26x03 - Mouth Blown Window Glass, Water Pumps, Sake, Tweezers

[bunniefuu]

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

Mouth-blown window glass...

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...water pumps...

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...sake...

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...and tweezers.

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Before machine-made plate glass
became popular in the 1920s,

Window glass
was blown by artisans.

Today, specialty companies

Still make window glass
the traditional way.

While machine-made glass
is uniformly clear and flat,

Mouth-blown window glass
has subtle variations.

This german company

Produces a wide variety
of mouth-blown sheet glass.

It's used to make
contemporary wall light panels.

It can also be used to make
clear or stained glass windows.

♪♪

The company can make
glass sheets

In 5,000 different colors
and textures.

This furnace melts silica sand
and other natural materials

Into glass.

The starter begins by inserting
the end of a blowpipe

Into a furnace.

He takes a small amount
of colorless molten glass

Out of the furnace

And rotates it
in a wooden mold.

The mold is lined
with heavy paper

To soften the surface.

Then, he inserts a metal needle
through the blowpipe

To create a pathway for air.

♪♪

He returns to the furnace
for more molten glass.

The artisans make multiple trips
to the furnace,

Shaping the molten glass
in stages

So it's easier to handle.

This time, the assistant shapes
the glass with a large mold.

When the shape is set,

The assistant
prepares it for blowing.

He uses a fork tool
to push the glass

To the top of the pipe.

The starter rotates the glass
in a larger, paper-lined mold

To round it further.

The molten glass
cools rapidly

Once it comes
out of the furnace.

If the temperature
dips below 1,800 degrees,

It's not longer workable.

So the team must work quickly
and reheat the glass repeatedly.

Another assistant
lubricates the blowpipe

So it will rotate easily
on the support stand.

The starter hands the glass
over to the master glassblower.

First, he rotates the blowpipe

To straighten and center
the drooping glass.

Then, he begins turning
and blowing into the pipe

To gradually inflate the glass.

This requires great
physical strength

As well as tremendous artistic
and technical skill.

The pipe and glass weigh
over 30 pounds combined.

When the glass starts to cool,

The assistant
reheats it in a smaller oven.

He passes the pipe
back to the glassblower,

Who then resumes inflating it.

This time,
he swings it upside-down,

Using gravity to help
elongate the shape.

Next, he will transform the
glass balloon into a cylinder.

First, he reheats
the tip of the glass

And weakens it
with a hot burner.

Then, he reheats
the entire glass cylinder.

This expands the air inside

And forces
the weakened tip open.

The glassblower taps
the opposite side

Of the hot glass
with a cold metal stick.

The thermal shock
causes a neat stress break.

This releases the glass
from the blowpipe.

Then, the assistant
slices it lengthwise

With a glass cutter

And hands it off
to the Fl*ttening team.

Their job is to transform
the cylinder into sheet glass.

The Fl*ttening master's
assistant

Puts the cylinder
into a furnace.

It's heated
to over 1,500 degrees.

The glass softens
in about 30 minutes.

Then, the Fl*ttening master

Reaches into the opposite end
of the furnace with a stick

And gently opens the cylinder.

Next, the Fl*ttening master

Irons the glass sheet
with a special wooden tool.

The flat sheet
goes into the annealing oven

For a gradual
controlled cooldown.

This relieves stress
and prevents cracking.

The flatting master's assistant

Removes the glass
from the annealing oven

And performs
a visual inspection.

The last step is
to cut the edges straight.

To make multicolored
and textured glass,

They add additional ingredients
during the melting process.

Mouth-blown window glass
contains natural variations

That play with the light
and create a subtle glow,

A glow that machine-made
window glass can't replicate.

♪♪

Narrator:
water is essential for life.

But most of earth's fresh water
is trapped underground.

To tap into these reservoirs,
we need water pumps.

They've existed in many forms
for thousands of years.

The designs
have improved over time,

And today's water pumps are
truly an underground success.

For farmers
and municipal water providers,

The turbine water pump
is a workhorse.

It can pump thousands
of gallons of water

Out of the ground every minute.

They start by making
diffuser bowls

Using urn-shaped castings.

One turbine pump could have
up to 30 diffuser bowls.

The bowls hold
the pump's spinning impellers.

Computerized tools
refine their shape

So the bowls fit neatly
in the pump column.

Another set of tools
carve the bronze impellers.

They fine-tune the casings

So that the impellers will fit
into the diffuser bowls.

Here's a look at both sides
of the finished impellers.

An uneven impeller
will vibrate when spinning.

A technician uses this machine
to check for imbalances.

When sensors locate the problem,

He sands down the metal
in that area.

This balances the impeller.

Next, a machine

Carves the top attachment ring
of the discharge head.

The discharge head
shields the motor from water.

It also changes the water flow
from vertical to horizontal.

Next, a machine
carves the outflow flange

And drills holes
for attaching a gasket.

An employee
paints the part blue.

The paint protects the metal
against rust.

He also highlights
the embossed company name

With bright red paint.

Here are the machine parts
before and after painting.

Next, they make
the pump's shaft pipes.

Tools work on both ends
of the pipes simultaneously

To refine the inner diameter.

Then, they carve threads
into them.

They clean the pipes, then
roll them into the holding area.

Next, computerized tools

Cut threads
into the bronze bearings.

These threads will interconnect

With the ones
on the shaft pipes.

A worker screws
the completed bearings

Into the ends
of the shaft pipes.

Then, he screws the pipes
together in a loose preassembly.

He brushes lubricant onto the
exposed section of the bearings.

He links four pipes
to create one 20-foot pipe.

He sets the long pipe
in a cradle-like device

And activates the drive wheel.

As the pipes tighten,
the bearing disappears inside.

The worker inserts a steel shaft
into each 20-foot pipe.

He caps the ends to secure
the shafts inside the pipes.

This wider pipe
is called the column pipe.

An employee attaches
an assembly flange to each end

And secures it with bolts.

A worker connects a suction bell
to one of the shafts.

The suction bell will draw
the well water into the pump.

Then, he slides an impeller
into place.

He secures the impeller
to the shaft

With a tapered clamp
called a collet.

He encases the impeller
in an iron diffuser bowl.

He bolts the diffuser bowl
to the suction bell.

They add more impellers

To increase the power
of the water pump.

A more powerful pump

Will be able to extract water
from deeper underground.

They apply protective paint
to the pump,

And then,
it's ready to install.

On site,
workers use special equipment

To help guide the pump
into the well.

They join the shaft pipe
to the pump.

Then, they slide the column pipe
around the shaft pipe

And bolt it to the top
of the pump.

The team adds more shaft pipe
for a deeper reach.

Then,
they install the discharge head.

This turbine pump
is now ready to extract water

From great depths underground.

♪♪

Narrator:
sake is japanese rice wine.

It's distinguished
by two main factors --

How the rice is milled
before fermentation,

And whether there's
any distilled alcohol

Added to the final blend.

Sake can be mass-produced

Or handcrafted
the traditional way.

This canadian microbrewery

Only makes pure rice wine
called junmai-shu.

The brewery doesn't add
any extra alcohol to their sake.

The clear sake, known as seishu,

Have a subtle, fruitier,
nutty flavor.

Cloudier sake is called nigori.

It contains rice sediment,

Which produces
its creamier texture.

The rice is milled before
it arrives at the brewery.

Milling removes
the proteins and lipids

On the outside layers
of the rice grain.

This rice has 30 percent
of its grain milled away.

The starch of the core
will produce premium sake.

First, they wash the rice.

Then, the pour it
in a porous bag

And soak it
in cold filtered water.

The brewmaster checks the rice
with his hands.

Once it reaches
the right consistency,

They drain the bag overnight.

Then, they pour the rice
into a steamer.

The steamer cooks the rice under
pressure for about an hour.

They cover the steamer
with cloth

To contain the rice as it cooks.

The steamer softens the rice
but doesn't overcook it.

To ferment at the right speed,

The rice needs to be firm
on the outside and soft

In the center.

Workers separate the rice
by hand,

Then use fans to cool the rice
down to about 98 degrees.

Next, they transfer it
to a heated room.

They spread out the rice

And cover it with mold spores
imported from japan.

When heated, the spores
germinate and grow on the rice.

The spores secrete enzymes

That will transform the starch
into fermentable sugars.

Workers insert a thermometer
into the rice

Then wrap it in cloth
to hold in the heat.



The sweet rice, called koji,
is ready.

Now, they begin
the fermentation process.

They mix 3/4 of steamed rice
with 1/4 of koji

In a temperature-controlled
fermentation tank.

Then, they add spring water
and yeast.

The mold enzymes in the koji

Convert the starch
in the steamed rice into sugars.

The yeast consumes those sugars
and produces alcohol.

The process takes
about three weeks.

The brewmaster checks
the temperature, acidity,

Residual sugar,
and alcohol levels every day.

When the brew is ready,
they pour it into cloth bags.

They neatly stack the bags
in a traditional japanese

Mechanical press.

Large sake breweries
automate this entire process,

But this smaller operation

Follows century-old traditions
and does everything by hand.

As the press fills up,

The weight of the bags
kick-starts the pressing.

They seal the press
with heavy steel plates

And mount
the pressing mechanism.

As they turn the crank,

The press squeezes
all the liquid out of the bags.

When they're done,

Only unfermented rice
will be left behind.

The liquid sake
drains out of a spout

At the base of the press.

They age the sake
in refrigerated tanks

For up to 4 months.

As it ages, the sake develops
deeper and more complex flavors.

Not only is this sake
entirely handcrafted,

It's also hand-bottled.

Workers use
a gravity-fed filling machine

To pour sake
into these glass bottles.

The dark bottles
protects the sake from uv rays,

Which would spoil its color
and flavor.

Next,
they add the aluminum twist cap.

A machine molds it to the shape
of the bottleneck

And crimps the bottom rim.

They apply a label
to each bottle

With a simple
hand-crank machine.

Full-strength sake has an
alcohol content of 18 percent.

Some sake is diluted
with spring water

To bring the alcohol content
down before bottling.

The sake this brewery
produces is unpasteurized.

This enhances the flavor
but requires refrigeration.

♪♪

Narrator:
tweezers were first used
in ancient egypt and rome.

These indispensable tools
help us grip small objects.

We use tweezers
to pull splinters

And unwanted hair
from our skin.

They can also handle
the tiny parts

Found in mechanical devices,
like watches.

When something small
eludes our grasp,

Tweezers help us pick them up.

They act as an extension
of our forefinger and thumb,

Allowing us to grab and hold on
to the tiniest things.

First, a worker
preps the tweezer mold

By grinding and sanding around
the tweezer-shaped cavity.

This smoothes the mold,

Making it easier to cut out
the metal parts.

A worker buffs the mold to give
the surface a glossy finish.

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A computer-guided machine

Carves a die cutter
out of a steel block.

It uses
an electrified brass wire

To slice through the steel.

The die cutter perfectly
matches the tweezer mold.

After the tools are prepped,

They're ready
to make the tweezers.

A coil of thick
stainless steel wire

Unwinds into
the molding machine.

Rollers straighten out
the kinks.

An automated device
grabs the wire

And pulls it between
the die-cutter and the mold.

The die-cutter pushes the wire
into the mold

And cuts out the shape it needs.

The excess steel slides out,

And a spool
collects it for recycling.

The mold ejects the part
into a bin.

They are a little thinner
at the gripping end.

This design gives the tweezers
more flexibility.

An employee places two
of the parts

In an induction welder.

He activates the welder

To fuse it twice
at the gripping end.

A double weld
reinforces the joint,

Making it very difficult
to pull the tweezers apart.

This welder assembles
approximately 3,000 pairs

Of tweezers per shift.

Each pair of tweezers
is thoroughly polished

To make them smoother
and easier to grip.

It's a multi-step process.

First, an employee
sands the body of the tweezers

Using fine abrasive paper
and polishing cream.

Next, the tweezers
go into a vibrating polisher.

They bounce around
with ceramic stones

And various polishing solutions
for 24 hours.

After that, they
wash off the chemical residue.

Then, they filter
and neutralize the water.

Using another device,

They sh**t fine glass particles
at the tweezers.

This gives them a satin finish
that's durable

And resists scratching.

A worker levels a tweezers' tips
using a sanding belt.

She makes sure
the claw-like tips

Are exactly the same length
and angle.

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Another member of the team
sands the inside of the tips

Using a very fine abrasive disc.

This will improve
the tweezer's grip.

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The factory also
makes carbon steel tweezers.

They're a cheaper alternative
to stainless steel.

They immerse the carbon steel
tweezers in a chrome solution

To protect them from rust.

The tweezers' electrical charge
attracts the chrome.

The result is a shiny
and protective chrome plating.

Next, an employee prepares the
tweezers for laser lettering.

She places them in a fixture

And selects the image
on her computer.

She activates the laser,

And it permanently etches
the graphics onto the metal.

♪♪

Next, she rubs special oil
onto the surface of the metal

And cleans the tweezers
thoroughly.

She also inspects the tweezers
for any cosmetic flaws

And makes sure
they function properly.

♪♪

These tweezers are now
ready for plucking, primping,

And any other small jobs.