16x05 - Filagree Glass, Fish Food, Motor Homes

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]] Narrator: filigree glass is a

Highly advanced form of

Glassmaking.

The artists first produce

Threads of colored glass, then

Weave these threads together in

Intricate patterns, encasing

Them within clear crystal.

Then they use complex

Glassmaking techniques to shape

These patterned rods into

Breathtaking works of art.

The filigree glass technique was

Invented in the 1500s by master

Glassmakers in murano, italy.

Their then-secret process

Incorporated ancient methods

From mesopotamia, the birthplace

Of glassmaking some 2,000 years

Earlier.

It all begins with a blend of

Mostly silica sand, soda ash,

And lime.

They heat the mix to almost



Melting it over several hours

Into lead-free liquid crystal.

With a steel rod called a punty,

The glassmakers roll some molten

Crystal on a metal table as it

Cools and solidifies --

A shaping technique known as

Marvering.

Then they use the post they've

Shaped to pick up a piece of

Densely colored glass called a

Color bar.

They melt the color on the end

Of the crystal post.

At the same time, they heat

Another color bar into molten a

State.

Then they perform a process

Called overlaying.

They push the molten colored

Glass over the other color bar,

Then marver until the colored

Glass symmetrically encases it.

They encase the color in clear

Crystal and reheat some more,

Then prepare a new bit of clear

Crystal on another punty.

They use it to grab the free end

Of the color overlay.

The glassmakers pull, stretching

The crystal like taffy into

What's known as overlaid cane, a

Thin rod of crystal with a

Thread rod of colored glass

Inside.

It takes tremendous expertise to

Stretch the rapidly cooling

Glass to a consistent diameter

Without twisting or breaking it

In the process.

They snip the long cane into

Manageable lengths.

Next, they cut the colored rods

Into the size required...

Lay out the rods in a precise

Configuration, heat, then roll

Them onto a precisely sized

Piece of molten clear crystal.

Now they repeat the pulling

Process, but this time, to

Create the internal pattern they

Want, they twist both punties.

They use an electric drill to

Ensure steady, uniform

Revolutions.

The rod this creates is called a

Complex cane.

After it cools and stabilizes

Overnight, they cut it into the

Lengths they need to create the

Filigree glass piece.

The colors and pattern inside a

Complex cane are determined by

The choice and layout of the

Overlaid cane rods rolled onto

The molten crystal.

The filigree pattern is now

Determined by the way in which

They lay out the complex cane

Rods.

After fusing the laid-out rods,

They wrap them around a collar

Of hot crystal at the end of a

Blow pipe.

While rolling the piece on a

Glass blowing bench, they use a

Scissor-like tool called jacks

To close off the end.

They snip off the excess with

Shears.

Then, they roll the hot glass on

A wet wood block to smooth and

Round the bubble.

They blow in some air to produce

The shape of a pear, stick a

Punty to the bottom of the pear,

Then use cold tweezers to shock

The hot glass into breaking

Along the separation line

And transfer off the blow pipe.

Now they take some hot crystal

From the furnace and roll it in

Fine, granulated colored glass.

They reheat to melt the color

Into the crystal...

Then attach a bit of glass to

The top of the pear to form it

Into a stem.

They smooth the cutoff edge with

A small torch.

They take another bit of molten

Colored crystal to shape a leaf.

This crimping tool imprints the

Veins.

Every filigree piece these

Canadian master glassmakers

Create is signed by way of a

Piece of cane bearing their

Initials.

They fuse it to the piece in a

Discreet location.

Now the finishing touches --

Reheating, then some

Shape-tweaking with tools and

Wet newspaper.

With the artist's work done,

It's time to enjoy the

Spectacular fruits of their

Labor.

]] Narrator: flake foods for

Aquarium fish were invented in

The middle of the last century,

And what a difference this

Invention has made.

Before they came along, pet fish

Were fed live food from rivers

And streams -- a food source

That wasn't always accessible.

The invention of flake and

Other dried foods made life in a

Fish tank a whole lot easier.

Just a few sprinkles and dinner

Is served.

It's not much like the live

Water fleas or bloodworms the

Fish would feed on in their

Natural environment, but it

Contains the nutrients and

Vitamins they need.

These dried tidbits can be

Supersized to appeal to larger

Fish that prefer to chow down on

Something more substantial.

Each formulation consists of up

To 40 different ingredients.

The main components are fish

Meal...

Wheat flour...

Soy and paprika oils.

They also add food colorant

Because fish are drawn to

Certain colors.

They follow a precise recipe and

Measure the ingredients

Carefully.

They blend the smaller

Components together first.

They include lecithin -- a

Blending and thickening agent

Also found in foods humans

Consume -- and calcium for bone

Strength.

The main ingredients -- the fish

Meal, flours, and oils -- are

Piped from silos into big tanks

And mixed with hot water.

They add the smaller premix and

Blend everything together to

Produce a thick slurry.

They spray the slurry onto the

Surface of a series of rolling

Heated drums.

As it flows over these drums,

The slurry cooks and dries into

A thin film that's like a paper

Sheet.

As the sheet rolls off, a long

Rotating blade chops it up to

Produce big flakes.

They're pretty chunky at this

Point and will need to be broken

Up into bite-sized versions.

Next, they fall down a chute and

Into a plastic bag.

A worker transfers them by the

Bagful to the next conveyer.

The various colors represent the

Different formulations.

The green are veggie flakes,

While the red are protein-based.

They all head into a spiraling

Device known as the tumbler.

It spins to toss the flakes

Around.

This mixes then breaks them

Into smaller flakes.

After several minutes in the

Tumbler, the flakes fall onto a

Series of screens to grade them

By size -- small, medium, and

Large.

They land in separate bins, now

Mixed and sorted by size.

Meanwhile, the production of

Fish-food sticks is underway.

Machinery presses a food mash

Through the small holes of an

Extruder plate to create

Spaghetti-like strings.

As the strings exit, rotating

Knives cut them into sticks.

The sticks dry and solidify.

A worker routinely examines them

For size and form.

The next worker wheels a hopper

Full of flakes above a chute and

Removes the trap door.

The mix falls down one floor

Onto the packaging line.

At the same time, a column of

Empty cans heads toward the

Flakes.

The fish food flakes fall

Through special openings that

Funnel them into the cans.

Machinery cuts out aluminum foil

Caps and slaps them on the tops

Of the containers.

Hot circular irons then seal the

Caps to the cans.

This conveyor belt is also a

Computerized scale which keeps

Track of the amount of product

In the cans.

Then, devices spin by to twist

Plastic lids onto the threaded

Rims of the cans.

As the cans pass by on a

Carousel, applicators press

Glue-backed product labels onto

Them.

And these fish food flakes are

Done.

In its various formulations,

Dried fish food offers a range

Of feeding options.

Some contain additives that

Enhance the growth and color of

The fish.

Others are geared to a fish's

Specific tastes, because even

Pet fish can be discriminating

Diners.

]] Narrator: a motor home is a

Fully equipped house on wheels.

The class "a" types are shaped

Like a bus, the largest models

More than 40 feet long and

Spacious enough to sleep up to

Six people.

When parked, the exterior room

Walls slide outward, expanding

The width by more than a yard.

Motor homes have driver and

Passenger seats at the front,

And in the back, the essentials

Of a small house -- kitchen,

Bedroom, living room, bathroom.

The factory buys a ready-made

Standard-length steel chassis

From an automotive supplier with

Motor and other components

Already installed.

They then lengthen the chassis

By cutting each side and welding

On an extension piece.

They also extend the

Pre-installed exhaust system and

Electrical wiring.

Then, they weld on steel plates

To reinforce the splices in the

Chassis.

Next, they lower the steel

Basement frame, which has

Compartments for the water

Supply, waste collection, and

Storage.

Before installing the frame,

They attach three pairs of

Sliding hydraulic cylinders

Called rams.

Each pair operates a slideout

Room at the push of a button.

After bolting the frame to the

Chassis, they spray each welded

Joint with an anti-rust coating.

Then, they test the rams to make

Sure they slide in and out

Properly.

They lower the preassembled

Steel cab structure onto the

Basement frame and weld it to

The chassis.

The motor home's front end is

Made of fiberglass with a bumper

And headlights built in.

Workers connect the headlights

To the electrical system, then

Attach the front end to the cab

Structure.

Then, they install the hood and

Make any necessary adjustments.

Next, they load up the

Compartments in the basement

Structure, starting with the

Freshwater tank made of durable

White plastic.

Water runs from this tank

Through flexible plastic water

Lines to the sinks, shower, and

Toilets.

Next, the drainage line for

Sewer waste.

It runs to a plastic tank that's

Gray to differentiate it from

The water tank.

Now they run a line of

Heavy-duty adhesive along the

Steel grid of the basement

Structure and set down the

Motor home's floor.

The floor construction is like a

Sandwich -- aluminum on the

Bottom, plywood on top, with a

High-density hard foam in the

Middle to muffle noise and

Absorb road vibration.

After securing the glued floor

With screws, they staple carpet

Underpadding onto the plywood...

Except in the kitchen and

Bathroom areas, where they lay

Down vinyl or ceramic tile

Flooring and cut holes in it for

Heat registers and drains.

Then they install carpet over

The underpadding.

The pieces are precut to the

Motor home's layout -- large

Pieces for the main areas, small

Ones for closets and the cab.

Now, workers hook up what

They've built so far to a chain

Mechanism that tows down an

Assembly line.

First, overhead lifts lower the

Motor home's three slideout

Rooms -- dinette, living room,

Bedroom -- onto their respective

Rams.

Workers bolt the rooms to the

Rams, then test them.

Next, workers install the

Bathroom cabinetry, plumbing,

And wiring.

Then the motor home gets its

Three remaining walls.

They're fiberglass on the

Outside, decorative paneling on

The inside, with foam and an

Aluminum structural frame in

Between.

The back wall has a luggage

Compartment accessible from the

Outside of the vehicle.

Like the headlights on the front

End, the vehicle's taillights

Are integrated.

The roof structure is the same

As the walls.

It has electrical wiring built

In and cut-outs for ceiling

Lights and air-conditioning

Vents.

The inner structural frames of

The roof and walls interlock.

A line of screws running the

Length of the roof secures the

Connection.

A generous application of

Sealant, then on goes the roof

Cap with built-in clearance

Lights to finish off the front

End.

]] Narrator: at this point, the

Outside of the motor home is

Almost complete.

However, there's still much

Interior work to come.

Everything on the inside is

Designed to maximize living

Space and storage space.

And even though the motor home

Has just one bedroom, pullout

Beds in other areas add

Additional sleep space.

One of the last jobs remaining

On the outside is to install the

Door.

It fits perfectly because they

Constructed it using the piece

They cut out of the side wall to

Make the door opening.

Next, some decorative detailing

On the vehicle body, including

An adhesive vinyl decal bearing

The model name.

On the inside, workers are busy

Applying the finishing touches.

They hang cabinet doors...

Install under-cabinet

Lighting...

And hook up the kitchen

Appliances.

The stove is a special compact

Size manufactured specifically

For recreational vehicles.

Customers buying motor homes

Have a choice of window

Coverings.

This order calls for double-duty

Roller shades -- one setting

Filters daylight, the other

Blacks it out.

The installer uses a gauge to

Adjust the blinds to the correct

Drawing tension.

Then, she installs decorative

Valances to hide the edges and

Pull cords.

In the cab, workers bolt the

Base of the driver and passenger

Seats to the basement frame.

Then, they bolt a seat-belt

Receiver to each seat base.

The seats, upholstered in

High-end synthetic leather,

Attach into their respective

Bases.

Workers install the dinette,

Which sits in one of the

Slideout rooms.

The bench seats have a storage

Area underneath, and the seats

And table convert into an extra

Bed.

At the rear of the motor home is

The bedroom, which is the second

Slideout room.

The bed has storage space

Underneath for blankets and

Pillows.

Regulations designate certain

Seats safe to sit in while the

Vehicle is moving.

Those seats are equipped with

Safety belts.

The couch in the living room,

The third slideout room, has a

Few hidden features -- an air

Mattress which inflates and

Deflates at the push of a button

For an extra bed, and a drawer

Underneath for storing pillows

And blankets.

The bathroom has a toilet...

Sink...

Shower stall...

And lots of cabinet space.

Back on the outside, workers

Install a rear-view camera on

Each side wall.

When the driver activates the

Right turn signal, the right

Side camera automatically turns

On.

The left turn signal, the left

Camera.

The cameras transmit the image

To a dashboard monitor.

Every motor home this factory

Produces undergoes extensive

Water-infiltration testing.

Hundreds of sprayers sh**t

Several straight minutes of

Simulated heavy rainfall from

All angles, including

Underneath -- with the slideout

Rooms both extended and

Retracted.

Inspectors check everywhere,

Even inside cabinets.

If they find any leaks, they

Seal them and run the water test

Again.

And finally, one last mechanical

Verification of the slideout

Rooms, now that they bear the

Additional weight of the

Furnishings.

This expansion feature is the

Secret to the motor home's

Spacious feel, as it increases

The floor-space width by nearly

Five feet.

The slideouts operate only while

The motor home is parked.

With smart design and ingenious

Use of limited space, a motor

Home lets you hit the road

Without leaving the comforts of

Home behind.

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