need handles,

So it's back to the furnace
to gather more glass.

He collects
a little less this time.

He moves the molten glass
around on a metal table

To roll it longer.

He inserts it in a mold

That gives the glass
a rib pattern.

He heats the glass
in the furnace one more time.

Soft and sticky, the glass
handle adheres to the basket.

He pulls the handle longer
as he twirls the basket,

And then attaches the other end
of the handle to it.

The handle is a bit saggy,
so before it cools,

He improves the shape
using an iron roller.

As he works the glass,

He pulls the handle up
and makes it more well-rounded.

Unclamped
from the gathering rod now,

He smoothes the outer surface
of the handle

And tweaks its shape
until satisfied.

Using a torch,
he melts the glass a bit

Where the handle
meets the basket

To improve the adhesion.

And now it's over to the oven.

Here,
the pressed glass is heated

And then cooled
to room temperature

Over a period
of three and a half hours.

This gradual heating
and cooling is critical.

It releases stress
in the pressed glass

To make it less likely
to shatter.

For generations,
molds have been used

To mass produce
pressed-glass pieces

That can look
like expensive crystal.

With all that practice, they
have this down to a fine art.

Some works are reproductions
of vintage pieces,

Others are new patterns.

The appeal is timeless.

Narrator:
pickup trucks are ideal

For transporting tools
and materials,

But often these items
have to be covered

And locked away to protect them
from the elements and theft.

That's why many pickup owners
install caps,

Hard top covers typically made
of fiberglass or aluminum

With optional built-in storage.

This truck cap is made
of durable fiberglass

And is designed
to fit every full-sized pickup

On the market.

A truck cap has to be
both practical and attractive,

So it first takes shape
on a car designer's sketch pad.

Engineers use computer software
to translate the design sketches

Into technical drawings
for producing several molds,

One for each of the various
parts of the truck cap.

The first step is to wax
the mold's surface,

So that the truck cap part
will extra easily.

The mold is made
of colored fiber glass

To contrast the white materials
they'll apply to it.

The first of those materials
is gel coat, a polyester resin

That produces a smooth
and shiny finish on fiberglass.

They spray on
a half millimeter thick coat.

The beauty of gel coat
is that a nick or crack

Can be easily repaired with
a bit of grinding and filling.

So the truck cap's surface

Can always be restored
to an impeccable state.

The gel coat cures
in about 45 minutes,

At which point they begin
sh**ting chopped up fiberglass

That's impregnated with resin.

They compress this new layer
with rollers

To about five millimeters thick.

Roughly two hours later,
the resin has hardened

And it's time
to use special extraction jacks

To remove the now solid roof
from the mold.

They repeat this same molding
process for all the other parts.

Because this particular truck
cap model has double doors

On both the back and side,

There are 10 different parts
to mold.

A robotic circular saw trims
each molded part.

This is the truck cap's
air deflector.

The saw blade has diamond
particles affixed to its edge,

Enabling it to cut the
fiberglass without shredding it.

By the time
the robot finishes trimming,

The part meets
exact specifications

And has neat, smooth edges.

With all the parts ready now,

It's time
to assemble the truck cap.

First, they unite the roof
and the universal fit base.

Both slide
into an aluminum trim.

Workers clamp them in position
from the inside.

Next, as required
by motor vehicle regulations,

They install brake lights
at the top of the rear doors.

Then,
on the right-side rear door,

They mount
a chrome-plated door handle.

The plating has been treated
with an anti-corrosion coating.

For the sake of convenience,
the door handle lock

Is designed to work
with the truck's ignition key

So the driver doesn't have to
carry around a separate key

For the cap.

The doors
mount with sturdy hinges

Is made of stainless steel,
which is rust resistant.

Next, using a template to get
the positioning just right,

They glue the company
and model name logos

To the right rear door.

For aesthetics,
these plastic logos

Are chrome plated
to match the door handle.

After mounting the doors,

They install gas struts
on each door

To provide resistance
to control the door swing.

Workers also install a pair

Of three-foot-long
l.e.d. Lights.

They're on a magnetic switch,

Turning them on and off
when the doors open and close.

Once it's fully assembled, it
undergoes a thorough inspection.

A truck cap
weighs about 660 pounds,

So you need a mechanical lift
to mount it on a pickup.

It affixes
with four tie-down levers

That hook under the rails,

Running down the interior sides
of the truck

So there's no chance
of the cap lifting off.

Before shipping out
to the customer,

Every truck cap
goes through a water test,

Subjected to a torrent
for three minutes straight

To make sure
no water leaks inside.

Truck caps can be ordered
with a pull-out cargo bed,

Shelving, storage bins,

And other features,

Transforming
an ordinary pickup truck

Into a workshop on wheels.

Narrator: what's warm, soft,
water repellent,

And, as an added bonus,
hypoallergenic?

Something made of alpaca yarn.

Similar to sheep's wool,

It's smoother
due to the scale structure

Of the individual fibers.

And it doesn't contain lanolin,

A natural wax in sheep's wool

To which
some people are allergic.

Alpacas come
in 22 different colors,

Ranging from pure white

Through various shades
of beiges, browns,

And grays, to pure black.

Breeders shear their alpacas
and sell the fleece

Or send it to mills
for processing into yarn.

White fleece
is in greatest demand,

And it can be dyed
any number of colors.

Before sending out the fleece,

The breeders pull off hay,
leaves,

And other stuck-on vegetation.

When the fleece
arrives at the mill,

It undergoes repeated
washes with natural soaps

Until it's pristine.

After the fleece air dries,

A conveyer belt
feeds it into the picker.

The machine's tooth drum
pulls apart the clumps,

A process called
"opening the fibers.&Quot;

The drum then shoots
those fibers into a compartment

Called the picker closet.

Once all the fleece
has been opened,

They turn off the machine
and spray the fluffy fibers

Thoroughly with a blend
of conditioners.

These conditioners are left
to absorb overnight

To reduce static electricity
the next step generates.

The fiber separator
combs the fibers

With a series
of fine tooth rollers.

This simultaneously
straightens the fibers

And separates them by grade.

The first set of rollers

Removes any remaining bits
of vegetation,

While the second set
removes coarse fibers

So that only very fine fibers
exit the machine.

The next step
is to divide these fine fibers

Into bundles of equal weight.

The set weight varies
according to the grade of fiber

That the next machine,
the carder, will be processing.

A fine fiber
requires heavier bundles.

The conveyer belt feeding the
carder is marked in sections.

They place one bundle
in each section.

This steady, even input

Ensures that the machine
produces a consistent output.

Inside the carder,

A series of combs spreads
the fibers over a drum,

Aligning them parallel
to each other.

This produces a thin, flat layer
of fine fiber called web.

Web can be stacked
in several layers

To make batting,

The stuffing material
in quilts and duvets.

Batting can be
further processed into felt.

Web can also be processed
into roving,

A long thick stream of fiber

Which crafts people hand spin
into yarn,

Or which high-speed machines
here at the mill

Spin into store-bought yarn.

The roving deck on the carder
compresses the web into a stream

While rotating it
to hold the aligned fibers

In a snake like shape.

To make what's known
as woolen yarn,

The roving
goes directly to the spinner.

However, to make what's called
semi-worsted yarn,

This machine,
called a draw frame,

Must first combine
two or more rovings

Into a consistent stream
called a sliver.

The thinner the yarn,

The more often the rovings
pass through the draw frame.

Finally, several slivers

Simultaneously
enter the spinner,

Which twists each one separately
through a combination

Of pressure and speed.

The next machine,
called the plyer,

Then forms the yarn
by twisting multiple singles

Together
in the opposite direction.

Twisting two singles,

For example,
makes a two-ply yarn.

The mill produces different
weights of yarn

From lace to bulky,

By varying the volume
of fiber per ply,

As well as the spinning speed.

They mount the spools
of finished yarn

On the skein winder.

A skein is a bundle of yarn
that's first wound then twisted.

They set the machine to wind
a specific length of yarn.

When it stops,

They tie the skein on two ends
and remove it.

Then they dye the yarn
or leave it its natural color.

Some mills dye their fleece
after washing,

Prior to processing it
into yarn.

The final step
is to hand-twist the skein.

They also wind yarn into ba*ls
and cones.

Warm and water repellent,
this silky, smooth alpaca yarn

Is all set to be knit
or woven into a cozy woolen.

Narrator: the utility knife
is known by many other names --

Carpet knife, box cutter,
sheet-rock knife,

And craft knife are just a few.

All those names
reflect the many uses

For this retractable knife
and its incredible versatility.

It comes in handy every time.

In 70 years, the design of
this retractable utility knife

Hasn't really changed much.

Why mess with a concept
that works?

A hollow case
with an interlocking nose

For the blade,
held together by a single screw.

It can be easily unscrewed
to access spare blades inside.

To make the blades, carbon steel
uncoils into a die press.

A roller takes up the slack
as the steel inches

Forward for each forming.

The press scores the steel

To rough out the shape
of the blades,

Punches notches for attaching
them to the handle,

And stamps product information
onto them.

At this point, the steel is just
a little stiffer than tin foil.

A trip through a 25-foot-long
furnace toughens it up.

Exposed to scorching heat
and then quenched by water,

The steel hardens significantly.

After the brand name
has been printed on the steel,

The ribbon of blades rides
through a grinding station

With different
stone-grinding wheels.

They sharpen the steel edge.

The steel now passes
under an induction coil

That radiates heat to further
harden the cutting edge.

A machine called the breaker

Snaps the steel
along the score lines.

It spits out
the unwanted triangular bits

Between the blades
for recycling.

The blades
flow out of the breaker

And into a steel channel.

A pusher moves them
down the channel into a tray.

This system snaps and packs


They insert one blade from every
production run into this tester.

The tester moves the blade
back and forth repeatedly

To slice through thick stacks
of paper strips.

This gives them a measure

Of the blade's sharpness
and durability.

The transformation from
blunt metal to razor sharp blade

Is complete,
and the utility knife blades

Are ready
for the gripping part --

The zinc case.

They cast the back and front
of the case in a die.

The parts then bounce around
in a vibratory bowl

Along with
pyramid-shaped ceramic rocks.

The friction
smoothes the rough edges.

After about a half hour
in the vibratory bowl,

The casing parts
are blemish free.

They head into the next station.

Here, workers collect them
and examine them for defects

As they hang them
on moving racks.

The racks will take
the utility knife parts

Through a wash station

To get rid of a dusting
of zinc and ceramic residue.

It's kind of a power wash
for the knife case parts.

They ride by a high-pressure
sprayer for a thorough cleaning.

After that,
they take a trip through a dryer

To prepare them
for a powder coat finish.

Once the powder coat
is baked on,

It will protect the zinc
utility knife from corrosion.

The powder coat
gives the utility knives

A finish that's tougher
than conventional paint.

Heading
into the unload station now,

A blast from an air g*n
knocks the parts off the rack.

Thanks to the tough finish,
they land without a scratch.

The utility-knife parts
are ready for assembly,

And the worker
uses a special fixture for that.

She places the bottom half
of the knife

In a recess in the fixture.

Handling the blunt side
of the blades,

She inserts three of them into
the case's storage compartment.

She also tucks the tab
of an information card into it.

Next, she installs
the retractable mechanism

For the utility knife blades.

She places the other half
of the case on the assembly

And then actuates an auto-screw
g*n to close the knife.

They assemble over


At this factory.

Now, that's cutting edge.

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