20x11 - 1000th Item: Cycling Shoes/Yurts/Marine Plywood/Oil & Encaustic Paint

[bunniefuu]

narrator: On the battlegrounds
of American history,

powder horns were everywhere.

These modified cow horns

served as carrying cases
for gunpowder

in 18th century colonial battles
and the American revolution.

For soldiers engaged
in heated battle,

the containers were a good way
to keep their powder dry.

With the invention of ammunition
cartridges in the 19th century,

muzzle - loading firearms
and powder horns

became a thing of the past.

But today, they're back.

Powder horns are in demand
for historical re - enactments

and among some sportsmen
and collectors.

The concept of using a cow horn
to make a gunpowder container

demonstrates the resourcefulness
of people in an earlier time.

Cow horns were accessible.

They're naturally hollow,
lightweight, and waterproof.

To start, the craftsman
selects the cow horn

and evaluates it
for structural flaws.

Finding no cracks
or weaknesses in this one,

he proceeds.

He scrapes off the scale
to clean it

and get a better look
at its condition.

Next, he identifies
the depth of the cavity

with a thin wire.

This tells him
where the hollow section ends

and the horn becomes solid.

He marks the spot

then draws another line


These markings serve as guides

as he now turns the tip
of the horn into a spout.

He cuts off the pointed end
along the second line.

He drills into the horn

all the way through
to the horn cavity.

He lays out the design
of the spout with rubber rings.

He traces around them

and then scores the horn
at the pencil marks.

He files the horn
around the score marks

to give the spout end
the desired contours

and builds up a ringed Ridge

for the powder - horn strap
to rest against.

Next, he gouges the horn

to create ornamental notches
above the spout.

This is known an engrailing.

He pencils lettering onto
the side of the powder horn.

He scratches the horn
along the penciled lines

to engrave the letters into it.

Historically, powder horns
were a soldier's canvas

upon which
he etched maps, designs,

and personal information.

He rubs ink onto the lettering,
and it seeps into the fine cuts.

When he wipes off the ink,

it remains in the engravings
to make them really stand out.

He slices the other end
of the cow horn

to create an even edge.

Then, he boils butternut hulls
and wood chips in water

to make a dye.

He immerses the powder horn
in the dye for about an hour

to give it a look

that would take decades
to achieve naturally.

It gives the powder horn
a yellowed, more aged patina.

He now carves a base plug
from pinewood.

He trims the rough shape

to the exact curvature
of the horn.

He inserts the plug
and ensures it's a snug fit.

He drills six holes
into the horn

and through to the plug.

With a tack hammer,

he drives wooden pegs
into the holes,

securing the plug permanently.

He slices off
the end of the wood

to make it flush to the horn.

He stains the wood plug
with shoe dye

to make it blend in
with the color of the horn.

Once the stain has dried,

he creates a hook
for a shoulder strap.

He drills holes

that are a little smaller
than the hook

so that when he pounds it
into the holes,

the hook is firmly installed.

He loops the strap
through the hook

and stitches it up.

He inserts a wooden stopper
into the spout,

and this powder horn
is now ready for containment.

But mostly,
it will just hang around

as a reminder of another time.

Narrator:
Mass - produced glass items

are typically shaped
by automated machines,

which insert molten glass
into an assembly line of molds.

Specialty items
are usually cast individually

with the artist manually
planting the molten glass

in a mold crafted
by skilled mold - makers.

These molds for making
specialty glass items

are entirely handcrafted.

This one,
comprised of three sections,

produces the ornate shade
of a glass candle lamp.

This one,
comprised of two sections,

produces the lamp's base.

The glass manufacturer submits
the design sketch of the item

to the mold shop.

The shop,
using computer software,

converts the sketch
into technical drawings.

Then following the drawings,

workers prepare a wooden pattern
of the mold.

They first make
a cardboard template

for each mold section,

then trace the template
on a piece of wood,

saw along the pencil line,

then finalize the shape
with a sander.

They send the patterns for
the mold sections to a foundry,

which casts copies in iron.

These iron castings are rough,

so when they return
from the foundry,

the mold - makers
refine each section

with a series
of milling machines.

This takes a tremendous degree
of expertise,

as these are not computer - guided
automated machines.

These skilled tradesmen
maneuver the mills manually,

following
the technical drawings.

Once they finalize the shape,

they use a drill press to bore
holes for the hefty pins

on which the mold sections
will pivot open and closed.

Iron is the ideal material
for glass molds

because it withstands
a temperature

of over 2,000 degrees fahrenheit
for molten glass.

Iron does expand with such heat.

However, once cool, it contracts

and resumes its original shape
without any distortion.

They mount
the mold section on a lathe

to begin forming the cavity.

Using a tool
called a boring bar,

a mold - maker shapes the cavity
as per the technical drawings.

Then he takes the mold section
off the lathe

and paints the cavity yellow

to give him a bright background

against which to sketch out
the fine details of the design.

This particular pattern
features circles,

which he sketches
with compasses.

Using an arsenal of chisels with
different size and shape tips,

he chips the metal
to carve out what he sketched.

Again, he follows the technical
drawings meticulously,

giving the carved lines
the specified depth and profile.

Once he finishes the pattern,

he mounts the mold section

on one side of
a mechanical copying machine

called a pantograph.

On the other side,

he mounts another section
of the mold

which doesn't yet have
the carved pattern.

The pantograph stylus traces the
pattern on the carved section

and simultaneously moves
an engraving tool

through the identical motions
on the uncarved section,

transferring the pattern.

Because this is
a three - sectioned mold,

they make two copies
on the pantograph.

The carving tools leave marks
on the surface of the cavity,

so the next step is to Polish
them away with emery paper.

On the right,
you can see the marks.

And on the left,
the smooth, polished surface.

The sections are now ready
to be assembled with pins

into a complete mold.

When it's time
to pour in the molten glass,

the pins enable the sections
to close and interlock.

Once the glass cools
and solidifies,

the pins make it easier to open
the mold to extract the casing.

Glass artisans
and glass manufacturers alike

use handcrafted molds

to produce a wide variety
of glass items

from functional to fancy.

Narrator:
The perogi is a pillowy pastry

stuffed with mashed potato
or other fillings.

Popular for centuries
in eastern Europe,

perogies were
initially peasant food.

But today, their appeal crosses
class and cultural boundaries,

and worldwide there's
a growing appetite for perogies.

Perogies are comfort food,

traditionally made from scratch

by generations
of Polish grandmothers.

But today, few people
have time for all that work,

and the job of making perogies

has moved from the kitchen
to the factory.

All you have to do is add
the sour cream and chives.

Production starts with
the potato and cheese filling.

They boil potatoes until tender.

Then, still piping hot,

they transfer the potatoes
to a mixer grinder.

They add a generous amount
of shredded cheddar cheese

along with some salt and spices.

A spiraling blade mashes
and mixes the ingredients.

The blade misses
a few chunks of potato,

so the machine
forces the ingredients

through
a perforated metal plate.

It gets rid of the chunks

and leaves the mix
smooth and creamy.

With the filling done,

it's over
to the dough department.

They pour measured amounts
of flour into a mixer.

They add oil
for texture and flavor

and some salt
to further enhance the taste.

They open an overhead tap,

and a measured amount of water
flows directly into the mixer.

The mixer's roller bars
blend and knead the dough

to a fairly thick consistency.

After leaving the dough
to soften a bit,

they feed it to a special
perogi - making machine.

The potato and cheese filling
flows into the same machine.

It forces both the filling
and the dough

into a forming device.

It's enclosed
for safety reasons,

so you can't see it here.

Inside, the machine shapes
the filling

into a cylindrical form

and the dough around it
into a sleeve.

Here, the machine pumps out
a roll of potato filling,

the dough surrounds it,
creating sausage - like form.

As the filled dough exits,

a roller shapes it
into individual perogies.

It also cuts
and crimps the edges.

This produces
uniformly plump perogies

at an incredible speed.

This machinery churns out


The freshly formed perogies
ride by a divider mechanism

that separates them,

preventing clumping as they
transfer to another conveyor.

An inspector rejects
any defective dumplings

so that only perfect perogies
head into a freezer.

The temperature inside
is an icy negative - 50 degrees.

It's a winding journey
on spiraling tiers,

where they chill
for about 14 minutes.

When they exit,

they're frozen solid
and ready for packaging.

The dumplings
ride a series of conveyors

towards the packaging line.

It's a quick journey,
giving them no time to thaw.

The perogies funnel
into weigh stations.

Below, mechanical fingers
open bags.

The scale releases 22 ounces
of perogies into each bag.

That's about 23 perogies
per bag.

Hot jaws seal the plastic.

The bags of perogies travel
through an x - ray station

on their way
to the warehouse freezer.

It scans them
for bits of metal or glass

that may have contaminated
the perogies during production.

Today, perogies have
many different fillings.

There are even fruit - filled ones
for dessert,

the recipe may be centuries old,
but there are a few new tricks.

Narrator: The earliest tires

were bands of steel
fitted to wooden wheels,

hardly a comfortable ride.

Air - filled inner tubes

were part of the first
successful car tire in 1911,

and inner tubes
are still used today

in most bicycle tires
and many motorcycle tires.

These motorcycle inner tubes
are made with a combination

of synthetic
and pure, natural rubber.

They come in a variety of sizes
and offer superior quality

because no recycled
or reclaimed rubber is used

during
the manufacturing process.

A worker selects
a slab of synthetic rubber,

a package
of chemically enhanced rubber,

chemicals used as antioxidants,

accelerators and curing agents,

and finally a package
of pure, natural rubber.

A worker pulls the materials
from an internal mixer

and guides them
into a two - roll mill,

where they're squeezed together.

He trims off the rubber sheet.

Ideally, the texture
of the rubber sheet is smooth.

Carbon black provides
pigmentation to the process

and reinforces the rubber.

The rubber is now sent
for cooling.

It soaks in a mixture
of calcium carbonate,

which, once dry,

will prevent the rubber
from sticking to itself.

Workers carefully fold
the continuous sheet of rubber

in a stack to dry.

The next day,
the rubber is cool and hard,

and the calcium carbonate
has dried into a powder.

A worker places the small strip
coming out of the two - roll mill

onto an overhead conveyor belt,

which takes it
to the next phase of production.

The strip falls
into a extruding machine,

where a turning screw
forces the raw rubber

through a strainer.

A worker uses a wire

to cut the rubber strands
as they emerge.

He places the rubber wad
in the two - roll mill once again.

The rubber
will gradually be shaped

in preparation for
the next phase of extrusion.

Squeezed into a strip,

the rubber falls
into a tube extruder machine.

As it passes through the die,

it emerges
in a cylindrical shape.

The rubber tube is hot.

Water cools it down

and cleans away
any remaining residue.

The rubber tube
now enters a cutting machine.

Calcium carbonate powder
helps prevent sticking.

After being cut,

a hole is punched in the tube
and a valve inserted.

The first cone punches the hole.

The second inserts the valve.

A worker replaces each valve

after it's been inserted
into the rubber tube.

This machine can process


Here is the rubber tube
with the hole punched

and with the incomplete
valve inserted.

A worker now connects
the two ends of the cut tube.

He places both ends
into the machine,

which, using different steps,
cuts and fuses them together.

By the time the machine
completes the process,

the worker has
two more loose ends in place.

First, the knife cuts
both ends of the tube.

By clearing away
the calcium carbonate powder,

the two heated ends
can stick together.

No glue is needed.

The cut is clean and straight.

Heat, combined with
the rubber's natural stickiness,

firmly holds the seam together.

A worker now pumps air
into the circular tube.

He hammers wax
into the incomplete valve

in order to temporarily
seal the air inside.

Another worker places the tube
in a mold.

It will be heated
for a few minutes,

part of
the vulcanization process.

The wax that held the air inside
has melted,

but after being vulcanized
in the mold,

the tube retains
its cylindrical shape.

To flatten the shaped tube,

any air remaining inside
is removed using a vacuum.

These workers
give the inner tube

its finishing touches.

They complete the valve
by adding a core,

followed by a ring, a nut,
and a valve cap.

They fold
the finished inner tube

and circle it
with two elastic bands.

The folded inner tubes
are inserted in packaging

that is then heat sealed.

Ready to hit the open road,

these motorcycle inner tubes
are sure to get riders pumped.

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