27x11 - Chinese Style Furniture, Electrical Switches, Thai Fish Sauce, Cappers

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

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

Together, the mortar and pestle
form some of the oldest

And most useful
of humanity's inventions.

Their image adorns
many pharmacology symbols

Because pharmacists have been

Using them to prepare medicine
for centuries.

But it's with food
that this simple tool

Is most closely associated.

The basic principle is
simple enough --

Put the object you want
to crush in a bowl,

Then take a stick
and grind it down.

But not all mortars and pestles
are alike.

For one thing,

The material used
can make all the difference.

Wooden and ceramics work well.

But for many,
nothing beats stone.

Granite provides a tough,
non-porous surface.

A craftsman prepares to carve.

He starts by using
a masonry compass

And a liquid called chinese ink
to draw the mortar's

Inner and outer circumference.

He can easily remove the ink
if there are any errors.

He roughs out the shape
with a hammer and chisel.

He then works with a grinder
which is equipped

With an extremely hard
diamond-tipped blade,

Making it possible
to cut through solid stone.

Once's he's defined
the outside edge,

He begins to work
the inner bowl,

Carving out the perimeter
before cutting a grid.

He turns again
to his hammers and chisels

To remove material
from the inside of the mortar.

He uses the grinder
to cut the last chunks

And fine-tune the surface,

Giving it the smooth,
consistent shape of a bowl.

He uses a square
to transfer a mark

To the bottom of the stone.

He marks the based
with his compass.

The circumference of the base

Must be slightly smaller
than the top.

He quickly roughs out the base
with one of his chisels.

Then it's back to the grinder,

Which he uses to clean up
the circumference

And begin making a series
of angle cuts into the sides.

With hammer and chisel,

He knocks off the pieces
left between the angle cuts.

Thanks to years of experience,
he makes it look easy.

With the grinder, he works away
at all of the surfaces,

Smoothing them
to a consistent finish.

One wrong move with this tool

Could mean being
forced to start over,

But this is
a highly skilled artisan.

More than 10 years of training

Make it possible
for him to work

With unhesitating speed
and assurance,

Completing a finished mortar

In less than an hour
and a half.

But, of course,
there's something missing.

A mortar isn't much good
without a pestle.

Once again working with

The confident swiftness
of an expert,

The artisan uses his grinder
to hone a chunk of granite

Down to the shape
of a well-balanced pestle.

Wide and blunt on one end

And narrow enough
to easily grasp on the other,

The stone is perfectly
calibrated to do its job.

In the days before power tools,

It would have taken
a craftsman a full day

To carve a mortar and pestle.

But a carved mortar and pestle

Isn't necessarily
a finished one.

Here, a painter
adds the final touches.

Using a small brush
and special varnish,

He paints a lotus flower design
on the lip of the mortar.

He leaves the bowl itself
untouched

So that no food products

Will mix with the varnish
when crushed.

He then varnishes the exterior
of the mortar.

The varnishing process
is purely decorative.

Hard stone like granite
needs no protective coating

To help it endure.

After all, some granite has been
around for millions of years.

It takes just 15 to 20 minutes
for the varnish to dry.

And with that, the mortar
is completely finished.

The lotus flower design
isn't the only one available.

This facility
produces a wide range

Of mortars and pestles.

These mortars and pestles
may be attractive.

But their appearance
is secondary to their function.

There are few tools in a kitchen
more durable or more useful

Than a good mortar and pestle.

♪♪

Narrator:
in the early days of bowling,

Shellac-based conditioners
were applied to wooden lanes

To protect the surface.

Today, robotic machines
apply conditioners

In different patterns
to mainly synthetic lanes,

Easier ones
for the average bowler

And more challenging ones
for tournament players.

At most bowling alleys,
lane cleaning and condition

Are done automatically
by roaming robots.

They apply
different conditioners

In specific patterns.

The pattern selections
are made by league organizers.

It's all about ensuring
consistent scoring.

Computerized tools
with different bits

Produce many
of the robot's parts.

Here, they carve a block
of aluminum into a mounting part

For a handle.

This is the blank before
and after.

An employee assembles
two of the mounting parts

To a handle.

He secures them
with heavy duty bolts,

Ensuring that these pressure
points will hold up

To the job of lifting
the 370-pound robotic machine.

He attaches one handle
to each of the two side panels.

He installs a sprocket
sensor system

On one of the side panels.

This sprocket sensor will detect

Where the robot
is and communicate

That information to is computer.

He links it to the front wheel
with a second sprocket chain,

And closes the loop
with a master link.

He now lowers the oil buffer
brush assembly into the machine.

He inserts the main drive more

And then secures it
to an aluminum partition

With the shaft protruding
through the other side.

He then wraps the drive chain

Around the sprockets
of the shaft.

He loops a rubber belt
in front of the buffer brush

And connects it
to the oil applicator.

The applicator
will slide on the belt,

Dispensing small amounts
of conditioner.

He installs whisker sensors
to the front on each side.

When these whiskers
brush the sides of the lane,

They'll send a signal
to the computer,

Which will then direct the robot
to move more to the center.

The conditioning solution tanks
have been equipped

With metering pumps
and pressure gauges.

He bolts the assembly
to the rear wall of the machine.

He pops in
the rechargeable battery

And connects it to the motor.

The machine is ready
for the computerized system

That runs it.

This system includes
the control panel.

He installs it in the center
of the machine,

Just above the battery.

He then runs the hose
from the conditioning tank

Over to the applicator
and connects it.

Moving to the front,

Another employee unwinds fabric
from one roller and attaches

The end to the next.

This is part
of the cleaning system.

The cloth will scrub
the bowling lane

After the robot sprays
a cleaning solution onto it.

A suctioning squeegee
will vacuum up dirt

And leftover cleaner

And deposit them
in this recovery tank.

He then plugs the wiring harness

Into the computer at the back
of the control panel.

It's time for a dry run.

With no cleaner or conditioner
in the system yet,

The technician powers
up the robot

And puts it through its paces.

He confirms that every part
is in good working order.

He adds cleaning solution
to the tank,

And it's time prepare
the lane conditioners.

They mix the mineral
oil-based conditioners

In big blenders.

There are nine different
recipes,

With up to 16 ingredients
in each one.

They test each mixture
extensively.

They measure the viscosity
because it can affect

How the conditioner flows
on the lane.

And they evaluate
the surface tension.

That's its ability
to bond to the lane.

With the conditioners approved,
it's time to test the robot

In special quality
control lanes.

During 50 trips
down the lanes,

A technician evaluates
the robot's performance.

He inspects its turning radius

And the effectiveness
of the sensors.

He also scrutinizes the cleaning
and conditioning job.

Satisfied
that the conditioning robot

Works well on its own,
he approves it for shipping.

This bowling lane conditioner
should be a real game changer

And ensure that the path
to victory is a well-oiled one.

♪♪

Narrator:
a crematory is a machine

Used to cremate bodies
swiftly and safely.

Even though the cremated remains

Are commonly
referred to as ashes,

They're actually bone fragments.

The family may choose
to inter them,

Preserve them in an urn,

Or scatter them
in a meaningful place.

This pet crematory
has three small chambers.

The human version
has a single chamber

Large enough
to accommodate a casket.

Inside, flames from a gas burner
engulf the deceased,

And the burning body
releases fluids and gases

Which flow to
a secondary chamber in the back,

Where another burner
incinerates them.

The crematory's frame is made
of ultra-strong tubular steel,

Because the structure

Must withstand expansion
and contraction,

As the chamber heats up

To more than 1,800 degrees
fahrenheit during cremation,

Then cools down afterward.

Once workers have cut steel
tubing to the lengths required,

They place the pieces in a jig,

Which configures them correctly
for assembly.

After ensuring
the tubes are flush,

Workers clamp them to the jig

To prevent them from shifting
out of position.

Then they weld the tubes
together,

Assembling then connecting

The multiple sections
of the frame.

Next, thick sheets of steel

For the crematory's floor
and walls.

Workers clamp the sheets
in position,

Then fuse them to the frame

With just over 5-inch long welds
on the outside

And full-length welds
along the inside seams

To completely seal the unit.

They weld steel airlines
for oxygenating the the fire

In the chambers.

Now, workers begin
insulating the chambers

To shield the steel structure
from the intense heat.

First, they apply
adhesive-backed steel pins

To the steel walls

And affix insulation boards

Made of heat-resistant
ceramic fibers.

They secure the boards
to the pins with steel disks.

Workers nail in a second layer
of insulation.

These stiffer boards are made
of a higher concentration

Of ceramic fibers,

Making them
even more heat resistant

Than the first layer.

After insulating the top
of the machine the same way,

They install an exhaust chimney
above the secondary chamber,

Then a motorized fan that
blows air through a long shaft.

The shaft functions
as an air supply highway,

With exit pipes
going to the airlines

And to the gas burners
in the chambers.

Workers apply two coats
of high temperature paint

To the machine's steel exterior.

And then it's time
to line the chambers

With a third and final layer
of insulation.

This insulation material
is refractory brick.

The term "refractory"
means "heat resistant."

The bricks are made

Of a ceramic material
called alumina silica,

And can withstand temperatures

As high
as 2,900 degrees, fahrenheit.

The three layers of insulation
absorb the intense heat

Of the cremation process,

Which can take 1 to 2 hours,

Depending on the weight
of the body.

They protect the machine's
steel structure

So that it doesn't
degrade and weaken.

Once the mortar dries, workers
pour the floor and ceiling,

Then hang
the machine's steel door,

Which operates on
a hydraulically powered

Chain and sprocket.

The door is lined
with insulated refractory brick,

Which, unlike the chamber brick,

Reflects rather than
absorbs heat.

This prevents the door
from getting too hot to handle.

The final step is to wire
the chamber heat sensors

And other electronics
to the electrical panel.

The cremation is automated.

Some machines have gauges
and indicator lights

Which enable the operator
to monitor combustion

And adjust fuel and airflow
as required.

Other machines have a computer,

Which runs, monitors,

And regulates the process
from start to finish.

The crematory incinerates
all but 5% of the body.

What remains are bone fragments,

Which are then ground
into a powder

And returned in a container
to the family.

♪♪

Narrator: computer game systems
may be the rage,

But kids still love to play
the old fashioned way --

Outside, in the fresh air,
on a playset.

And today's playsets
are quite often elaborate,

With a slew of apparatuses
that provide a lot more exercise

Than a game controller does.

Many playsets
are modular systems,

Which let you choose
the components

And configuration.

This set combines forts,
ladders, monkey bars,

A climbing wall, swings,

Rope, and a slide.

The wood is redwood,

A species that's safe
for little hands

Because it's splinter-free.

It's also naturally
weather resistant,

So it doesn't need
to be treated with chemicals

To prevent rotting.

Workers first cut out
any knots and defects.

Then they saw the wood

To the lengths required
for different parts.

They load several
of the same part

Onto a computer-guided router.

These are the sides
for several ladder kits.

The router cuts slots
for the ladder's wooden steps

And drills holes for the bolts
that attach the ladders

To their respective playset.

Worker's manually sand
every piece of wood

That goes into a playset

So that the entire surface
is smooth

For little hands and knees.

When pieces need to be shaped
a certain way,

Workers run them through
this machine.

It's called a wood molder.

Inside, it has four spindles
with rotary knives

That trim the wood
on all sides

To specific pre-set dimensions

And shape.

A wood molder can make
relatively complex cuts

To make
decorative crown moldings.

However, for these playsets,

The molder primarily
curves edges

And shapes adjoining components

To fit together
like puzzle pieces.

Here's what a piece looks like
before and after

It's put through the wood molder
for sizing

And to round the corners.

Several wood components also go
through this piece of equipment,

Called the double-end
cut-off machine.

As the name implies,

It saws off a preset amount
of wood on each end

To standardize length
and smooth the surface.

The playset's structure
has angled braces in the corners

For extra reinforcement.

To make these braces, workers
notch the wood pieces

On this machine.

Then they round the edges
with a router

And sand the surface.

Once all the wood parts
are shaped and sanded, workers

Put them on a conveyor belt,

Which ferries them
through a machine

Called a vacuum coater.

It saturates the part
with a non-toxic,

Water-based reddish stain,

Then suctions off the excess.

Workers staple an identification
label on every part.

Then they bundle together
all the parts for the module --

This is the ladder kit --

And put them through
a plastic banding machine

To tie them together.

The bander works by feeding
a continuous plastic strap

Off a spool.

When the operator steps
on a foot pedal,

The machine shoots the strap
tightly around the bundle,

Then cuts and heat seals
the ends.

Swing, slides,
and climbing wall footings

Are made of molded polyethylene,

A flexible
and durable type of plastic.

To assemble this baby swing,
workers bend it to shape

And clamp it
in an assembly fixture.

Then, one side at a time,

They position
the galvanized steel hardware

And insert the rivets
that will fasten it.

They transfer this assembly
to a vice,

Then drive in the rivets
with an air-powered impact g*n.

The swing hangs on
plastic-coated steel chains.

This module is what they call
the split ladder.

It combines a wood step ladder

With a more challenging
chain ladder.

Plastic-coated steel pipes

At the top
and bottom link the two.

The galvanized steel chain
ladder is coated with plastic

To make it softer to the touch.

They complete the unit
with a wooden side rail,

Then place the split ladder
on a large vertical press,

Which forces the parts
tightly together.

The unit will be
further secured with bolts,

Once assembled to the playset,

Along with a selection of
additional climbing,

Dangling, sliding,
and swinging options

For active little monkeys.