14x08 - Custom Running Shoes/Axes/Racing Karts/Animatronics

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]] Narrator: several millennia

Before it ever adorned a

Martini, the olive and its oil

Were central to many ancient

Economies.

Today, olives remain as popular

As ever.

Not only are they tasty, they're

Also healthy, low in calories

And cholesterol and high in

Dietary fiber and iron.

Olives are inedible unless

They're pickled.

These gourmet olives are stuffed

By hand with all kinds of

Fillings, from almonds to garlic

Cloves, even blue cheese.

Straight from the field, they go

Into barrels of brine.

For nine months, they ferment.

Their hard and bitter flesh

Becoming softer and sweeter.

Then it's on to a conveyor that

Takes them to the cleaning area,

Where workers remove leaves and

Other debris.

Next, they drop on to a belted

Conveyor.

The openings between the belts

Gradually widen.

As an olive reaches an opening

Exceeding its width, it falls

Through into a barrel below.

By the time the olives reach the

End of the conveyor, they're all

Sorted by size, from small to

Extra large.

The next stop is the pitting

Room.

The first phase of the pitting

Operation is a spinning drum

With olive-sized pockets lining

Its perimeter.

As the drum rotates, an olive

Settles into each pocket.

This lines them up so that they

Exit the drum in a line onto

The conveyor that transports

Them to the pitting machine.

The machine pits 900 olives per

Minute.

Let's slow it down to show you

What happens.

A coring knife enters one end of

The olive, pushing the pit out

The other end.

As the pit exits, it creates a

Hole that's just the perfect

Size for the stuffing.

Next, a quality inspection.

Workers weed out any olives that

Aren't perfect.

Then it's off to the stuffing

Department.

These beauties are being stuffed

With pickled garlic gloves.

The stuffer cuts the gloves into

Hole-sized pieces, then inserts

One piece into each olive.

It's the same procedure with

Other stuffings, such as

Jalapeño peppers, sun-dried

Tomatoes, habanero peppers,

Onions, almonds, and more.

Workers empty the baskets of

Stuffed olives onto a table of

Empty jars, spreading them

Around until every jar is full.

On their way to the capping

Machine, the open jars pass

Under nozzles that fill them

With fresh brine.

An air jet blows off just a bit

To help the cap go on easily.

From there, it's into the

Capping machine, which twists a

Lid on each jar, heat-sealing it

For an airtight fit...

Then stamping on a lot number

For tracking purposes.

Finally, the jars head into a

Machine that rolls on an

Adhesive label.

The brine serves as a natural

Preservative, giving these

Delectable gourmet olives a

Two-year shelf life.

]] Narrator: in the middle ages,

Navigators looked to the stars

And planets to find their way,

And for that, they relied on a

Scientific instrument called the

Astrolabe.

Using this instrument, they

Could measure the angular

Distances between celestial

Objects to calculate latitude.

It was the medieval equivalent

Of gps.

Today, craftsmen still make

Astrolabes to celebrate their

Place in history.

Without it, columbus may not

Have discovered the americas in



Back then, astrolabes were

Hand-forged and hand-engraved.

Today, these instruments take

Shape in two-part rubber molds

And closed in a metal drum.

The operator ladles molten

Pewter into the mold through an

Opening in the drum's lid.

Inside, the mold spins, forcing

Pewter into every part of this

Astrolabe plate, complete with

Geometric engravings on both

Sides.

He molds the dial and pointers

The same way.

He slices off excess pewter.

It will be remelted and reused.

He then sands the ragged edges

Of the plate for a smoother

Circumference.

Next, he pours an acidic liquid

Onto the astrolabe plate, which

Blackens the pewter.

He swishing the blackening agent

Around to ensure it covers every

Surface completely.

He places the blackened plate in

A barrel full of gritty, plastic

Cones, soap, and water.

As it revolves, everything

Tosses about inside to scrub the

Surface of the astrolabe plate,

Believe the engraved designs

Black.

This process adds definition to

The markings.

In columbus's time, they would

Have used a pumice stone and a

Lot of elbow grease to achieve

This effect.

Next, the astrolabe plate goes

For a tumble with bits of

Ceramic to buff the pewter to a

Glossy shine.

Against the shiny pewter

Backdrop, the geometric markings

Now stand out.

Clearly visible on the front is

A map of the sky and the zodiac

Calendar.

And on the back, the

Mathematical scales are

Now clearly defined.

The elaborate dial undergoes the

Same processing to enhance its

Celestial engravings.

He now inserts a brash bushing

In the center hole of the

Astrolabe plate and twists it

Into position.

This bushing will act as a pivot

For the dial and pointers.

Once the dial is in position, he

Installs a pointer on each side

Of the plate.

These pointers can be turned

Like the hands of a clock, and

The user measures the angle of

The stars and planets in

Relation to the horizon to

Calculate his location.

He caps the bushing with a screw

On one side and a nut on the

Other.

He secures the assembly with a

Specific amount of torque to

Allow the dial and pointers to

Move freely.

He slips a metal ring through

The top hole of the astrolabe so

This instrument can be linked to

A chain if the owner wishes.

He spins the dial and pointers

To confirm that they don't snag

On the outer lip of the

Instrument.

Centuries after its heyday,

This incredible instrument still

Fascinates.

The amount of information that

Can be gleamed from holding it

To the sky is astounding.

More than latitude, the

Astrolabe can be used to tell

Time, determine seasons, and

Predict the future with

Horoscopes.

Of course, it takes a basic

Understanding of

Geometry and astronomy to use

It.

To the trained eye, this

Astrolabe now reads 1:00 p.m.,

Proving that this instrument

From another era can

Still provide up-to-the-moment

Information.

]] Narrator: in the american

Wild west, cowboys spent long

Days in the saddle, which could

Leave them too sore to ride off

Into the sunset.

And that led to the development

Of the western saddle.

Large and sturdy, this saddle

Was modeled on the type used

By spanish conquistadors, and it

Made chasing cows a less painful

Experience.

Today, riders still saddle up

Western-style, which is more

Relaxed than english-stile, with

The reins held in one hand

Instead of two.

The contours of the saddle

Seat are more pronounced for

Added comfort.

A western saddle also has a horn

For looping rope, called the

Lariat in cowboy lingo.

It starts with the saddletree,

Made from laminated wood

Covered in sections of rawhide.

An artisan cuts out the

Saddle skirt and other

Components using a hydraulic

Press.

He cuts the saddle seat by hand

With this tool, called a head

Knife.

The seat gets special attention

Because it's being custom-made

For a particular horse.

He shaves the edges of each cut

Out so it can be tucked neatly

Onto the saddletree.

The technique is called skiving.

He brushes glue on the

Leather section that fits around

The stem of the saddle horn.

Then he works it into position,

Creating a lip around the horn's

Top.

He presses the horn cap onto

The leather-rimmed top, then

Crimps the edges together.

He collects tacks with a

Magnetic tip of a hammer, then

Pounds them through the leather

Cap, securing it to the wood.

A thick leather cutout hides

The nail heads.

He carves a groove around the

Top of the horn and punches

Holes through the leather.

This will make it easier to sew

The layers together.

He uses two needles to interlock

The stitches.

This secures the cap and gives

The saddle horn a tailored

Look.

To complete the horn, the

Saddlemaker trims away excess

Leather with a special forked

Blade.

Now the artisan builds up

Sections of the saddletree with

Strategically placed strips of

Leather.

He skives away some leather to

Improve the form.

Then he places a leather-backed

Piece of tin over the built-up

Areas and nails it down.

This part will add strength to

The seat.

He continues shaping the seat,

Then shaves the edges to blend

It to the saddletree.

The seat area gets one last

Leather buildup and some

Intensive skiving and sanding.

Next, he glues the nail's

Leather around the base of the

Horn -- an area called the

Swells.

He then applies leather to the

Back of the seat, called the

Cantle.

After cutting away surplus

Leather, the artisan uses this

Edging tool to trim the skirt.

This makes it smooth so it won't

Chafe the horse or the rider.

Another worker immerses the

Saddle seat in warm water.

This makes the leather soft and

Pliable, allowing it to be

Shaped.

He drapes the seat around the

Built-up saddletree and straps

It down.

As it dries, it hardens into the

Shape of the tree.

He shapes the back section of

The seat separately and pins the

Wet leather to dry to the form.

Then he glues the whole seat to

The saddletree.

But there is much more to be

Done before it's ready for ranch

Duty, so stay tuned.

]] Narrator: a western saddle

Serves an important function,

But it also sports elaborate

Artwork engraved in the leather.

This custom goes back to the

Wild west, when a saddle was a

Status symbol and ornate art and

Decorative silver signified

That a cowboy was riding high.

The saddlemaker now shapes the

Seat right up to the back of the

Cantle.

He crimps the edge to build up a

Part called the cheyenne roll.

He maps out its precise

Dimensions with a compass...

Then trims the part following

His scratch line.

With a wooden dowel, he

Again presses the leather seat

To the saddle's contours for a

Final shaping.

He sews through four layers of

Leather to finish off the

Cheyenne roll.

The thread is an artificial

Sinew -- a superstrong nylon

That makes the seam virtually

Indestructible.

The focus now moves to the

Leather saddle skirts, as an

Artist engraves a floral design.

The artist uses a wide range of

Tools with expertise, like this

One, called a back rounder,

Which he uses to carve recesses

Around the design.

A spray of water softens the

Leather, making it easier to

Engrave.

Next, he installs metal plates

On either side of each skirt.

They're part of the saddle

Rigging, which will be used to

Secure the saddle to the horse,

So it's crucial that these

Plates be firmly entrenched in

The leather.

He secures each plate to the

Skirt with several rivets, then

Rounds them off, getting rid of

Any sharp edges that would

Irritate the horse.

The saddlemaker then brushes

Glue on the back of the skirt to

Attach a leather part with a

Rear cinch ring riveted to it.

Here, he glues and rivets the

Top part to this skirt to

The main section.

He arranges a piece of

Sheepskin facedown...

Then glues the back of the

Saddle skirt to it so the woolly

Side will rest against the

Horse.

This part is all about the

Horse's creature comfort.

The saddlemaker sews the skirt

Onto the sheepskin using a

Machine with a heavy-duty

Needle.

He then trims the excess

Sheepskin following the line of

The leather skirt.

To remove some of the bulk, he

Shears the wool, tapering it

Around the edges.

Next, he braids leather lace

Into a tight weave called

Latigo lace.

It ties both halves of the

Skirt together and will later be

Used to fasten the skirt to the

Saddle.

He pulls the lace under the

Weave to secure it.

Next, he applies a generous

Amount of glue to a leather

Stirrup cover.

The stirrup is meat of oak,

Steamed into a "u" shape and

Then reinforced with galvanized

Tin.

He presses leather into the

Crook of the stirrup.

Then he bolts a metal spacer

Into the top.

Now it's time to attach the

Saddle skirts to the tree.

He threads cinch strings through

The cinch keeper and nails it to

The saddle.

Another worker now rubs special

Oil into this western saddle to

Add color to the leather and

Preserve it.

The oiling also exposes the

Grain of the leather and

Highlights the engraved designs.

From start to finish, this

Western saddle has taken 40

Hours to make, but the modern

Cowboy should get plenty of

Mileage out of it.


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