Potash Leather Bracelets Wild Rice Hex Key L Wrenches
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. 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. 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 stalks. 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. 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.