29x02 - Nuno Felt, Drum Crashers, Kimchi, Parquet Floors

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

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

Nuno felt is an artisan-crafted
non-woven fabric.

Nuno is the japanese
word for cloth.

The technique
bonds layers of wool

And other types of loose fibers

Into a lightweight gauzy felt

With contrasting textures.

Each piece is
a unique creation.

Nuno felt is often
made into striking

Featherlight pieces of clothing.

Unlike fabrics which are made
by weaving thread or yarn,

Nuno felt is made
by interlocking

And compressing fibers.

The greater the contrast
in the texture

And luster of those
different types of fibers,

The more interesting
the design.

For this project,

This artisan constructs

The base of the felt
out of merino wool roving,

Which is wool
that's been cleaned,

Processed and dyed.

She tears off short
lengths of fibers

And lays them down side-by-side,
forming a layer.

She lays another layer
on top perpendicular to it.

She builds up three
to five layers this way,

A technique
called cross-hatching.

This process interlaces
the fibers,

Strengthening the base
of the felt.

Next, she takes pattern
silk chiffon fabric

That color coordinates
with all the fibers she's using,

Cuts out squares and rectangles

And lays them
onto the wool base.

It's critical to create
the right balance of wool

And non-wool fibers

So that the wool
will be able to grab

And hold the layers together
to form the nuno felt.

She adds some mica.

Mica is
a shiny natural mineral

Which,
in thin flakes like this,

Is practically weightless.

Sprinkling a bit of mica

Onto the surface produces
a sequin-like effect.

The artisan adds
some wisps of angelina,

A shiny, hair-like
polyester fiber

Which wool roving
easily grabs and holds.

Then she includes
some variegated wool yarn,

Which is the term for yarn
with a variation of color.

It adheres to wool roving,
silk and angelina.

And for subtle texture,
she lays in wool bouclé.

Bouclé is yarn
with continuous tiny loops.

Once the layout is finished,

The artisan sprays the materials
with soapy water.

Absorbing water makes
the fibers more flexible.

It also changes the ph
level of the wool,

Making it more alkaline,

Which triggers the wool fibers
to grab the adjacent fibers.

Next, she wraps her
design in bubble wrap

And begins the process
of felting the fibers

With a combination of pressure,
agitation and heat.

First, she presses
out trapped air

With a palm washboard.

The bubble wrap acts
as a cushion,

Preventing the design
from distorting.

The artisan takes
a foam cylinder

And gently rolls up the piece,

Working out any wrinkles
as she goes.

She ties the roll
with nylon laces,

Then rocks it back and forth
from her elbows to her wrists.

She does this
a total of 1,000 times.

At each stop, she unwinds

The roll to smooth
out the wrinkles.

Once this process is finished,

The artisan unwinds
the roll to add

What's called open
work or lacework.

She cuts small
slits in the piece

And gently pulls them
to form oval openings.

The wool is wet,
so it stretches easily.

Next, she amps up the agitation

By rolling on a series
of textured surfaces.

Each change of texture hits
the piece at different points,

Pushing out the air
between the fibers.

While the wet fibers
continue to interlock

And compress
with rolling,

The wool and silk elements

Of the design shrink
at different rates,

Producing contrast
in the surface texture.

By the end, the piece,

Which started out being
almost a 1/3 inch think,

Is now just 1/10
inch thick.

After reshaping
some openings,

She applies the palm
washboard one last time.

Then, through
the bubble wrap,

The artisan agitates the fibers
with an orbital sander.

This friction generates heat,

Which further bonds the fibers.

After a final touch-up
of the openings,

She gathers up the felt
and gently rinses it in water

With a bit of vinegar.

This removes the soap

Which would damage
the wool over time.

The wash also returns
the ph to normal,

Which closes the fibers
and stabilizes the felt.

After removing
as much moisture

As possible by rolling up
the felt in a towel,

She lays it on
a counter to air-dry.

Now, this handcrafted
nuno felt shawl is poised

To make a one-of-a-kind
fashion statement.

♪♪

Narrator:
drum crushers are machines
that flatten bulky steel drums,

The world's most popular
shipping container.

At a certain point,
they can no longer be reused

And need to be recycled.

Drum crushers compress
them into disks

So that they can be
economically transported

To recycling facilities.

This drum crusher wields


Than the average
household trash compactor

And can flatten
steel drums in seconds.

To make the drum crusher,

A computerized
plasma cutter carves

Out many of the parts
from thick steel.

The machine both cuts
out the profile

And makes holes
for components.

This particular part is
a locator plate for the drums.

At another station,

A worker traces
around a template,

Transferring the outline to
partially machined parts below.

These parts are the crusher's
top and bottom panels.

He grinds off flaky areas
of the surface

To prep the steel for welding.

This process is time-consuming,

So he works only
within the outline.

Next, workers saw steel
tubes to specific lengths.

The tubes will serve
as forklift pockets

For loading the crusher
onto a truck

Or simply moving it around
in a recycling plant.

Another worker now sets up

A fixturing system
to hold the crusher

Housing panels in position
for welding.

He clamps the parts
to the fixturing table.

This first part is the bottom
of the crusher chamber.

He assembles the side supports

And the top of the unit
within the fixturing device.

He clamps the supports
at the corners.

And with the structure
now held together with clamps,

He tack welds it and follows up
with permanent welds.

Next up is the back
of the crusher chamber.

It's been rounded
to accommodate

The cylindrical
steel containers.

Again, the worker tack welds
it to the crusher structure.

He then does full
thick welds both

From the inside and the outside.

And after that, he'll add
the locator plate to the base.

He then welds structural
supports to the crusher door.

Turning the door
to the other side,

He installs horizontal
reinforcements.

This braces the door

To withstand
the substantial crushing force.

After hinging the door
to the chamber,

The worker inserts
the large latch

Into a support bracket

And tack welds it.

A powder coat paint job
completes the housing.

Workers now assemble the
crusher's hydraulic power unit.

After bolting a pump motor
to the lid,

The team flips it over.

They insert a hydraulic

Pump into its housing
on the lid's underside.

They plumb the pump
and attach a suction strainer

To filter contaminants
from the hydraulic oil.

They flip the lid
back to the top side.

One of the workers screws
a pressure relief valve

To a fitting
that connects to the pump

On the other side of the lid.

This valve will regulate

The flow of hydraulic oil
to ensure

There's adequate pressure
for the crusher's operation.

If there's too much pressure,

The valve will shut
the crusher down.

To attach the hydraulic
power unit,

A crane does the heavy
lifting as a worker

Guides it into place at the back
of the crusher chamber.

Moving to the top,

A member of the team
installs the crusher cylinder.

He bolts the retaining
plate to the chamber.

The substantial and hefty
crusher head is next.

Using a forklift,

Workers maneuver it
into position on the shaft

And then secure it
with a thick steel pin.

The head isn't complete
without this pierce point.

Fixed to the end
of the crusher head,

It will puncture the drum
to drain residual fluids

And release air
for better compaction.

Now complete, it's time
to put this crusher to the test.

And it easily flattens
the steel drum.

This flattened drum
will be recycled into new steel

That can be used
to make many things,

Including more drum crushers.

♪♪

Kimchi is korean
comfort food.

This zesty blend of fermented

Vegetables has been part
of the korean diet

For at least 2,000 years.

It's so valued by koreans

That some even have
special refrigerators

For it in their homes.

Like fine wine, kimchi must be
kept at a specific temperature

To be at its best.

♪♪

Full of stomach-friendly
probiotics,

Kimchi is believed to be good
for one's health,

Which is why demand is

On the rise beyond
korean borders.

Making kimchi starts
with a preparation of

Organically grown
vegetables.

There are many different
recipes for kimchi.

This one is vegan and less spicy
than some other versions.

The kitchen staff trims

Unwanted bits from carrots
and scallions.

They then peel wilted
leaves off of napa cabbage,

Which is the main
ingredient in kimchi.

Its taste is sweeter
and softer than regular cabbage.

Over at the scrub station,

A worker cleans the trimmed

Vegetables
under cold running water.

If he misses
even a speck of dirt,

It could interfere
with chemical reactions

During the fermentation process.

This could sour
the flavor of the kimchi

And spoil the batch.

Each vegetable
must be pristine.

The next member of the team
shreds the carrots

Using an industrial
food processor.

Shredded bits of carrot

Will ferment quicker
than big chunks.

Scallions can't easily
be shredded,

So he dices them by hand.

The kitchen staff carves

The cabbage into
fairly large strips.

Because cabbage is thin,

Bigger strips will ferment
at the same pace

As the shredded carrots
and diced scallions.

The next ingredient is ginger,

A spice
that will add flavor

And soothe
the digestive system.

Another worker transfers
the shredded ginger

To a porous cotton bag.

She folds the bag
a few times

To create a packet

And then places
the packet under a press.

The press squeezes juice
from the ginger

And extracts the ginger essence

While leaving the
stringy pulp behind.

♪♪

The worker weighs
the ingredients,

Beginning with
the shredded carrot.

This is the largest ingredient
after napa cabbage.

She then measures
the portion of scallions

That the recipe calls for.

She adds a scoop
of celtic sea salt

And checks the scale.

Other ingredients
include crushed garlic,

Chili flakes,

And the ginger juice.

She stirs the seasonings
into the vegetables,

And the ginger juice
begins to saturate

The scallion
and carrot pieces.

All the ingredients now

Come together in this mixer
with a big dough hook.

The worker adds the carrot
and scallion blend

To the napa cabbage in the base
of the mixing bowl.

She activates the mixer,

And the dough hook folds
all the elements together.

Fermentation begins,

Triggered by
the evenly distributed salt.

Workers then transfer
the mixture

To special fermentation crocks

And pack it down.

Two half-circle ceramic
weights add pressure

To the salted ingredients.

Juices flow and immerse
the kimchi vegetables,

Creating an oxygen-free
environment.

The salt suppresses
the growth of bad bacteria,

Allowing the good
bacteria to flourish.

Another worker pours water
into a moat around the lid,

Creating a ring of water
that acts as a kind of seal,

One that will keep air
out of the crock

But will allow fermentation
gases to escape.

One week later, the kimchi
is sufficiently fermented.

It is now a living food
full of good bacteria.

A worker packs the kimchi
into jars

And weighs each container
to confirm

That the amount is correct.

The jars must be
completely full

With no air space
between the kimchi

And the lids that could
compromise its shelf life.

She labels the jars
and shrinkwraps

A plastic collar
around the lids.

Once refrigerated, kimchi can
last for up to 14 months.

Well-preserved, it's practically
always ready to be served.

♪♪

Narrator:
parquet floors are a mosaic of
geometric-shaped pieces of wood

That form
a repetitive block pattern.

They date back
to the palaces

And grand homes
of 17th century france,

Where they were
welcomed as an easier

To maintain yet still
decorative alternative

To the marble floors
of the day.

Traditional
parquet floor patterns range

From a simple
paving-stone style

To parquet de versailles,

The complex pattern
of large diagonal squares

That debuted at france's
versailles palace in 1864.

To produce it,

Manufacturers begin
with long planks of oak

Just over an inch thick.

This particular company produces
only custom orders

And sizes the motif
in proportion to the room.

A worker first measures
and marks the dimensions

Of the pattern pieces

That will be cut
from each plank.

Then, with a circular saw,

Another worker cuts
the required length and width.

This yields several pieces
which, together,

Will form the pattern's
crisscrossing rectangles.

A worker now runs each piece

Through a machine
called a molder.

Just one pass
does four things.

It thins the piece
to just under an inch,

Squares all the sides,

Smooths all the surfaces,

And it makes a groove
on each side.

This next machine removes

An equal amount
of wood from the top

And bottom of one end
of the piece

To form a centered 1/4-inch

Thick projection
called a tenon.

When assembling
the pattern,

The workers will ultimately

Insert tenons into slots
in adjoining pieces.

These slots are
called mortises.

This machine cuts
the mortises.

The floor is an assembly
of square panels,

Each one containing a set number
of crisscrossing rectangles

And diagonal squares
within the frame.

The frame pieces also
have tenons and mortises.

The squares, however,
are different.

Workers use a router to form
a tongue on all four sides.

The tongue fits into the groove
on the rectangular pieces.

Once the tongues
are in the grooves

And the mortises
are in the tenons,

Not a single nail
or drop of glue

Will secure those joints.

They'll be held together
the traditional way,

With oak pegs.

Each panel assembles
like a puzzle.

The 43 components
fit together

With a few taps of the hammer.

A pencil mark indicates
the nicer side

Of each piece of wood

So that it can be
placed face up.

The tongues of the squares slide

Into the grooves of
the crisscrossing rectangles,

Which join by mortise and tenon.

The frame pieces attach
to each other

And to the perimeter
of the interior assembly,

Also by mortise and tenon.

A worker now transfers
the assembled panel

To a press which clamps
it tightly together.

Next, he drills two holes
through each tenon...

And then hammers a wooden peg
through each hole

To lock the tenon
in the mortise.

♪♪

No one wants their
antique-style parquet floor

To look brand-new.

So the next step is to lightly
sandblast the panel's surface

To make the wood
look worn with time.

Another worker goes
over the panel

With an electric sander

To soften the surface
for the next step,

Which is to randomly scatter
some sand and work it in

With the wood block
attachment on the sander.

This process creates
and antique appearance

And worn-in look.

After brushing off the sand,

The worker scratches up
the surface

With a rotating wire brush.

The panel now looks
like it could be

From a centuries-old
french chateau.

The last step
is to finish the wood.

First, a coat
of stain for color.

Then a coat of oil

To protect the wood
from moisture.

And finally, a coat of hot wax

Which gives the surface
a rich luster.

These steps also highlight

The contrasting grains
of the wood

Due to certain pieces
having been cut

From the tree horizontally
and others vertically.

This intricacy enhances
the timeless beautiful

Of classic parquet flooring.