Hand Forged Hammers Gummy Vitamins Boat Trailers Tea Lights & Jar Candles
A hammer is an all-purpose tool most commonly used to strike nails. Some hammers are designed for a specific purpose such as woodworking, metalworking, and masonry. Professional craftspeople often forego mass-produced tools and invest in high-quality hand-forged hammers. The steel head of this hammer was forged by a blacksmith. This is just one out of 40 different styles of hammers made by a blacksmith. Using a metal-cutting band saw, a blacksmith cuts a piece of cylindrical steel he makes the cut slightly larger than the final hammerhead size. Next, he burns small amount of paper on coals in a cast steel pot. A fan, located underneath the coals blows air upward to stoke the fire. Once the coals are hot, the craftsman immerses the steel piece in the fire. Once the steel is glowing bright red, he removes the piece with from the fire with tongs. He begins striking it with a mechanical forging hammer operated by a foot pedal. Throughout the forging process the steel is reheated to keep it formable. The craftsman lowers the pedal, which activates the machine's hammer. As the hammer strikes, the craftsman turns the cylindrical piece of steel to flatten the sides and shape it into a block. Using a specialized tool, he makes a punch on the block to form a channel. He flips the block and punches out the compressed steel to create a hole. This hole is the eye of the hammer. Next, the craftsman uses a tool called a spring swage to flatten one end of the block into the wedge-shaped end of the hammer known as the peen. Each side of the peen is shaped against the grinding wheel to even out the surface. Working on an anvil, the craftsman flattens the block with a handheld hammer. Then, with a tool called a flatter. He uses an oval eye-contouring tool to hammer a hole to form the eye. Now complete, the craftsman polishes the hammerhead on a series of grinding belts. Then the hammerhead is placed back into the fire for more reheating. Back on the anvil, he uses a wire brush to remove scale caused by oxidation. Then brands the steel with his name. After heat treating both ends of the hammerhead, to harden the steel at the striking surfaces, he finishes off the metalwork with a die grinder, smoothing the sharp edges around the eye and forming a bevel. Once complete, the craftsman moves on to the wooden handle. He shapes a block of wood, often using hickory, with an angle grinder. Using the grinding wheel, he shaves off the top to fit in the eye of the hammerhead. With a band saw, he makes a 2-inch cut into the wood. He cuts a wedge out of a softer type of wood, usually pine. He marks the diameter of the eye on the wedge then sands off the excess wood so that the wedge will fit in the eye. He inserts the split end of the wood handle in the eye, forcing it through. Then he hammers the wedge into the split. This pushes the two sides of the split in opposite directions, lodging the handle in the eye. Next, the craftsman hammers in a hollow round steel wedge until it's flush with the hammerhead. This wedge spreads the wood in different directions, locking in the handle. He removes excess wood with an angle grinder until the top of the hammer is level and smooth. Finally, this handmade tool is ready to make it's contribution to hand craftsmanship. Gummy vitamins were invented in the late the 20th century by an couple looking for a way to entice their daughter to take her vitamins. Infused into a gummy candy, vitamins are now a sweet and chewy experience for both kids and adults. Just like gummy candies, gummy vitamins come in a variety of sweet, fruity flavors, making a vitamin a less bitter pill to swallow. Each gummy vitamin starts with a specific formula. First raw ingredients are selected and weighed. Some are in liquid form and others are solids. The nutritional ingredients are blended with water. This particular batch is a multivitamin preparation. It includes magnesium, calcium, and other minerals. In a separate tank, technicians prepare the gelatin base which gives the vitamins a jelly-like consistency. Next, sugar and gelatin pre-mix is poured into the tank. The technician adds a sugar substitute to the other ingredients. Meanwhile, specific amounts of water and glucose are dispensed into the tank. It takes about five minutes to blend the ingredients for the gelatin base. Then, the gummy vitamin base is transferred to a large holding tank. In the lab, the nutritional mixture is tested for contaminants such as heavy metals and bacteria. An automated syringe injects the solutions into test tubes rinsing inbetween injections. Now the samples in the test tubes are ready to be analyzed. For heavy metal testing, the sample is injected into an extremely hot vacuum chamber. The plasma flame turns the metal contaminants into atoms, which the machine reads as different colors. The machine also identifies and quantifies contaminants. With the samples cleared for processing, they're ready for flavoring and colorant. More vitamins are added in powder form to boost the formula's potency. The liquid vitamin preparation and the gelatin base is piped into the mixing tank then, everything is blended together. The batter is now ready to be made into thousands of gummy vitamins. A conveyor queues up the vitamin molds. Multiple nozzles deposit precise amounts of batter into small molds. The conveyor moves the tray forward as the gummy vitamins begin to solidify. A robotic arm stacks the mold trays in a holding area. The arm gently lowers the trays into place. For several hours, the pills continue to harden in the molds. Once completely solidified, the gummy vitamins are removed from the molds and transferred into a revolving drum. The tumble in the drum separates them. They exit onto a perforated conveyor and any small bits fall through the holes. The conveyor zigzags back and forth, allowing the gummy vitamins to cool and further solidify. The gummy vitamins have now reached their final consistency. The gummy vitamins head into a steam chamber. The humidity from the steam preps the vitamins for sugarcoating. The sugar clings to the gummy vitamins. And the revolving action of the drum shakes off any excess, leaving just a dusting on the surface. At the packaging station, the vitamins funnel into chutes where sensors count and release the pills into bottles. As the bottles move forward, caps land on the rims. And spinning rubber mechanisms screw the caps on tightly. Down the line, labels with product information are placed onto each bottle. Depending on the formulation, it can take up to three weeks to produce gummy vitamin pills and the result? Nutritious gumdrops that are a real treat. Before you can take a boat out on the water, you have to transport it to the water. A boat trailer attaches to the rear of your vehicle with a trailer hitch. You back the trailer into the water then release the boat and let it float away freely. A boat trailer has either a quick-release latch system or a winch, a wheel you crank to wind or unwind a strap that hooks onto the boat. Boat trailers back up into water so using corrosion-resistant materials is vital. This trailer is aluminum with torsion axles made of galvanized steel. Torsion axles contain shock-absorbing rubber cores. On each axle, a machinist greases the spindle, and installs a mounting bracket for the brake caliper. All the nuts and bolts holding the trailer's parts together are stainless steel. The machinist mounts the wheel hub on the spindle. The brake rotor is built right into the hub. He secures the hub with a castle nut and adjusts the tension. He inserts a cotter pin to lock the castle nut, bending the pin with a few taps of a hammer. He pumps grease into the hub for lubrication then taps in a dust cap to seal in the grease. He installs the brake caliper on the mounting bracket. He hooks up the brake line to the caliper and mounts the tire to the hub. On the back of the tire, there's a small brass elbow for connecting the brake line. The frame that sits on the axles is made of aluminum. Aluminum is strong and corrosion-resistant but also lightweight. The frame has two main front-to-back beams. Using a template for accurate positioning, another machinist punches boltholes into the beams with a hydraulic tool. He uses a bending press to curve the beams to the specified angle. This type of aluminum can be bent without compromising its strength. Next, an anti-corrosion coating is brushed onto the axle's mounting plates. Technicians position the beams on the axle plates, aligning the matching boltholes. They bolt the beams to the plates, then bolt a rear crossmember underneath the two main beams. This gives the frame side-to-side strength and stability in addition to helping support the load of the boat. A pair of mounts are bolted onto the rear crossmember and on each of the two axles. The bunk, the part that supports the boat, slots into the gap between each pair of mounts. The bunk has a wood cap that's carpeted to protect the boat's hull. To reinforce the bunk, punch holes are made in aluminum plates and bent with a press. Sway braces are bolted to the mounts for additional support. This company makes a patented pivoting bunk that adjusts to boat hulls of varying shapes. At the front of the frame, machinists install the tongue. The tongue unites the two main beams with the coupler that hooks up to the toe hitch at the rear of the vehicle. For trailers with a winch, aluminum parts are cut for the winch stand. A technician places the parts in an assembly jig which aligns them correctly. Then, the parts are tack welded together. Once welding is complete, the technician removes them from the jig, tack welds one additional part, then welds all the parts together. He removes any debris from the welded seams with a cleaning solution. Next, the winch stand is bolted to the tongue and the winch is installed. Then, the brake line and the electrical cable for the trailer's l.e.d. lights are connected. Guides are also installed, which center the boat on the trailer. An aluminum fender is mounted over each pair of tires and reinforce it with a support bracket which they bolt to the frame. Latch system trailers have an aluminum bar which stops the bow, securing the boat at just the right position. Finally, this tow trailer is ready for smooth sailing. There's a lot more to candles than lights the eye. Before they were invented, people relied on candles made with wicks floating in flammable, spillable oil. In the past, candles weren't just used for illumination. Since they burn at such a steady rate, people have even used them as clocks. Thanks to electricity, candles no longer have to illuminate our homes. They can simply brighten our evenings with atmospheric lighting. This wax has been made into a powder with a rotating bar that sprays drops of hot wax into the air. As the drops fall, they cool and become solid wax particles. A specialized machine called a core press vacuums the powder and begins a multi-step process. A series of small tube-shaped holes with powder then hydraulic pistons compress the powder into short cylinders. Transport units move them to the next station. The compressed wax cylinder will form the core of the candle and prevent the burning wick from touching the edges of the glass. First, it needs a wick and a sustainer. The metal sustainer is the wick's base. This machine shoots wicks into the sustainers, crimps them, and inserts the components into the candle core. A machine places drops of glue in the bottom of a series of small glass containers before placing the candle cores inside. The glue holds the sustainers in place to prevent them from sliding around when hot. Onto the next phase of production, liquefied wax is poured into a mixing tank. A technician pours in a series of additives. They include plasticizers to help solidify the wax and prevent crystallization, as well as uv light inhibitors that can protect the wax from color fading. He pours a premeasured quantity of dye into the container. An agitator begins the mixing process which takes 20 to 30 minutes to ensure that everything is thoroughly combined. The wax is maintained at 185 degrees fahrenheit so the liquid is kept in its liquid state. Then, the liquid wax travels through tubing to a computerized filling station. A set of nozzles fill the jars, surrounding and covering the cores. Once filled, the jars move slowly through two separate cooling chambers. The candles undergo extensive quality control testing for flame height and the temperature on the exterior of the container. This facility also manufactures tea light candles. The containers are made of aluminum alloy pressed into a cup shape with small panels at the bottom designed to direct melted wax to the center. Moved by air, the containers fall into a sorter which spins them into an upright position and onto a conveyor that offloads them to the next stations. Like candles, tea lights require sustainers and glue to hold the wick in place. The steel discs drop into a vibrating sorting device. A giant spool of waxed thread is fed into the wicking machine the machine cuts, and inserts it into the sustainer clip, and glues the assembly into a tea light container, the containers, with sustainers and wicks in place, move to a circular buffering table which disperses into three channels. A multi-prong device advances the containers onto the filling machine's conveyor system. The machine fills the containers in a two-step process, filling them halfway, letting them cool, then topping them up and cooling the completed product. The two-step filling process ensures a consistent product at a faster manufacturing rate. The cooling chamber circulates air through the space at a specific temperature to cool the candles at a calibrated rate. From start to finish, it takes just 45 minutes to produce and package a tea light. There's a lot more to that cozy candle glow than just wax and wicks.