31x13 - Leather Bags; Horse Exercisers

[bunniefuu]

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

...leather overnight bags...

...horse exercisers...

...air hockey tables...

...and copper sculptures.


Whether heading across
the country

Or taking a weekend getaway,
people love to travel.

Regardless of the destination,

It's impossible to leave home
without luggage.

Luggage is made from all kinds
of materials,

Including wood, metal, plastic,

Hi-tech polycarbonates,
and leather.

Not all leather overnight bags
are created equal.

This dark brown bag
was constructed

With the capacity to hold water.

The process starts
with full-grain hides,

Chrome-tanned
by an outside facility.

Chrome-tanning is an effective
treatment

Which allows the leather
to become more water resistant.

This bag is constructed
from a single piece of leather,

Making it more durable
and water-tight.

First, a leather worker
uses a template

To cut out the shape of the bag.

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He uses the machine
to shave the edges

Off the piece of leather
in a process called sciving,

Which prepares the leather
for folding and sewing.

Using a hole punch,

Another craftsman
taps the series of openings

For riveting on buckles
and other attachments.

The holes will prevent
the opening from ripping.

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Next, a leather worker
uses a template to mark

Where he'll apply
a strip of glue to the top edge.

He attaches a polyester strip
to the bottom edge of the glue

And spreads more glue
on top of the polyester.

Then he folds and hammers
the top portion of the leather

Over onto the polyester strip.

Once complete,

The leather worker trims
the edges of the polyester.

The leather is then placed into
a machine known as a clicker,

To stamp out the bag straps
and other leather components.

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The clicker works by applying


To custom-made dyes.

The shoulder pad is one of


That will complete the bag.

A craftsperson glues
a foam rectangle

Between two layers of leather.

This type of glue won't bubble
in hot temperatures.

Chrome-tanned hide
is tough stuff,

So manufacturers use
a heated stamp

To brand the leather
with their logo.

A leather worker uses
a sewing machine

To piece together
multiple parts of the leather.

The stitching perforations
weakens the leather,

So for added strength,
the craftsman uses a heavy gauge

Continuous-filament
polyester thread.

Next, a craftsman attaches
the buckles.

He places one steel rivet
in each buckle piece

And secures it into place.

He leaves the remaining rivets
out to accommodate

The sewing machine,

Which will reinforce
the attachment.

The buckles are made of high
strength 316 stainless steel.

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A craftsman attaches a piece of
plastic to reinforce the handle

And prevent the leather from
becoming misshapen over time.

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Once he's glued in pieces of
plastic to each handle opening,

The leather worker
finishes all the seams.

This type of continuous-filament
polyester thread

Is the same kind that is used
to sew parachutes together.

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Next, a craftswoman cleans
the completed bag

And applies a generous amount
of leather milk

To condition the leather.

The leather milk
is made of all-natural,

Non-toxic ingredients.

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The craftswoman uses a torch
to singe off any stray hairs

Before the strap is attached to
a set of upper or lower d-rings.

This first little bag
can now be worn

As a backpack or a shoulder bag.

Stylish and durable,
this leather overnight bag

Is built to hold your stuff

While you travel
to any destination.

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Narrator:
horses need regular exercise
to stay healthy and fit.

This innovative mechanical
exerciser

Provides horses with a safe way
to stay active on their own,

Especially if they spend long
periods of time in their stalls.

The rotating panels of this
exerciser

Give horses the push
they need to get moving.

An operator regulates
the speed of the panel,

Which controls the pace
of the workout.

Making this horse exerciser

Starts with a
computer-generated design.

This one is for
a six-horse exerciser.

Once designing is complete,
production can begin.

First, a sheet of mile-carbon
steel uncoils

Into a rolling slitting machine.

Circular blades above
and below slice

The steel sheet into strips.

Most of the strips will be made
into structural tubing.

One of the strips enters
a 300-foot-long machine

With many rollers.

The rollers shape the strip
from flat to round.

More rollers shape the material.

As an induction coil energized
by a radio-frequency

Electric current wields
it together.

A blade shaves the excess steel
from the wielded steam.

Meanwhile another tubing sheers

The tubing against a set of guy
clamping blocks,

Cutting it to
the specified length.

Finally, the tubing exits
the cutting operation.

A technician wields both plates
to the tubing

And adds
a cable-stabilizer bar.

The completed part will serve
as one of the arms

That link the center shaft
to the revolving panels.

Another machinist builds
the panels

For the exerciser's
inner and outer walls.

To do so, he arranges tubing
horizontally and inserts

A vertical support bar.

He wields a framework
to the tubing

To hold the panel
structure together.

He adds a steel shield
to the lower part.

The shield will prevent sand
from being forced

Out of the exerciser track
by the horses' hooves.

Once construction is complete,

The technician stacks
the assembled panels together.

Next, an overhead monorail

Transports the panels
to the powder-coating station.

Using an applicator,

A technician applies a powder
coat to the revolving panels.

The powder coat provides
an anti-corrosive

Protective finish.

A team clamps one of the
structural panels in a machine

With powerful mechanical arms.

The arms bend the panel
to a specified curvature.

All the structural panels
are bent to the same angle,

So that when looked,
they'll form a round pen.

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Using a press brake,

A technician makes two strategic
bends in a flat sheet of steel,

Which creates a flared
three-walled part.

Another machinist fits two
of these parts

Together to create a structure
known as the tree.

Then he wields connectors
to the tree

For the cables and tubular arms.

A loop is wielded on top
for handling purposes.

Then the tree is given
a powder-coat finish to match

The rest
of the horse-exerciser machine.

Using a hoist, a technician
lowers the drive shaft

Onto the motor
and shakes the framework

To bring the connection
into alignment.

Then the assembly is tested
to confirm the motor

Turns the shaft.

Steel panels fit to the
framework to enclose the motor

And protect it
from the elements.

He attaches a door, so the motor
can be accessed for maintenance.

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Now complete, the parts
are ready for shipping.

On-site assembly takes about
nine hours,

But it's well worth the wait

When the horses
get to test it out.

Halfway through the test,

The operator reverses
the direction of the machine

To ensure all of
the horses' muscles

Are being exercised accordingly,

Proving that running around
in circles can be a good thing.

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Narrator:
air hockey was developed
in the late '60s and early '70s

By a group
of american billiard engineers.

When in play, the puck floats
on a thin cushion of air,

Propelled by players
on each end.

With no friction,
the puck moves fast,

Making air hockey
a high-speed game.

In a game of air hockey,

The puck levitates
ever so slightly,

Made possible
by a constant flow of air

Flowing through perforations
in the playfield.

The playfield is made from a
laminated composite material

That's been printed
with air hockey graphics.

A computerized drill cuts
into three playfields at once

In the same consistent pattern.

The size of the holes are
a little larger than pin holes,

Creating over 4,600 perforations
in each air hockey playfield.

An automated tool carves grooves

In a sheet of medium
density fiber board.

The board will serve as a base
for the playfield.

Air will circulate
in the grooves and exit

Through the playfield holes.

Next, sawdust is blasted
out of the grooves.

The grooves' fiberboard moves
through a glue applicator.

The rubber roller coats
the top of the board

With a small amount of glue,

So it doesn't seep
into the grooves.

As the board exits, technicians
move the board onto a stack.

Once the board is in the correct
position,

The laminate is applied

And aligned with the grooves
in the fiber board.

A cardboard cover is placed
on the laminate for protection

As the stack
moves through a press.

The weight of the press
squeezes the stack together,

Ensuring adhesion
as the glue cures.

Meanwhile, a craftswoman applies
stick-on graphics

Onto the side apron boards.

She opens a pre-cut slot
for a coin door

And exposes a hole for a bolt.

She cuts open a slot
for maintenance access

And removes the panel
that will serve as a door.

She numbers the door
and the side apron piece,

So she can match them up later
during installation.

After applying art work
to the end panels,

Another technician assembles
curved corner parts

And links mental brackets
to the side apron parts.

He installs a bracket
for a puck deflector

In the center
of the end panel

And screws down
the corner connectors.

He sets the end panels
in an upside-down possession

On the work surface

And attaches the side boards
to the corner connectors.

This completes the table apron.

A locked door is installed
in the plywood floor.

This will serve as an interior
storage compartment.

Next, a craftsman installs
the coin door

And secures it into place.

He mounts wire speakers
that projects sound effects

To a computerized optical system

That tracks
the puck's movements.

Once the structure is fitted
with wooden panels,

The game's flashing lights and
sensor activators are installed.

At another station,

A team flips a playfield
over to work on the back.

One technician attaches a board
above the open grooves,

Creating a chamber for airflow.

The motor and fan are installed
over the small opening.

This system will blow air
into the grooves

And the playfield perforations.

The playfield is turned over

And lowered onto
the table structure.

Next, aluminum bumpers
are attached to the table's

Border as a barrier
for the puck during play.

A technician installs goal puck
deflectors on the ends

And screws in metal plates
over the deflector cups.

He installs a lock
on each goal compartment

So no one can steal the puck.

Finally, the air hockey
table assembly is complete.

Let the games begin.

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Narrator: artisans have
worked with copper for years.

The metal is soft enough to
easily cut, shape, and emboss.

Unless sealed, copper's bright,
shiny surface

Naturally tarnishes over time,

Producing a warm, aged finish,
referred to as patina.

These intricate copper
sculptures

Are the work of an artist
with a quirky imagination.

This style of work is designed
to rotate on rods as lawn art

Or weather vanes.

When a customer commissions
a sculpture,

The artist draws the sculpture
on cardstock,

A thick type of paper.

When planning a spinning
sculpture like this griffin,

The artist sketches
the side view.

Using a pair of scissors,

He cuts off
the excess cardstock.

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Then he uses smaller scissors

To cut precisely along
the lines of his drawing.

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Now the artist
has a pattern to work with.

He lays the pattern
on a sheet of copper,

Tapes it down,

And traces it
with a fine-point pen

To get a crisp line.

The tracing must be precise
for the sculpture's components

To line up properly.

He repeats this step
on a second sheet of copper,

Since the sculpture
will be two-sided.

He cuts along the line
with metal sheers.

First, he cuts away
the excess copper

And then does
the detailed cutting.

He cuts out pieces for the left
and right side of the sculpture.

The artist draws an eye on the
back of the right-side head.

With a round-head hammer,
he taps a piece of

Stainless-steel wire
on the line to create an eyelid.

He uses tools designed
for stamping leather.

He recesses the head,
so that on the reverse side,

The front of the sculpture,
the head will appear raised.

This technique brings dimension
and texture

To what was originally
a flat piece of copper.

The artist hammers the back
of the wing

To gradually contour
and texture the feathers.

He uses different tools
to create finer effects

Such as veining.

This age-old technique
of hammering a malleable metal

From the reverse side
to create a design in relief

Is called repoussé,
french for "pushed back".

The artist heats a part
with a torch

And applies zinc chloride flux
to the parameter.

This caustic solution cleans
the copper,

Removing impurities that would
prevent solder from adhering.

Then he uses a blowtorch
to melt silver-based solder

Onto the copper,

Around
the parameter of the part.

This step is called
pre-soldering,

As the sculpture
will be fully soldered later.

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He pre-solders the back
of the pieces

That will be attached
to matching pieces.

Then he heats the front surface

To bring out
a rainbow of colors.

Next, he aligns
the matching parts

And heats them with a torch.

This melts the solder along the
parameter,

Fusing the pieces together.

In areas where the sides are too
far apart to be fused,

He solders a small copper patch
to fit over the gap.

He flattens all the seams
with fine grinding tools

Until they appear seamless.

He repeats this process for
each section of the sculpture.

Once all the sections
are assembled,

He solders them to each other.

The wing fits into
a thin channel

He hammered into the body
of the sculpture.

He melts the solder
in the channel

To produce a neat and even seam.

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To display the copper sculpture
or use it as a weather vane,

The artist solders
a ball bearing

Inside a copper tube,

Then attaches the tube
to the bottom of the sculpture.

The tube slides over a rod,

So it can be set in the ground
or mounted on the roof.