16x01 - Millefiori Glass Paperweights/Road Salt/Nutcrackers/Car Doors

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
"millefiori" is italian

For "a thousand flowers."

It's also an elaborate
glass-making technique

Developed in 15th-century italy

In which pattern-colored
glass rods are cut,

Grouped to form floral shapes,

Arranged
into intricate patterns,

Then encased in clear crystal.

If a picture's worth
a thousand words,

These thousand-flower
paperweights

Speak for themselves.

Two canadian artists craft
these millefiori masterpieces

Just as the renowned glass
makers of murano, italy, did

Centuries ago.

A mix containing silica sand,
soda ash, and lime

Is heated
to 2,400 degrees fahrenheit,

Melting it
into lead-free liquid crystal.

With a molten-crystal post,

They pick up
a densely colored bar of glass.

They roll and shape
the white color bar

While stabilizing the post
with cold water.

Then with a torch,

They preheat an aluminum mold
of a flower or other motif.

Preheating the mold helps the
glass flow into it more easily

And assume the shape
in greater detail.

Once they've molded
the colored glass,

They return to the furnace
to encase it in molten crystal.

Then they repeatedly heat
and shape the crystal

With tools and with steam
on a wad of wet newspaper

Until the crystal encases
the flower-shaped color evenly.

After reheating,

They put some molten crystal
on the end of another rod

And grab the free end
of the crystal-encased color.

They wait until the glass cools
to a specific consistency.

Then they begin to pull.

They slowly stretch the glass
into a thin and even rod,

Careful not to twist it,

As that would distort
the flower shape

Of the colored glass inside.

This produces what's called
a murrini cane --

A clear crystal rod with
a colored, flower-shaped center.

Once the murrini solidifies,

They nip it
into manageable lengths.

Then they take murrini
of different colors and designs,

Cut them into short rods,

And bundle them into a pattern
called a complex murrini.

They preheat the complex murrini
in a kiln

To prevent
shock-induced cracking.

They now pick it up
with a hot crystal post

And, after removing
the bundling wires,

Heat and work the group
of glass rods into one.

They now stretch
this complex murrini

Into what's known
as complex murrini cane.

Once the cane stabilizes,

They cut it
into yardlong lengths,

Then cool them gradually
in a kiln

To relieve any stresses
in the glass.

Then they slice the lengths
into pieces 2/10 of an inch --

The size required
for the millefiori paperweights.

Now, using complex
murrini pieces

Of different colors
and patterns,

They assemble
the paperweight design,

Placing a unique,
hand-constructed murrini

In the center.

This one is a trillium.

Next, they encircle the setup

With a heat-resistant
graphite ring.

This holds the pieces
in position.

After a final adjustment,

The artists preheat a white,
lace-patterned glass base

They prepared earlier.

This base will serve
as a blank canvas

For the colorful
paperweight pattern.

They push the molten crystal
onto the base.

The ring contains it
to the base's diameter.

Then they reheat the base,

Making it smooth and free
of air pockets,

Preheat the complex
murrini setup,

And stick the base onto it.

Like before,
the ring contains the spread.

Another overall reheating
softens the glass

And fully fuses
all the components.

This fills crevices
and smoothes the surface.

Now they return to the furnace

To encase this paperweight core
in molten crystal.

Using standard
glass-making techniques,

They work the crystal
to a bulbous shape.

Then on the bottom,
they form a break-off point.

A sharp tap on the rod
cracks the glass at that point,

Separating it from the rod.

They heat the break-off point

And insert a piece of cane
bearing the artist's initials.

After a 12-hour controlled
cooling in the kiln,

They grind the base level.

Then they polish away
the scratches

Left by the grinding wheel.

After a thorough inspection,

These magnificent
millefiori paperweights

Are ready to be shipped

To art-glass collectors
worldwide.

Narrator: when the road ahead
is a sheet of ice,

Rock salt can make the problem
melt away.

Salt lowers the melting point
of water to thaw ice

And also prevents its formation.

Salt was first used to de-ice
highways and walkways

In the 1930s,

But it was only in the 1960s
that its use spread.

Unprocessed rock salt
actually looks like the ice

It will eventually be used
to melt.

This salt comes
from huge crystalline caverns

A thousand feet
below the earth's surface

Along the canada/u.s. Border.

That's 2/10 of a mile
underground.

These massive deposits
were formed

Hundreds of millions
of years ago

When saltwater lakes dried up.

The clarity of this rock salt
is a sign of its purity.

This mineral is 98%
sodium chloride, or salt.

They extract it in chunks
from the rock's face

By using expl*sives
and drilling.

Then a loader scoops up
the broken pieces of salt.

This is called
a low-profile loader.

It has a shorter height to fit
into tight spaces underground.

It transfers the salt
to the primary crusher.

This crusher is
a spiked cylinder

That spins to break the salt
into pieces

Small enough to be moved
on a conveyor.

The conveyor takes the salt
to a production elevator

Known as a skip.

It takes just a minute
and a half for the skip

To lift its heavy load
aboveground and up a tower.

When it stops, the bottom opens
to empty the salty cargo.

The salt funnels into two chutes
and lands on vibrating screens.

These screens are essentially
big automated salt shakers.

As they pulsate, they shake out
the smaller bits,

While larger chunks move on
to be crushed again.

Then it's on
to more shaking sifters.

These screen out
the very fine particles,

And what's left will be used
as de-icing salt.

There are several sifters
in this room.

They also sift out particles

That are about 4/10 of an inch
in size

To be used
as water-softening product.

And for this purpose,

The darker bits are seen
as undesirable,

So they remove those

With something called
an optical sorter.

The optical sorter bounces light
off the salt particles,

And a computer
reads the reflection

To determine
if they're light or dark.

Jets of compressed air
then target the dark bits

And blast them downward,

While the white particles
continue forward.

A closer look confirms

That the optical sorter
has done its job effectively.

The salt meant for water
softening is pure white,

While a few darker speckles
is acceptable for road salt.

Outside in the holding area,

The salt accumulates in piles
that look like huge snow drifts.

If the winter is harsh,

Road crews will use it
as fast as it piles up.

When it comes
to bulk purchasing,

Orders don't come
much bigger than this.

Highway maintenance departments

Buy de-icing salt
by the truckload

And create their own stockpiles

To be prepared
for stormy weather.

But individual consumers,
of course,

Buy de-icing salt by the bag.

In the packaging department,

Automated trays relay plastic
bags to grippers overhead,

And the system
moves them forward.

Suctioning robot arms
pry each bag open.

A puff of air inflates the bag,

While a nozzle pipes measured
amounts of the de-icing salt

Into the bag.

Once the bag is full,

The system moves it
forward again,

And not a grain of salt
is spilled.

Finally, a heat sealer

Melts the plastic
to close the package.

It's taken about an hour
for this rock salt

To be mined, crushed,
sifted, and packaged.

And now they're ready to take it
to the street.

Narrator:
the first nutcrackers

Were plain,
purely functional devices.

By the 15th century,

European woodcarvers
began crafting

Beautiful nutcrackers
shaped like animals and people.

German artisans became known

For their majestic nutcracker
kings and soldiers,

Just like the one
in tchaikovsky's famous ballet.

This german company

Has been crafting character
nutcrackers since 1928.

Like porcelain figurines,

These nutcrackers sell
as limited-edition collectibles.

At hundreds of dollars each,

People don't actually use them
for the intended purpose.

But they can and do
perform the job.

You simply manipulate a lever

To open, then close the mouth
to crack the nutshell.

On the factory floor, they use
a multiblade circular saw

To cut all the body parts
out of linden wood.

Linden is ideal because it's
lightweight, easy to carve,

And its color is pale enough
to mimic skin.

These blocks are on their way
to becoming nutcracker torsos.

First, they go through a planer.

It trims the four sides
of each block,

Forming an octagonal shape...

...from square to octagonal
and next to round.

But first, workers
use a circular saw

To cut the blocks
into torso-length pieces.

A conveyor feeds the pieces
one by one

Into an automatic,
multi-station lathe.

The first station
rounds out the octagon,

Then forms
the basic torso shape.

The second station
finalizes the shape.

Then the next four stations
sand the wood smooth

So that the wood stain
they'll apply later on

Will penetrate well and evenly.

Then the torsos go
three at a time

Into a vertical router.

It cuts a notch in each one

For the lever that opens and
closes the nutcracker's mouth.

Next stop is a drilling machine,

Which simultaneously drills
all the holes required

To attach the body parts,
as well as the lever's axle.

Now they dress the torso
in a coat,

Which they create simply by
staining the wood a dark color.

Once the stain dries,

They spray on two coats
of semigloss lacquer.

Every nutcracker stands
on a wooden base,

Under which they burn
the company's logo.

It's a mark of authenticity
for collectors.

The automatic lathe also shapes
the other body parts,

Including the head.

Workers attach a nose,

Then, using a router,
cut holes for the eyes.

Then they lightly spray on
a touch of red paint

To simulate a sun-kissed nose
and rosy cheeks.

Then, with a steady hand,

They paint the whites
of the eyes...

...and the eyebrows.

Once the paint dries,

They apply some glue
to the center of each eye,

Then affix an iris and pupil
made of enameled tin.

Now they align the head
with the torso

And screw the parts together.

After decorating the coat
with buttons and a buckle,

They glue a strip of rabbit-fur
hair to the head...

...a rabbit-fur beard

To camouflage the notch
for the lever,

Then they mount the torso
onto the legs,

Which wear painted-on boots
and stand on the base.

Then this nutcracker
percussionist gets his drum,

Along with arms and drumsticks.

They top him off with a hat
made of spray-painted wood.

Most of the nutcracker's parts

Join together
with wooden dowels.

A large dowel running
across the notch in the torso

Is the axle
on which the lever rotates.

This extensive cast
of nutcracker characters

Comes in various sizes,

And you can even special-order
a life-sized version.

Narrator: car doors have come a
long way over the last century.

They're lighter
for improved fuel efficiency

And stronger to better withstand
the force of an impact.

They also contain a lot
of electronic gadgetry,

Like speakers and power windows,

All of which enhance
the daily commute.

A car door is one
of the first things

Many people reach for
as they start their day,

So let's unlock the mystery
of how it's made.

It all starts with carbon steel,

An alloy that's strong,
yet malleable.

Machinery uncoils
and straightens it.

A large blade slices it
to the desired length,

Producing sheets called blanks.

Then it's over
to a powerful press.

This particular one
is a trial press,

Which offers a better view
of the process

Than the one
on the production line.

The press forces the blank
into a die,

Giving it the basic shape
of two car doors.

It's a design
that's been engineered

For both aerodynamics
and strength.

Back on the production line,

The main press is
churning out car doors.

An automated device with fingers

Then grips
the newly shaped steel

And transfers it
to a punch cutter.

It separates the two doors

And trims the excess metal
from the edges.

With the outer door panels
now complete,

A handler inspects them
for bumps, dents, or scratches.

He approves only those
that are absolutely flawless.

The next worker arranges
the window frame,

A reinforcing plate
for the hinge,

And the inner door panel,

All on a special
clamping fixture.

Its fingers grip the parts
to hold them in position

As the fixture rotates

And two robots move in
to weld them together.

At the next station,

The worker arranges steel bars
and tubes on a robotic platform.

They add strength to the door

So it will better withstand
any impact.

He places the inner door panel
over the bars and tubes.

The robotic platform
angles the parts for welding.

Another robot applies adhesive

To the rim
of the outer door panel.

More robots dab adhesive
at strategic locations.

Those dabs match up to the tubes
and bars on the inner panel

As they mate it
to the outer one.

A special press then folds
the lip of the outer panel

Over the inner one.

This hemming gives the assembled
car door a neater edge.

With the inner and outer panels
now joined,

The car door undergoes
rustproofing, paint,

And other protective treatments.

Now, over on the assembly line,

A worker fits the handle
into its niche

And bolts it to the door
from the other side.

Chrome trim
is clipped into place.

Moving down the line,

A worker installs
a small, fixed window

In the groove of the frame.

He uses a plastic protector
to prevent scratches

As he slides the larger window
into its slot in the door

And links it to a power-lifting
mechanism inside.

He separates the two windows
with a metal divider.

At the next station,

This car door gets
an automated side-view mirror.

They're now ready for the inner
panel and its workings.

The employee wires
the panel to the door

And snaps it into place.

He tests the power windows,
and they close to a tight seal,

Indicating
a successful installation.

A special elevator now lowers
the completed car doors


To the next station.

A worker unloads each door

With the help
of a pneumatic arm.

This device shoulders
the weight of the part

And correctly positions the door
for installation.

He drives bolts into hinges
to attach the door to the car.

On the door side,

The heavy-duty
reinforcement plate

Surrounds the hinges
and supports them.

The whole weight of the door

Will hang on this plate
as it swings open and shut.

With all the panels installed,

It's time
for the final adjustments.

They call this finessing.

They examine each panel

To confirm that it's flush
to the rest of the car body,

And they tweak the installation
job where needed.

Finally, they're satisfied
the assembly is airtight,

So it's time to close the door
on this production.