28x06 - Potash, Leather Bracelets, Wild Rice, Hex Key L Wrenches

[bunniefuu]

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

Potash,

Leather bracelets,

Wild rice

And hex key l-wrenches.

Potash is used primarily
as an agricultural fertilizer.

It's extracted from underground
by either conventional mining

Or by injecting hot brine
into the formation

To dissolve potash
in salt crystals.

It then pumps
the solution back up

And separates out the potash
in settling ponds.

Potash
is potassium chloride,

The chemical compound kcl.

It can be processed into a
granular agricultural fertilizer

Or into a higher grade product
for industrial use.

At this canadian
potash mine,

The deposit lies just over
a half a mile underground.

The ore is comprised
of three materials:

Kcl, clay and sodium chloride,

The chemical compound nacl,

Better known
as table salt.

The big machine manufacturers
use to cut the face of the rock

Is called a continuous miner.

It has two rotors,
each with three arms.

Each arm has six pairs
of bits with carbide tips

That grind the face
of the rock,

Flaking off the ore.

The rotor arms sweep
the ore into the machine,

Which feeds it off the back
onto bridge conveyors,

A series of conveyor belts

That lead to a main
conveyor belt.

Miners fasten sheets of polymer

To the rock above
to erect walls

Which direct the flow
of fresh air

That's pumped down
into the mine for ventilation.

The bridge conveyors transfer
the ore to a main conveyor.

At this particular
potash mine,

Up to 10 machines work

Simultaneously at
different locations.

All those main conveyors,
nearly 22 miles of moving belts,

Converge at the skip,

A gigantic elevator bucket

Which hoists up to 49 tons
of ore at a time

To the surface and dumps
it into a storage bin.

A conveyor transfers the ore
to the mill for processing.

First the ore tumbles down
a series of vibrating screens.

Smaller particles drop
through the openings

And move on to the next station

While larger particles
stay on top

Where they are whisked off

With the flow of brine
into a crusher.

The finer particles flow
to the fine flotation tank

While the larger ones sink
to the bottom, drain out,

Then travel to the course
flotation tank.

The particles are
treated with chemicals.

Over the course
of five minutes in flotation,

The chemical treatment makes
the kcl particles attach

To air bubbles
and rise to the surface.

In the course flotation tank

Paddles skim the surface,

Pushing the floating
kcl into a collector.

The clay and nacl
particles drain

Out the other end.

Similarly in the fine
flotation unit,

The kcl particles attach
to air bubbles

And rise to the top

Where they overflow
into a collector.

The collected potash
then goes through a centrifuge

And a dryer to remove
all the moisture.

The dryer feeds this
vibrating screening machine,

Which separates the kcl
particles into three categories.

Oversized particles go back
to the crusher.

Undersized
particles go to machines

Which compact them into boards

Then break the boards
into new particles

Which then go back
to the vibrating machine

For another round
of screening.

The final product
size particles

Go directly to
the shipping warehouse.

This granular potash is the type

Used as agricultural fertilizer.

It's kcl concentration
is 95 percent

Because there's some
residual clay and nacl.

Technicians regularly test
product samples

To verify the kcl content.

They grind each sample
into a find powder

And compress it inside
a stainless

Steel cap to form a pellet.

Then the workers load the pellet

Into an x-ray
fluorescence analyzer.

The pelletized sample absorbs

That energy then releases energy
as fluorescent radiation.

The analyzer measures
the fluorescent radiation

To determine the sample's
concentration of kcl.

The mill also
processes potash

For industrial use.

This higher grade potash

With a kcl concentration
of 99 percent

Is a white powder

Manufacturers
make it by dissolving

The 95 percent kcl
granular potash

In hot brine to remove more
of the residual nacl and clay.

Then workers crystallize
the potash

By evaporation and cooling.

The result, potash
that's almost pure kcl.

Narrator:
handcrafted leather bracelets

Are an unconventional
jewelry choice.

Traditional bracelets are chains

Or bangles made
of metal or stones.

But these fit like a cuff
and are eclectic in design.

Each one is an original.

So the wearer
can express individuality.

Handcrafted leather bracelets
are substantial pieces

Designed to draw
attention to the wrist.

They can also complement
an outfit in a big way.

Making one starts
with a strip of stainless

Steel that will serve
as the bracelet's base.

The artisan bends it
by hand into a round shape.

Using pliers she closes
the gap a little more.

This bracelet is
meant to be large,

So the loose fit seems right.

She sorts through a collection
of leather pieces and ideas

For the design begin
to take shape.

She selects a piece to cover
the inside of the bracelet.

She draws an outline
of the bracelet on paper

To create a pattern

And she cuts it out.

She sticks the pattern
to the leather.

Using a utility knife,

She follows the pattern
to cut the shape in leather.

The edge of a triangular ruler

Serves as a guide
for a straight cut.

She peels the cut leather away
from the paper pattern

And applies a textile adhesive
to the back of the leather.

She curls the leather
and inserts it, glued side down,

Into the steel
bracelet form.

She applies pressure
for a strong adhesion.

For the bracelet's
outer materials

There are many colorful options,

From dyed exotic leathers

To luminous
semi-precious stones.

She sorts through
the different leathers

And stones,
looking for inspiration.

She selects a quartz stone

And a piece
of fish scale leather.

Once tanned, fish skins
can be surprisingly tough.

She cuts the fish leather
to size using a paper template

Of the front of
the steel bracelet base.

She wraps it around
the bracelet band

To check the fit.

She applies glue
to the back of the quartz

And then positions the stone
in the center of the leather.

The glue tacks it in place

While she now stitches
a beaded surround

To permanently secure
the stone to the leather.

She selects special
beading needles for this.

The heads of these needles
are tiny enough

To pass through the mini beads.

She'll use beading cord
made of a tough polyethylene

To string and stitch the beads.

For the first three rows
she uses silver beads

That are two millimeters
in diameter.

She pulls the beading
snug to the quartz stone

As she stitches the beads
to the fish leather.

In addition to securing
the stone,

The beaded surround
also serves

As an embellishment
to it's beauty.

She completes the three
rows of silver beads

And switches to glass beads.

At 1.7 millimeters diameter,

They're a little smaller
and trickier to work with.

She pulls the thread through
the eyelets of the beads

A total of for times

To form a tight pouch around
the perimeter of the stone.

She now applies strong glue

To the steel exterior
of the bracelet base.

And it's time for the next
decorative elements, black lace.

She glues the lace to the base

So that the flowery
border overhangs.

She now spreads glue onto
the back of the fish leather.

She wraps the leather
around the lace-covered base

And presses it firmly to it.

She then stitches silver
beads around the edges

To join the leathers
and encase the steel base.

The beaded stitching
matches

The quartz
stone surround

For another
decorative touch.

This handcrafted leather
bracelet is now complete

And ready to add something
completely different

To someone's jewelry collection.

Narrator: wild rice is the grain
harvested

From four species
of aquatic grasses

That grow in many
freshwater lakes

In northern united states
and canada.

Historically, indigenous people

Harvested this plentiful
and nutritious food

Which they considered
to be a sacred gift.

Wild rice was
a vital food source

For thousands of years.

It also became
a valuable commodity,

Which indigenous people
exchanged with fur traders

Who traveled the territory
by canoe and needed

Portable, nutritious food
that didn't spoil.

Beds of wild rice
plants still grow today

In the shallow areas
of rivers and lakes.

People still harvest the rice
by traditional means,

In a canoe using
two cedar flails

And winnowing baskets.

The baskets are made
from bark pieces laced together

With dried roots
of black spruce trees.

Harvest time is usually
in early september,

Once the plants
are protruding

From the water at least
half a yard or so.

Paddling through the rice beds
would uproot the plants

So one person propels the boat

With a forked pole

While the other gently
bends the plants

Over the canoe
with one flail

And gently knocks off
the mature kernels

With the other.

The harvested kernels pile up
at the bottom of the canoe.

Harvesting wild rice is
a delicate operation.

You have to knock
just hard enough

To dislodge the kernels,

Yet not break
the plant st*lks.

Each kernel is comprised

Of a fibrous hull
encasing a rice grain.

Back on land, harvesters
transport the harvested kernels

By a winnowing
basked or a grain sack.

The harvesters dump them
onto either birch bark sheets,

A tarp, or smooth bedrock

Then spread them out
to cure in the sun.

Sun curing takes anywhere
from several hours

To several days
depending on the weather.

The next step is to parch
the kernels over an open fire.

This evaporates
addition moisture,

Enabling the rice to be stored
indefinitely without spoiling.

It also gives the rice
a roasted nutty flavor.

For centuries indigenous people
parched the kernels

On a woven willow
rack above the fire,

Letting the rising heat
and smoke permeate the rice.

Once the trade began
with the europeans,

The indigenous people began
using cast iron kettles set

Directly on the flames.

Fresh rice grains
are green and flexible.

After parching
they're brown or black

And snap cleanly
into two when bent.

Next comes threshing,

Removing the grains
from the hulls.

Harvesters cool the kernels
in the basket,

Then pour them back
into the parching pot.

Before acquiring cast
iron implements,

Indigenous people would pour
their kernels in a hole

In the ground lined with wood
or animal hide.

Threshing doesn't require
any special handcrafted tools,

Just a pair of feet.

The pressure
of each step forces

The rice grains
out of their hulls.

This is what the rice looks like

Before threshing and after.

The last step is winnowing,

Separating the rice grains
from the now-empty hulls.

There are two
traditional techniques:

Repeatedly flipping
the rice in a single

Winnowing basket like this

Or pouring it
from one basket to another.

The movement creates
wind that blows away

The feather-light hulls.

Eventually only the rice grains
remain in the basket.

Today, instead
of deerskin pouches,

Harvesters store wild rice
in containers or plastic bags.

The grains range in color

Depending on the body of water

From which they were harvested

And how long after harvesting
the grains were parched.

Wild rice is high
in protein in fiber,

Low in calories in fat,

Contains all essential
amino acids

And is rich in b vitamins,

Potassium and phosphorous.

Narrator: hex key l-wrenches
are designed

To turn screws and bolts

That would otherwise
be tricky to reach.

They have ball-shaped
hexagonal heads

That take an angled approach

To installing
threaded fasteners.

The long arms of these
l-shaped wrenches

Also extend the user's
reach into tight spots.

Hex key l-wrenches often

Come in sets
to provide tools

For almost every job,
big or small.

Making these wrenches starts

With 13-foot long steel bars

Formed to a hexagonal profile.

A technician tests
the short piece to confirm

It could be bent
without breaking.

The steel must be hard,
yet elastic.

A diamond-tipped tool presses
into another piece.

The depth of the indentation

Is a measure of
the steel's hardness.

After the steel passes
all tests, workers slice

The just over 13-foot long bars

Into smaller lengths
using a die cutter

With a hexagonal profile

To prevent any distortion
of the shape.

Each steel piece
then spins in a lathe

As a computerized tool carves
a gentle slope into the end.

This is before
and after the contouring.

A second computerized
tool shapes the end rounder

To create a sphere shape

That retains
the hexagonal angles.

An automated loader serves
up the steel pieces

To a spiral copper
heating element.

The element heats
a specific spot

On the piece to 1,112 degrees
fahrenheit to soften it.

A mechanized tool then bends
the steel at this softened point

To give it an l shape.

The hex key l-wrenches
have now taken shape.

In the next operation,

Workers heat treat the wrenches

To make the steel
even harder.

Workers fire the parts
in an electrical furnace,

Quench them in oil

And then heat them
in a second furnace

That's not as hot
as the first one.

The heat treatment strengthens
the steel but leaves a residue.

A wash and then a sand
blast cleans them up a bit,

But the wrenches
are quite tarnished looking

So it's into a vibrating machine

With ceramic stones
and polishing solution.

This cleans and
brightens the steel.

A magnetic conveyor
extracts them from the mix

And takes them
to a revolving drum.

Here the wrenches bounce
around with corn grains

That absorb residual moisture
from the polishing.

What a difference
the cleaning has made.

On racks now,
the wrenches take a dip

In different nickel
and chrome baths.

The rack delivers
an electrical charge

To the parts,

Which attracts
the nickel and chrome.

The metals coat the wrenches

For a shiny rust-proof finish.

Next a device spins
the wrench in front of a sensor.

The sensor detects
and crookedness

In the wrench's long arm.

If needed, he straightens
the steel with a special tool.

The wrenches are now ready
for a spray of powder coat.

It will provide
a durable finish and the color

Will indicate
the wrench's size.

After powder coating
a robot transfers

The wrenches
to a printing station.

A mechanized tool nudges
the wrenches forward

To put them in alignment.

Another robot moves in.

It picks one of the wrenches

And moves it under
a printing pad.

The pad stamps
brand information

And a serial number
on the wrench.

The robot retrieves the wrench
and places I on a conveyor.

They now make the plastic
holders for the wrenches.

This machine melts
and molds plastic under pressure

To produce them
in seconds.

A robot removes
the plastic holders

From the machine

And deposits them
in a bin.

A worker now places two of
the holders under a laser.

He lowers the protective shield

And the laser etches company
information onto the plastic.

Another member of the team
inserts the color-coded wrenches

Into the correct slots
in the holders.

They now have a full kit
of hex key l-wrenches.

It should have
all the angles covered.