27x13 - Coconut Shell Charcoal, Dial Indicators, Wet Downdraft Tables, Bassoon Reeds

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: coconut shells
used to be considered

Agricultural waste,

But today they're processed
into biofuel for the barbecue.

In countries like thailand,

Companies convert the shells
into briquettes

That burn cleanly
for an extended period.

Throwing away these shells
would be a real waste of energy.

Instead of ending up
as landfill,

Coconut shells are being
used to fire the grill.

Processed into briquettes that
burn virtually smoke-free,

The shells are now considered
a resource instead of garbage.

Converting coconut shells
to charcoal starts

With the partial-combustion
process.

Inside these brick
igloo-style kilns,

They create
a burning environment

That allows the shells
to be carbonized

But doesn't
reduce them to ash.

The kilns are
partially underground.

The surrounding soil helps
to seal the fire.

This keeps the air levels down
for a slow, smoldering burn.

A worker bricks up
the kiln door.

And he seals these bricks
with mud instead of cement.

This will allow the door
to be dismantled later

Without ruining the bricks,

Preserving them for reuse
in the next burn.

From the top, he ignites
the fire using soft

Wax as starter material.

Because of the limited air
in the kilns,

The fire burns out
after 20 to 24 hours.

A worker takes the door apart
and rakes the charred remains

Of the coconut shells
into a basket.

They have been converted
into a rich charcoal.

He heaps the blackened
shells into a pile.

And under the intense sun,
moisture from water,

Used to extinguish
any hot spots, evaporates.

The charcoal dries out
and breaks easily.

It's now ready to be
processed into briquettes.

Workers load the charcoal
pieces into grinders.

This is dirty work.

So they protect
their faces with scarves

And their hands with gloves.

Inside the grinding machines,

Rollers pulverize the charcoal,

Reducing it to a fine powder.

The powder flows
into bins below.

A worker then transfers
the charcoal powder to a mixer.

He adds a generous amount
of starch made

From the root
of the cassava tree.

Together with water,
the starch will bond

The charcoal particles
together like glue.

The mixer whisks it
all together like pastry.

The consistency is right
when the particles form clumps

When pressed together.

The moistened blend exits
the mixer and spills into a bin.

This coconut shell charcoal

Is now ready to be
pressed into briquettes.

The next worker loads
the charcoal into a press.

It forces the tacky
black powder through a die

To press it into
a perpetual hexagon

With a hole in the center.

As the machine extrudes
the charcoal,

A worker chops
it into briquettes

That are just over


These coconut
charcoal briquettes

Have now taken shape.

But they're not yet
ready for the grill.

They're soft and mushy
to the touch and crumble easily.

To firm them up,

They place them in structures

With open fires in the center.

They close the doors

And leave the briquettes to bake

Over a period of about 24 hours.

The heat fuses
the charcoal particles together.

And the briquettes harden.

Out of the curing chamber,

This briquette is solid
to the touch and clean too.

It leaves no sooty residue.

From coconut shells
to barbecue briquettes,

It's been quite
a transformation.

This coconut shell charcoal
is now ready to sizzle.

♪♪

Narrator: in many disciplines,
you have to take measurements.

Sometimes, those measurements
are so minute

They're difficult or impossible
for the human eye to determine.

So a ruler or tape
measure can't help.

What you need instead
is a precision-measuring tool

Called a dial indicator.

On this dial indicator,

Each graduation
is 0.001 inches.

A full revolution
of the hand measures



To make a key component,
called the bridge plate,

This automated punch press
stamps out brass circles,

Which are about


Workers place each bridge plate

Into a manual punch press,

Which makes location holes

That will correctly position
the bridge plate

On the next press.

This press makes holes
for mounting screws,

Locating pins, as well
as for three precision jewels,

Which reduce friction
on moving metal components.

This lathe begins the process
of shaping a stainless steel rod

Into the dial indicator's
main measuring component,

Called the rack.

Under a shower
of cutting oil,

The machine drills and threads
a hole on each end

For attaching a contact
made of plated steel.

Next, this milling machine
cuts teeth spaced


Of an inch apart.

One of the dial
indicator's gears runs

Along these rack teeth
to turn the hand

That displays
the measurement.

This computer-guided machine
forms an aluminum bar

Into another key component,

Called the bridge.

The bridge has holes for screws

And locating pins

That align with those
in the bridge plate

So that the two can fasten,

Sandwiching the gears
in between.

The bridge also has holes
for three jewels,

Which workers insert
with a punch press.

Jewels are doughnut-shaped
synthetic rubies

Set in a brass ring.

They line the holes
for the gears

And other moving components.

The jewel's surface
is very smooth.

So it eases friction
on the component.

Workers check every jewel
under a microscope

To make sure it didn't crack
when pressed into the hole.

The dial indicator's outside
case is made of aluminum,

Shaped by this computer-guided
turning and milling machine.

Workers spray the case
with powdered paint

Using an electric charge

To draw the particles
onto the surface

In a thorough, even coat.

Then, they bake the case
in an oven for 20 minutes

To make the paint
finish ultra durable.

They put the case on a machine

That presses in
top and bottom steel stems,

Which will hold
the rack in place.

They mount a hair spring
on the bridge plate.

This spring allows the gear

To return to its
original position

After moving the rack upward
to take a measurement.

They insert what's
called a pinion

For the large dial hand
in the center jeweled hole

And a second gear
into the jeweled hole

For the small dial hand.

Then, they attach the bridge.

Next, they insert the rack

Into the case through the stem

And screw a contact
into each end.

Then, they install a brass
spring-loaded rack guide.

It prevents
the rack from rotating

So that its teeth
always face the rack gear.

They mate the case
with the rest.

Then they push in the stem

While holding the hand pinion
to wind the gear.

They install
the printed aluminum dial

On the bridge plate side

And mount the hand for
the small dial on a pinion

Protruding from the top
of the gear.

They mount the large dial
hand onto its pinion.

They place the movable dial

Into a grooved ring,
called a bezel,

And snap the bezel
onto the case.

When you turn the bezel,
the dial moves with it.

The back of the case
is shaped with a lug

For mounting the tool
to a fixture.

The movable dial
lets you zero the indicator.

You lock in the dial position
with this twist bolt.

The factory tests
every dial indicator

With this micrometer head.

It pushes in the rack
to a specific measurement.

Every time the large hand
rotates a full revolution,

Indicating 100
thousandths of an inch,

The small dial hand clocks
one graduation.

This test guarantees
no tool leaves the factory

Without delivering
made-to-measure accuracy.

♪♪

Narrator: cutting or sanding
metals and other materials

Can produce combustible
airborne dust or fumes,

Which can ignite or be inhaled.

That's why it's safer
to do this work

On a wet downdraft table.

This machine captures
and filters hazardous particles

From the work space.

A powerful blower pulls
the flammable dust down

Through the openings
of the grid tabletop.

Then a continuous spray of water
extinguishes the dust

And washes it down into
a reservoir at the bottom,

Where a filter removes it.

Because stainless steel
doesn't corrode,

This computer-guided
laser cuts the components

That come into contact
with water

Out of stainless steel sheets.

Workers pass each part through
a wide-belt sander

To smooth out rough edges
left by the cutting.

When the part exits the sander,

They thoroughly brush off
the metal dust.

Then, they bend the part
into the required shape

Using a computer-guided machine,

Called a press brake.

A welder then fuses the parts,

Constructing the machine
in sections.

This is the table section
that contains the tabletop

And the wash-down system

That processes
the combustible dust.

Workers clean all the welds
with a machine

That uses a combination
of chemicals and electricity.

They brush on
a protective coating

To make the welds
corrosion-resistant.

Then, they wash the unit
with soap and water.

In the reservoir at the bottom,

They install
the water-inlet filter.

When the blower sucks
the dust under the tabletop,

Spray nozzles douse it
with water.

The dusty water flows down
into the reservoir,

Where this filter traps the dust

Before a pump sends the water
back up to the spray nozzles.

To ensure that
no water leaks out,

A worker caulks this entire
section of the machine

With marine-grade sealant.

On the left side,
they mount the housing

For the mist-eliminator filter.

It captures water droplets
from the airstream

Before the blower exhausts it.

To that, they attach
the blower housing.

It has a side opening
for the blower

And a top opening for a sil*ncer

That muffles the noise
of the blower exhaust.

Now, they install the blower.

It consists
of an electric motor

Turning a blower wheel.

The resulting centrifugal force
sucks air through the machine

And out the exhaust.

They insert the filter
into its housing.

The filter is polyester,
so it's mold resistant,

Which is critical given
that it gets wet.

Now, they install
the water tree,

A stainless steel
wall with baffles

That make the dusty water
cascade into the reservoir.

These probes ensure there's
always the optimum amount

Of water circulating
through the machine.

They send an alert
to the control panel

If the water level
in the reservoir

Rises too high
or drops too low.

After installing
a plumbing connection

For the wash-down system,

They install walls to contain

The dust over the work surface

And the sil*ncer
over the blower exhaust.

Then, they complete the assembly
of the wash-down system

By connecting pipes with spray

Nozzles to the plumbing
connection.

Finally, workers
install the tabletop,

Made up of two steel grates.

The blower sucks the dust
through the grates' openings.

You can cushion the tabletop
with a rubber grid mat.

When you press the start
button on the control panel,

The blower begins
drawing air.

And the nozzles begin
spraying water.

This demonstration
with the smoke machine

Shows the powerful downdraft

That gives industrial workers
a breath of fresh air.

♪♪

Narrator: to play
most woodwind instruments,

The musician blows air
through a reed made of cane.

The reed vibrates
to create sound,

Just like the vocal cords
in our throat.

A bassoon reed is comprised
of two thin blades of cane

Rather than one,
so it's called a double reed.

[ Bassoon playing "in the hall
of the mountain king" ]

A bassoon reed has twin
blades at the top

That vibrate to produce sound
and a tube at the bottom

That fits onto
the bassoon's lead pipe.

The reed maker begins
with a stalk of cane

That's almost
an inch in diameter.

With a single strike
of a cylindrical,

X-shaped blade,

He splits it
into four equal strips,

Then uses a guillotine
to cut each strip to a length

Of 4 3/4 inches.

After soaking a strip in water

For about 8 hours
to soften the fibers,

He laterally slices off
about half the cane.

Then, he places it
in a precision gouger

And thins it to approximately


Give or take a fraction
of an inch.

He verifies the thickness
with a precision-measuring tool,

Called a dial indicator.

He clamps the cane
in a reed-shaped template

And trims away the excess.

This gives the cane
a distinct contour.

He removes the outer layer
of rigid bark

And thins out the middle,

Which will become
the dual blades of the reed.

Next, he cuts a pattern
that will enable the reed

To vibrate at the frequencies
required to produce

The bassoon's
full range of 44 notes.

Then, he scores
both ends of the cane

To make them flexible enough

To be bent into a half circle.

He folds the cane
in half and ties it

With a piece of brass wire.

The fold will form
the double blades

At the top of the reed.

The opposite ends,

Once bent into mating
half circles,

Will form the tube
at the bottom.

Keeping the cane wet, he heats
a cylindrical-forming mandrel

Over the flame
of an oil-burning lamp.

Then, he wraps the tube
end tightly with twine.

The heat softens
the cane's fibers,

Molding them under pressure
from the tightly wound twine

To the shape of the mandrel.

This forms the two
adjoining half circles

Into a perfectly round tube.

After a few seconds,

He removes the forming mandrel

And unwraps the twine.

He inserts a holding mandrel
of the same diameter

And wraps it with a rubber band.

He puts the reed aside
to dry for about a week.

This sets the shape permanently.

When he unwraps
and unfolds the reed,

He sands the edges of the two
adjoining half circles

So that they meet perfectly.

Then, he refolds the reed,

Securing it with three wires

Spaced at specific intervals.

The distance between the wires,

In concert with the curved
shape of the cane,

Finalizes the contour
of the reed,

Which determines
how it vibrates.

One the wires are
correctly positioned,

He wraps the tube end
of the reed

With strong synthetic string.

This will contain
the tube dimensions

When the reed is resoaked.

He coats the string with glue

To further strengthen the tube.

Once the glue dries,

He reams the inside of the tube

To fit perfectly into
the bassoon's lead pipe.

He places a ruler
against the first wire

And makes a mark of just

Over an inch out
toward the folded tip.

Then, he clips off
the folded tip.

The reed now has double blades

That vibrate when a musician
blows air through them.

[ Bassoon playing ]

Because cane is a plant,
not a synthetic material,

There are slight natural
variations from reed to reed.

So bassoonists make the last
minor adjustments themselves

With profilers and other tools

Until their reed
vibrates beautifully.