18x03 - Chocolate Coins/Floor Heating Systems/Pedal Cars/Latex Swords

[bunniefuu]

]] Narrator: this edible money

Is a symbolic treat.

In some parts of the world,

Chocolate coins are stuffed in

Christmas stockings to celebrate

The charity of saint nicholas.

They're also handed out to

Jewish children during the

Festival of hanukkah to teach

Them the value of money and

Charity.

Chocolate coins don't have any

Purchasing power, but they do

Buy a lot of appreciative smiles

From the kids.

They start with giant chocolate

Bars.

Each one is 10 pounds of pure

Chocolate.

The worker transfers the big

Bars to a kettle.

It's a kind of double boiler.

Hot water bubbles and steams

Inside a sleeve shell to heat

And melt the chocolate.

There are 2 1/2 tons of liquid

Chocolate in this kettle.

The machine now pumps the

Chocolate through a long pipe

With different cooling zones.

The chocolate thickens but not

To the point of

Solidification -- a process

Called tempering.

It causes the chocolate to form

A precise crystal structure for

Just the right texture and

Taste.

The thick liquid chocolate flows

Onto a conveyer that brings the

Chocolate under a broad blade.

The blade levels it to a

Specific thickness and spreads

It evenly, creating a long sheet

Of chocolate.

The chocolate now begins to

Coagulate and harden.

To spur that process, it travels

Through a refrigeration tunnel

That is approximately 15 yards

Long.

This journey transforms the

Liquid chocolate into a soft

Solid.

Next, they clean and prepare the

Die.

It's a spring-loaded device that

Works cookie-cutter style to

Punch out round blanks.

There is one big difference.

Each cutter is long and tubular,

So as it punches out the

Chocolate blanks, they

Accumulate inside.

The latticework of leftovers

Journeys forward to be re-melted

Into the process...

So not a crumb of chocolate goes

To waste.

At the end of the line, dozens

Of coin blanks have stacked up

In each magazine.

And piles of leftover chocolate

Have accumulated in a bin that

Will now be transferred back to

The melting pot.

Now it's time to print some

Chocolate money.

To do this, they wrap the

Chocolate first and then emboss

Both the wrap and the chocolate

Blanks simultaneously.

Here's how it works.

Sheets of glossy gold foil

Travel between rollers to

Establish an even tension.

Ahead, a forked arm moves two

Chocolate blanks between the

Foil sheets.

Piston-like knives move in to

Wrap, cut, and fold the foil

Around the blanks.

The forked arm then delivers the

Foil-wrapped blanks to a die

Press.

It stamps designs on both sides

Of the coins, making an

Impression on the foil through

To the chocolate.

The chocolate, although solid,

Is still warm enough to receive

The image.

Removed from the machine, here's

What the die heads look like.

These are used to emboss

Chocolate coins with american

Penny markings.

As for the foil discards, they

Don't end up on the scrap heap.

Instead, they accumulate in a

Bin to be sent out for

Recycling.

They make 150,000 foil-wrapped

Coins a day.

To change the currency type,

They simply switch die heads.

Chocolate coins can be made in

Many sizes with a range of

Different illustrations.

The coins now spill out onto a

Conveyor that takes them to a

Bin.

All that's left now is the

Packaging, which will be the

Traditional mesh bag.

From start to finish, it takes

Less than an hour to make a

Chocolate coin.

Gold dollars or $5 poker

Chips, every day, it's a

Jackpot of chocolate money at

This factory.

So there's never any shortage of

Edible cash, only decisions to

Be made -- poker chip or

Chocolate penny?

You could always flip a coin.

]] Narrator: in-floor heating

Systems are hardly a new

Concept.

The ancient romans heated the

Floors of their bathhouses.

Today's systems use either

Electric cables or hot-water

Pipes installed beneath the

Floor's surface.

As the floor warms up, the heat

Radiates to people and objects

In the room.

For electric radiant heating

Systems, installers affix

Installation gauges to the

Subfloor, then wind electrical

Cables around those gauges.

When there are no objects such

As bathtubs to work around,

Installers can roll out a

Fiberglass mat that has the

Cable embedded.

Once the cables are in place,

The installers lay down the

Floor.

Radiant heating systems can be

Installed under most types of

Flooring.

It's up to 28% more energy

Efficient than forced-air or

Baseboard heating.

At the core of those electric

Heating cables are copper or

Copper-alloy wires called

Conductors.

An unwinding system feeds each

Spool of conductor to an

Extrusion machine.

Extrusion machines force molten

Plastic through a die to form a

Particular shape.

They load the raw plastic

Pellets into a receptacle called

A hopper at the top of the

Machine.

The pellets drop down into a

Heating device that quickly

Liquefies them.

The machine then forces the

Molten plastic through a round

Die, forming a plastic jacket

Around the conductor passing

Through.

This jacket insulates the bare

Wire.

A water bath cools the

Still-warm plastic to prevent

Sticking as they wind up the

Conductor on a spool.

The next machine takes two

Insulated conductors and twists

Them together into a single

Strand.

This forms a paired conductor.

Then the next machine braids 16

Spools of triple-strand copper

Wire around the paired

Conductor.

This copper braid is the ground.

The ground will capture any

Electrical leak should the cable

Get damaged, preventing

Electrocution.

The cable's internal wiring is

Complete.

Now they run it through an

Alignment jig that straightens

And smooths everything out in

Preparation for the next

Extrusion process, which coats

The wiring in a final plastic

Jacket.

Then they wind up the cable on a

Spool to prepare it for

Packaging...

And put one end into a machine

That cuts off an inch or so of

Jacket.

After soldering the two

Conductors to each other so that

The electrical current goes out

On one and returns on the other,

They insulate this connection

From the braided ground with

Transparent heat-shrink plastic.

Then they pull the ground over

The now-insulated end and cover

It with a black heat-shrink

Plastic.

This seals the end of the cable

So that water can't seep in and

Short out the wiring.

Another machine produces the

Cable that brings power from the

Wall-mounted thermostat to the

Heating cables under the floor.

It's called the cold lead

Because it leads to the heating

Cable, yet itself doesn't heat

Up.

This machine cuts the average

Production run of 8 1/2 miles of

Cold-lead cable into several

Cables of standard length,

Either 2 or 3 yards long

Depending on the product format.

The cold lead is comprised of

Two conductors and a separate

Ground wire.

Workers connect it to the

Heating cable by fusing

Conductor to conductor and

Ground to ground.

They protect this junction with

A hard plastic cover called a

Mechanical joint.

This, too, must be sealed to

Prevent any water infiltration.

After all, heating cables are

Often installed under floors in

Wet environments such as

Bathrooms.

So, they seal the joint by

Injecting enough polyurethane to

Fill every nook and cranny.

The polyurethane takes three to

Four minutes to dry, then

Another 24 hours to fully

Harden.

This machine assembles the

Other format -- the roll-out mat

With heating cable embedded.

First, it winds cable the same

Way an installer would onto

Installation gauges.

Then it secures it to an

Adhesive-backed fiberglass mesh.

Three strips of adhesive tape

Above and below reinforce the

Bond.

The mat format is sold by the

Roll, while the loose cable is

Packaged in a kit with

Installation gauges and glue

Sticks to adhere the gauges to

The subfloor.

Narrator: it looks like a car

And it drives like a tricycle --

A child-size version of a

Motorized three-wheeler vehicle,

Popular in the early



Instead of gas, pedal power

Propels this replica forward.

Based on actual vehicles, a wave

Of nostalgia has put pedal cars

On the road to a comeback.

An old-style pedal car is a

Snazzy toy with a sleek metal

Body and real rubber tires.

Highly collectible, owning one

Is a trip down memory lane.

Production starts with the pedal

Car's wood floor.

The worker places a metal

Template of the floor under a

Sheet of ash plywood and

Transfers the two to a router

Table.

With a pin in the template below

To guide him, he moves the

Plywood as the router cuts it.

This produces a part that's the

Precise size and shape needed

For the pedal-car floor.

Using the same system, he cuts a

Slot for the pedals and another

One for the rear wheel.

He evens the edges with a hand

Router, giving the pedal-car

Floor a finer look and feel.

He glues supports for the

Backrest close to the rear of

The floorboard.

He props the backrest against

The supports and screws it into

Position.

He installs the dashboard

Framework further towards the

Front.

Next, they varnish the laminated

Ash dashboard a deep, rich hue,

To replicate the look of the one

In the original three-wheeler

Vehicle.

And now for the body of the

Pedal car.

A welder tacks together the two

Parts of the aluminum shell and

Seals them with special

Adhesive.

They then screw the wooden

Framework to the aluminum body.

After a thorough cleaning, they

Paint a primer coat onto the

Metal.

Then it's in to the paint booth

For a glossy coat of automotive

Paint.

In the meantime, the metal

Chassis of the pedal car

Comes together.

A worker mounts a dummy twin

Engine to the front.

In this pedal-powered replica,

The engine's purpose is purely

Decorative.

The headlights, though, are

Real.

He attaches those to the

Chassis, complete with the

Hooded framework distinctive to

The original, full-size

Three-wheeled car from a century

Ago.

He then fits the tires to the

Chassis.

They're cycle tires,

Child-sized, to fit the scale of

This toy-car replica.

A quick spin confirms they're

Operational.

He mounts the fenders to the

Frame just above the tires and

Secures them with metal

Brackets.

The fenders will guard against

Splashing mud and water.

He now transfers the car body to

The three-wheeled chassis.

He aligns it with fixing points

On the chassis and then screws

It into place.

Next, he hooks up the exhaust

Pipe.

Like the engine, it's an

Imitation, but it looks real.

He fits an aluminum grille

To the front of the pedal car,

Just behind the mock engine.

He installs a small windshield

In front of the pedal-car

c*ck.

And now he pops the dashboard,

Equipped with a speed dial, into

Place.

It fits into the pedal car's

Hooped frame perfectly.

He wires the battery-operated

Headlights to the dashboard

Switch.

He attaches the hand brake to

The side of the cab and runs the

Braking cables to the rear

Wheel.

He threads the steering-wheel

Column down through the

Dashboard to steering arms on

The front wheel axle.

He clamps it to the steering

Arms...

And makes some adjustments to

Precisely position the column to

The shaft.

He fits the padded leather seat

Into the cab, and this completes

The construction of this

Pedal-powered replica car.

It takes about 40 hours to make

One of those retro toys.

When it comes to the authentic

Touches, dave spared no expense

And expended great effort.

It's time for a spin to the

Playground and some good

Old-fashioned fun.

Narrator: some people enjoy

Playing combat games on video

Systems, while others prefer to

Exchange the controller for a

Fake weapon, dress up in

Costume, and act out the fantasy

With those who share the same

Passion.

It's called live-action

Role-playing, and there's

Typically a medieval or

Apocalyptic theme to it.

These weapons sure look like the

Real thing -- so much so that

This company also sells them as

Film and theater props.

But as menacing as these axes

And swords appear, they couldn't

Even hurt a fly because they're

Blades are made of latex.

In the weapons workshop, they

Begin the sword-making process

By constructing the blade.

After tracing a template on a



Flexible waterproof foam, they

Cut out two blade halves with a

Utility knife.

After slitting one of them down

The middle, they glue in a rigid



This makes the sword blade stiff

Enough for combat, yet flexible

Enough to not break.

Next, they glue a strip of

Durable polyester fabric over

The core.

This acts as reinforcement,

Preventing the tip of the core

From poking through the foam.

Now they glue the second blade

Half over the first one,

Sandwiching the core.

The glue is a rubber-based

Adhesive that bonds with

Pressure that they apply with a

Heavy marble rolling pin.

Next, using a band sander, they

Sculpt the blade's cutting

Edges.

Then they remove the foam

Residue with a rotary tool.

Next, they take a wood-burning

Iron and melt the foam in select

Spots to create the look of

Battle scars.

Then they spray on five to six

Coats of latex rubber.

This forms a protective shield

Over the foam without hindering

The blade's flexibility.

Next, using an air brush, they

Apply two coats of acrylic-based

Latex paint -- first black, then

Silver.

They brush on a thick coat of

Black paint, then wipe it off.

This wash, as it's called,

Creates the look of aged metal.

And finally, they lightly dab

Some silver acrylic paint over

Select spots to highlight

Details.

From foam to main component of a

Lethal weapon in just a few easy

Steps.

They finish off their handiwork

By stenciling on the company

Logo in gold acrylic paint.

Now for the sword's handle.

They drill a hole lengthwise

Through a cylinder made of

Walnut and glue a steel tube

Inside.

Then they glue leather around

The wood...

And wrap a leather ribbon around

It for decoration.

To give it a worn appearance,

They lightly sand parts of the

Surface.

To make ornate handles, an

Artist first sculpts a model out

Of lindenwood.

Using that wooden model, they

Cast a silicon mold.

Then they pour rubber into the

Mold to cast a handle.

For that leather-covered wooden

Handle, they cast only the

Components above and below it in

Rubber.

After trimming off the excess

Rubber, they paint it to look

Like metal.

To assemble the sword, they glue

The handle components onto the

Core, which protrudes from the

Base of the blade.

First, they position the guard.

It stops the opposing sword from

Sliding down past the blade and

Cutting your hand.

Next, the handle.

And last, the pommel.

It blocks the end of the handle

To prevent the sword from

Sliding out of your hand.

Each sword this workshop creates

Comes with a scabbard, a

Protective leather sheath.

They boil and wax the leather

To make it rigid.

The workshop also makes daggers

And other realistic-looking

Weaponry -- all you need to

Bring out your inner warrior.