27x12 - Race Car Oil Tanks, Plaster Moldings, Lemongrass Oil, Fly Tying Vises

[bunniefuu]

♪♪







Narrator:
in racecar engines,

Excess lubricating oil
is stored in tanks

Rather than oil pans.

This prevents the oil from
sloshing around during the race

And causing drag
on the crankshaft.

With less drag,
performance is increased.

So these oil tanks
are part of a winning strategy.

Racecar oil tanks
come in various shapes

And sizes in order to fit
into difference vehicles.

But their purpose is the same --

To keep excess oil
out of the engine

To boost performance.

Each tanks starts
with a computer design.

The engineer maps out
the precise dimensions.

They input the measurements

Into computerized
machining systems.

This first one cuts
a long piece of aluminum

Into smaller pieces,

Creating blanks to make parts
known as tank rings.

A vertical milling tool sculpts

A recess in the blank
to seat an o-ring sealer.

Then, switching bits,

The machine contours
the outside of the blank,

Taking it from
rectangular to round.

Other tools carve
a large hole in the center

And profile the inner diameter

So that the part
will mate to the tank.

This ring is designed
to be removable

To access the tank
for maintenance.

Here's the blank before
and after machining.

Like powerful cookie cutters,

Computerized punches cut
out numerous parts

From an aluminum sheet.

They include the oil tank body,

The top,
and other assembly pieces.

To make the tank
body cylindrical,

A worker turns a crank
to curl it around a roller.

This tank body
is called the wrapper.

He drills a hole
in the bottom cone.

The hole is for the line

That returns lubricating oil
to the racecar engine.

Using a thin band saw,

He trims the cone
to fit the tank ring.

With a device known
as a hydraulic tube bender,

A worker shapes a piece of pipe
to a precise radius.

This pipe will be used
to vent air into a chamber

At the side of the oil tank.

He trims the ends of
the vent tube using a band saw.

A worker welds the tank ring
to the bottom cone,

Creating a thick seam
all the way around.

He then seals the seam
of the cylindrical wrapper body

And welds a top cap
to a deaerating baffle.

Air will rise through it
and vent it into

And out of a side chamber,

Leaving only oil in the tank.

He slides the baffle
into the wrapper body.

He inserts the vent tube

In a hole on the side
of the tank.

He fits an adapter ring
to the upper lip of a tank

And taps it down
with a rubber mallet.

He welds the baffle and
filler neck to the tank body,

And then assembles
the air vent chamber

To the side of the oil tank

And welds it to it.

Moving to another station,
a worker now taps

Perforated plastic inserts

Into holes in
the air vent chamber.

These inserts will both vent

And filter the air
from the tank.

He fits a rubber sealing
ring around the fill neck

And screws the cap on.

He applies
the adhesive-back decals

To the tank
for branding purposes.

He caps the oil inlet tube

To keep contaminants out
during shipping.

He turns the tank upside down

And installs a valve
on the bottom of the vent tank.

He inserts a rubber o-ring

Into a groove on the base
of the tank wall

And tucks it into place
all the way around.

After equipping
the fittings on the cone

With caps for shipping,

He installs the cone
on the base of the tank

And screws the ring
tightly to it.

Accessing the tank
for maintenance reasons

Will mean unscrewing this part.

That completes
this racecar oil tank.

Hooked up to a system of pumps,

These tanks will receive
and dispense oil

Sparingly to improve
engine performance.

They've been well-equipped
for life in the fast lane.

Narrator:
the ancient greeks first
began beautifying interiors

With ornate columns and moldings
shaped from plaster.

Decorative moldings
were a popular design feature

In much of europe from roughly
the 17th century onward,

With italian tradesmen
becoming famous

For their mastery
at plasterwork.

Specialists
in traditional plasterwork

Are a rare breed these days.

But that's who you need to hire

To properly repair
plaster moldings

In a historic home

Or to craft plaster
moldings from scratch.

To repair this damaged
ceiling medallion,

The plasterman first saws

And chisels off
the problem portion,

Clearing a flat work surface.

Then, he drives
and screws part way

To anchor the new portion
of molding.

The heavier the plaster molding,

The more screws you need
to hold the load.

Another plasterman, meanwhile,
prepares the plaster.

The first ingredient
is lime compound --

A simple mixture of lime,

Also known as calcium hydroxide,
and water.

He forms a well
with his scraper...

Then fills the well
with a mixture

Of roughly three-quarters water

To one-quarter
construction-grade bonding glue.

He adds just the right amount
of plaster of paris,

Which is powdered gypsum,

The same stuff they use
to make casts for broken bones.

He takes his trowel

And thoroughly blends
the lime compound,

Glue mixture
and plaster of paris.

When it has the consistency
of pudding,

The plaster is ready.

The plasterman does this
all by eye,

Without ever actually measuring
a single ingredient.

After applying bonding glue
to the repair area,

The other plasterman trowels
on lots of plaster.

Then, he takes what's called
a circular running mold.

Its profile is out
of the existing molding.

He runs it back and forth
over the wet plaster,

Hence the term "running mold."

Then, he carefully scrapes
away the excess

And runs a wet paintbrush
over the new

And old portions of the molding.

This makes the transition
between the two appear seamless

And smoothes out
any imperfections.

To make the running molds,

He cuts out a cross section
of the existing molding

And traces it to produce
a sheet metal template

With the same profile.

Then with that, he cuts
the shape in wood,

Producing what
they call a stock.

After sanding
the stock smooth,

He screws on the metal template.

The wood backing
prevents the metal

From bending as he runs
it over thick plaster.

He screws more wood
to the stock to form a handle.

To make crown moldings,
the plasterman mounts

A track to guide
his running mold.

He checks for anchor screws
obstructing the path.

If he finds any, he drives them
a bit further into the ceiling.

He brushes on bonding glue

And lets it sit
for five minutes.

Then, he begins applying
the plaster in sizable globs.

He passes the running
mold over the plaster.

He repeats several times
with additional plaster,

Waiting 20 minutes
or so between coats

To let the plaster harden
just enough to hold the shape.

He applies the final coat
by hand,

Filling in crevices
and imperfections.

Then, he passes the running
mold one last time.

The wet plaster
molding takes anywhere

From 48 to 72 hours to dry,

Depending on its size
and on the humidity in the room.

Only when the molding is
completely dry can

The plasterman begin
the next step,

Crafting the corner pieces,
called miters.

Starting with larger knives
and scrapers,

He uses the edge of the adjacent
moldings as a guide,

Adding some plaster,
sculpting it,

Then removing the excess.

He keeps repeating these steps

Until each side
of the miter matches

The molding it joins perfectly.

It's a slow
and meticulous process

That takes patience
and an expert eye.

Once he has perfected
the profile,

He refines the edges

With smaller
knives and scrapers.

Finally, he blends the surface
with a wet brush,

Rendering the transition
from miter

To molding visually seamless.

Brand-new yet
distinctively old-world.

Narrator: lemongrass isn't just
a culinary herb.

Oil distilled from the plant

Is a popular ingredient
in soap and spa products.

Used in aromatherapy
for numerous therapeutic reasons

With a fragrance
that's citrusy yet sweet,

Lemongrass oil definitely
passes the smell test.

Follow the scent
of lemongrass,

And the trail leads
to thailand.

It's here that the plant
is grown and processed

Into an essential oil.

Lemongrass oil is
the signature scent

In this part of the world.

After harvesting lemongrass,
workers select

The most fragrant
specimens and dry them.

They transfer these plants,

Stalk and all,
to a distillation facility.

The heady aroma of lemongrass
will now be concentrated

Into a potent essential oil.

Workers unlock the top
of the still

And pour in chlorine-free,
deionized water.

Once the still is
one-quarter full,

They add the lemongrass.

They stack the bundles
in a crisscross fashion,

Creating gaps for steam
to pass through.

They fill the still to the brim.

It will take 66 pounds
of lemongrass to make

Roughly 1 quart of
highly-fragrant essential oil.

They screw the lid
tightly to prevent

The loss of steam
during distillation.

They activate the still,

And it heats the water
to the boiling point.

Steam rises through the plants
and picks up the oils.

It carries the oil vapor up
through a pipe

And into a condenser,

Where the vapors cool
and return to a liquid form.

The liquid oil and water
drip out into a flask.

Oil and water don't mix.

So the oil floats to the top.

And the water is drained off

And recycled back
into the distiller.

The technician then collects
the lemongrass oil

In a bottle one drop at a time.

The lemongrass oil undergoes

A second distillation
in a laboratory,

Using a more sensitive
piece of equipment

Known as
a rotary vacuum evaporator.

The oil flows into a flask

That's spinning in a hot bath
of vegetable oil.

The evaporator pumps out air

And creates a vacuum
in the flask,

Which lowers the boiling point.

This prevents damage
to the delicate molecules

Responsible
for the lemongrass scent.

The oil vapors rise
to a condenser coil

Where they reliquefy,

Leaving any residual water
and impurities behind.

The pure lemongrass oil drips
into a receiver flask.

As distilled lemongrass
oil is collected,

More flows into the evaporator
beaker for purification.

The distilling process
is continuous.

The rotary vacuum
evaporator processes

Roughly 2 to 3 quarts
of fragrant oil per hour.

They store the lemongrass oil
in a cold room

With other essential oils.

Like fine wine,
it must be kept cool,

Or it could spoil
and ruin its bouquet.

When it's time
to formulate ingredients

For a cream or lotion,

A technician
blends lemongrass oil

With other essential oils.

Just a few drops make
a difference you can smell.

They also use lemongrass
oil to enhance

The soothing qualities
of bath crystals.

The technician first
sifts epsom salts

And baking soda into a bowl.

He adds measured amounts of
the blend to sea salt crystals.

He stirs the ingredients by hand

To evenly distribute
them in the mix.

The bath salts are now ready
for an infusion

Of the double-distilled
lemongrass oil.

He adds it to a submixture
of other essential oils

To create a blend
with calming effect.

He pours the essential
oils onto the crystals.

And they soak into the tiny
spaces in the particles.

They then add some
more aromatic spice --

A freshly-ground
blend of lemongrass,

Turmeric, and other ingredients.

He sprinkles the herbs
onto the crystals

And folds them into the blend.

The final effect will be
skin-tingling and rejuvenating.

Incorporated into many products,

Lemongrass oil will
awaken the senses.

Narrator: fly fishing uses
artificial lures called flies

Rather than natural
bait like worms.

A fly is a hook
that has materials

Like feathers
tied to it with thread

To trick the fish into thinking

There's an insect
floating on the water.

To make your own flies,
you use a fly tying vise.

This fly tying vise
has pockets at its base

To hold your materials

And sturdy steel jaws
to grip the fishhook

While you tie
those materials onto it.

This machine makes
the sand molds

For casting
the metal pocket bases.

It deposits moist
sand into a flask

To form one half of a mold,

Then rolls over the flask
to a pattern on the other side.

After spraying the pattern
with a nonstick coating,

A worker sifts sand onto it.

Then the machine
deposits sand on top

To form the other
half of the mold.

It compresses the sand

With roughly 4 1/2 tons
of hydraulic pressure.

The pattern sandwiched at the
center forms the mold cavity.

A machine separates the halves
to remove the pattern,

Then puts them back together.

In the casting area,
workers heat pieces of bronze

To approximately


Melting them down.

They remove the pot
from the electric furnace

And place it in a pouring shank.

They pour the molten bronze
down a channel leading

To the mold cavity.

After about a half hour,

Once the bronze has cooled
and solidified,

The flip the mold onto
a vibrating grate.

First the impact and then
the shaking break the mold.

The sand falls
through the grate

While four connected bronze
pocket bases remain on top.

Once they're cool
enough to be handled,

A worker saws them apart.

The bases go into
a rotating drum

Filled with tiny steel beads.

As the drum spins,

The centrifugal force throws
the beads against the bases.

This removes
all remnants of sand

And polishes the surface smooth.

The bases go onto
a computer-guided
milling machine.

It drills a hole to affix
the mounting piece for the stem

That holds the head
of the vise.

The mill also cuts
a circular hole

At the center of the base
for a decorative coin

Bearing the manufacturer's logo.

They finish the bases
with a clear protective coat,

A proprietary formula

That prevents
the bronze from oxidizing.

The vise's other parts are
machined out of metal bars.

Here, a computer-guided
lathe transforms

Two square steel bars
into the vise's jaws.

First, it cuts a small
half circle on one piece

For the cam that opens
and closes the jaws.

Then, it turns the ends
to form a point.

The entire transformation
from bars

To jaws takes
about 90 seconds.

They place the jaws,
one at a time, into a press

And make a slight bend

To set the correct
spring tension.

They verify the depth
of the bend

With a specialized
measuring tool,

Then send the jaws
to an outside facility

That applies
a black protective finish.

When the jaws come back,
workers assemble them.

First, they put the cam
through the semicircular hole.

Then, they compress
the jaws in a vise

And slide an aluminum
head onto the back.

When the jaws
come out of the vise,

They expand to their
original position,

Retaining the head.

Workers apply
the manufacturer's sticker,

Then thread a brass thumbscrew

That you turn to lock
in the position of the head,

Which swivels left,
right, or 360 degrees.

They then bolt
the handle into the cam.

When you depress the handle,

The cam opens,
opening the jaws.

On the reverse side of the jaws,

They mount a clip
for holding the feathers,

Yarn, or other materials
you're using to tie your fly.

Then, they glue the logo coin
into the pocket base.

They install the mounting
piece for the stem,

Then the stem itself.

A thumbscrew on the mount
holds the stem in place.

The head connects to a swivel
at the top of the stem.

The jaws securely hold the hook
while you tie your fly

Using anything from feathers
and fur to tinsel and beads,

Creating your imitation
of an appetizing insect

Or tiny fish.