23x08 - Mobile Concert Stages, Mascara, Continuous Miners, Wood Gift Boxes

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
the mobile concert stage

Was invented in canada
in the 1980s.

It uses hydraulics to fold into
a trailer for transport

And then unfolds upon arrival
at the event venue.

It takes 45 minutes for a crew
to set up a mobile stage,

And then it's show time.

No stage? No problem.

Just order
a mobile hydraulic stage,

And in less than an hour,
you're ready to rock 'n' roll.

The convenience means

It has plenty of fans in
the event-production industry.

A mobile stage starts
with the trailer framework.

A worker saws aluminum beams
to length.

At the same time,
another member of the team

Pieces together aluminum tubing
for the roof.

He welds the joints to complete
the roof's skeleton.

He then welds the trailer
support structure together.

With the girders assembled,

The trailer's substructure is
ready for the axles and wheels.

Each axle can support


They install hydraulic cylinders
on each corner of the trailer.

These cylinders are
the extendable legs

That will stabilize
the stage trailer on the ground.

Next up is a panel with valves
to control

The flow of hydraulic fluid.

They bolt the panel to the back
of the trailer

And connect hoses to the valves.

This network of hoses

Will circulate fluid
for the hydraulics.

They cover the valves and hoses
with a metal plate.

The plate has slots
for control levers.

They screw the levers
to the valves.

He then installs
a hydraulic pressure gauge.

The team now lowers the tank
for the hydraulic fluid

Into the base frame
and secures it.

They run the hoses
for the hydraulic fluid

Through a filter at the entrance
to the tank.

They're ready for the extendable
supports for the stage mast.

Using a forklift, they maneuver
the parts into place

At the ends of the trailer.

They return to the floor

And bolt six hydraulic cylinders
into the framework.

They'll be used to lift
and lower the floors.

The roof structure is next.

A crane does the lifting,

And a worker guides the panels
onto the beams.

They secure the panels with
hinges, torquing them tightly.

The team transfers
the floor panels

To both sides
of the main chassis.

The install leg jacks
to support them.

There are eight jacks
for each floor panel.

They install
more hydraulic cylinders

For raising and lowering
the floor.

This mobile concert stage
is ready for the outer skin.

An employee glues fiberglass
sheeting to the sides.

A team then lays the plywood
floors sheet by sheet.

The plywood is marine-grade.

It has
a laminate composite surface.

The laminate is textured
for skid resistance.

It's also waterproof
for outdoor events.

Once all the paneling
is in place,

This mobile stage is
ready to go on tour.

Eight weeks in the making,

It will be a time-saver
on the road.

Narrator:
one way to enhance eyelashes

Is to coat them with mascara.

Early mascaras were made
of petroleum jelly and coal

Or soap cake
tinted with black dye.

Today's liquid mascara
comes in a tube

With an applicator brush
built right into the cap.

Mascara formulations vary.

The basic ingredients are wax,
water, pigment, and binders.

Additional ingredients

Produce features
such as water resistance.

Every formulation is
comprised of

An oil-soluble phase
and a water-soluble phase.

To prepare
this mascara's oil phase,

A technician combines
four types of wax --

Carnauba,
from a brazilian palm tree;

Candelilla,
from a plant that grows

In parts of mexico and texas;

Beeswax; and glyceryl stearate,

An emulsifier which helps
ingredients blend well.

Next comes vitamin "e,"
which conditions lashes

And gives the mascara
a smooth texture.

After that is a chemical
compound called pelemol d-2000,

Which makes the mascara
water-resistant.

The technician heats this
oil phase of the formulation.

Once the waxes begin melting,
blends the ingredients.

Wax is a thickener.

This calculated combination
of four different waxes produces

A semiliquid gel that
coats lashes with a shiny film.

The technician now prepares

The water-soluble phase
of the formulation separately,

First, heating up cold water,
then adding an emulsifier.

This will bind
the water and oil phases

When they're combined later on.

Without an emulsifier,

Oil and water solubles
would naturally separate.

The next ingredient is

A cosmetic-grade
iron oxide pigment.

The color is black because
she's making black mascara.

She blends the mixture
until the color is uniform.

Then she adds t.e.a.

This organic compound balances
the mascara's ph level

So that it isn't too acidic
or alkaline.

Next, she adds a cosmetic powder
to make the mascara silky

And a chemical to provide
additional water resistance.

Finally, she completes
the formulation

By adding the oil phase
to this water phase.

Heating the mixture
while blending

Prevents the waxes
from solidifying.

Before packaging,

The factory's chemist runs
quality-control tests.

Using a viscometer to measure
thickness,

He makes sure the mascara
isn't runny or gooey.

He also tests the ph level.

If the sample meets
specifications,

The lab gives the go-ahead
to package the mascara,

And a worker pours the batch
into a filling machine.

The machine continuously mixes
the mascara

And keeps it hot
so that it remains liquid.

Otherwise, the mascara would
begin to cool and jellify

And clog the filling nozzle.

A mascara bottle
typically contains

About 2 ounces of mascara.

As it cools in the bottle,

It transforms
into a semiliquid gel.

She seals the bottle

By pressing in
a plunger-style plastic stopper.

The stopper has a hole
in the middle for inserting

The brush applicator that's
built into the bottle's cap.

The lip of the stopper hole
is designed to wipe off

Excess mascara as you pull
the brush out of the bottle.

This helps prevent the mascara
from clumping.

This manufacturer fills
small orders manually,

Like this one
for a private-label brand.

Its automated production line
is reserved for large orders.

Regardless of quantity,

Clients specify
the characteristics they want

In their brand of mascara,

Such as lengthening
or water resistance,

And the manufacturer tailors
the formulation accordingly.

Narrator: the continuous miner
is always on the job.

This machine constantly
bores into deposits of coal,

Salt, or pot ash to break them
into little pieces.

Its invention in america
in the 1940s

Was an earth-shattering
development.

The continuous miner is a force
to be reckoned with underground.

A spinning drum is spiked
with tungsten carbide teeth.

It tears into the rock face

And spits the pieces out
onto a conveyor.

The continuous miner can remove


That's more than a human miner
can dig in an entire day.

The work is hard
on the equipment,

And, so, eventually,
the continuous miner

Undergoes a complete rebuild.

It starts with
an extensive cleaning.

After a steam wash,

A worker aims a torch
at the bolts of the drum.

The heat causes the bolts
to expand

And move away from the hole.

This makes it easier
to pull them out,

Using a pneumatic impact wrench.

Once all the bolts
have been removed,

The drum can be pried
from the shaft.

Once free,
a crane lifts the heavy drum,

And workers guide it
to the next station.

Here, a worker
in protective gear

Blasts the drum
with tiny steel shot.

This removes
any remaining dirt and grime.

Some parts, like these
centrifugal loading arms,

Are beyond repair,
so they build new ones.

Connected to a hub,

These arms will move
mined material

Onto the machine's conveyor.

A worker reinforces each one
with a wear plate.

He then heats the wear plate
and loading arm

Before welding them together.

Preheating reduces

The possibility
of the weld cracking.

They lower
the loading-arm assembly

Into the machine framework.

Then a computerized cutter
carves a sheet of steel

To make new access panels
for the continuous miner.

The slicing force
comes from a pressurized mixture

Of water and garnet granules.

No blade is necessary.

The operator of the machine
hoses off the filings.

He retrieves the cut part
with a magnet.

Over to the conveyor part
of the continuous miner now.

They had built up the hole
for the pivot pin

Because it had stretched
from wear.

A tool mills the built-up hole

To return it
to the correct diameter.

The team then focuses on

The main frames
of the continuous miner.

They weld the cracks
and grind them smooth.

Now beginning
with the conveyor tail,

A worker spray paints
the continuous miner

One piece at a time.

Another member of the team

Inserts new plugs
into an electrical control box.

He bolts the panel,

Holding electrical controls
to the machine casing.

He then installs heavy doors
that swing open

So the electrical can be
easily accessed.

There are a total
of 25 covers and doors

On the continuous miner.

Some protect hydraulic hoses.

Others encase the wiring
or gear boxes.

They can all be removed

If maintenance
needs to be performed.

It's taken several months
for this massive overhaul,

And they're ready to put
this rebuilt continuous miner

To the test.

Using the machine's
remote control,

A technician checks the function
of every component.

With his approval,

The continuous miner
goes back underground

To pick up where it left off.

Narrator: a product presented
in a beautiful,

High-quality, wooden box
is sure to stand out.

Companies use them
as special-event displays

Or as corporate gift boxes.

Because they're handmade,

The boxes can be customized
to showcase each product.

Wood gift boxes make wonderful
cases for spirit bottles,

Collectible coins, watches,
or christmas ornaments.

Not only do they display
the product beautifully,

They also protect
the contents inside.

Today, they're making a box
with maple boards,

Which are cut
on an automated saw.

A mortiser's parallel blades

Cut square-shaped notches
at the end of each plank.

These will serve to finger joint
the sides of the box later on.

The pieces of wood are
pressed against the corner

So that the resulting fingers
are perfectly aligned.

The factory
usually makes fingers

That are 6 millimeters wide.

Wider fingers
would be unsightly,

And thinner ones would be
too fragile.

They now prepare
the top of the wood box.

A press uses heat and pressure

To stamp the company's logo
on the surface of the wood.

They brand the wood
with a magnesium plate,

Heating to 840 degrees
fahrenheit.

The process takes
just two seconds.

Next, they assemble the sides,

Interlocking the pieces
manually.

They use a rubber mallet

To avoid damaging or denting
the wood.

When the four sides are
end to end,

They apply a small amount
of wood glue

On the inside of each joint.

They form the corners
at a 90-degree angle.

Once the box is assembled,

A press will finish pushing in
the fingers on each joint.

When the box comes out
of the press,

They check the square.

They apply wood glue
for the bottom of the box.

Since the bottom is
less visible,

Clients sometimes choose plywood
instead of solid wood

To save on costs.

They glue a solid maple top,

And the boxes go into press
for 35 minutes

Until the glue dries.

After sanding, a router shapes
the edge of the box's top.

By changing the router-bit,

They can create all kinds
of decorative profiles.

This one is simply rounded.

They sand the whole box again
with 120-grit sandpaper,

And finish
with 180-grit sandpaper.

Now they can cut the box open,
starting at the back.

They create a wide angle

So the lid can open freely
on its hinges.

Next, they make a straight cut

Through each
of the three remaining sides,

Sawing the box in half.

They separate the body
from the lid,

And the two match up perfectly.

Each half of the box

Goes on an automated milling
machine called a slotter.

It cuts the slots in the wood
on the back of the box.

These slots will receive
the hinges.

The bottom of each slot
is rounded

To cradle the rounded ends
of the hinges.

These hinges are made
of nickel-plated metal.

They're designed
to be pressure fitted,

So they won't need any screws
to stay in place.

The worker uses a rubber mallet

To insert the hinges in the body
of the box.

Once the hinges are aligned
with the lid,

He squeezes them tight,

Using the hammer again
if necessary.

The angled cut creates
enough space for the hinges

And helps to open the lid.

They apply a coat of sealer,
lightly sand the wood,

And finish
with a coat of lacquer.

When the lacquer is dry,

They install the magnetic
closure in a pre-drilled hole.

Another magnet
goes into the lid,

And that makes
for a nice-closing box.

They stick a piece
of self-adhesive felt

To the bottom of the box
and trim the excess.

Next, they line the box
with foam

In order to protect
its contents.

Some clients prefer
thermoformed plastic trays

Molded to their product's
specific shape.

You can choose the size, shape,

Type of wood, color,
and hardware of the box.

The only limit is your budget
and your imagination.

If you have any comments
about the show,

Or if you'd like to suggest
topics for future shows,

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