17x09 - Whips/Automated Pizza Makers/Incense Cones/Scale Turbine Engines

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: in the old days,

Ranchers used the sound
of the whip to move cattle.

Today,
collectors buy different types

As functional works of art

While others practice the sport
of whip cracking,

Training to compete
in competitions.

There are even entertainers

Who perform eye-popping tricks
with whips.

In the world of whip-cracking,

The best whips are made
of kangaroo leather

Because it's 10 times stronger
than cowhide of equal thickness.

Modern whips have
four main parts -- the handle,

The thong, which is
the flexible, braided portion,

The fall,
a replaceable strip of leather,

And the cr*cker,

The thin string which amplifies
the sound of the crack.

After carefully selecting
the hide to be used

For the specific whip,
they begin

By trimming away the ragged
edges of the kangaroo hide

With a razor-sharp knife.

This leaves a smooth edge
with which to work.

They now begin cutting out all
the whip's leather components,

Most of which have strands
which they'll later braid.

The internal construction
of the whip

Is made of two layers
of braiding

Called plaited bellies.

Separating each braided layer

Is a solid piece of leather
called a bolster.

It encircles the braided
belly layer under it.

Then, covering everything

Is a final outer layer
of braiding called the overlay.

They cut the strands for
the bellies and overlay by hand

Using a tapering cutter

That's specially designed
for whip-making.

The finished overlay and bellies

Have a flat portion at the top
called the yoke

And strands
tapering continuously

Along their entire length.

They stretch each strand
as much as possible

To ensure the braid
will be tight and uniform.

Then, they resize each strand
and bevel its edges.

This helps the strands
fit into each other snugly

And create a smoother,
gapless braid.

Then, using a tool
called a hand splitter,

They shave the backside
of each strand

To a uniform thickness.

This prevents lumps in the taper
of the finished whip.

Next, they take waxed cord

And tightly bind
a tapered strip of leather

Around a handle foundation.

The leather strip
called the core

Will extend into the center
of the thong.

They attach the first belly yoke
over the handle and core,

Then braid the strands
to begin forming the thong.

This compresses the core
into a solid, round center.

Over the braided first belly,
they wrap the first bolster,

Then attach and braid
the second belly.

Over that,
they wrap the second bolster,

Each layer compressing
the ones underneath.

Then, at last,
the final layer --

The overlay.

First,
they lubricate the strands

With homemade
animal-fat-based soap.

This not only enables
a tighter braid,

The animal fat also conditions
the leather.

This particular whip
has a 12-strand overlay,

But more intricate overlays
can have as many as 72 strands,

Forming complex patterns.

While braiding, it's critical to
see and align the inner layers

And pull the strands tightly.

When the thong reaches
the finished length,

They feed
the end of the braiding

Through a slit in the next part
of the whip, the fall.

They tie the remaining strands
in sequence around the fall,

Using what's known
as a half-hitch knot.

Then they seat the fall
into place

And trim the loose strands.

This creates a secure connection

Between these two sections
of the whip.

Now they roll the thong

Between a hard surface
and a block of marble.

This compacts the braiding

And rounds out
the overall shape.

Then they tie the cr*cker
onto the tip of the fall.

In the old days, they used
horsehair for the cr*cker,

Also known as the popper.

Nowadays, whip makers are
more likely to use nylon string.

They wrap a piece of leather
to build a knot foundation

At the base of the handle.

For longer and thicker whips,

They form the knot foundation
with a piece of lead

To properly balance the whip.

They fold the yoke from
the overlay over the foundation,

Then, with a separate strand
of leather,

Cover the foundation with what's
known as a turk's head knot.

After trimming the knot strands,

They shape the knot
with a soft mallet,

Then more rolling.

Lastly, they apply a coat
of natural shellac

To the entire whip.

This protects the materials
and produces a nice sheen.

No whip leaves the shop without
a round of hands-on testing

To make absolutely sure
it's all it's cracked up to be.

[ Whips cracking ]

Narrator: if you have
a craving for italian

And there's no restaurant
in sight,

You can always buy a pizza
from a vending machine --

Not something
pre-made and packaged

That you have to reheat
in the microwave

But a fresh pizza,

Made from scratch
right inside the machine

And served to you piping hot.

This automatic
pizza-making machine

Produces a fresh pizza
in less than three minutes.

You simply insert money,

Then select one of four
different pizza toppings.

The machine
then makes the dough,

Applies the toppings,

And bakes the pizza
right before your eyes.

When it's ready,

Your made-to-order


Is ready for pickup
at the exit slot.

To build the machine,

They first construct
a three-section steel frame.

Technicians install
a refrigerator

In the middle section.

The fridge houses
four dispensers,

One for each
of the four topping ingredients.

The machine presses and dresses
the pizza dough

On a nonstick plate,

Around which they assemble
a housing.

A motorized tray moves the plate
in and out of the housing

To transfer the dough from one
preparation stage to the next.

Technicians install
this assembled unit

Into the left section
of the frame.

Next, they install
the dough mixer above it...

...and just below the mixer,

A plastic cup
that receives the kneaded dough,

Then drops it
onto the press plate.

Next, the flour dispenser.

It holds enough flour
to make dough for 100 pizzas.

Still in the left section,
behind the flour dispenser,

They install and load
the tomato-sauce dispenser

And a bag of water.

Then, in the right section,
they install the oven

And, below that,
the pizza exit slot.

Once everything's hooked up,
a test run.

The action begins
in the left section.

The flour dispenser
releases a dose of flour,

Which is actually a mix
of various flours,

Instant yeast, and salt.

Then, the water bag releases
a dose of water.

The mixer blends and kneads
all the ingredients.

Once the wad of dough is ready,

It drops from the mixer
into the cup.

A descending arm pushes it from
the cup onto the press plate,

Forming a 4-inch disk.

Then a large press
flattens it out to 10 inches,

The finished pizza size.

Now the tomato-sauce dispenser
rotates,

Squirting tomato sauce
onto the dough

In concentric circles.

Next, the pizza travels
through the middle section,

Passing beneath the refrigerator

To receive
the selected toppings --

In this case, cheese.

Then, a large automated spatula,
called a conveyor plate,

Moves the pizza
to the right-side section

Into the machine's
infrared oven.

Infrared radiation works faster
than traditional heating

Because it cooks food
from the inside out

Rather than
from the outside in,

So the pizza bakes
in just one minute.

The conveyor plate returns,

Removes the hot pizza
from the oven...

...and deposits it
in a cardboard tray

Waiting in the exit slot...

Cueing flashing lights,
inviting you to come and get it.

Once a test run
produces a perfect pizza,

The final step
is to mount the doors

On this self-service pizzeria.

Buon appetito.

Narrator: burning incense

Is a ritual
as old as time itself.

It likely began
with the discovery

That burning certain plants
and tree barks

Generated pleasant aromas.

Eventually, people began
compressing those sweet smells

Into cone incense
that burned slowly,

Giving the user
more time to relax.

Lighting an incense cone

Can instantly change the mood
in a room.

As the cone smolders,

It releases a bouquet of scents
from the powdered flowers,

Herbs, and other plants
used to make it.

The fragrances released
create a soothing atmosphere.

An incense cone starts with bins
of aromatic raw materials,

Like dried flower petals,
spruce-tree needles,

And blossoms that have been
ground to a fine powder

To release their perfumes.

Other ingredients in the bins

Include tree barks
and tree resins.

Everything comes from nature.

The factory
combines the ingredients

In various formulations,

Depending on
the incense-cone recipe.

The exact amounts in each recipe

Are closely guarded
company secrets.

They follow each recipe
to the letter,

Measuring all the ingredients

With a traditional
balance scale.

There's no room for error.

Otherwise,
the product will smell off.

This particular blend
is called forest honey.

The combination of ingredients
includes berries

And a pungent balsamic
tree resin called olibanum.

The batch should emit
a sweet, woodsy aroma.

They add buckets of the measured
ingredients to a mixer

And then turn the switch
to activate the auger.

The auger spirals

To evenly distribute
all the aromatic ingredients.

While that's happening,
a worker scoops up something

That looks a lot
like pastry flour

But is actually
a plant-based binding agent.

He mixes it with cold water
to liquefy the binder.

Then, in a separate pot,

He adds orange food coloring
to boiling water,

And an automated whisk
mixes thoroughly.

He pours the thick binder liquid
into the orange-colored water.

The whisk kneads it
to a pudding-like consistency.

It's thick and sticky,

So it's ready to add
to the dried fragrance mix.

The auger works it
into a cakey orange dough

That's as malleable as putty.

They'll now use
this two-part die

To shape the dough into cones.

The worker manually
presses the fragrant dough

Into the cavities of the die.

He compacts the dough
with this handy tool.

This eliminates air pockets

And ensures the dough
takes the cone shape.

He levels the bottoms
of the incense cones

And then opens the die
carefully.

The shapes are soft
and delicate.

One false move, and he could
destroy some of the cones.

The cautionary approach
pays off,

And the cones are intact.

Now it's
into the drying chamber.

The temperature in here is
around 100 degrees fahrenheit --

Hot enough to toughen up
these soft and crumbly cones.

After four days
in the drying chamber,

The incense cones
have hardened and solidified.

The cones
now bounce along a conveyor

Past an inspector who sorts out
any defective ones.

The good ones move forward
and tumble down a chute.

They land in a plastic bag,

And a device moves in
to heat-seal it.

An automated counter overhead
portions out the cones

To ensure the correct number
is deposited in each package.

After a worker puts the bag
in a box,

An automated device
folds down the lid.

From start to finish,
it takes about 14 days

To produce a package
of incense cones.

All that hard work is about to
go up in sweet-smelling smoke,

Which, of course,
is the whole idea.

Narrator:
the model jet engine

Is a scaled-down version
of the real thing.

It's essentially
the same technology

That lifts enormous aircraft
off the ground

And propels them
through the sky.

These engines
were first developed

For model aircraft in the 1980s,

And they created an immediate
sensation on the runway.

For some
model-aircraft enthusiasts,

Tiny turbines
are now the only way to fly

Because they look and sound
like a real turbo jet.

It's a touch of authenticity

That can allow the imagination
to really take off.

These mini jets start
with the base plate.

It's the piece
that all the other turbine parts

Will be attached to.

Automated tools
transform a piece of aluminum

Into an aerodynamic shape.

The little blades
cut into the perimeter

Will act as air foils,
contributing to lift and thrust.

It takes just minutes

To go from a metal disk
the size of a hockey puck

To a precision part.

Next, a worker laser-welds
the seams of a steal canister,

Creating what looks like
a large can with holes.

This is the jet engine's
combustion chamber,

Where a mix of fuel and air

Will be ignited
to drive the turbine.

He now inserts a hollow cylinder
into the base plate

And then presses
a fuel-distribution ring

Into the plate.

With the parts
correctly aligned,

He places the assembly
in a metal stand.

He dips screws
in a thread-locking compound

And drives them into threaded
slots in the base plate.

This secures and cements
the base-plate assembly.

He now holds the base-plate unit
above the combustion chamber

While he inserts
the tiny fuel-delivery tubes

Into the chamber.

He flips the chamber around

To slide the tubes
further inside

And complete the job.

The stator vane, pressed onto
the other end of the chamber,

Will redirect the flow of gases
to the turbine wheel.

And now the glow plug --

So named because it glows
to ignite the fuel inside.

He pops it into a threaded slot

On the side
of the combustion chamber,

Which is, by now,
encased in an outer shell.

Next, he installs
the turbine and shaft,

Sliding the shaft
into the center cylinder.

He supports the shaft
on both ends

With thrust bearings
and washers,

Pressing the parts into place.

Next is the compressor wheel,

Which pressurizes air
on its way into the chamber.

Once installed, the compressor
wheel spins at a blurring speed,

And a computer analyzes it
for the slightest vibration.

Any vibration
will signify an imbalance.

The technician drills away
tiny bits of metal

To lighten the areas
of imbalance.

The exact spot was pinpointed
by the computer.

He gives the compressor wheel
another spin.

Again, the computer detects
a small imbalance,

And more material
must be removed.

The process
is repeated several times

Until the compressor wheel
is perfectly balanced

And the computer gives it
the green light.

After that,
he balances the turbine wheel

On the other end of the shaft.

This mini jet engine is now
ready for the starter motor.

He installs it on the shaft
protruding from the compressor

And anchors it with screws.

Once in place,
it will spin the shaft

Until enough compressed air
is produced to ignite the fuel.

This plastic tubing
will deliver gas to the engine

And oil for lubrication.

He adds a little of the oil

For the initial lubrication
of the bearings.

Next, he heats one end
with a lighter.

This makes the plastic supple

So it easily fits
onto the connector.

He wires the starter to
a battery and tests the motor.

It works...

So he snaps an aluminum cover
onto the assembly.

This model jet engine
is ready for the final test.

Locked down in a test box,

They pump fuel into it and
bring it up to full throttle.

[ Jet engine whines ]

Using computerized equipment,

The technician
monitors the output

And confirms
the engine is producing

An adequate amount of thrust.

That means it's ready to leave
the factory and take flight.

In total,
it takes about six hours

To make a model jet engine,

But after that,
the sky is the limit.

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