31x07 - Glass Faucets; Fire Truck Ladders;

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Narrator: glass faucets elevate
indoor plumbing to an art form.

The glass is hand-crafted in
a range of shapes and patterns

For visual effect.

Metal components
are fused into the glass

To deliver one of
the necessities of modern life,

Running water.

Glass faucets are about
both form and function.

Glass faucets have
a delicate beauty,

But they're stronger
than they look.

The glass is very thick,

Allowing the faucets
to hold up to heavy use.

Making a glass faucet starts
with chunks of clear glass.

A glass worker loads the glass

Into an oven
at 2,190 degrees fahrenheit.

Another worker selects black
and white billets of glass

To add stripes and patterns
to the clear glass.

He preheats them so the glass
won't shock and fracture

When exposed
to higher temperatures.

With a metal rod,

He gathers a clump
of the clear glass

From the main oven.

With the chunk of glass,

He picks up the preheated
white cylinder,

Simultaneously exposing both
to the flames.

This process makes the glass
flexible.

Using a curved wood tool,

The glass worker gathers
the clear glass at the base

And wraps it around
the white billet,

Encapsulating it.

He attaches the other end of
the glass to a second metal rod.

This allows the glass to stretch
as he pulls it across the room.

The glass is now
over 35 feet long

And pencil-thin.

It starts to cool
and solidify immediately

As it's set down.

The glass workers tap the glass
against a piece of metal

To break it into


They shape another piece
of clear glass

By rolling it on a metal table
called a marver.

The glass worker blows through
the metal rod,

Causing the glass on the end
to bubble.

It will eventually become
the faucet and two handles.

He adds a layer of black
molten glass to the bubble.

Another glass technician

Arranges the striped canes
on a grooved iron plate

And heats them with a torch.

Meanwhile, a glass worker rolls
the hot glass bubble

Onto the canes,
which stick together.

Then it's back into the furnace,

And the white-striped canes
melt into the black bubble.

Next, the craftsman
rolls the glass

Across the marver repeatedly.

He pinches the canes at the top,
closing them around the bubble.

The glass is reheated
to keep it pliable

As the craftsman
continues to form it.

The craftsman
transforms the bubble

Into a hollow glass tube

Then elongating the tube
to its desired length.

Using a pincer-leg tool,

He forms the end
into a round handle shape

While another glass worker

Applies heat to the glass
with a torch.

This keeps the glass pliable.

He then creates a hole
for a piece of metal hardware.

Then he applies molten glass
to the metal hardware

And inserts the hardware
into the round faucet handle.

This cuts the handle free
from the rest of the glass.

Using a forming tool,

The craftsman refines
the shape of the glass.

Next, he preheats a metal mold.

This stops the hot glass tube
from fracturing

As he bends it around the mold
to shape it into the faucet.

Once the faucet has taken shape,

It's ready to go
into the annealing oven.

The glass is placed in the oven
at a low temperature

And then cooled.

This process removes stresses
and strengthens the glass.

Meanwhile,
using high-pressure water

That contains
fragments of garnet,

A craftsman cuts
steel trim rings

And a display plate
for the showroom.

Next, the craftsman installs
the glass faucet

On the display plate

By threading a nut
to the faucet valve.

He installs the trim rings
at the base of the handles

And assembles them
to the display plate

Using the hardware
that's been fused

To the inside of the glass.

The craftsman uses a rag

To clean the faucet
of any fingerprints and smudges.

Finally, construction
is complete.

This unique glass faucet
is ready to make a statement.

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Narrator: short fire trucks
can easily access tight spaces

Around the scene of a fire.

That's because they're lighter

And can carry more water
and equipment.

However, it's difficult
for smaller fire trucks

To support the weight
of long ladders.

To compensate,
manufacturers have built

Longer ladders
on shorter trucks.

This 108-foot-long ladder
can be mounted

On a single
rear-axle fire truck.

Typically, a ladder
longer than 75 feet

Requires a tandem-axle truck
to support its weight.

The secret to the design
of this ladder

Is that it's lighter,
stronger, and durable.

The components are cut

From sheets and tubes
of high-strength steel.

Using a press brake,
the machinist bends the parts,

Verifying the accuracy
of each bend.

Once all the components
are prepped,

The parts are welded together,
then smoothed.

This welded part
is the turntable base.

It rotates the ladder


And provides a platform for
the firefighter at the controls.

This is the torque box.

It supports the aerial pedestal

To which both the ladder
and turntable are bolted.

To construct the ladder,
technicians weld tubular rungs

To vertical side rails
called base beams.

They reinforce the rungs

With diagonal tubes
called k-braces,

Which provide
lateral structural strength.

Welders fuse steel tubes between
the base beam and the handrail

To provide structural support.

Next, an inspector from
an independent testing company

Examines the integrity
of the welding.

Once the ladder
passes inspection,

It's put through
a shot-blasting chamber,

Which pummels the surface
with steel pellets.

This process
removes metal impurities

And preps the surface
for painting.

Craftsmen apply
two coats of primer,

One top coat of color,
then two clear coats of paint,

Sanding by hand
between each application.

Next, a three-part
anti-skid treatment

Is applied
to the turntable surface --

First, a coat of glue,
then an abrasive material,

Then a coat of sealant, which is
baked in an oven for 90 minutes.

The ladder rungs are covered
with snap-on non-slip covers

Made of fiberglass-reinforced
plastic.

The ladders are stacked

In four or five
compact sections.

Technicians install a cable

That enables the sections
to extend and retract.

The cable is attached
to a hydraulic cylinder.

Three telescopic sections
of the aerial waterway

Are attached.

This tube transfers water
up to the top of the ladder

So when the ladder extends,
so does the waterway.

This valve at the top
of the waterway

Allows firefighters
to hook up a hose

To bring inside the building.

The water monitor,
driven by an electric motor,

Directs the water flow
in all directions

When the aerial waterway
is being used without a hose.

Next, the machinists install
the turntable controls,

Which run the electrical power

And the hydraulics
that move the ladder.

Then they attach the ladder
to the aerial pedestal

With a huge pin.

A large bolt is inserted,

Which prevents the pin
from sliding out of place.

This is what's referred to
as a rear-mount ladder,

Meaning it's installed
on the back of the fire truck.

When a ladder is installed
behind the cab,

It's called a mid-mount ladder.

Assembly of the ladder
is almost complete.

Technicians bolt the turntable
to the truck,

Then hook up the hydraulic line
that operates the ladder.

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They install a swivel mechanism

Which enables
the aerial waterway

To move with the ladder
and turntable.

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Before it leaves the factory,

The ladder is put
through a test run

To ensure it meets
the highest standards.

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Narrator: an antique clock can
only be repaired by an expert.

This person would have either
apprenticed under a clockmaker

Or studied timekeeping
at a horology school.

In today's digital landscape,

Horologists are becoming
a vanishing breed.

When your grandfather clock
is struggling through old age,

It's time for a visit
to the master clockmaker.

First step -- the dial
and the mechanism

Are placed on a stand
for observation.

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Two horologists inspect
the clock for worn-down parts.

The mechanism contains
two gear trains --

One for keeping time,

And another to regulate
the hammer

That strikes a bell
on the hour.

After the paperwork
is completed,

The clockmaker gets to work.

He detaches the hands and dial

To gain access
to the gear trains

And their linked components.

He removes tiny screws
to release the hands.

Then he removes pins that
release the dial's four feet,

Located within
holes in the front plate.

An artist restores the dial.

The clockmaker unscrews
the cast-iron bell

And begins disassembling
the assortment of parts,

Starting with the pallets.

The pallets receive power from
the clock's suspended weights

And connect with
the timekeeping gear train,

Which moves the pendulum.

The shafts of the hour,
minute, and second wheels

Converge at the center
of the largest wheel

On the front plate
of the mechanism.

The clockmaker disassembles
these and other components.

He lifts off the front plate
to strip down the inner parts.

The cables suspending
the weights

Are made of woven brass.

The craftsman cleans
all the metal parts

In an ultrasonic machine.

Its high-frequency sound waves

Force the chemical solution
into all the nooks and crannies.

He rinses the parts and dries
them in jeweler's sawdust.

Each part is inspected
under a magnifying glass

To assess their condition.

If a part is worn,

The craftsman
tries to restore it

To its original shape.

If it's too badly worn,
he has to make a replacement

With a computer-guided
milling machine.

The pin at the end of a gear
is called a pivot.

After measuring its diameter
with a digital caliper,

The clockmaker sets the disk
of a filing machine

To its corresponding
measurement.

He places the pivot
between the disk

And a fine-grinding disk,
filing away any rough surfaces.

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Next, the craftsman works
on the rear plate,

Hammering in brass sleeves
called bushings

Into multiple gear holes.

He widens the bushing just
enough to insert the pivot

And smooths out the hole.

He inserts one end of the pivot
in the rear-plate bushing,

The other end
in the front-plate bushing,

And checks that
the gear rotates smoothly.

He does the same
for each pivot hole.

Then, all the parts are cleaned,

And the mechanism
is reassembled.

This gear on the front plate
is the hour wheel.

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The clockmaker attaches
the hour rack,

Which connects
to the gear train.

This system regulates

The striking of the bell
on the hour.

Once the mechanism
is reassembled,

The horologist attaches the dial
to the front plate.

The dial of this clock
required no restoration.

Even the original steel hands
are still in good condition.

When hands are in bad shape,
the clockmaker creates replicas.

When hands are missing,

He makes new ones
in the style of the period.

During the entire reassembly,

The clockmaker wears gloves

To protect the steel
and brass components

From the natural oils
in his hands.

Restoring an antique clock

Can take several weeks
of meticulous work.

When it's done,

The clockmaker mounts the clock
back on the stand,

Connecting the weights and
pendulum, and runs a test.

[ Bell dinging ]

The job is complete
when the clock keeps time

And the hammer strikes the bell
to announce the hour.

[ Dinging continues ]

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Narrator:
cooking over an open flame

Calls for
a serious set of tools.

Barbecue utensils are durable

And designed
to withstand the heat.

Built longer than
regular kitchen utensils,

These tools enable the chef

To keep an arm's distance
from the flame,

Making barbecuing a safe
and gratifying experience.

When barbecuing, it's important
to go big on tools.

These substantial utensils

Will hold up to
the intensity of the flame

While also offering
precision and control.

Making barbecue utensils

Starts with a sheet of
high-carbon stainless steel.

A laser cuts out several parts,
creating turner blades.

Turner blades are broad,

Enabling the user
to flip burgers and fillets

Without breaking them.

They also have slots for
draining grease and juices.

A technician extracts
the blades from the matrix

And punches out
the pre-cut drainage slots.

The turner blades
are placed on a rack

Which lowers the blades
between two coarse rollers.

An operator applies polishing
compound to the rollers.

As the rollers turn,

The friction rubs off stamped
information from the steel mill

And other blemishes.

Technicians buff the blades
to a smooth, matte texture.

This gives the blades
a consistent polished finish.

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Next, the blade is clamped
to a special carriage

Moving the blade back and forth

As a grinding wheel carves
a thin beveled edge.

The beveled edge
will make it easier

To lift meat off the grill.

An operator clamps
the turner blade in a fixture.

A hydraulic press
bends the neck of the blade.

High-grade walnut
is the material used

To make the utensil handles.

It's a hard, durable wood

With a grain that adds
visual interest.

Using a bandsaw,

The operator carves
the walnut block

Into smaller chunks.

Each one will become
a handle blank.

He places the blanks
on a conveyer

That takes them through
a spinning cutting head.

The cutting head carves a taper
into the end of the handle

That will hold the blade tang.

To refine the shape,

A craftsman locks two handle
blanks on a revolving table.

Moving the handles
against a router

Can make the handles smoother
for gripping.

It's quite a transformation.

Multiple drill heads
carve rivet holes on one side.

The holes have
a graduated profile

To allow the rivets
to sit flush to the wood.

The craftsman drills
corresponding holes

On the other side.

Using a circular saw,
he cuts a slot

For the tang -- or stem --
of the barbecue utensil

To be inserted

And drills one last hole

For a piece of rawhide
that will hang up the tool.

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Next, the craftsman
inserts the tang

Into the slot in the handle

And slides a post
through one of the holes.

This positions it

For a female rivet to be
installed from the front.

Male rivets are installed
on the other side.

This completes
the riveting steps

And secures the handle
to the turner blade.

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Using a coarse sanding belt,

The craftsman smooths
the rivets to the wood

And sands off the metal tang
at the protruding sides.

Another technician rubs mineral
oil into the wooden handle

To give it luster
and enhance the grain.

A mixture of ground corn
and mineral spirits

Serves as
a gentle abrasive cleaner.

The technician
dries off the blade

By plunging it
into just the ground corn.

With a compressed air g*n,

She blasts off
the corn-cob remnants,

Examines the tool for defects,

And props up the utensil
under an engraving laser.

The laser etches the company
name into the metal.

This barbecue turner
will become part of a set

Which will act as an extension
of the chef's hands,

Making it possible
to cook over an open flame

Without getting burned.