30x07 - Recycled Skateboard Guitars; Solar Street Lights; Dolls

[bunniefuu]

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Narrator: with flips and jumps
part of the sport,

Active skateboarders
damage their decks

Beyond repair every few months.

But instead of tossing
the ruined skateboards

Into landfills,

Their being reclaimed
for a different kind of trick --

A transformation
into electric guitars.

From skateboards to fretboards,
it may seem quite a leap,

But making electric guitars
out of old skateboards

Is not such a wild idea.

Skateboards are often made of
multiple layers of rock maple,

Which is a traditional
toned wood for guitars.

A guitar maker evaluates

The condition and color
of the boards.

And once he's made
his selections,

He aims a heat g*n at the grip
tape on top to soften it.

He pries the edges
of the softened tape

Away from the board
using a razor.

He grabs the tape and pulls
it off the skateboard.

He can now get a better look
at the damage done to the board,

And he decides
it can be salvaged.

He sands off the adhesive
and the graphics.

The sanding doesn't remove
the turquoise color.

The dye has penetrated the wood

And is part
of its intrinsic appeal.

He cuts off the nose
and the tail of the board

And discards them.

He'll just be using
the wheel bases.

The next step is to laminate

Five of the skateboards
together.

He applies a liberal coat
of glue,

Spreading it with a putty knife
for complete coverage.

He adds the final board
to the glued stack

And places the stack
in a hydraulic clamp.

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To protect the surface
of the skateboards,

He sets a wooden board on top.

The clamp squeezes
the skateboard

Sandwiched together
as the glue sets.

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A day later, he removes the now
laminated skateboards.

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A blade shaves the surface
of the stack smooth

And brings out the grain.

He trims the edges of the stack
so that they're more even.

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He applies glue
in a zig-zag pattern

To one of the side edges

And spreads it across
the entire edge.

He joins another skateboard
stack to this one

And clamps the two together.

Fused together, they form
a block that's large enough

To be crafted into
an electric guitar body.

With a pencil, he traces around
the template of a guitar shape

To transfer the outline
to the laminated skateboards.

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Using a bandsaw,
he cuts out the shape.

The skateboard colors form
a random pattern

Within the guitar shape.

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He places the template
on the guitar body once again

And secures it
with double-sided tape.

With a router,
he fines the profile,

Giving the guitar
smoother lines.

Using a different pattern
as a guide,

He routes and drills cavities to
accommodate the guitar's neck,

Electronics, and bridge.

He removes the template
and inspects his work.

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He sands the edges
of the cavity smooth.

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Then he drills several holes
in the back of the guitar

For attaching the neck later.

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With the guitar body
held steady in a clamp,

He bores a hole
for the input jack.

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After crafting the neck
of the guitar

From reclaimed skateboards,

He files it aggressively to
shape it to the desired profile.

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He then sands the entire neck.

The body undergoes
an extensive sanding, too,

And then he coats it
with clear gloss.

This is the first of seven
to eight coats

With a sanding
in between each one.

With curing time,

This lacquering process
takes three weeks.

After wet sanding and buffing,

The guitar body and neck
have a mirror finish.

The guitar maker nestles
the neck in the hollow space

At the front of the body

And screws it in place
from the back of the guitar.

This recycled skateboard guitar
can now be assembled and wired

And is set up to rock.

It takes a month to transform
some battered,

Old skateboards
into a sleek electric guitar.

Trading the half-pipe
for the stage,

These skateboards
are no longer hasbeens.

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Narrator: solar street lights
are a 21st century innovation.

Powered by the sun's rays,

They take the concept of
renewable energy to the streets.

There's no need to tap
into the grid.

These lights
are standalone systems,

So even if there's
an electrical power outage,

These street lights
will stay on.

Solar street lights take energy
from the sun during the day,

Store it, and then use it
to shine brightly at night.

So even when the sun sets,
they still provide light.

Manufacturing
begins with the assembly

Of an led circuit board.

The technician places
the optics or lenses,

Onto the aluminum board

And adds a silicone-foam gasket
for water proofing.

She secures the assembly
with a stainless-steel plate.

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This completes the solar
street light's led board.

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The next worker assembles
the led board

To the base
of an aluminum heat sink.

It will disperse excess heat
from the led board.

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He uses several screws to secure
the led board to the heat sink.

He installs the driver,

Which will provide power
to the led board.

Once in place,

He connects the led driver
to the input power lead.

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He now builds
the decorative housing.

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He screws aluminum tiers
together.

He applies adhesive to
the upper inner rim.

He inserts an optically clear
polycarbonate lens,

And the flange adheres
to the adhesive-coated rim.

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He screws the led heat sink
assembly to an aluminum lid.

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He now applies
a special adhesive

To the outside rim
of the light fixture housing.

He presses foam
tubing onto the area.

Once compressed by the lid,

It will provide
a water-tight seal.

With everything in an upside
down position,

He lowers the assembly
over the led heat sink

And screws it to the lid.

A technician plugs the fixture
into an electrical testing unit.

He confirms that all the leds
are illuminating

And that there are
no electrical issues.

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The manufacturers then transfer
the light fixture

To a solar light factory.

Upon arrival here, a technician
does more testing to verify

That its function hasn't
been compromised along the way.

The team is now ready to add
the solar power system

To the led street light.

A technician programs the solar
charge and load controller.

Another team member places
the battery

That will hold the solar
charge into a vented cabinet.

He connects the battery
to a side clip and ground wire.

He tucks insulating foam
to the sides

And connects a load fuse
to the battery wiring.

He plugs the controller
into the battery.

In addition to regulating
the battery charge

And energy load,

It's also a timer
for the light's operation.

Next up is the solar array.

It's a group of photovoltaic
panels or solar cells.

The technician sets
the solar array front-side

Down on the workbench.

He threads cable through
an aluminum back panel.

This cable will serve
as a ground wire.

He pushes a pop rivet through
a hole beside the cable

And slides the eyelid
on the end of the cable over it.

He then pulls the pin
through the rivet.

He threads wires from
the panel junction box

And into the opening
beside the ground cable.

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He tucks them into a flexible
cable at the back.

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He rivets the aluminum back
plate to the solar panel array.

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He pulls the wires
from the junction box

Through holes in a cover.

He solders electrical pins
to the ends of the wires

And plugs them
into a single connector.

With the junction box cover
installed,

The solar street light system
is ready for final testing.

The team assembles the street
light to a pole in the factory,

They connect everything,

And stuff the wires
into the pole's cavity.

They screw the led light fixture
to the bracket on the pole,

And it's ready to shine.

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The street lamp
controller senses

When it's dark
and automatically illuminates.

It will also a detect
a well-lit environment

And switch the light off.

Now, that's street smarts.

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Narrator: the doll just may be
the earliest recorded toy.

There's archaeological evidence
that in ancient greece, rome,

And egypt, people made dolls
from available materials,

Such as clay, wood, bone,
and leather.

But doll manufacturing began
in germany in the 1400s.

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This french company has been
hand-crafting dolls since 1860.

The materials have changed
over the years,

But the doll making techniques

Have essentially
remained the same.

The body parts are still cast
in traditional copper molds.

The factory makes one line
of dolls out of tinted vinyl.

This pinkish color
is for caucasian dolls.

However, the factory also makes
black and mediterranean dolls.

Each tray holds the six molds
required for a single doll --

Head, torso, arms, and legs.

The worker sets the machine
to fill each one

With a specific quantity
of vinyl.

He closes each mold
with a twist cap.

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He tightens each cap with pliers
to prevent leaks.

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Then he places the molds

In an oven at


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Throughout baking,
the oven rotates

The molds in two directions

To ensure the vinyl spreads
evenly inside the mold cavity.

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He removes the molds from
the oven seven minutes later...

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Then submerges them in water
for precisely 23 seconds.

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This stops the baking
and solidifies the vinyl.

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The worker uses pliers
to remove the caps...

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Then switches to a pair
of needlenose pliers to grab

Each cast-vinyl limb
and yank it out of the mold.

To remove the head, he pierces
a hole to release trapped air,

Then, with a stick,
compresses the head

Just enough to pry it out.

The vinyl is still flexible.

As it cools,
it will become more rigid,

Yet still soft enough
to stamp out eye sockets

And implant strands
of synthetic hair.

This factory makes
another line of dolls

Out of colorless
polyethylene granules

Mixed with ground-tinted
polyethylene left over

From the molding process.

The molding machine melts
the granules

And simultaneously extrudes

And inflates the liquid poly
into a balloon,

Which the mold shapes
into a specific part.

This mold makes the torso.

Workers simply switch the mold
onto the machine

To produce a different part.

A worker snaps off
the excess polyethylene.

These are the leftovers
which get ground up

And combined with new,
colorless granules.

As the polyethylene cools,
it hardens.

That's why these dolls
have molded hair and eyes,

Which are later painted.

Each part comes out of the mold
with a glossy finish

And is seamed where
the two halves of the mold met.

A worker buffs the part
against a felt wheel

Rotating at high speed
to wear down the seam.

But this discolors that area
in the process.

To make this surface
finish uniform,

The parts tumble
in a rotating drum

Filled with sand
for about seven minutes.

The sand rubs against
the surface of the part,

Removing the shine
and discoloration.

When the part comes out
of the sanding drum,

Its uniform surface
is seamless, smooth, and matte.

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Back to the vinyl dolls now,

It's time to address
that bald scalp.

This factory uses hair-stitching
machines from the 1950s.

Before that time,
hair was glued to the head.

The hair is nylon and comes
in a range of shades.

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This machine's thick needle
repeatedly pierces the vinyl,

Stitching on the strands
as the seamstress

Moves the doll's head
in concentric circles.

Once the head is completely
covered, she parts the hair,

Then stitches
on more in the middle

To add thickness and height.

In addition to soft vinyl dolls
and hard polyethylene dolls,

The factory also makes
combination dolls

That have soft heads,
with hair on hard bodies.

But all types of dolls

Become more lifelike
as this process continues.

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Narrator: dolls are recognized
as an important contributor

To the development
of healthy children.

Dolls give kids children
of their own to care for,

A chance to emulate
their parents

And engage their imaginations
as they feed, dress,

And cuddle their dolls
and lullaby them to sleep.

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These vinyl dolls have what
are known as sleeping eyes.

When the doll lies down,
its eyes close.

Before installing the eyes,

Workers warm the head
with a heat lamp.

This makes the vinyl flexible
enough for the press

To lodge the eye into the socket
with a shot of compressed air.

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The eyes are made of metal
and plastic.

Once installed, they often
require a slight adjustment

So the doll isn't cross-eyed.

For safety, molded pockets
inside the head

Hold the eyes securely in place

So that children
can't pull them off.

These vinyl dolls
have painted hair.

The painter applies the hair
and facial colors

With an air brush.

There's a different stencil
for each model.

This one has light-brown hair
and eyebrows,

A pale pink mouth,
and rosy pink cheeks.

All the paint is non-toxic.

Polyethylene dolls get some
extra pampering

With a manicure
and a pedicure.

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The assembler takes a thick
length of elastic,

Ties a large knot at one end,
then with a tool,

Pokes the knot into a hole
in one of the legs.

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She threads the other end
of the elastic through holes

In the torso

And pulls until the leg
and torso are connected.

Then she knots the other end
of elastic

And pokes that knot into
the hole of the other leg.

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She repeats the process
at the top of the torso,

Connecting the first arm,
the head,

And the second arm
with the same elastic.

This traditional assembly method
makes the dolls limbs

And head moveable.

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Workers here have been
assembling dolls

This way since 1860.

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This is the last of what were
once many factories in france

Handcrafting dolls.

Traditional operations are
fewer and fewer worldwide,

As most dolls today
are mass produced in asia.

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The assembler makes sure that
the limbs and head move properly

Before sending the doll
to the next department.

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Meanwhile, other departments

Are producing a range
of outfits and accessories.

Before dressing and packaging
a polyethylene doll,

The worker has to wipe it down,

As buffing down the seams
left a layer of plastic dust.

This doll comes in a ballerina
outfit, white tights,

Pink leg warmers,

Pink ballet shoes with flowers
and ribbons, of course...

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And a pink tutu.

Although there are no hard
and fast rules,

Doll collectors usually prefer
the hard polyethylene dolls,

While the softer, vinyl dolls
are designed for children.

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After putting the finishing
touches on the outfit,

The dresser brushes and styles
the doll's hair.

This little ballerina wears
a pink bow in her ponytail.

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All the clothes are removable,

To allow a child
to change the doll's outfit.

The last step before packaging
is to hang an elegant,

Color-coordinated
manufacturer's tag

On the doll's right wrist.

They may be wearing
today's styles and fashions,

But these handcrafted dolls
are a testament

To a toy-making tradition
that goes back centuries.

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