14x13 - Retractable Ballpoint Pens/Solar Salt/Tubas

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: the ballpoint pen
was designed as the answer

To the fountain pen's
many annoyances --

The hassle of having to manually
refill the barrel with ink

That dried slowly
and often smudged.

The ballpoint has a tiny
steel ball in its tip

That applies quick-drying ink
from a ready-made cartridge.

When the ink cartridge inside
these retractable pens runs out,

You simply replace it
with a new one.

Working from the initial design,

The pen factory makes molds

For all the pens'
plastic components.

The injection molder first
shoots hot liquid plastic

Into molds for the barrel's
rigid core,

Then into other molds
for its soft rubber grip.

The tubes for the ink cartridges
are also made of plastic.

Machinery aligns them
in the same direction,

Then prints on the company name,
model number, and tip size.

Here, a filling machine
injects 0.8 grams of ink

Through the tip.

To prevent the ink
from evaporating,

It plugs the other end with


Meanwhile,
high-precision machines

Progressively shape
the pen's tip

Out of stainless-steel blanks.

The equipment drills
a 1-millimeter channel

Through the blank,

Then, in quick succession,
fashions the tip into a cone,

Cuts five tiny ink-flow channels
in the ball socket,

And seats
a 1-millimeter-diameter

Stainless-steel ball
in the center.

Another machine
then inserts a finished tip

In each ink-filled tube.

A scanner then checks the length
and the ball of each cartridge.

This magnification
shows the width

Of the five ink-flow channels
next to a human hair.

Random samples undergo
an air-pressure test

To check the ball's position
and movement.

Anything less than perfect
will clog the pen.

They close off the end of the
cartridge with a plastic cap.

The cartridge is now
going to a centrifuge,

Which forces the ink to the tip,

Eliminating any air bubbles
that would obstruct ink flow.

Every cartridge passes through
this writing-test machine.

That blue light is a sensor

That triggers the machine to
reject any defective cartridge.

The components now come together
in the assembly department.

The machine assembles the clip,
sleeve, and barrel.

The clip is made of
chrome-plated spring steel,

A strong metal that regains
its shape when flexed.

The machine then flips
the assembly over

To receive
the internal components.

First, the pen's two-part
push-button mechanism.

Part one --
the plastic push button.

Part two --
a device called a rotor.

Which each click, it rotates
the refill 45 degrees

So the tip wears evenly.

The ink cartridge
goes in tip-side up,

The plug on the back
fitting into the rotor.

This device forces spring-steel
wire through a coiling block.

This produces a tiny spring

That provides resistance
to the push-button mechanism.

A grabber places the spring
over the cartridge tip.

Now they close up the pen

By adjoining the barrel's
bottom part.

The machine screws
the two parts together

To a specific tightness.

The final assembly machine tests
the push-button mechanism

To ensure it retracts
the tip properly.

This also prepares the pens
for packaging,

As they go into the boxes
with tips retracted.

The factory subjects random
samples to endurance testing.

This device clicks
the push button 100,000 times.

Only then does a printer
put the logo on the barrel.

This company's engineering of
its ink-flow channels and tip

Delivers on average 2.5 miles
of writing per cartridge.

Narrator:
salt comes from three sources --

Salt mines, land
that at one time was seabed,

And from oceans
and saltwater lakes.

Factories extract salt
from water by evaporation,

Either mechanically or naturally

By letting the sun
work its magic

And produce what's called
solar salt.

This large hunk of salt crystals

Comes from great salt lake
in utah.

At full water level,

The lake is seven times saltier
than the ocean.

Harvesters scoop up salt from
shallow crystallization ponds

And load it into trucks.

It's the end result of
a two-year evaporation cycle,

Which has seen the lake water,
called brine,

Slowly give off its moisture in
a series of concentrating ponds.

What remains is a bed of salt
crystals about 12 inches deep.

The truck dumps its cargo onto
the factory's conveyor system.

First stop is a rinsing station

To remove contaminants
such as algae and dust.

Using freshwater
would dissolve the salt,

So they flush the crystals
with lake brine.

Next, hot-air dryers remove
the moisture and salt dust

Within about 3.5 minutes.

The salt crystals then roll

Across a series
of sorting screens

With progressively
smaller openings.

This classifies the salt
crystals into three grades --

Coarse, medium, and fine.

Each grade goes
onto a separate conveyor

That transports it
to a designated storage bin.

The factory uses
medium-grade salt

To make pellets
for water-softening equipment.

This press compresses the
crystals into pellet shapes

Along with certain additives

To help the water-softening
equipment perform better.

Some municipal water supplies
have a high mineral content.

This hard water makes soap
difficult to lather

And leaves stains on sinks,
bathtubs, and toilets.

Salt triggers
a chemical reaction

That dissolves
the problem minerals.

The factory packages
water-softening solar salt

In bags, as well.

It also produces a variety
of other solar-salt products

Such as swimming-pool salt,

Road salt for melting ice
in the winter,

And, of course, culinary salt.

The factory's automated
packaging equipment

Fills both paper
and plastic bags.

This company also sells solar
salt to several industries

For use as an ingredient
in products such as detergent.

There's also
the agricultural market.

Farmers buy blocks of solar salt
plain or enriched with minerals

As a nutrient for their cattle.

The factory produces different
salt and mineral formulations,

Each dyed a different color
for easy identification.

To produce salt for cattle,

The machinery drops 50 pounds at
a time into a block-shaped mold.

A press applies 750 tons
of pressure,

Binding the crystals
into a block.

The farmer simply sets out
blocks among the cattle,

And the animals lick away
to get their dose of sodium.

A label identifies the type
of salt block.

This one contains iodine

To prevent a thyroid disorder
called goiter,

A tasty and therapeutic
bovine snack

Courtesy of a saltwater lake
and sunshine.

Narrator:
the tuba is the largest
instrument in the brass family

And the one
with the lowest pitch.

Famous orchestral composers
from stravinsky to gershwin

Have included significant parts
for tuba

In some of
their best-known works.

Some composers have even written
full concertos for tuba.

Tubas are made of brass,

Sometimes silver-
or gold-plated.

The instrument consists
of valves and tubing,

Ending in a flared bell.

The bell flare
begins as a brass disk



They use a range of tools
and various mandrels

To work the brass into
a preliminary bell-flare shape.

They use sandpaper to remove
any marks left by the tools,

Then cut a hole in the center.

To make the conical tail
that leads to the bell flare,

They bend and hammer
a thin brass sheet

Around a tail-shaped mandrel.

To join the seam, they cut
notches along one edge,

Then hammer them
over the other edge.

The artisan then melts
filler metal over the seam

With a high-temperature
gas torch,

A process known as braising.

Then they use a wooden mallet
to round out the shape.

They use a pressure roller
to flatten out the mallet dents

And further refine the surface.

After notching the wider end
of the tail,

They assemble it
to the bell flare.

They dab on flux,

A chemical that prepares
the surface for braising,

Then tack the parts together.

They hammer down the notches
and braise the seam all around.

This assembly,
now called the bell,

Goes back on the lathe.

Using a belt sander,

They flatten all the seams
flush with the surface.

On another mandrel, with
lubricant assisting the process,

They finalize the bell's shape.

Now they trim the edge
to the correct diameter...

...bend it back a bit...

...polish the perimeter
with the sanding head,

Then use a special tool
to roll the edge over itself.

This forms what's called
the bell bead,

A lip that reinforces the bell

And gives this end of the
instrument a finished look.

A computer-guided
engraving machine

Puts the company logo
and model number on the bell.

Each of the tuba's


Must be bent
into a specific shape.

The first step is to fill them
with hot liquid pitch,

Which hardens as it cools.

This keeps the tubes
from collapsing as they're bent.

After bending, the tubes go into
an oven to melt out the pitch.

Certain bent tubes are enlarged

In a machine called
a hydraulic blowout press.

It pumps oil into it
at high pressure.

This blows the tube walls
outward against the dye,

Forcing it to assume
the new shape.

Certain bent tubes are conical,
others, cylindrical.

The cylindrical ones go through

What's called
a ball-out operation.

This machine forces steel ba*ls
of the proper diameter

Through the tube.

This enlarges any spots
that are too narrow.

Before bending, certain tubes

Have to go through a drawing
machine for resizing.

With lubricant easing the way,

It draws the tube
between an inner mandrel

And an outer washer.

This forms the tube
to the correct diameters

And wall thickness,

While also stretching it
lengthwise.

Coming up next,

We'll see where this tube fits
in the finished instrument.

Narrator: tubas come
in different versions.

A b-flat tuba, for example,
is nearly 18 feet long,

Whereas an f tuba
is about 11.5 feet long.

Tubas have anywhere
from three to six valves.

Pressing different
valve combinations

Produces different notes.

To build the valve section,

They insert parts called
knuckles into the valve cases.

Spacers hold the valve cases
the proper distance apart,

While this alignment plate
positions the cases

In the correct configuration.

Next, they insert connectors
to later link the valve section

To the rest of the instrument.

After braising
the parts together,

They run a cutter through the
valve cases to hollow them out.

Here, you can see what
the case interiors look like

Before cutting and after.

Now they begin soldering
on the valve section's tubing,

Working from
the valve cases outward.

The tuba's frame section is made
up of several u-shaped parts.

Workers assemble them
with connecting rings.

They insert a support brace
inside this frame piece...

...then position tabs

Onto which they'll later mount
the valve section.

They clamp the tabs in place,
then solder them on.

Then they attach
the bell section to the frame.

Before adding the valve section,
they give a preliminary buffing

To what they've assembled
so far.

They brush some
liquid polishing compound

Into the places that they
couldn't access with the wheel

And buff those areas with a rag.

Then a final overall buffing

Until the brass reflects
like a mirror.

Meanwhile, the valve-section
assembly continues.

First, they close off the bottom
of each valve case

With a screw-on cap...

...then drop in a spring

To provide resistance
for the valve piston.

Then the piston.

A felt to cushion it, a top cap,
another cushioning felt,

And, finally, the finger button.

A little oil ensures all
the buttons move smoothly.

The felts inside
prevent the pistons

From making a clanging sound
as they move up and down.

Now for the tuba's
tuning slides.

A coat of grease
helps them move in and out

To increase or decrease the
overall length of the tubing.

Shortening tunes
the instrument higher.

Lengthening tunes it lower.

Now they screw
the finished valve section

To the assembled frame
and bell sections

And insert
the main tuning slide.

Finally, the tuba's mouthpipe,
made not of brass like the rest,

But of nickel silver.

They spray the entire instrument
with cleaning solution

To remove any grease residue
and fingerprints.

Prior to assembly,

Each section was cleaned
and coated with a clear lacquer

To ensure the tuba will always
look as good as it sounds.

[ "Ride of the valkyries"
plays ]

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