Berets Pastis Stationary Bikes
Today on "how it's made"... When it comes to iconic hats, nothing says french more than the beret, specifically the basque-style beret, as people wear different styles in other countries. The basque beret was traditionally worn by shepherds tending their flocks along the pyrenees mountain range that divides southern france from spain. The basque beret dates back to the 1600s in southern france. Made of black merino wool, it has a little cabillou on top. The factory making these berets has been doing so since 1840. An automated machine knits undyed wood yarn into a galette, the french word for pancake. The galette is flat and round with loose knit stitches making it soft and floppy. A worker then pulls the galette's central thread, closing it into a circular shape resembling a shower cap. In an industrial size washing machine, a worker washes this rudimentary beret in lukewarm water from the local river and soap for about 8 hours. The type of soap is a trade secret. The wool shrinks, causing the loose knit stitches to tighten. The wool fibers also soften, transforming into the smooth and soft wool and fabric we call felt. After felting the beret, the manufacturers begin the dyeing process. The worker loads it into another washing machine, only this time with powdered dye. This factory has always produced its own dyes in a wide range of colors, again using water from the local river. However, the temperature to which this company heats it is a closely guarded secret. When the dye cycle finishes, another worker checks the beret against a color sample because the wool composition and the river water quality are variable factors that can affect dye absorption. The next step is to form the beret to the final shape. Traditionally, beret factories did this using wooden forms, but today, they use metal ones. The beret remains on the form long enough to lock in the shape. This process, too, depends on the wool composition as well as on how humid it is in the factory on that particular day. Each beret goes for a spin on the scratching machine, a rotating wheel surfaced with wire brushes. The bristles lift the wood fibers, thickening the felt. After inserting a cardboard template to maintain the shape, a worker uses a manual shearing tool to carefully scratch the area around the cabillou. She removes any clinging plant debris left by the river water used in the wash and dye cycles. Then she inspects for any holes or stretched fibers. The beret now goes to the seamstress. First, she heats a black cotton lining on a mold to shape it to fit perfectly inside the beret. The lining has the manufacturer's label in the center, which features the company crest and the model name, vrai basque, confirming that this is indeed an authentic basque-style beret. She turns the beret inside out to sew in the lining. Then she turns the beret right side out again and puts it on a stretching machine. She sets the machine to the desired hat size, and it automatically stretches the beret to that size. Now, she sews a black leather band to the edge. The hat size is printed on it. Some models feature a color trim on the band. The finishing touch is the company's metal hallmark. She rivets it to the underside of the beret on one side... And that caps off production. Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur popular in france, particularly in the southern city of marseilles where it originated. You don't drink it straight, though. The proper technique is to dilute it with water, typically 5 to 7 parts water to one part pastis. Then add ice. The maker of this pastis combines star anise with licorice extract and herbs and spices from the provence region of france. Star anise is an asian spice. The starting ingredient for this pastis is a pale yellow star anise essential oil purchased from a chinese supplier. The first step at this french distillery is to distill that essential oil. As the oil is heated, it evaporates and rises up the column still, passing through a series of stacking cooling trays. Each tray condenses, then removes one of the oil's various components. Pastis requires just one of the extracted components-- anethole, which is an organic compound responsible for the anise flavor and smell. This pastis recipe also contains 60 different herbs and spices, each of which is separately distilled into alcohol. One of these herbs is artemisia vulgaris, commonly known as mugwort. A worker loads mugwort leaves into a tank filled with a mixture of water and alcohol. As the leaves soak, the alcohol acts as a solvent, extracting the aromatic molecules. This process is called maceration. After a few days, workers drain the alcoholic liquid, now infused with aromatic molecules. It's so alcoholic that it emits volatile fumes, so workers wear an alarm that goes off when the surrounding air reaches an explosive level. The liquid is stored in a vat until it's time to mix the pastis. Then, a worker removes the alcohol-soaked mugwort leaves from the tank and transfer them to a distillation device called an alembic. The alembic heats the mash of fermented leaves with steam produced by a wood-fired boiler. Once the mash heats to a temperature of 172 degrees fahrenheit, the alcohol in it begins to evaporate and rise. The alcoholic vapor eventually reaches the neck of the alembic, where cooling coils condense it into liquid, which then flows out of the alembic and through a filter that also removes plant particles. An alcoholometer measures the percentage of alcohol, which starts off very high, then tapers off. The pastis maker uses only the middle of the flow, when the reading is between 70 and 50%, what's known as the heart of the distillation. To make the pastis, workers combine all the ingredients. The anethole, distilled from the anise essential oil, the 60 different maceration liquids and distillates of herbs and spices and licorice extract. Workers also add water to dilute the final product's alcohol level to 45%. A last filtration removes any particles that would diminish the clarity of the pastis. A machine bottles the pastis in dark glass to protect the contents from light, which, by oxidation, would damage the liqueur. The second station on the filling line seals each bottle with a t-cork, a type of stopper designed for bottles which are opened and sealed repeatedly. The next station applies a sheath of heat shrink plastic over the t-cork. The bottle then travels through a heating tunnel, which shrinks the plastic tightly over the neck of the bottle. The final station applies the adhesive-backed label. Pastis is always poured into the glass first, followed by water. This makes the liqueur cloudy because the anethole doesn't dissolve in water. If you want to add ice, you can do so only after the water, otherwise, the anethole crystallizes. So just remember that chemistry lesson and enjoy. The first stationary bike was developed by a london physician in the late 18th century to exercise the joints of patients suffering from gout, rheumatic disorders, or other afflictions. The modern stationary bike is all about helping people stay fit to prevent illnesses. On this stationary bike, magnets linked to the flywheel create tension that causes the cyclist to push harder, making the workout truly an uphill battle. Production starts with steel tubing for the base. A probe locates the center of the tubing. This reference point allows a computerized laser cutter to find the exact spots to cut assembly holes. With the assembly holes cut, the laser slices the tubing to the correct length. An automated system retrieves the part and transfers it to a holding area. A worker inserts screws in the base part, which will attach it to the main frame. He pipes sealant around the screws. Another worker now arranges the three tubular base parts in a welding fixture and clamps them in place. The fixture revolves and meets up with a robotic welder. The robot welds the three parts together. This completes the base of the stationary bike. The bike's main frame has been configured on the other side of the welding fixture. The robot welds these parts together. The fixture rotates to serve up another base assembly to the robot, and the worker collects the welded main frame from the reverse side. He grinds the welded seam smooth and gets rid of burrs on the steel. Workers sandblast the metal, wash it, and apply primer. After grounding the main frame, another worker sprays electrostatically charged resin and pigment onto it. Once it's baked on, this powder coat will provide a protective finish. At another station, a 55-ton press punches holes into posts for the bike's handlebar and seat. The holes are for adjusting the height of these parts. Next up is the casting for mounting the handlebar to the post. Using another press, the worker entrenches the top of the post in the casting. He taps the casting with a rubber mallet to tweak the installation and sets the assembly aside. At another station, a worker arranges numerous seat posts in tight alignment. He drapes a stencil of sequential lettering on top of the posts. He dips an etching wand in a chemical solution and then moves it over the letters five times. This burns the letters into the steel, providing markers for height adjustment. An assembler drives the wedge into one of the bike's two crank arms to create a hole that the axle will fit into. He checks the depth of the hole with a gauge. He inserts the end of the axle in the hole and using a press, pushes it into place. He measures the hole from the other side of the crank arm and confirms that the axle has been set to the correct depth. He then bolts the assembly to a precise torque. He locks the crank arm assembly in a lathe. He slips a foam sleeve over the axle to protect it from shards of flying metal as a tool machines the part of the crank arm that will ultimately hold the bike's pulley. Another member of the team now assembles bearings to a wheel hub. He slides two bearings with a spacer in a press. He heats the hub in an oven, causing the metal to expand. The machine presses the hub sandwich together. As the hub cools, it shrinks for a tight fit to the bearings. He installs a retaining clip in the hub to also keep it together. Next up are the holders for the magnets that create resistance on the flywheel. A worker places each one in a fixture to inspect the dimensions. He then checks the strength of the magnets in a tester, and satisfied, he inserts two in each holder. This metal cage, pulled into position by the magnets, completes the magnetic field. Stay tuned for more on the making of this stationary bike. Stationary bikes are equipped with resistance mechanisms. They can be simple tension belts or more complex systems in which magnets produce an electrical current in the flywheel. The indoor cyclist simply dials up the resistance, and he or she will soon feel the burn. The assembler installs the magnetic resistance unit so that it swings from a bracket on the main frame. This bracket also holds the computer board. He mounts the aluminum flywheel to the axle, sliding it between the magnets and the tension device. He caps the flywheel hub and secures the cap with screws. The torsion spring-equipped cover completes the stationary bike's tension system. He assembles the crank arm and axle to the bike and installs a bearing. Then the bike moves on to the next station. Another worker places an alignment tool on the back axle. He loops an elastic belt with grooves around the small pulley on the flywheel and around the larger crank arm pulley, linking the two. He inserts another tool into the crank arm and turns it to better wrap the belt around the large crank pulley. He then removes both installation tools. He installs four flat bushings in the handlebar post. These bushings make it possible for the handlebar to be raised and lowered. He applies a decal with the height indicators. Made of a rugged synthetic material, the decal encases three sides of the metal post, and this protects it from abrasion. He bolts the second crank arm to the axle and torques it to the specified tension. Next up is the seat assembly. He slides the seat stem into the post and tightens the adjustment knob to lock it in place. He inserts the handlebar post into the bike frame and fishes the gear cable and communication wires through it. He secures the handlebar post with the adjustment knob. He connects the communication line to the resistance system's computer board. He links the gear cable to the resistance system and tests its functionality. Satisfied, he tightens a nut at the side to secure the cable. Another worker installs a plastic cover on the drivetrain. This will protect the cyclist's legs from the pulley system and shield the metal components from human sweat. For added moisture protection, she applies sealer around a welded reinforcement on the bike frame. She then encases the fork of the bike with more molded plastic. Bolts secure the casings to the bike. She now places a magnetized microphone on the axle and spins the flywheel at a high rpm. This is a test. The bike must operate noiselessly. And the decibel meter confirms the noise level is negligible. She also feels the frame for unwanted vibrations. She now sets the location of the magnetic resistance mechanism using a special tool. This calibrates the resistance so that they handlebar computer can find it and display the resistance setting during cycling. Another member of the team then applies thread-locking adhesive to the screw holes in the crank arms. He screws the pedals tightly to the crank arms and torques them to a specific setting. The worker aligns the four bolt holes on the frame to the bolts on the base and secures them with cap nuts. He installs a metal guard that encircles most of the flywheel. This prevents contact with the edge of the wheel when it's spinning. Once the trip computer has been mounted to the top of the frame, he slides the handlebar into place. It takes about 2 hours to manufacture this stationary bike. Now that the work is done, the workout can begin.