17x01 - Decorative Sombreros/Salad Dressings/Cap g*ns/Regenerative Medicine

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: the sombrero
is a traditional mexican hat

With a large brim that's
designed to cast a wide shadow

Over the face and shoulders.

Everyday sombreros
are made of straw,

But mariachi bands
and other folkloric performers

Wear fancier ones
made of velvet, wool, or felt,

With elaborate decorations.

These fancy sombreros
are produced primarily

As decorative
tourist souvenirs.

Artisans construct and decorate
each one entirely by hand.

They start by positioning
a sun-shaped cutting die

At the center of a large sheet
of thick paper.

As the press closes, the die
slices through, making a hole.

Next, they sandwich the sheet

Between two fiery hot
sombrero-shaped forms.

These mold the paper
to the shape of the hat's brim.

Then they trim off the excess

And stitch the perimeter
to reinforce the edge.

Now they soak the brim
in a gelatin solution

And lay it out in the sun to dry
to stiffen the paper.

Next, they fold a sheet of paper
and die-cut another shape.

They sew the far ends together
to form a circle.

This will form the top
of the sombrero, called the cup.

They spread glue along the base,
where it attaches to the brim.

They also apply glue
to a paper circle.

Then they place the cup

On the same hot form
they use to mold the brim.

After shaping the cup,

They reinforce the top
with the paper circle.

The sombrero
is now fully constructed.

The next step is to cover it
in fabric.

They coat the surface with glue,

Then, section by section,
adhere pieces of velvet or felt.

They start with the cup.

The fabric has been pre-cut
and sewn to the correct shape.

The next section
is the brim's underside.

They trim off the excess fabric
with a razor blade...

...and cut away
the fabric over the cup.

Next, a piece to cover
the top of the brim.

Throughout the
fabric-application process,

He's careful to pull
the material taut

And smooth it down.

A final trimming, and
the sombrero is fully covered.

Elsewhere in the factory,
automated machines

Weave spools
of polypropylene string

And metallic plastic string
into colorful trim.

Artisans
in the decoration department

Cut out paper motifs
and cover them in trim.

Then, they make
colorful appliqués

By sewing the motifs and sequins

Onto velvet-covered
paper shapes.

They glue these appliqués
onto the sombrero.

Finally, they glue trim

Where the appliqué edges
and hat surface meet.

This holds the edges down
and finishes them off nicely.

On pricier sombreros, all the
decorations are sewn by hand --

No glued-on appliqués.

The artisans complete
every sombrero

With the fabric lining
in the cup,

Then an under-the-chin
drawstring,

Handy for wearing or hanging
this mexican memento.

Narrator:
supermarket shelves

Are stocked
with a vast selection

Of tasty, ready-made
salad dressings and marinades.

Dressing adds instant pizzazz
to the salad,

Whereas marinade flavors
and tenderizes raw food

By slow penetration over
a few hours prior to cooking.

Salad dressings can be
cream- or mayonnaise-based

Or oil-and-vinegar-based.

This particular line
of dressings and marinades

Is made entirely of
certified organic ingredients.

It's also gluten-free
and sugar-free

For those with celiac disease
or diabetes.

While the salad dressing's base
stays much the same,

The seasoning ingredients vary
to create different flavors,

Such as the one we're about
to see being made --

Sun-dried tomato
and garlic vinaigrette.

On the production floor,
they start by heating water,

Then adding tomato paste.

Next, they add dried basil.

They pour all ingredients
directly into the vortex

Created by the mixing blade
to ensure thorough blending.

Next, they add
sun-dried tomatoes...

...minced garlic...

...and salt.

After 15 more minutes of mixing,

They add soybean oil
and extra virgin olive oil,

Both expeller-pressed,

Meaning extracted
from the source naturally

Using a mechanical press

And not the conventional
chemical process.

The last ingredient
is gluten-free red wine vinegar.

Whereas the oils
provide both taste and texture,

This vinegar produces
a full-bodied flavor.

Cooking another 20 minutes or so
on high heat

Stabilizes the product,

Giving unopened dressing
a shelf life of up to a year.

On the bottling line,
a machine called the inverter

Flips the empty glass bottles
upside down.

Then, from underneath,
an air nozzle

Shoots in a blast
of filtered air.

This loosens any dust or dirt
particles inside the bottle,

Enabling a vacuum
to then suction them out.

Another inverter flips
the bottles right side up again

As they enter
the filling machine.

Exiting the filler, the bottles
pass through a machine

Which dispenses plastic caps,

Then, with a row of spinning
disks, twists them on.

Finally, a tamper-proof seal
and labels.

The marinade-production process
is much the same,

But with different ingredients,
of course.

This batch
is sesame teriyaki flavor,

Of which a key component
is gluten-free tamari,

A japanese soy sauce
made without wheat.

Again, the process begins by
heating water in a cook kettle.

They pump in tamari...

Pour in salt...

Then powdered ginger.

Next, minced garlic
and sesame seeds.

Then, agave nectar, a natural
sweetener that's low-glycemic.

They add pureed ginger...

Then, expeller-press soybean oil

Mixed with xanthan gum,
a natural thickener.

About 20 minutes' cooking
on high heat,

And this sesame teriyaki
marinade is ready for bottling.

Like before, the glass bottles

Undergo a vacuum cleaning
en route to the filler.

There, pistons suck up
the marinade like a syringe,

Then inject it into the bottles.

The filled bottles
go through the capper,

Then travel on a conveyor belt
to the next machine,

Which slips a plastic neckband
over each cap.

A shot of hot steam shrinks the
neckband tightly around the cap,

Creating a tamper seal.

Finally, the labeling machine

Applies glue
to the back of a paper label,

Then wraps it
around the passing bottle.

Besides flavoring
and tenderizing raw food

Before cooking,

You can also pour marinade

Over meat, fish, or vegetables
while cooking,

A surefire way to let
the gourmet out of the bottle.

Narrator:
a cap g*n is a toy revolver

Which, when you pull
its trigger,

Makes an expl*sive sound
like a g*nsh*t

And emits a small puff of smoke.

The caps --
tiny dots of gunpowder

On either a plastic ring

Or a strip of paper
inserted in the g*n --

Produce these realistic effects.

Cowboy-style cap g*ns were
the rage in the 1950s and '60s

During the golden age
of westerns.

This small american factory

Uses the molds the major toy
companies of the day discarded

When they stopped making
cap g*ns long ago.

Caps are little dots
of gunpowder

About 1/16 of an inch
in diameter,

Sandwiched between two strips
of paper.

Pulling the trigger
releases a hammer,

Which strikes the cap,
exploding it.

This injection-molding machine
makes the grips,

The faces of the g*n handle.

It shoots hot liquid plastic

Into 10 grip molds
simultaneously.

The plastic cools and solidifies
in just seconds.

The color and design of grips
vary by model.

The ones on this rancher-style
cap g*n feature a steer's head.

The rest of the g*n
is made of cast zinc.

Workers load a zinc bar
into a smelting pot

Heated to about


The bar melts
within a couple of minutes.

The molten zinc travels through
heated pipes to a plunger,

Which injects the zinc
into a g*n-parts mold.

The zinc takes just 10 seconds
to cool and harden.

Then it's just a matter
of separating the parts.

The g*n's main body,

Which contains the right side
of the barrel...

The loading gate,
which covers the cap box...

The cylinder...

The left side of the barrel...

And toy b*ll*ts
which load into the cartridge

But don't sh**t out of the g*n.

The trigger and hammer
are cast in a separate mold.

Every piece has flashing,

Excess metal
that forms in the gap

Between the two halves
of the mold.

After removing as much
as they can with pliers,

Workers file down the rest.

Some flashing is quite thick, so
they use a sander to remove it.

Workers rinse the smooth parts
in acid to clean the surface,

Then electroplate them
with zinc.

They dip the parts
in a clear liquid coating

To make the mat surface shiny.

Now assembly can begin.

First, they install the spring
which opens the loading gate.

They take the left side
of the barrel,

Add the latch that holds
the loading gate closed

And the spring which puts
tension on that latch.

Then the cylinder,
and, finally, the guiding disk

Which turns the cylinder
when you squeeze the trigger.

They screw all that
to the main body,

Which contains the right side
of the barrel.

Next, they insert
an orange plastic safety tip

Into the end of the barrel.

Laws require this
to prevent cap g*ns

From being mistaken
for real firearms.

They hook the loading-gate
spring to the gate's latch

To hold it closed.

Then, they install
the hammer spring...

...and hammer.

Two brass grommets secure
the cylinder-turning arm

And the pusher which feeds
the caps one by one

Out of the cap box
into striking position.

The trigger spring keeps tension

On both the cap pusher
and the trigger.

Next, they install
the loading gate.

After hooking up
additional springs,

Workers attach the top part
of the hammer spring

To the holding pin
on the hammer...

Then, the bottom part
of the hammer spring

To the holding pin on the frame.

Finally, the plastic grips --
one for each side of the handle.

Being cast from vintage molds,

These cap g*ns
feature intricate scrollwork,

A degree of craftsmanship
rarely seen in toys nowadays --

Something perhaps better
appreciated by the parents

Of the wild west cowboys

Than by the pint-sized
gunslingers themselves.

Narrator:
when parts of the human body

Break down or are damaged,
options are limited.

Scientists are working on
providing replacement parts

On demand, like fingers,
ears, and bladders.

Laboratory-engineered bladders

Have already been successfully
implanted in humans.

The stuff of science fiction
may soon be a reality.

They begin with a mold,

A finger mold on the right
and an ear on the left.

These molds could be made
of synthetic polymers

Or natural materials
such as collagen.

Scientists will grow real cells
on the molds.

To obtain those cells,

A scientists first extracts
a small piece of cartilage,

Which is a type of connective
tissue in the body.

She chops it into little bits.

She transfers the minced
cartilage to a test tube

Partially filled
with a special enzyme.

This enzyme dissolves tissue,

Leaving only
the cartilage cells.

She then places the test tube
in a centrifuge

For a high-speed spin.

This causes the cartilage cells

To separate
from the enzyme solution

And settle on the bottom.

She siphons off the liquid,

And the tiny cells
remain in the test tube.

Next, she adds a red liquid.

It's a culture medium.

It will act as a fertilizer
to stimulate cell growth.

Transferred to a petri dish,

She swishes the mix
to dispense the cells.

Then it's into an incubator

Warmed to 98.6 degrees
fahrenheit, body temperature.

It's the perfect environment
to spur more cell growth.

Meanwhile,
a computer-controlled machine

Builds the mold of the ear.

It layers synthetic polymer

To produce
an authentic-looking shape.

This process takes
about five hours.

In the meantime, the microscopic
cells have multiplied 20 times.

The scientist drips them
onto the completed mold,

Where they continue to grow.

In the future,
cell-covered ear molds

Could be implanted
under a patient's skin.

Cartilage would form,

And the body would accept
the part as its own.

Other scientists

Are working on growing
blood vessels and heart valves.

They start by extracting a type
of stem cell from human blood.

The researcher
first fills a test tube

With the clear,
high-density solution.

He adds diluted blood
to the clear solution.

Almost instantly, the different
components of the blood

Begin to separate.

The heavier red blood cells
plummet

And the lighter stem cells rise
to the top of the test tube.

A spin in the centrifuge

Leaves the components
visibly separated,

Allowing scientists to retrieve
the desired cells.

They'll convert them
to endothelial cells,

Which line the inside of
blood vessels and heart valves.

In the meantime, they construct
the blood-vessel mold.

The scientist adds solvent
to liquid collagen,

Causing it
to instantly dissolve.

He adds little white beads.

They're synthetic polymers.

And they liquefy over a period
of about an hour.

They spray the collagen
concoction onto a rod that spins

As a carriage moves it
to and fro for even coverage.

The collagen-and-polymer mixture

Quickly solidifies
around the rod.

The scientist slides off
the now-hardened biomaterial.

He now has a mold for shaping
a human blood vessel.

He coats the mold with the
microscopic endothelial cells,

Which, by now, have grown
and multiplied.

He then pumps fluid through it
to simulate blood flow.

This conditions the cells
to go with the flow

And collectively operate
as a real blood vessel.

To grow a heart valve, they
don't actually build a mold --

They use a real valve
from a pig.

The scientist
plunges the pig valve

Into a container
filled with a mild detergent.

It goes into a machine
that shakes it up.

The agitation helps scrub off
the cells,

Leaving only the valve skeleton.

He saturates the valve skeleton
with human cells,

Where they grow and thrive.

The research team then
pumps fluid through the valve,

Just like they did
with the blood vessel.

This trains the cells
to do the work

They would need to do
in the human body.

Even dr. Frankenstein
would be impressed.

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