23x05 - Hospital Laundry/Brass Instrument Restoration/Horse Replicas/Excavation Buckets

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
today on "how it's made"...

Hospitals generate
a lot of dirty laundry,

From patient gowns and sheets
to cleaning rags.

Some facilities do the washing
in house.

But to free up hospital space,
some send theirs out

To industrial-size
laundry operations

That deal in high-volume with
bigger and better equipment.

The hospital sends all
fabric items to the laundry,

Including bed linens,
towels, patient gowns,

Bibs, and cleaning rags.

The only exception
is surgical linens,

Which are usually disposable.

The laundry company
picks up the order

And delivers it to the plant.

Next, workers unload the bags
of soiled laundry

On large rolling carts.

They weigh each one for
internal statistical purposes

And scan its bar code to track
the laundry for each hospital.

Workers handling the bags
wear gloves at all times.

The bags are plastic,

Which is more suitable
than cloth

For containing liquid,
odor, and bacteria.

Workers rip each one open and,

Without touching the contents,
dump them on the conveyor.

They discard the bag
in a suction device

That sends it
to a baling system.

The bales of bags
go to a recycling facility

That turns them
into garbage bags

And other polyethylene products.

From this point on,
everything is automated.

The conveyor drops the soiled
laundry into a sturdy cloth bag.

Once the bag reaches 120 pounds,

The conveyor
automatically stops loading.

The filled bag travels
to an overhead conveyor system,

Which leads to one
of several stainless steel,

Tunnel-shaped washing machines.

Inside, a large rotating screw
pushes the load

Through two pre-soaks,

Then moves on
to six chemical wash cycles

Designed to remove tough stains
such as blood and iodine.

Next are five treatment cycles
to soften the fabric

And normalize the ph level.

Then, three rinses.

The load of now clean laundry
exits the tunnel washer

And enters a hydraulic press.

The press applies
around 12 tons of weight

To squeeze out
the residual water.

The load comes out compressed
into what they call a cake.

A conveyor transfers it
to an elevator,

Which transports it
to the drying area.

The conveyor puts two cakes
at a time into the dryer.

An infrared sensor
inside signals

The dryer to stop
when the load is dry,

About 22 minutes later.

A revolving paddle
called a cake breaker

Separates
the stuck-together items

To prepare them for sorting.

From this point on,

Automation ends
and manual sorting begins.

Workers pull
different categories of items

And toss them
into designated linen hoppers

That are hooked up to scales.

When a bag
hits the target weight,

It automatically
drops down onto a conveyor,

Which leads
to the final processing area.

Here, items are either folded

Or bulk packaged
in plastic bags.

Workers load the bulk items
into a vacuum system,

Which feeds
into automated bagging machines.

The machines have either
a built-in scale,

Which weighs the bag
as it fills, or a photo cell,

Which counts the items
dropping into the bag.

Once the bag reaches
the target weight or count,

The machine heat-seals
and releases it.

Certain items have to be folded.

Luckily, a machine
automatically folds bed pads,

Bath towels, and patient gowns

By flipping over the ends
with short blasts of air.

The neatly folded items
collect underneath the machine,

Then travel by conveyor to
the shipping preparation area.

Here, workers
stack them onto rolling carts.

A different folding machine
handles the larger items,

Such as bed sheets
and flannel blankets.

A worker clamps an item
to the feeder.

Then, the machine,
using rollers and straps,

Processes the item
until it's neatly folded.

The clean laundry
goes back onto carts...

...into the truck,
and back to the hospital.

Narrator:
life on the concert circuit

Can be punishing,
not just for the musicians,

But also their instruments.

Dents, scuffs, and general wear

Can ruin the tone
of a brass instrument.

But with a professional
restoration,

A badly damaged horn can once
again shine in the spotlight.

They may look ready
for the scrap heap,

But incredibly,

These not-so-gently-used
brass instruments

Can be salvaged.

Technicians will use
a combination of techniques

To make them
look and sound like new.

The restoration work starts
with this solid steel ball.

The technician inserts it
in the bore of the saxophone,

Just under some deep dents.

He places a plastic sheet
on the dents from the outside.

It protects the finish
from scratches

As he now moves a powerful
magnet over the dents.

The magnet pulls the ball
against the inside

Of the instrument
with such force

That it pushes out the dents.

After 30 seconds
of this magnetic manipulation,

The dents are completely gone.

Using a series
of engraving tools,

Another member of the team

Restores the artwork
on the instrument.

He follows the traces
that remain,

And recreates designs
that have completely worn away.

He only has one chance
to get this right.

This takes skill
and a steady hand.

The next technician reattaches
a key cup to the hinge rod,

And melts solder into the joint

To make the connection
permanent.

The brass looks very tarnished,

So he buffs the key cup and rod
to a mirror finish.

He now attaches the restored
key and rod to the saxophone

And screws it into position.

He presses
the end of the key lever

To confirm
that it moves as it should.

He now inserts
a fluorescent light

Into the body of the saxophone.

It will help him find air leaks.

But first, he activates
an adhesive with a torch

And applies it to the back
of a leather pad.

He pries an old and deteriorated
pad out of one of the key cups.

He transfers the new
glue-backed pad to the key cup.

He closes the key
against the tone hole,

And the escaping light
indicates a leak.

So, he heats the pad
to reactivate the adhesive,

And shifts it a bit
in the key cup.

Now, the key completely closes
the tone hole when pressed.

The next thing to be repaired

Is a key guard foot that's
broken away from the horn.

This is delicate work.

To resolder it, the technician
uses a hydrogen gas torch

Because its flame
is more precise.

At another station,
a new part takes shape.

They carve a brass cylinder
to transform it

Into a new spring barrel
for a trumpet valve.

He inserts the spring barrel
into the top of the piston,

And the fit is good.

He then places
all the trumpet valve parts

In a water-and-solvent solution.

He switches on
an ultrasonic device,

Which sends high frequency sound
waves through the solution.

Microscopic bubbles
bombard the parts

And remove oil and grease.

The trumpet now chills
in a cryogenic freezer

At minus 301 degrees fahrenheit

To relieve it
of residual stresses.

Back to room temperature,

The technician
inserts a tiny camera

Into the bore of the horn.

It gives him an inside look
at the alignment

Of the piston ports
as he presses the valves.

As with any instrument,
the proof is in the playing.

[ Saxophone plays ]

This sax is sure
to meet the approval

Of crowds of music lovers.

Narrator: displaying
a life-size replica of a horse

Makes a galloping statement
at a farm, a racetrack,

Or a western-themed venue.

Some horse owners
even commission a replica

In the likeness
of their favorite animal.

A life-size fiberglass horse
can be an attraction,

But before this replica,

There was an artist's sculpture

In either wood, plaster,
or styrofoam.

The sculpture
served as the model

To produce this three-part mold
to cast one or more replicas.

They apply a release agent,

So the casting
won't stick to the mold.

Then they partially brush on
and partially spray

A .4mm-thick layer of gel coat.

Gel coat is an easy-to-repair
resin-based material

That produces a smooth,
shiny finish on fiberglass.

Three hours later,
the gel coat is dry.

Next, they apply two layers

Of resin-saturated
fiberglass fabric

In the hard-to-access area
of the mold.

Then they roll the fiberglass
flat against the mold

To prevent air bubbles,
which would cause defects.

With a tool
called a chopper g*n,

They sh**t shredded fiberglass
mixed with resin

Over all the other
gel-coated areas of the mold.

They roll out the air bubbles
and pack down the fiberglass

To a consistent thickness
of 3 millimeters.

This ensures the hollow horse
will be strong enough

To withstand up to 400 pounds
of people sitting on it.

The resin-filled fiberglass
cures

Within approximately two hours.

Then they drive in wooden wedges

To pry the casting
from the mold

Just enough to grab hold
of the edge and pull.

Thanks to the release agent
they applied earlier,

Extraction is effortless

And causes no damage
to the casting or mold.

Nonetheless, they
carefully inspect the surface

To be sure it's free of defects.

Next, they pass a grinder
along the perimeter

To trim off
all the excess fiberglass

And smooth the edge.

Each part of the mold
produces half a horse,

So the next step is
to join the halves into a whole.

The attachment must be
hidden on the inside

So it doesn't show.

They first temporarily
attach the halves on the outside

With galvanized steel brackets

And straps around the legs.

Then they cut a large opening
towards the front of the horse

To be able to access the inside.

They first fill the small space

Between the two halves
with putty

That auto body repair shops
use on cars.

Then they reinforce the joint
with a double layer

Of resin-saturated
fiberglass fabric.

They cut a second opening
toward the back of the horse,

To repeat the process
on a different area.

Then they close up the openings.

They temporarily hold
the cutouts in position

With galvanized steel brackets

And fill all around with putty.

The putty and inside strips
dry in an hour, at which point

All the brackets can come off.

Now they work on the outside,

Sealing the space between
the parts with more putty.

Once it dries,

They flatten the seam
with an electric sander.

Then they remove
marks left by the sander

By manually using
a very fine sandpaper.

The seams are now flush
with the rest of the surface.

Once painted,
they won't show at all.

After cleaning the entire horse
with acetone,

They spray a coat of primer
over the puttied seams.

Then, with fine sandpaper,

They prep the surface
to receive automotive paint.

The horse is ready
to be painted.

With delicate strokes
of an airbrush,

An artist gradually
paints the animal to life.

Before finishing her artwork,

She'll apply two coats
of transparent varnish

To protect the paint
from precipitation

And the fading effect
of the sun's rays.

Narrator: excavation buckets
are ground-breaking tools.

Attached to the bottom arm
of backhoes

Or other heavy equipment,

They scoop up
tons of soil and rock

To make holes in the ground.

For jobs
like building foundations

And laying
water and sewer pipes,

Excavation buckets dig right in.

For soil excavation,
there's quite a bucket list.

Manufacturers make
excavation buckets

In a range
of sizes and profiles.

They could have teeth
or a smooth blade,

Depending on the kind of soil
they'll be digging.

They custom design
each excavation bucket

On a computer
and map out the dimensions.

The computer
then guides a plasma torch

As it cuts parts
from high-strength steel.

Here, the torch
produces attachment plates

For holding the bucket
to the excavator arms.

It even cuts
the holes for the pins

That will hinge it
to a boom arm.

Each part
weighs over 200 pounds.

A powerful magnet
lifts it over to a metal palette

To await refining.

Next, the computer-guided torch
carves through

A thinner sheet of steel
to produce a template.

Parts of the excavation bucket
will be shaped in this template

So they'll match up
when assembled.

With an oxygen-fueled torch,
they bevel the blade

To give it the edge it needs
to bite into the ground.

This blade profile
is for sandy soil.

A jagged edge is preferred
for rocky or clay terrain.

Next,
it's over to a powerful press.

It bends another part
into an arch.

This arched part
with straddle the top

Of the excavation bucket.

Meanwhile, at another station,

A press bears downs
on the beveled blade

To shape it to the template.

The template is a cardboard copy
of the steel one cut earlier.

The operator confirms that the
first bend is angled correctly.

He then sprinkles lubricant
and aims the press

A few centimeters
away from the first bend.

It takes six to eight hits
to achieve

The desired 90-degree angle.

Once satisfied,

He'll bend the other end
to the same degree.

Using rollers, the factory
transforms a flat piece of steel

Into the bottom
and back wall of the bucket.

The operator
checks the curvature

Of the part with each pass
until it's spot on.

They're now ready
to pull all the pieces

Of the excavation bucket
together.

Using chains
and a hydraulic system,

They pull the sides up
to meet the back wall.

The steel template
is now put to use.

It's positioned
on the front lower lip,

And serves as a guide
as the chains bend the sides.

With the sides
now flush to the back,

A welder
first tacks them together

And then does permanent welds.

He guides the blade

Into position
at the front of the bucket

And welds it to it.

When this weld is complete,

He'll remove the steel template.

The attachment plates have by
now been linked by thick pins.

They lower it onto the top
of the bucket,

And it fits snugly to the arch
and the to the back wall.

He welds the attachment assembly
to the bucket.

They paint the bucket
inside and out.

Yellow or black are popular
choices for excavation buckets.

Clients usually match the color
of the bucket

To the machine that moves it.

It takes about 50 hours

To manufacture
an excavation bucket,

And then
it's ready to hit the ground.