18x07 - Fish Replicas/Siren Systems/Pre-packaged Sandwiches/Candlesticks

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
it used to be that you stuffed
and mounted that big catch.

Nowadays, catch-and-release
is the norm,

So the trend
is to display replicas

Of the prize fish you caught,
photographed, then set free.

It's more humane,
and you get to brag

About the one that didn't
get away until you let it.

Sports fishermen aren't the
only buyers of fish replicas.

Marinas, seaquariums,
and seafood restaurants

Also acquire them for display.

While a replica
is a humane alternative

To mounting the real thing,

One real fish does have to
sacrifice his life for the cause

In order to make the mold from
which the replicas are cast.

The first step
is to surround the dead fish

In a mix of soil and dirt.

To construct
the first half of the mold,

The artist builds the mix-up
to the halfway point,

Then rinses the surface clean.

Next, using molding plaster,

He forms a ledge all around
the fish and under the fins.

He positions six to eight tabs

That will help
align the two mold halves.

Once the plaster hardens,

He pins the fins steady
and pours on gelcoat resin.

This material
picks up the scales

And other intricate details.

Once the gelcoat cures,
he removes the pins,

Then covers the surface
in fiberglass resin

And over that,
shredded fiberglass cloth.

Then he applies another coat
of fiberglass resin,

Ensuring the cloth
is thoroughly saturated.

Once the resin hardens,

He flips the fish
to the other side...

...breaks off the plaster,

And repeats
all the previous steps

To construct
the second half of the mold.

After about four hours of labor,
the mold is finally finished.

The mold maker removes the fish

And washes
the now vacant cavity.

Now the team
can begin casting the replicas.

They wax the cavity
to prevent sticking.

Then they apply
white gelcoat resin,

Which picks up
all the fine details.

With a handheld chopping g*n,

They lay down a layer
of shredded fiberglass cloth.

They apply resin putty along
the perimeter of the cavity

On each mold half.

Using the alignment tabs,

They close and clamp
the mold halves together.

Once the putty sets,
they remove the clamps,

Open the mold, and extract
the fiberglass replica.

Using a jigsaw,
they cut out the fish's mouth.

Then via the mouth,
they fill the hollow interior

With expanding
polyurethane foam.

The hard foam
provides a solid base

Against which
to sculpt the fish's mouth

And set its eyes, fins,
and gill.

With a jigsaw again, they remove
all the excess foam...

...then, with a disk sander,
sand the rough edges smooth.

Next, they glue a glass eye
on each side of the head

And, using resin putty,
set the side and bottom fins,

Which they had removed at
one point and molded separately.

They epoxy teeth into the mouth.

The mold maker
used the real fish teeth

To make a rubber mold.

Then, using that mold,

He cast this replica set
of teeth in plastic.

Now they'll bring
the fish to life with color.

First, using a paint g*n,

They apply
a coat of gray primer.

Once that dries,
they apply a white base coat,

Followed by a coat of silver.

With an airbrush,

An artist paints
the subtle shades and markings

That make this fake fish
look so incredibly real.

The finishing touch --

They paint
a piece of cardboard red,

Cut it into the shape of a gill,
then glue it in place.

After 45 hours
of casting and painting,

This prized catch
is ready for display.

Narrator:
siren systems were first
widely used during world w*r ii

To warn of possible air attacks.

Early on, that wailing effect

Was generated by forcing air
against a perforated disk.

Today's siren sounds
emanate from higher-tech systems

And still mean
trouble is on its way.

[ Siren wailing ]

From atop towers and buildings,

Siren systems
warn surrounding communities

Of impending tornadoes, floods,
or any calamity.

Today's sirens

Can broadcast both warning tones
and live voice messages.

They can also be activated
by remote control

From anywhere in the world.

The messages and warning tones
from a typical system

Can be heard
from almost half a mile away.

[ Siren wailing ]

Production begins with the
transformers for the amplifiers.

A worker winds
thick, insulated copper wires

Around a plastic bobbin

To produce
the transformer's primary coil.

She compresses the wires
to eliminate gaps.

A tight winding is critical
for generating a magnetic field

And transferring it
to a secondary coil.

She wraps insulating tape
around the primary coil.

She winds thin wire over it

To produce
the narrower secondary coil,

And she encases that
in more insulating tape.

Next, with swift dexterity,

An employee
stacks e-shaped iron insulators

In the center of the bobbin
to build a core.

She inserts
smaller iron insulators

Between the e-shaped ones,

And this tightens up the pack.

She taps them into place
and now has a dense iron core

That will aid the flow of energy
between the transformer coils.

With an enamel coating baked on

And the assembly
wired for sound,

This siren transformer
is now complete.

A computer-operated machine

Now punch-cuts assembly holes
in an aluminum panel

That will be used for
a section of the siren cabinet.

A robot transfers the panel to
a computerized bending machine.

Another robot feeds the panel
to a clamping bar

And, using hydraulic might,

Bends it against the clamp
in strategic locations.

This transforms it

Into a section of
the siren's back and sidewalls.

It also folds the edges,

Creating flanges
for the cabinet-door assembly.

This computerized system

Takes less than a minute
to complete all these folds.

The robot then
transfers the siren-cabinet part

To a conveyor,

And it's on to the next station
for assembly.

Ahead, some cabinet brackets
are in the wash zone.

As the parts travel through,

They get a soapy spray
and then a rinse.

After drying, the parts
head into a powder-paint booth.

Sprayers apply dry powder paint
to the surface of the parts.

It takes eight automated g*ns
and two manually operated ones

To evenly coat these brackets.

The paint is electrostatically
charged to cling to the metal,

But at this point
can be rubbed off like dust.

Baking it causes the particles
to melt and bond to the surface

For a smooth
and very tough paint job.

This worker now installs the
siren system's control board.

It regulates
the siren's six tones,


And the public-address function.

He bolts it to the inside
of the cabinet door.

Next up is an amplifier

Equipped with the transformer
we saw assembled earlier

And the amplifier board.

He installs the completed
amplifier in the cabinet

And connects it
to the control board.

There are five amplifiers
in this siren system --

One for each speaker
on the tower.

He equips it with a control pad
for on-site activation.

Then a 1,650-ton press

Injects hot liquid plastic
into molds.

In seconds, the plastic cools,

And the press retracts
to reveal the new speaker parts.

They bolt
the speaker halves together,

Install the screen through
which the siren sound emanates,

And top it off
with a plastic cap.

They install a 400-watt driver

In each section
of the siren's speakers.

The more speakers there are
atop the siren tower,

The greater the reach.

The most powerful
can be heard many miles away.

Emergency vehicles

Are equipped with smaller
versions of these systems

To warn motorists
of their speedy approach,

And the concept
is basically the same --

To get your instant attention.

[ Siren wailing ]

Narrator: in today's
hustle-and-bustle world,

It's not uncommon
to forgo brown-bagging it

And instead
to grab a meal on the go.

It's not surprising
to see that food retailers,

From mega supermarkets
to tiny convenience stores,

Carry prepackaged sandwiches for
the hungry-in-a-hurry customer.

Ham and cheese,

Cheese and tomato,
chicken salad --

Just a few
of the many sandwich varieties

You can buy ready-made.

Retail customers specify
which ingredients they want

In their sandwich order,

And the factory sets up
the assembly lines accordingly.

The first step is to load fresh
bread into an automated machine.

While doing so,
they visually inspect the slices

And remove any
with holes or other flaws.

The machine separates the slices
in the loaf.

Then, because
this sandwich requires it,

An internal roller
spreads melted butter.

The machine then
drops the buttered slices faceup

Onto the belt that moves
through the production line,

Where first,
an automated depositor

Squirts on the quantity
and type of mayonnaise

The customer requested.

Workers manually lay on
the more specific ingredients,

Such as cold cuts
or grated cheddar cheese.

In the prep area,

Workers
load logs of ham into a slicer.

The customer has specified
the size and weight

Of the slices
it wants in the sandwich,

And the factory
programs the slicer accordingly.

The slices go off
to the assembly line,

Where workers
add them to the sandwiches.

Next,
they close up the sandwiches.

They stack the sandwiches
in piles of two.

The belt
then brings the sandwiches

To a mechanized cutter.

The cutter
works like a reciprocating saw,

The vertical blade
oscillating at high speed

As the sandwich
travels through it.

The stacked halves on each side

Will be packaged together
as one sandwich.

Some of the sandwich varieties

Produced
in the largest quantities

Are made on a fully automated
assembly line.

A robot suctions up bread slices

And places them
on a moving belt.

Positioning plates
descend and adjust the slices

So that they'll be perfectly
centered under the nozzles,

Which dispense
the sandwich ingredients.

In production here,
egg-salad sandwiches.

A nozzle deposits a set quantity
of chopped egg with mayonnaise

On every second slice.

At the next station,

Robotic arms
lined with suction cups

Grab the empty slices

And flip them over
onto the filled slices.

Next stop, an ultrasonic knife.

It slices the sandwiches in two

Using vibrations produced
by high-frequency sound waves.

This cutting method
gives a cleaner edge.

Next, robotic arms
pick up half of each sandwich,

Spin it around, and stack it
onto the other half.

A robot grabs four
finished sandwiches at a time

And puts them
in triangular, plastic trays,

Which then move on to the
sealing and labeling stations.

Back on the
semi-automated assembly line,

Workers
stack the sandwiches manually

And place them

In individual plastic-lined
cardboard packages.

A conveyor belt
brings them to a machine,

Which pushes down the top flap
and heat-seals it shut.

The sandwiches hit store shelves
within 12 hours of production.

They stay fresh
for an additional three days,

After which the sandwich company
removes the unsold ones

While making its daily delivery
of new ones.

Narrator: before the invention
of electrical lighting,

Candlesticks
were household essentials.

They often had shiny flanges to
reflect the light of the flame

And throw the glow farther.

Necessity may have been
the reason for their invention,

But candlesticks soon evolved
into a thing of beauty.

With their elegant curves,

These pewter candlesticks add
a touch of class to any decor.

Top them off with lit candles,
and the ambiance improves,

Which is why
people still use candlesticks

To both decorate and illuminate.

This candlestick
starts with a flat pewter disk.

The worker stamps
the company insignia onto it.

He loads the stamped disk
into a lathe

Against a flared form
known as the chuck --

A kind of template
for the base of the candlestick.

He rubs a wax-like lubricant
onto the pewter

To reduce friction,

While he works the metal as it
spins very fast on the lathe.

He exerts
a fair amount of pressure

With a finger-shaped tool

To make the pewter conform
to the shape of the chuck.

This process is called spinning.

It takes a series of passes
with the tool

To transform the flat disk

Into the basic shape
of a candlestick base.

He trims the bottom to
make the part perfectly level.

Now, with a wooden dowel,

He rolls the bottom
of the candlestick base

To make it more substantial.

The base now complete,
he sets it aside.

He now works a smaller pewter
disk against a different chuck

To shape the candlestick top,
which is called the bobeche.

He flares the bobeche,
creating a flange

To reflect candlelight
and catch wax drippings.

Using the chuck,
pictured on the left,

He's produced
a stylish candlestick top.

To make the candlestick post,

The next worker melts pewter
and skims off the impurities.

He pours the molten pewter
into a mold,

And it solidifies quickly.

He drains
the remaining liquid pewter

And opens the mold,
revealing a hollow post

That matches the top and base
of the candlestick.

Pewter is also
hardened in the channel

Through which it was poured.

This extra material, called
sprue, will be removed later.

Over at the next station,

A worker
removes a seam-like ridge

Created where the parts
of the mold came together.

He scrapes and files the ridge
to even the surface.

On the left,
you can see the candlestick post

Before the ridge removal.

And this is the part afterward.

Another worker now slices off
the sprue ends with a band saw,

Leaving the post design intact.

The pewter sprues
will be remelted and reused.

Next, the worker
clamps the post into position,

And a paddle drill bores
into one end and then the other.

It slopes the lip
of the casting inward,

Creating a chamfered edge

That will connect neatly
to the candlestick top and base.

He slides a rod
through the casting

To better grip the part

As he presses it
against a fine-grit sand belt.

The sanding process
removes scuffs and scrapes,

And the result is satiny-smooth.

Now it's time
for this pewter candlestick

To come together.

He places the post
on the candlestick top

And solders them together.

The tin-alloy solder wire melts

And acts like hot glue
to bond the two parts.

He moves the candlestick base
into position.

He dips the open end of the
cast post into a flux substance

To prepare the surface
and transfers it to the base.

As he solders the two,
he taps the post with the torch

To realign it
when it slips a bit.

Then he continues soldering.

He now dips the completed
candlestick in soapy water.

This removes flux residue
and hardens the solder bond.

For a highly polished finish,

He presses the candlestick
against a spinning cotton wheel

That rubs
a special compound onto it.

It's a shinier alternative
to the satin-pewter candlestick,

And the effect
is similar to silver.

When it comes to candlesticks,
two are always better than one,

So it's time to pair them up.

Together, they'll really shine.

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