29x06 - Fireplace Bellows, Calissons, Diving Watercraft

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NARRATOR:
Today, on "How It's Made"...

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Somewhere back in time,

somebody was blowing on a fire
to get it started

and wondered if there
were a way to do it

without hyperventilating.

A lot of people
must have had this idea

because different
kinds of bellows

can be found across the ancient
world from Egypt to Asia.

In the Auvergne region
of Central France,

this manufacturer
has been building

classic fireplace bellows
since 1895

using high-quality beechwood
and leather sourced nearby.

An artisan starts
by selecting a template

from a range
of sizes and shapes.

He traces an outline
on a piece of wood.

He uses a band saw to cut
the rough outline of the shape

to prepare for the next step.

A craftsman then places a stack
of three rough-cut shapes

on top of a master prototype
and clamps the stack in place.

A large bearing slides up
against the master prototype

and, by following it,

guides a specialized
cutting tool

around the perimeter
of the stack.

The operation quickly

and precisely reduces
the three pieces of wood

to exactly the required
dimensions.

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This purpose-built mechanism
undertakes

a three-step operation.

A drill pierces a hole
in the narrow end

while a second drill opens
three holes underneath.

A circular saw quickly
slices partway

through the neck of the piece.

A craftsman then uses
a rotary tool

to easily cut a decorative
pattern of concentric circles

into one side of the wood.

A cutting blade positioned
at precisely the right height

allows an artisan to slice
a beveled groove partway

around the perimeter of the wood
to the required depth.

A craftsman uses
a powerful band saw

to divide the wood in half
along the groove line

all the way up to the cut
across the neck.

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The wooden components are now
ready for the finished process.

An artisan dunks the components
in a tub of stain

and places them
on a shelf to dry.

She keeps each pair
of components together

while separating them
slightly to ensure

they don't stick together.

Once the stain has dried,

the artisan buffs the outer
surfaces of the components

on a buffing wheel
to make the wood smooth.

She then carefully positions
the components on a table

and sprays them thoroughly with
a protective layer of varnish.

Once the varnish has cured,

a craftsperson
can begin assembly

by creating the valve
that covers the intake hole.

She installs a rounded
length of wire,

stapling it in such a way
as to create enough tension

for the wire to act as a spring.

This step completes
the interior of the bellows.

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An artisan can now bring the two
halves of the bellows together.

She starts by wrapping
a precut piece

of locally sourced sheep's
leather around one handle

and attaching the leather
in place with small nails.

Carefully hammering a series of
closely-spaced upholstery tacks

at regular intervals

secures the leather
to the perimeter edge

of one half of the bellows.

The artisan can now
attach the second half

by repeating the operation on
the other side of the leather.

Adding a thin strip of leather
along the tack line

will help prevent
any ripping or tearing.

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The artisan uses a section of
precut leather to form the hinge

necessary for the proper
functioning of the bellows.

The size, position, and tack
pattern must all be precise

in order for the tool to open
and close smoothly and easily.

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The artisan trims off
any excess lengths of leather.

Finally,
she installs the nozzle.

Making a dent with a tool
called a punch prepares the site

for a nail which secures
the nozzle in place.

The completed bellows
function perfectly.

This simple, finely crafted tool
is built to help start

warm fires for years to come.

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NARRATOR: Calissons are
a traditional French candy

made of almonds, candied melon,
and orange peel

topped with a thin layer of
hard, typically white, icing.

Calissons are the specialty
of the city of Aix-en-Provence

in the Provence region
of Southern France.

The calisson was created in
France in the mid-15th century

in honor of the wedding
of King Rene of Anjou

and Queen Jeanne of Laval.

The confection became
the specialty of Provence,

the region of Southern France
known for its almond orchards.

Inside the greenish hull
is a hard shell.

Inside that shell is
the edible almond seed.

The almonds arrive at the
workshop dried for conservation

and their brown skin removed.

The first step in the production
is to rehydrate the almonds

with steam for about 10 minutes

so that they can be
worked into a paste.

Once the almonds'
moisture content

is increased by 2 to 4%,

the almonds pass over
a vibrating screen

to drain any water resulting
from steam condensation.

Meanwhile, this cauldron
heats up liquid beet sugar.

France is one of the world's
largest sugar beet producers,

so high-quality beet sugar
is readily available.

Workers transfer the hydrated
almonds to a grinder

and add candied fruit --


This flavor is the 500-year-old
traditional recipe.

Workers grind the ingredients
for about 10 minutes

until everything is thoroughly
blended into a coarse paste.

The paste drops
onto a conveyor belt,

which transfers it
to a kneading machine

into which workers add
the hot liquid beet sugar

and natural almond oil
made from bitter almonds.

Kneading blends the ingredients

and smoothes the texture
of the paste.

A worker boxes
the calisson paste

and sets it aside for three days

to let the sugar
mature and stabilize.

Calissons are topped with
an ever-so-thin layer

of royal icing.

Unlike creamy icings,
royal icing is as hard as a rock

To make it, a worker
combines icing sugar

and whipped egg whites
passed through a strainer.

A mixer beats the ingredients

until the mixture
is thick and smooth,

which typically takes
about 10 minutes.

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After 3 days of rest,
the paste is ready to be worked.

Shaping and decorating the
calissons is a specialized task

entrusted to these
experienced artisans

called "calissonaires."

First, they place slices
of paste in a press

and load a mold underneath.

They cover the mold with a wafer
-thin sheet of unleavened bread.

Then, the press piston descends,
forcing the paste,

with the bread layer underneath,

into the mold.

They skim off the excess paste,

then fold the stencil
over the mold

and apply the layer
of royal icing.

They lift off the stencil
and push the buttons

which activate the mold pistons.

Each piston pierces
the base of a calisson

and lifts it out of the mold.

Finally, they remove
the calissons with combs

designed to fit
around the pistons.

A 10-minute trip
through a tunnel oven

set at low temperature
bakes the royal icing

to a hard and shiny state.

Cameras record the position
of the calissons

as they exit the oven,

guiding a robotic arm
to pick up 160 per minute

and place them in plastic trays.

The next machine seals each tray
with plastic film

to preserve freshness.

There's also a gift box format
for which a worker hand-fills

plastic trays

designed to fit
lozenge-shaped metal boxes.

These traditional calissons
contain a candied fruit content

of at least 30%,
the melon being a variety

cultivated
in the region of Provence.

However, if your taste buds are
the type that buck tradition,

today,
you can enjoy a wide selection

of other fashionable flavors

such as clementine
and cocoa bean

or raspberry
and matcha green tea.

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NARRATOR: This new generation
of personal watercraft

is something entirely different.

It does more
than skim the surface.

This watercraft dives underwater
and can remain submerged

at a depth of three feet
or more for up to a minute.

It also leaps into the air
and rolls with the waves.

This watercraft is painted to
look like a vintage fighter jet,

and it rolls and dives
like one in the water.

A worker sprays a gel coat
into a mold for the main body.

This gel will become

the shiny surface of
the completed fiberglass part.

Once the gel coat has hardened,

a worker brushes a vinyl
ester resin onto it.

This resin is known
for its water resistance.

He switches from a brush
to a roller

as he generally
applies the resin

to the hardened gel coat.

The crew then drapes
what's called chopped-strand mat

over the mold.

This fabric is made of long
strands of fiberglass.

The binder in it dissolves
on contact with the resin,

causing the fabric to soften
to the contours of the mold.

After trimming
the excess material,

the crew completely saturates
the strand mat with more resin.

Rolling it on firmly
gets rid of air bubbles.

The top half of the main
body mold

has been lined the same way.

They now bolt a dorsal fin

mold to the back
on the top half of the mold.

The crew now joins
the two halves of the mold.

As a crane lowers the top
to the bottom,

workers ensure
they line up perfectly.

And they lock these two
main molds together with bolts.

A worker enters through
the c*ck

opening to roll on more resin.

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Meanwhile, another member
of the crew

pulls two sheets
of fiberglass fabric

onto a cutting machine.

The top fabric is a strong,
tightly woven fiberglass,

and the bottom one
is the chopped-strand mat.

Automated blades cut
the fiberglass to various shapes

and dimensions,

each one designed
for a different part

of the diving vessel mold.

These large rectangles
will be used to mold

the sides of the watercraft.

After folding up the pieces,

the worker hands them over
to the fiberglass technician.

The technician has just an hour
to apply the fiberglass

before the recently applied
resin starts to harden.

He builds up eight layers

and completely saturates
each one with more resin.

While the thicker fiberglass
material provides strength,

the thinner chopped-strand mat
A*DS adhesion

and helps the fabrics
conform to the mold.

After a 3-hour cure, workers
have a solid, seamless fuselage.

The crane lifts the fuselage
out of the mold

and moves it onto a dolly
where it will stay

while the team works on the
other parts of the watercraft.

The cone-shaped front
bumper is next.

The worker uses only three
layers of fiberglass to make it

because this bumper is meant
to collapse

in the event of a collision.

For that reason,
the part is also known

as the vessel's
sacrificial nose.

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At another station,

crew members line
fin-shaped molds with fiberglass

and then pour liquefied
plastic into the cavity.

Once cured, the plastic will
anchor the top of a steel

wing shaft in the fin.

A worker presses the shaft
into the liquefied

plastic with the end

protruding from the fin.

A second mold,
also lined with fiberglass

and filled with a plastic core,
goes on top.

The team bolts it together
and leaves the part to cure.

The fins will ultimately
be supported

by a triangular scaffold

made of aluminum square tubing.

The worker clamps the scaffold
framework to a worktable

to stabilize the framework
as he welds it together.

He then welds the scaffold
tower to the base.

The worker drills holes for
the bushings that will be used

to attach the fins
to the scaffold.

Stay tuned for more
as the team prepares

this personal diving watercraft
for its maiden voyage.

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NARRATOR:
This personal watercraft leaps,

dives, and barrel-rolls
with the waves.

But it doesn't capsize.

It's been engineered to return

to an upright
position in the water.

And when it comes to the fun
factor, this diving watercraft

leaves other recreational boats
in its wake.

To make the diving watercraft's
passenger cabin,

a worker sprays a gel coat
onto a form

and covers it with fiberglass.

A computer-driven router then
carves into marine-grade plywood

to produce structural backing
for the sides of the c*ck.

A worker slathers adhesive putty
onto the plywood part

and applies more adhesive
to the fiberglass c*ck.

He presses the plywood to
the glued areas of the c*ck

and brushes resin onto
the front of the plywood.

After cutting the c*ck
section in two,

the crew glues the parts
to the inside of the fuselage.

The fabricating team
applies adhesive putty

to the cone-shaped bumper
known as the sacrificial nose.

They slide it onto the front
of the fuselage

and the screw the bumper
in place temporarily

while the adhesive sets.

Another worker sands
all the fiberglass parts

of the watercraft
to remove bumps and blemishes.

This piece is the engine hatch.

The team bolts
the aluminum scaffold

to the floor of the fuselage.

This is a test fit to confirm

that the dimensions
are exactly right.

As they installed the scaffold,
the used dummy wing shafts

to correctly position it
within the vessel.

They confirm that the
dimensions are right

and that the scaffold sits plumb
to the base of the watercraft.

The next team inserts
the hatch frame

and the rim around the c*ck.

They'll bond the frame in place
later with a liquid plastic

and adhesive putty.

After priming the sanded
surface of the watercraft,

team members lower
the 300-horsepower engine

into the hatch.

This is a dry fit to confirm
everything lines up correctly.

They'll eventually
remove the engine

for the final paint
and artwork.

As the dry fit continues,
they connect the air tubes

to the snorkel fins
that deliver air to the engine.

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The engine hatch has, by now,
also been primed,

and they fit it to the diving
watercraft's main body.

The crew verifies that
the hatch sits flush

with the rest of the fuselage.

A worker installs the exhaust
outlet into the hole

at the rear of the watercraft.

Crew members slide elevator
fins into bushings at the back.

These fins will control the
pitch axis of the watercraft.

Next, they install
the jet propulsion system.

Back to the c*ck,

the crew bolts the control
pedals to the floor

and run cables
to the jet propulsion unit,

the elevator fins,
and the steering system.

They reinstall
the dive fin scaffold,

which has been powder coated
in a yellow color.

The crew connects
the dive fins to the scaffold.

They situate the control panel
just above the control pedals.

They run a metal linkage
from the dive fins

to a control stick.

They then test the control stick
and confirm it moves

the dive planes easily
and correctly.

Bucket seats made
of lightweight carbon fiber

minimize the load
for added speed.

They tuck a rubber gasket
into the framework

for the clear canopy that will
surround the occupants.

They add a bead of sealant

where the gasket mates
to the window frame.

The vessel canopy is made
of thick aircraft-grade acrylic.

It's been tinted
to repel the sun's rays

and keep the temperature cooler
in the c*ck.

The back canopy serves as a
hatch for accessing the c*ck.

Finally, an artist
does a custom paint job

and makes the fuselage
look fierce.

With the mechanical
components reinstalled,

this diving watercraft
is ready to hit the water.

Fasten your seatbelt.
It should be quite a ride.