Fish Decoys Film Digitization Cylinder Stoves Concrete Light Poles
When luring fish to a hole in a frozen lake, it helps to take a crafty approach. It's a handcrafted piece of folk art, and it's also a cunning piece of work. Often brightly colored with bold patterns, the decoy attracts the attention of fish-- an attraction that will likely prove fatal. Native north americans were the first to use decoys to catch fish in the winter. European settlers followed their example. And centuries later, decoy artists carry on this tradition of trickery. At this workshop, the decoy starts with a plank of white cedar. It's a wood with dense fibers, so it won't expand when wet. He draws a basic fish shape on the wood freestyle. This one is to resemble a herring. He carves out the shape with a band saw, producing the blank, which can now be transformed into a fish decoy. He cuts a narrow slot for attaching a metal tail fin. He draws a center line around the decoy blank. This serves as a reference point as he now tapers the edges with a sharp knife. If he cuts too deep, he could spoil the carving, so he whittles carefully, removing just a bit of wood with each stroke of the knife. The goal is to round the sharp edges and soften the profile without cutting too deep and gouging the wood. He sands the entire surface of the decoy until it's perfectly smooth. Sanding also opens up the pores of the wood so paint will adhere. He carves a mouth and then cuts slits for two sets of side fins. Using a power carver, he now bores into the wood to create fish eye sockets on both sides. He takes an equal amount of two epoxy clay components and kneads the two together. This activates the ingredients, turning it into a putty-like adhesive. He presses some of the adhesive into each of the decoy's eye sockets. He presses the glass eyes into the epoxy-filled sockets. Next he cuts six fish fins from a sheet of aluminum, creating one dorsal fin, two sets of side fins, and a large tail fin. He inserts the fins into slots in the carving. He then drills holes in the wood on each side. He presses nails into those holes using pliers. This secures the tail fin. The fins on decoys are larger than on live fish to enable them to swim well when weighted. He now carves a pocket for the lead weight in the decoy belly. He inserts the front side fins, so that they protrude slightly into the freshly carved pocket. He scoops up molten lead and pours it into the pocket. As the lead solidifies, it weights the decoy so it will sink, and it also secures the two side fins. He applies epoxy to the lead, sealing it so it won't be exposed to the water. He coats the entire decoy with lacquer. This seals the wood against water, which would have caused the wood to swell, cracking the final finish. Once the lacquer dries and the paint has been scraped off the eyes, the decoy is ready to take the plunge. He tests it to confirm that it sinks and that it sits level underwater and swims. Sometimes, more lead needs to be added. But in this case, the decoy performs fine underwater. He marks a spot for a screw eye for threading fishing line and then twists the screw eye into that spot. He paints the herring decoy a vibrant red, a color that isn't scientifically accurate, but one that should tantalize real fish. Decoys are often exact copies of fish. They're designed to simply pique their curiosity. Since fish are attracted by colors and shapes they don't normally see, decoy artists can be as creative as they like. Considered a form of folk art, fish decoys are often entered into competitions. But of course when it comes to their underwater allure, the real judges are the fish. Unless you're actually in a movie theater, you're likely watching a digital version of a film. A movie shot on film has to be digitized to be put on a disc or to be downloaded and viewed on an electronic device. Digitization also preserves the movie as film physically deteriorates over time. A movie has to be in a digital format to be viewable from a dvd... Or as a download to a computer... A smartphone... I repeat--  a nuclear war has broken-- ... Or a tablet. [ dog growls] [ electricity crackles] aah! This organization has produced 13,000 films since it was founded in 1939. And now it's in the process of digitizing the collection, as well as the 80 to 100 new films it produces each year. Once all the finished films are digitized, the next step will be to digitize stock shots and archival footage. The film board's archives contain many films which have deteriorated due to age and poor storage conditions such as exposure to cold or to heat, both of which deform film, and excess humidity, which causes fungus growth. Film's other enemy? A damaging chemical reaction which occurs over time between the acid in the film plastic and the colored dyes that make up the image. The first step is to repair any breaks in the film so technicians can view and evaluate its condition. They do this using a simple device called a splicer. They lay each broken end into the splicer's track and cut off the severed frame. A missing frame here or there isn't all that noticeable. Once the broken frame is removed, they lay both ends in the track, centering the meeting point. Then they tape the splice on both sides. This tape is specially designed for film splicing. Its chemical makeup won't damage the film over time as would ordinary adhesive tape. The splicer punches sprocket holes in the tape so that the spliced portion, like the rest, will thread onto the sprockets of the projector reel. Technicians evaluate all existing versions of the film, from the original, to the screening prints produced for movie theaters. They assess the general condition, note where the splices are and which frames are damaged, then they decided which version is in the best shape overall. That's the version they digitize. Later, they'll digitally edit out the damaged portions and replace them with identical but undamaged frames digitized from another copy. After threading the film through the scanner, they close the gate to hold the film flat and close to the scanning camera. Then they input the picture quality specifications and start her up. The scanner gently loops the film around its spools... And begins rolling it past the camera. For the picture quality they've selected for this digitization, the camera snaps three pictures of every frame. The scanner's control station displays what's being scanned in real time, along with all the technical parameters. This digitization process itemizes every single frame so when they digitally replace a damaged portion with an undamaged one from another copy they can match everything up to the exact frames. The final step is color correction. Because the digitized film is often pieced together from more than one film original, there are usually color variations. For example, the character's blue jacket will be a different shade of blue at different times. At this station, the technician manipulates the colors to render them uniform throughout the film. It's essential to resist the temptation to overcorrect the image. After all, film has a very different color and texture than video, and even though the digitized film will play on video devices, it must remain artistically and historically faithful to the film original. Do not remain seated. I repeat-- a nuclear war... A cylinder stove is designed for campers who like their creature comforts. Just pitch the tent and set up the stove inside. It keeps things warm and toasty for most of the night. It also has a cooking surface and a tank at the side to provide hot water for washing. No need to huddle around a campfire to stay warm. A cylinder stove can take the chill out of the wilderness experience. The cylindrical shape means it can take the heat. It will expand and contract with the temperature change and still maintain it's original shape. The cylindrical firebox starts with a flat sheet of steel. A worker feeds it through a roller repeatedly until it reaches the desired shape. Then a plasma cutter cuts an opening for the stove door in another sheet of steel, following a pattern overhead. The plasma cutter works by sending an electric arc through compressed air, and the result is a clean cut. He now places the stove body on the door framework and clamps the assembly in a special jig to secure it as he welds the two parts together. He then places the backplate on the workbench and positions the other end of the cylinder on it. He clamps them there and welds them together. Using the plasma cutter, he trims the front and back of the stove. The trimming rounds the ends nicely. From three flat sheets of steel to a cylindrical firebox, the transformation has taken less than 10 minutes. The welder now reinforces the underside of the stove top with several braces arranged in a grid pattern. This extensive bracing will prevent warping to keep the stove top perfectly flat under the intense heat of the wood fire below. This is the stove top before and after bracing. After cutting a hole for the stovepipe, he inserts a piece of pipe temporarily so that he can correctly install a stovepipe collar. Once the collar is solidly attached to the cooktop, he removes the stovepipe. He then bends the rim of the collar in four places, creating tabs to keep the stovepipe from sliding into the firebox. He's now ready to join the cylindrical firebox to the stove top. He locks them in position and welds the entire assembly. This final welded seam seals the stove for an airtight and long-lasting burn. Next he positions leg fittings on the belly of the stove using a sawhorse-style tool. Once he welds the fittings to the stove, he removes the tool. Then it's over to a computerized plasma cutter. It cuts damper holes in the stove door. Damper holes are used to regulate the flow of air to the fire. They also install a baffle plate on the back of the stove door to keep sparks from flying out into the tent. The worker attaches the door to the stove with a hinge. He tests it to confirm that it opens and closes easily. Another worker now roles pipe for the chimney, using galvanized steel because it doesn't rust. He interlocks the seam and flattens it. He crimps the ends to connect the pipe to the other pieces of pipe. There are five pieces of stovepipe in all, and they can be stacked together for transport. With the latch now attached to the stove door, he sprays black stove paint onto the cylindrical firebox. The paint job will prevent rusting. Finally he rivets a brass manufacturer's tag onto the stove front. Now it's time to pack it up. From the grate to the water tank to the stovepipe, everything can be stowed inside the fire box, making it completely portable. Assembly in the tent should take about five minutes-- a small job for a long-lasting burn. The biggest cylinder stoves are designed to hold a fire for an entire night. And with the proper setup, campers should sleep safe and sound. Installing a piece of heat-resistant rubber protects the tent around the stovepipe. Then it's time to hunker down for the night and enjoy a little warmth in the wilderness. Spun concrete light poles tower above our towns and cities, lighting the way. They're actually hollow structures with wiring or cable snaked through the cores. The concrete walls are reinforced by steel. Yet these poles are flexible enough to bend with the wind and snap back. When it comes to lampposts, the higher the light, the greater the area illuminated. Some concrete light poles are over three stories high. They start with a tenon, the part of the pole framework that anchors the light fixture. They place two in a mold because they're making two light poles at once. A worker strings four thick, steel strands from one end of the long mold to the other, threading them through the tenons and through spiral wire. This establishes the basic framework of the concrete poles. Another worker installs zinc boxes for electrical connections. He caps it with a block of rigid foam to protect it when the concrete is poured. The next worker attaches a stress gun to chucks that secure the steel strands. The gun pulls the strands one by one to a specific tension, and they stretch like rubber bands. They'll be pulled even tighter later. Every yard or so, he attaches stay rings for extra rigidity. He ties them in place with plastic-coated wire. Another worker stretches the spiral wire around the steel strands and tenons to round out the skeleton of the light poles. The spiral wire will also stop the pole from twisting too much in high winds. A crane transfers the long and hefty mold over to the next station and lowers it onto several stands. A hopper now swings into action, guided by workers. It's a traveling concrete dispenser. As it moves on a track, it funnels specially mixed concrete into the mold. The concrete has been made to order, with the customer specifying its color, strength, and other qualities. The concrete also has a low moisture content. This makes it the consistency of clay and therefore formable. As the concrete is dispensed, workers pack it around the light pole's steel skeleton. Using trowels, they scoop up overflow and smooth the surface of the wet concrete. One worker then cleans up the outer flanges and applies a nonstick substance. A crane moves the top half of the mold into position and lowers it onto the concrete-filled bottom part. The team bolts the two parts of the mold tightly together using pneumatic impact tools. They now pull the steel strands to their final tension, stretching them so tightly that they compress the concrete once it hardens. Concrete is much stronger when it's being compressed. The mold is now ready for the spinning machine. It's essentially a series of railway wheels. A crane lowers the mold's running rings into the grooves of the wheels, and then they crank up the speed. The wheels turn at 500 rpms, and the centrifugal force causes the concrete to migrate to the wall of the mold. The result is a hollow pole with dense, concrete walls. Transferred to a kiln, the concrete steam-cures in the mold for about five hours. The concrete light poles are ready for the big reveal. They open the mold and roll them out. At this point, the two poles are still attached. They examine them for flaws, and then they'll separate them. All they need now is some buffing up. Here, they polish a different octagonal pole to expose the pigments in the concrete. The different colored aggregates in this particular cement mix give the pole a mottled marble look. An i.d. tag has also been molded into the cement with the manufacturing date and the pole's height and mass. They test just how far they can take it to confirm the pole meets industry standards. They spray a special acrylic finish onto some poles. Graffiti can be easily scrubbed off of it. Even though it only takes about 5 1/2 hours to manufacture a concrete light pole, it should shine for many years.