18x12 - Top & Bowler Hats/Solar Water Heaters/Sticky Buns/Electrostatic Speakers

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
top hats and bowler hats
both originated in england.

The top hat emerged in the late


Radically higher
than the flat 3-cornered hat

Men wore at the time.

Then the bowler
was invented around 1850,

As a lower alternative
to the top hat.

Today,
even women wear bowlers.

Top hats remain, by and large,
a masculine fashion statement,

Reserved for formal occasions,

Although magicians
are still known to use them

To produce rabbits.

At the hat factory,

Workers spray a fine mist
of water on hoods,

Pre-cut hat forms
made of 100% wool felt.

After the moisture
penetrates overnight,

They steam them
for about two minutes.

The moisture and heat deactivate
a chemical stiffener

In the felt,

Making the material malleable.

Then they place the hood
in an aluminum top-hat mold,

Which applies heat
and pressure simultaneously.

They place a string in a groove
along the perimeter and pull.

This rolls back the edge of
the felt to form a rim.

Then they trim off
the excess felt.

After about 90 seconds
of molding

At approximately 230 degrees
fahrenheit,

They remove the string
and open her up.

The top hat is now dry
and fully shaped.

However,
the felt is still malleable.

So, to re-activate the stiffener
and lock in the shape,

They set the hat aside
for about 30 seconds to cool.

To make a bowler hat,

The process up to that point
is identical,

But with a bowler-shaped mold.

For both hat styles,

It takes two sets of hands
to pull the hood taut

Over the bottom part
of the mold,

To avoid creating pleats
or creases.

There's a separate mold
not just for each hat style,

But for each size of each style.

After the bowler comes off
the mold and cools,

They give it a second,
more precise trimming.

Both styles are finished
the same way.

First a seamstress
takes a wide ribbon,

Folds it over the edge
of the hat,

And sews it down on both sides,
encasing the edge.

Another seamstress uses
a gold-leaf stamping machine

To apply the traditional british
milliner's crest

And "made in england"
to the hat's lining.

The lining fabric
is a silk/satin blend.

She sews the stamped top piece
to the side piece.

The machine automatically pleats
at regular intervals,

So the lining will lie flat
against the hat's crown.

Bowler hats are more rigid
than top hats,

So they require an extra
application of stiffener

Inside the crown.

Once the stiffener
dries thoroughly,

Which takes the better part
of a day,

The hat is ready to receive
its elegant lining.

They attach it with hot glue,
which dries almost instantly.

Next they cut a strip of leather
to the hat size

And sew the ends together with
a decorative zigzag stitch.

The leather has been
specially treated

To prevent mildew build-up
resulting from perspiration.

They sew this leather band
to the inside of the hat,

At the base of the crown,
covering the edge of the lining.

Not only does this produce
a neat and classy finish,

The leather band also makes
the hat more comfortable to wear

By cushioning the forehead.

Now it's time to finish
the outside of the hat.

First they hot-glue
a cotton ribbon

Around the base of the crown.

Next they glue on
a matching bow.

The grand finale
is a small silk/satin bow

On the interior leather band,

Then below that,
the manufacturer's label.

A few taps with the sticky side
of adhesive tape

Easily removes lint, dust,
and wayward strands of hot glue.

These elegant toppers
and bowlers

Are the product of several
experienced,

Skilled craftspeople.

Hats off to them.

Narrator:
domestic water heaters

Traditionally run
on electricity, natural gas,

Or oil,
for which you have to pay

And which have
an environmental impact.

A newer alternative
is a solar-energy system.

It warms water with the heat
of the sun,

A resource that's not only
renewable but free of charge.

Solar panels absorb
the sun's energy,

Heating water,

Which a pump circulates
in a closed loop

To a heat exchanger.

The exchanger then transfers
the incoming heat

To the potable water
in the household tank.

Inside the solar panels
are copper strips

Electroplated with tin,
which absorb the sun's heat.

The copper surface
must be pristine

For the plating to adhere.

Therefore, the first operation
is a 3-stage cleaning process.

Tin doesn't adhere directly
to copper,

So they first electroplate
with nickel,

Then plate the nickel with tin.

The plating is brittle,
so to protect it,

The next station sprays on
a thin coat of liquid glass.

The strip then passes through
an infrared oven

That hardens the glass into
a durable protective shield.

As the strip exits the oven,

A fiber-optic instrument
measures reflectivity.

The less reflective the surface,
the better it absorbs heat.

From there, the strip enters
the welding machine

That fuses it to copper tubing
entering from another feeder.

A nozzle sprays cold water
onto the mated components,

Still hot
from the welding process.

They're wound onto a giant reel.

The reel feeds
a forming machine,

Which uses heavy steel rollers
to press ridges into the strip.

This increases the surface area,

Meaning it compacts more
heat-absorbing metal

Into a given length of strip.

Next, the machine cuts
this continuous fin tube,

As it's now called,

Into the standard-length pieces
required

To construct the solar panel's
internal piping.

Then, a piece at a time,
it slices 7/10 of an inch

Off each end
so the tubing protrudes.

Each solar panel contains


That connect on either side
to a header.

To make each header,

Workers slide an inch-wide
copper tube onto a mandrel.

Then they punch 10 holes
in the tube,

One for each fin tube.

They fit the protruding ends
of the fin tubes

Into these holes
and weld the connections.

The finished assembly is called
an absorber plate.

It's the key component
of the solar panel.

The fins absorb the sun's heat

And warm the water
circulating through the tubes,

Down to the heat exchanger.

They pressure-test the absorber
by submerging it in water

And injecting air
through the tubes.

Any bubbles in the water would
indicate a leak to be repaired.

Now they cover the headers
with a decorative trim

And lay the manifold

Into the solar panel's
insulated aluminum housing.

The front is a sheet
of tempered glass

That allows sunlight
to reach the fins inside.

After putting caps
on the headers

To protect them
during transport,

They apply
the manufacturer's label.

The solar panel is finished.

Now for the other end
of the system --

The heat exchanger.

Its tank is made
of welded stainless steel.

It has connections
for the heat-exchanger pipes

Running to and from
the water heater,

As well as for the pipes
running the circulating water

To and from the solar panels.

Workers install the
heat-exchanger unit in the tank,

Then test it for leaks by
filling the tank with water,

Injecting air through the pipes,
and looking for bubbles.

If the unit passes
the leak test,

They drain the water,
close the top of the tank,

And center it in
an a.b.s. Plastic jacket.

Then they inject expanding
foam insulation

Into the void between
the tank and jacket.

How does it all work?

The potable cold water
in the home's water heater

Circulates through the loop
inside the exchanger.

It absorbs the heat brought in
from the solar panels,

Via a completely separate
set of pipes.

The potable hot water
then exits the exchanger

And returns to the water tank.

Narrator:
eat one of these,

And you'll be sure to find
yourself in a sticky situation.

But no worries --
it's all ooey-gooey fun.

A sticky bun
is all about messy eating.

Consuming one is a lip-smacking,
finger-licking experience --

No utensils required.

Sticky buns are sometimes
called schnecken,

Due to their german origins.

"Schnecken" is the german word
for snails,

Which the cinnamon swirl
on top resembles.

They start
with all-purpose flour,

Then blend in a pre-mix
of sugar, salt,

And baking powder.

Cream cheese
and butter come next.

These fats are
just the right consistency

For an automated dough hook
to efficiently work them

Into the dry ingredients.

An employee then pours milk
into the blender.

It binds the ingredients,

Turning the mix
into biscuit dough.

The dough needs to stay cool
for food-safety reasons,

So they monitor the temperature.

The next worker loads the dough
into an extruder

That squeezes it
into a wide, flat strip

Called the dough band.

The dough band rides a conveyor

That slopes down
to a narrow channel.

As it enters,

The dough folds over from
the sides, creating two layers.

A roller squeezes
the layers thinner.

A device called the fanner
now zigzags back and forth

To layer the dough,
ribbon-style.

The layers pile up six deep.

And because they were originally
two layers,

There are now 12 in total.

Metal rollers
press the pack down

And thin it substantially

Until it's about


Next up
is the sticky-bun filling,

Called cinnamon schmear.

It starts with blocks of butter
and lots of ground cinnamon.

They add brown sugar
instead of white.

It has an intense
molasses flavor

And is stickier
than white sugar.

Canola oil loosens
and h*m* the ingredients,

Transforming the mix into
the sugary cinnamon paste

Known as the schmear.

This cinnamon schmear
is the consistency

Of cake frosting,

So it can be easily pumped
over to the dough.

A series of nozzles deposit
dollops of the cinnamon schmear

Onto the sticky-bun dough.

The dough travels
under a long blade

That spreads
the cinnamon schmear evenly.

A device called a plow

Then lifts the outside edges
and folds them over.

Rollers press down the curled
edges to tighten them.

Each tightly curled edge

Will now become the center
of a sticky-bun roll.

Angled rollers
called rollwinders

Pick up the curled edges
of the dough

And fold it into two parallel
cinnamon rolls.

A guillotine blade slices
the parallel rolls into buns,

Creating sets of two.

Meanwhile,
the sweet and sticky topping

Is bubbling away
in a big kettle.

It's made of honey,
brown sugar, and butter.

This topping actually goes on
the bottom of the baking tray.

They pump it into the container

And then toss in pecans
to give it some crunch.

Putting the topping
on the bottom of the baking tray

Means, of course,

That these sticky buns
are to be baked upside down,

Once purchased by the consumer.

It's a strategic
baking technique.

Cooked upside down,

The sticky topping will saturate
the buns for added moisture.

And by not exposing
the topping to direct heat,

It won't burn as it caramelizes
into a sugary glaze.

The sticky buns now head
into a tunnel

Chilled by liquid nitrogen
for a very fast freeze.

After about four minutes,

The buns emerge frozen solid,
with the freshness locked in.

The sticky buns then ride
another conveyor

To the wrapping station.

Here, machinery quickly seals
plastic film

Around each box of buns,

After which it's into an oven
to heat-shrink the plastic.

It all happens in seconds,

Giving the frozen buns
no time to thaw.

It has taken hours of prep work
at the factory,

But these frozen sticky buns
are ready for baking.

All the cook has to do
is pop the tray in the oven,

And the buns will be ready
in 20 minutes.

No need to get your hands sticky
by making them from scratch.

Narrator:
electrostatic speakers

Added a whole new vibe
to the home-music scene.

Unlike traditional box speakers,

Electrostatic speakers
are usually tall and skinny.

And instead of using
an electromagnet

To produce sound,

They rely on conductive layers
of plastic and metal.

Electrostatic speakers
generate rich audio

In the high-
and mid-frequency range,

But they lack the thumping bass

Needed for full
sound reproduction.

To compensate, most are now
equipped with a woofer.

To make the woofer,

A computer-driven router
cuts out cabinetry parts

From veneered mdf.

The router carves long grooves.

They'll be used to fold it
into the woofer box.

It also cuts out holes for
a speaker cone and hardware.

A worker glues and drills screws
into the bottom of the cabinetry

For installing the speaker feet.

He trims the excess

From the edges
of the cabinetry panel.

He beads high-strength glue
along the joints

And folds the grooved panel
to create the cabinet box.

The glue is stronger than screws

And acts as a kind of cement
to hold the cabinet together.

He sands the wood veneer at
the joints for a seamless look.

And now it's into
the spray booth

For the finishing touch --

A dark, glossy varnish
that accentuates the wood grain.

Once the paint dries,
a technician pads the inside

With a poly-cotton baffle
to reduce resonance.

He then installs
the crossover unit.

It splits the audio signal
to send low notes to the woofer

And the rest to
the electrostatic panel.

Next up is the power supply

And a step-up transformer for
boosting the amplifier signal.

He attaches the assembly to
the interior wall of the woofer.

He now wires the speaker cone
to the crossover unit.

He inserts the cone
in the slot machined for it,

And it's a perfect fit.

He boosts the bass
with the built-in amplifier.

He wires it to the crossover

And pops it into the back
of the woofer box.

This woofer is now ready

To be paired up with
its electrostatic mate.

They make
the electrostatic speaker

From two perforated
metal panels.

A technician applies a charge
to them to check for thin spots.

Next she bends each one
to a 30-degree curve.

This will allow sound to be
more widely dispersed in a room.

She presses heavy-duty
double-sided tape

On to the edges

And applies rigid plastic
strips, called spars, crosswise.

They stiffen the panels to
withstand electrostatic forces.

She now unfurls thin
but super-tough plastic

And stretches it
to a precise tension.

This plastic is
the speaker diaphragm.

It's been impregnated
with a conductive coating

To respond
to an electrical charge.

She positions one of
the perforated panels

Under the diaphragm.

And with the backing
of the adhesive tape removed,

She jacks up the table to press
the panel to the plastic.

She attaches wiring
that will deliver the charge

To the diaphragm
and make it vibrate.

She applies more
double-sided tape

To the other side
of the diaphragm

And peels off the backing.

Workers position the second
speaker panel on the diaphragm

And align its fine mesh
with that of the panel below.

They place the speaker sandwich
in a metal capsule

To vacuum-press it together.

They then frame the speaker
with an aluminum border

And add a strut to the middle
for reinforcement.

And now it's time for
the electrostatic speaker

To be joined to the woofer.

The tall, slim
electrostatic speaker

Will deliver the high
and mid frequencies.

The short, boxy woofer
will thump out the bass.

Then it's into the test booth

To confirm that the speaker
has the correct range.

The technician runs
an audio-tone sweep

And checks for any dropouts
in the frequency.

Using a special tool,

He verifies that the sound waves
of the speaker set are in sync,

A process called phasing.

He then places the speaker
in a padded room

To test a full range of tones.

[ Tones pulsing ]

A computer analyzes the tones.

Once it passes all the tests,

This electrostatic speaker
links up

With the rest
of the sound system.

It's now ready for its audience.

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